SB Nation - D.J. Woods

Cincinnati Bearcats Vs. Pitt Panthers | Thursday Night Keys

Matt Opper — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:58:21 -0000

By the time you read this it will be a little less than four hours away from gametime and the official point where we leave the doldrums behind for the windy sky's of the season. I am excited but I am apprehensive as well. I always am before the first game of the season. There are a ton of unknowns on this team. Not just at the quarterback position but across the board. UC had two phenomenal heart and soul leaders last year in Zach Collaros and J.K. Schaffer, this year they are being replaced and I have no idea how those voids get filled. I think Munchie Legaux has the talent to thrive if an offense is built to accentuate his strengths, his height in the pocket, big arm and general athletic ability. But I have no clue what that offense will look like. I could go on listing question marks for the next three hours, more than likely so could you, but that serves little purpose. Instead I have three areas of the game that will wind up determining the outcome of the game.

Control The Pace

Butch Jones said this the day he was hired.

Wide open spread offense, fast paced, great ball security. Our goal will be to lead the country in ball security and scoring points and doing whatever necessary to secure a win. We have been fortunate to be able to do that in the last three years in our offense.

Through two years he has gone two for three on his big ideas. The one miss has been pace, and its something that has really bothered me for the last couple of years. For one quickening the pace makes everything easier for the offense. If a defense barely has time to line up they can't disguise coverages at all. At this level having your coverage laid bare is bad bad news.

For the past two years the Cincinnati offense has really been hamstrung by depth issues in general, but at receiver and offensive line in particular. When your receiver rotation is 4 guys* (as it was last season) its impossible to run the offense at the pace Bajakian and Jones were accustomed to in Mount Pleasant. This year its better with three of the top four returning, Jordan Luallen is an interesting weapon, redshirt freshman Chris Moore and Shaq Washington have both had good camps. And true Freshmen Jeremy Graves and Nate Cole will both see action tonight. In short there is more talent to go around and fashioning a rotation that goes 9 or 10 deep won't be a problem.

*D.J. Woods, Kenbrell Thompkins, Anthony McClung and Alex Chisum

The same could be said about the offensive line which returns three starters and has found two good guys to step into starting roles with Sam Longo and Dan Sprauge. More to the point there is some good depth at tackle with Cory Keebler, Andre Cureton and Parker Ehringer. Keebler and Cureton both had good playing time this year and Ehringer just missed out on the starting RG spot.

This is a team that has the depth up front and at receiver to really push the pace offensively. It is probably the best tactic that they can exercise early in the year to make things simpler for Munchie. I would look for them to do just that tonight against a Pitt defense which is thin and looked bad, very bad against Youngstown State.

Exploit Open Space

The biggest reason Pitt lost to Youngstown State comes down to the most elemental action in Football. They couldn't tackle in general and they defiantly could not make tackles in open spaces. Andre Stubbs a 5'6" 160 pound receiver (and high school teammate of Shaq Washington) ran 6 times for 71 yards and a score and he caught 4 passes for 61 yards and another score. He didn't do it by making plays down the field, Stubbs did his damage by stretching the defense horizontally and forcing Pitt's big, bulky linebackers and to make plays on him in the flats. The Panthers simply couldn't answer that call. That is something that the Bearcats can exploit with the seemingly endless array of diminutive slot players from McClung to Ralph Abernathy IV.

Attack Defensively

With all the talk swirling around the Bearcats focused, almost exclusively, on Munchie Legaux and the offense an overlooked topic has been what the defense will do under new DC John Jancek. The Cats are undersized up front, particularly at defensive tackle, though having big Greg Blair standing behind them makes that less of a concern, but it doesn't erase it. For this defense to have success they have to be in attack mode from the outset.

UC basically went to a 4-2-5 for long stretches of the season last year. Its the defense that TCU and Boise State have made a ton of hay with over the years, especially against teams that spread it out. The challenge for that look will be apparent right away. Pitt has a massive offensive line and a damn fine stable of backs between Ray Graham, Issac Bennett and the newly reinstated Rushel Shell. While Pitts offensive line may be massive they aren't, in my estimation, good. Look for Jancek to try to exploit that with a variety of blitzes to disrupt the line. Keep in mind that the Bearcats have a ton of depth and ability at corner back to take some risks with exotic blitzes and looks. UC has had nine months to prepare for this game. Expect to see some new things defensively.

