Most Important Players Besides VY?

1) Deon Beasley really started to come through at the end of last season. He’s got the physical tools to really be a beast. Besides, he’s got great instincts.

2) I don’t think we’ll have a true playmaker at RB (unlike some on here, I wasn’t particularly impressed by McGee).

3) I think Orakpo is really going to have to step it up this year. He’ll have a lot of motivation (a-la NFL contract), so hopefully he’ll stay totally healthy and provide a lot of stability in the D-Line.

Overall though, I don’t believe this year is the year we’ll see a lot of play solidify. We’re still fielding quite a young team. Next year though, teams had better start watching out. We’ve got a lot of talent comin up the pipeline.

but Aaron Harris doesn’t deserve anything near honorable mention status. Neither does Ramonce Taylor. Harris is a continuing pox on this program! Any current player seen in his company needs to be pulled behind Gregory gym and given a lesson on behavior. That would be leadership.

As for defensive leadership, Orakpo and Lamaar Houston are IMO the most disruptive forces on the defensive line in about 20 years. Rod Wright is fine young man, but he was no “beast”. He definitely played a read & react form of ball and I can assure you Muschamp wants those D-Linemen moving UP the field and disrupting plays before they really get started. The excitement from these 2 will be contagious and you can bet Muschamp will use it to motivate the entire unit.

I personally do see good things in McGee and now he actually has a strong coach. Major is a master of the film room and we all can rest assured those backs will know what to expect and were to look for openings. I was a really big Jamaal Charles fan and I wish him well in KC. However, I expect more “explosives” with our current set of backs, just because they will be better coached with significantly better game preparation.

I think if these three guys stay healthy and become better leaders, Texas will have a great year.

Great topic, thoughful and complete. I’d have listed Aaron Harris a tad higher; he was the ONLY LBer on the team who had played much before 2005. He (and Huff) were the defensive hubs, and there was nobody on the bench to replace Harris.
My general feeling is that leadership is overrated. It’s a concept borrowed from the military, where it does matter, and promulgated by coaches who like the concept of structure. What matters isn’t leadership, it’s playmakers. This is a combination of skill and the ability to react to the play and make positive things happen. Key players for ‘08—one of the young OTs has to step up, as do a couple of the unproven WRs. Orakpo should be the defensive focal point, though Roy Miller is probably more important because of the lack of depth at DT. The front seven will be excellent if Kindle finally plays up to his high school potential. As for the secondary, I have no idea. Plain and simple, the 2007 DBs lacked big-time skill: four seniors, none drafted, just two signed to free-agent deals. That compares to the 2005 bunch, which had three players picked in the first round and two others who were drafted. The offensive will be solid but unexciting; the defense will make or break the ‘08 season. I think there’s talent in the secondary, but it’s scary young. Hopefully, the coaches will look beyond letters earned and age and let the young talent develop in September.

I think you have J-Scott overrated from the 05 team, in fact i would argue that Studdard was the heart and soul of that offensive line. Not only was he a great guard but i think he supplied the nasty, the edge.
Ramonce broke my heart as well. He had so much potential wasted when the veteran leaders left and he went the wrong way. Without him we lose 1 game in 05.
Huff is a no brainer, but don’t forget the griffins, both on defense and special teams.
David Thomas: can’t say enough about him. That offense goes from great to good without him.
NEW BLOOD: I look forward to seeing a lot from these guys in the next year or two…
Beasley & Chykie
T. Allen
Fozzy bear
the Acho brothers (not this year for emanual, but i have heard from good sources that his upside is incredible)
*Buckner (has Malcolm Williams done squat since he’s been in austin?)

People often over look the fumble that VY had during the Rose Bowl, guess who jumped all over it as soon as it hit the ground???....Kasey Studdard did.

When Colt marched us down the field to come back against Nebraska, Cosby took a slip screen for a big gain and fumbled down field…guess who recovered??? Kasey Studdard did.

Oh and about Ramonce Taylor. I honestly think having him could have scratched off one of the losses from the 06 season and we definitely would have been lethal without Sweed in 07 had he stayed.

I’ll list some guys myself that I’m hoping to fill the roles I spelled out. After all, the intention of my post was not so much to spur debate on which players from ‘05 were most important (although this is a fun discussion) but rather how they represented crucial roles for a championship team. Whether or not you agreed that a player I mentioned filled that role in ‘05 is not entirely the point as long as we agree that that leadership/playmaking role was something to look for in our new players. (But by all means, keep debating)

So here was my list and who I’m hoping can step up besides, obviously, the quarterback:

1. We need a defensive leader to step up. Our defense can be super talented, but a field general leads all that talent into one, fluid unit. I think Muschamp can get us one. Kindle? Norton? Orakpo? Somebody.

Kindle. The man plays like an animal and with our D-line play likely to be strong, he can be asked to roam and fly around. I think his play can really energize our entire defense. The obvious problem is that because he plays like this, he seems prone to injury.

2. The trenches need to be really strong, and it’d be nice to have All-American candidates on both sides. Just ask those poor offensive linemen how it felt like blocking Glenn Dorsey. We have a lot of talent here and we need a dominator to emerge. Colt’s struggles in particular can be greatly attributed to the inexperienced and injury-devastated O-line last year

I’m going to jump on the bandwagon with PB and say Lamarr Houston for the D-line. Although Miller should be our stable veteran. On the O-line, Chris Hall.

3. We need a reliable go-to guy when Colt is in trouble. Hello, Quan Cosby.

Uh… Quan Cosby.

4. We need a deep threat(s) to keep the defense honest. Shipley is good, but it’d be nice for a bigger reciever like Limas to emerge to help him out.

Along with Shipley, Dan Buckner.

5. With no one like VY, we need RB playmakers ala JC or Ramonce even more (which we already know).

Tough one. I think McGee and Fozzy will be fine runners, but are they “gamebreakers?” I’m not sure. If we can work Chiles into the offense well, he can possibly fill this role.