Rutgers is #22 in Athlon Poll

Thats good to hear fellas.. I wonder how good this team can be if everything falls into place. For example..If Kordell Young is as electric as he was as a Frosh, Mason Robinson on the corner.. Also, I really liked how when we started to use Kevin Brock in the middle of last season .. things seemed to really open up.  Defensively, It looks like we will have the best group of young LBs in a long time. Malast, D'Imperio, and Abreu were all pretty high recruits.  And we already know the 2ndary is the strength of the defense.   I don't want to get too high on this team because they have a lot to fix from last year.. But talent wise it seems like they should be better off even without Rice and the 2 OL.  Thoughts? 

PNC--talent wise we might be better, but we still have not replaced Meekins, and now we lost Foster.  I have no faith in our DL right now.  I love the rest of the team, the LB should be a strength, and the DB might be one of the best groups in the country.  Our WR should also be a nationally recongnized, and I think Teel will have a big year.  We have been recruiting top OL for a couple of years now so even though we lost 3 starters I think we should be fine.  The RB scare me a little as other than Brooks they all seem to be change of pace type guys.  I like our team and think that 2nd in the BE is a definet possibility, but we will all know alot more about the team after the fresno game.

I like our team and think that 2nd in the BE is a definet possibility, but we will all know alot more about the team after the fresno game.

agreed... i think that fresno game will be a good indicator of how the season will shape up to be... if we go in there as a tight unit and can pull off a good game, win or loose i dont see why we cant continue that momentum and win some games... but on the flip if we go out there not really clicking then it will be a long season tryin to work out the kinks

PNC- I've been thinking the same thing but didn't have the guts to say it. How can an offense be better without Ray Rice?  But I keep coming to this conclusion.  Ray was a major part of our offense, but I think the offense became way too predictable (except for the USF and 1st part of the Louisville game where Schiano pulled out the stops)  So it will definitely be more diversified with Ray gone.  Our receiving corps has only gotten stronger, Britt, Underwood, Brown.  Now add Stroud, who was a beast during the spring game and Dennis Campbell got rave reviews this spring.  Hell, we even have a good tight end now in Brock and our backs will catch the ball more out of the backfield than we did during the Ray era.

Teel healthy should be phenomenal.  If he's putting up 30+ a game, who cares if he stills throws a boneheaded interception now and then.  And with Ito gone, I doubt Schiano will be willing to settle for field goals as often as last year.

No one can replace Ray.  But with this much firepower in the air game, no one needs too.  I doubt we're going to see 8 men in the box much with these receivers on the loose.  We may not see 7 men that much.  The backs this year won't have to run against the stacked lines that Ray did.  Between Young, Robinson, Brooks, and Martinek, I'm confident that we have more than enough firepower to do what we need to on the ground.  The O line will have some teething problems but we're not talking about rookies here, except Ruch.  Gilmartin and Haslam are already veterans of the Big East wars, Blaze will continue to get better at center and Davis (a smile slowly comes to my face). Enough said.

If Wayne Thomas can be the run stuffer we need at DT, this should be a great year. My question is where is Keith Newell?  This guy is 6'6" -290, was a 4 star recruit at OL and DL and will be a red shirt freshman this year.  I keep hoping to hear he's getting time at DT but have heard nothing.