Panthers vs Bearcats coverage | Panthers vs Bearcats preview | Cardiac Hill

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store.

Tennessee Titans Roster Cuts

Jimmy Morris — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:12:48 -0000

This is a busy day in the NFL because the deadline to get the roster down to 53 is tonight. There are a lot of guys hitting the waiver wire, including guys that could be of some interest to the Titans. Keep in mind that just because a player doesn't get cut today doesn't mean he is safe. Teams will be making more moves as they claim guys on waivers.

Click through the jump for a list of players who have been released by the Titans. We will update the thread as the day goes along.

-DE Malcom Sheppard
-WR James Kirkendoll
-WR D.J. Woods
-OL Kyle DeVan
-TE Brandon Barden
-OL Michael Jasper
-WR Michael Preston
-TE Cameron Graham
-OL Chris Morris
-S Tracy Wilson

Like I said, stay tuned throughout the day for the complete list of guys who end up being released. Keep in mind that the Titans can sign up to 8 guys to be on the practice squad once the player clears waivers.

[UPDATE]- FB Collin Mooney has been cut.

Replacing a Legend Isn't As Hard As It Seems

Matt Opper — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:46:33 -0000

Zach Collaros is a UC legend. He is a pivotal figure in the recent history of the program, a focal point of the golden age of Bearcats Football. He departs from UC with three Big East rings and top five rankings in passing yards, touchdowns, total offense and he is the all time leader in completion percentage. In short there is no way that Zach Collaros isn't one of the five (arguably three) best quarterbacks in Cincinnati history. The totality of his career accomplishments is immense and it is a burden upon the shoulders of whoever takes the reigns this year, most likely Munchie Legaux, possibly Brendon Kay. Understandably that is the angle that everyone is taking when trying to project how the QB situation will play out this year. But there is a caveat to that argument. Namely that the bar that Zach Collaros set in his Senior season is actually much lower than his career numbers would suggest. Just look at Collaros's season numbers for each of the last three seasons.

	Attempts	Completions	Percentage	Yards	YPA	TD/INT	Rating
2009	124	93	75	1,434	11.6	10/2	195.53
2010	383	225	59	2,902	7.6	26/14	137.49
2011	272	166	61	1,940	7.1	15/10	131.79

The 2009 numbers season should be taken with a grain of salt. The sample size was exceedingly small, just four games to compile the vast majority of his numbers, and he took the reigns at a period of time where Brian Kelly was basically magic for all intents and purposes. Far more interesting to me is the difference between 2010 Collaros and 2011 Collaros. The decrease in attempts largely accounts for the difference terms of yards. But far more interesting to me is the sharp decrease in Collaros's efficiency numbers, a decrease that fly's in the face of common sense.

Quarterbacks, like any other commodity, are subject to the laws of statistical analysis. For example It is a reasonable assumption that interceptions will increase in proportion to the amount of passes attempted. The more passes thrown the greater the opportunity for one of them to be intercepted. Inversely the fewer attempts the lower the interception rate. Those are reasonable assumptions, but reasonable assumptions don't pick up outliers, and that is exactly what 2011 was for Collaros, but not in a good sense. Zach was actually less efficient with a smaller sample size (on a per game basis) which flies in the face of basic common sense but is nonetheless true. Compare Zach's 2009 four game stretch as a starter with his numbers from last year.

In 2009 Zach averaged 26.5 attempts per game, had an interception rate* of 1.6 and an astronomical QB rating of 204.06. Last year he attempted 27.2 passes per game which is essentially a wash with the 2009 stretch. But then we get to the efficiency stats. Zach's Interception Rate last season was 3.6, more than double the 2009 number, and his QB rating bottomed out to 131.79.

* Interception rate is simply the number of times a QB was intercepted per 100 attempts.

