Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson is an unabashed optimist, so it's no surprise that he found blue skies in a gray spring for a football program which took some hard injury hits.

Following the team's Black and Gold Scrimmage, which was held to 62 plays as numerous players either played sparingly or not at all, Johnson was in Chuck Tanner "smiley face" mode.

"We didn't get a chance to play some guys because of injuries and couldn't substitute as much as we'd like, but I thought the kids' overall attitude was really good," he said. "Despite the lack of numbers, our guys played hard."

Coach-speak aside, if the 2008 team matches last year's five wins, it will be a significant accomplishment. The game's most important position -- quarterback -- is undecided, the Southeastern Conference's all-time leading receptions leader is no longer around and the offensive line will be all-new.

Neither quarterback who started last year -- Mackenzi Adams or Chris Nickson -- stood out in the Black and Gold Scrimmage. The duo combined to complete just 4-of-14 passes and led just one scoring drive in the event's 13 possessions.

On the other hand, the Commodores shouldn't drop off much on defense. The secondary is full of proven SEC talent and the defensive line will generate a solid pass rush most weeks, even against the best teams. But expecting them to carry an offense which doesn't have a lot of speed or skill is expecting a bit too much.

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