2009 Spring Preview
Key SEC East Questions Answered
-
2009 SEC Spring Analysis
- Is the SEC worthy of the
hype?
- SEC West Spring Questions
Answered
Q:
Georgia seems to always come though big when it flies under the radar;
is this one of those seasons? Considering how brutal the expectations
are in the SEC, is Mark Richt on even the slightest bit of a hot seat?
What’s the most important position battle to watch for this spring?
A:
By Dean Legge from DawgPost.com
…
It’s certainly possible the
Dawgs could be in for a surprise season. Georgia has a challenging
schedule, which is not new, but if they can gather a little steam before
October they could be dangerous. Losing Stafford and Moreno will hurt,
but Joe Cox is a tremendous leader with undervalued physical tools. So
goes Joe so goes Georgia.
Is Richt on a hot seat? Only from the
looneytunes. Richt has only failed to win ten games in two of his eight
seasons. Also, the buyout of his current contract is tremendous. Either
way, Richt wants to be at Georgia, and Georgia wants him in Athens.
Georgia is going to have to really fall on its face for him to be in
serious heat.
Running back is the most important battle. While
this battle will heat up more in the fall because of players coming back
from injury, there is no certain replacement for Knowshon Moreno.
Georgia will have to figure out what they want to do at that spot, and
soon.
Q: Is
Lane Kiffin cleaning house and changing things up for the better at
Tennessee, or is he just rubbing people the wrong way? What’s the
offense going to do to be better?
A; By Randy Moore
InsideTennessee.com …
Kiffin ran off a few good people but also got
rid of some dead wood. Whether he's made the program significantly
better or just significantly different, fans are excited that it's not
going to be another year of the same old same old. Last March the fan
base was the most apathetic I've seen it in 30-plus years covering the
Vols. This March the fans are fired up, and so are the players.
How’s the offense going to be better? The
quarterbacks have fewer responsibilities. The receivers have fewer reads
to make. The guards and tackles are no longer flip-flopping. All
three groups seemed confused last season. All three groups appear much
more poised and confident about what they're doing this spring.
What’s the most important position battle to watch for this spring?
Quarterback. Rising senior Jonathan Crompton (6 starts last fall) is the
early leader but rising sophomore B.J. Coleman actually has more
savvy than his more experienced teammate. Rising junior Nick Stephens
(who also started 6 games last fall) has a fractured wrist that will
cause him to miss the first half of spring drills. The race should get
really interesting if he plays well upon returning to practice. The
three QBs combined to complete just 49.5 percent last fall, so just
about anything they do in '09 will represent an improvement.
Q: What’s being done to improve the Vanderbilt offense? How does the
secondary possibly reload after losing the key stars?
A:
By Don Yates from VandyMania.com
… The offensive schemes will likely stay about the same. A ton of
returning experience, including the entire offensive line, should help
the offense to be improved. Jamie
Graham has been moved from offense back to the defensive secondary to
help shore it up. Sophomores FS
Sean Richardson and CB Casey Hayward played well last season in backup
duty and are poised to take over as starters.
The most important position battle will be for quarterback.
Chris Nickson is gone and long time part time starter and backup
Mackenzi Adams will have to battle RS sophomore Larry Smith for the
starting nod. Smith played very
well against both Wake Forest and in Vandy's bowl win over Boston
College.