The change in those efficiency stats isn't all on Zach. Statistics being, after all and imperfect way to understand a perfect game. There are a million hidden variables that can skew statistics one way or the other. For example in 2009 Collaros had a wealth of what Soccer People call attacking talent on the perimeter between Armon Binns and Mardy Gilyard. Last years group had less ability on paper coming into the season, and that was before D.J. Woods pulled his strange disappearing act down the stretch of the season. Not to mention the well chronicled issues of trying to fit Zach Collaros into an offense that was never really designed for a person of his stature or skill set.

The bigger concern this year is replacing the leadership of Zach rather than his production. And that is something that is less of a concern in general with a Butch Jones team. Butch requires all of his players to buy in and be accountable for their actions, on and off the field, in a way that Brian Kelly didn't. And the reports out of spring practice and heading into camp are that Munchie Legaux is becoming the alpha male of the offense. If Munchie can get that part of the job wrapped up he should be able to equal or better Zach's level of production.

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store

With Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) getting cut, What are his possibilities?

Damond Talbot — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:07:42 -0000

Since Chad Johnson has become known as Ochocinco his game has been on a constant decline. I really don’t know why his stats have been declining, but he is getting up there in age. At 34, the elder Johnson has declined in statistics after a very long and successful NFL Career. When he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals back in 2001 the young wide receiver showed flashes of becoming a much respected NFL wide receiver by corner backs all across the league. The six-time pro-bowler experienced something he has never been faced with before. He was released by the New England Patriots today when he arrived in Boston for practice. Well even though he had a rough season last year, Chad Johnson still has a lot left in the tank. So my question is what team or teams will be taking a hard look at the veteran wide receiver? Well find out what 5 teams I think he would be a good fit on, below.

I came up with 5 teams where I believe that Chad Johnson would be a great fit. I chose these fits off of rosters, which I think would be the weakest at the wide receiver position come the regular season. Well no more rambling on, let’s get to the teams.

Buffalo Bills – This to me is one of the best situations Chad can fall in. The Buffalo Bills have a very solid football team, but are really lacking a #2 receiver. I am not sure if Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey would want a football player who has antics when getting in the endzone after their run in with Stevie Johnson last year, but if they do they might be able to revive the 34 year old Ochocinco. Chad Johnson played wide receiver already once in his NFL career when Ryan Fitzpatrick was his quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. With Buffalo’s number 2 a big question mark, they could add a veteran leader across from Stevie to help beat the rivals in the AFC East.

Players he would need to beat out on Buffalo – Donald Jones, Marcus Easley, T.J. Graham, Derek Hagan, Naaman Roosevelt, Ruvell Martin, Brad Smith, Kamar Aiken, Derek Sessions and David Clowney

Miami Dolphins – After losing Brandon Marshall, a good veteran wide receiver could be a huge help with the quarterback situation in Miami. As of now, Matt Moore is a locked in QB and Ryan Tannehill still could use some help at the wide out position. I truly believe the Dolphins are better than getting credit for, but with a solid #2 receiver they could be a playoff contender. I think Chad could come in right away and contributed, I don’t believe his best days are behind him. He was the number 5 WR on the Pats last year and still had 270 plus yards.

Players he would need to beat out on Miami – Brian Hartline, B.J Cunningham, Jeff Fuller, Clyde Gates, Chris Hogan, Rishard Matthews, Marlon Moore, Derek Moye, Lededu Naanee, Julius Pratt, and Roberto Wallace.

Cleveland Browns – Let’s be honest, when going into the draft they had three major needs, Wide Receiver, Quarterback, and Running back. They were able to fill 2 of those needs with their first two picks in Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden. But let’s be honest they drafted Travis Benjamin who is a good wide receiver with a later pick, but is still not a number 2 receiver. They could definitely use a receiver opposite of Josh Cribbs. They have a good young group but need a solid veteran full time receiver to help out the young QB.

Players he would need to beat out in Cleveland – Carlton Mitchell, Greg Little, Travis Benjamin, Josh Cooper, Mohamed Massaquoi, Jordan Norwood, Bert Reed, Jermaine Saffold, Owen Spencer and Rod Windsor.

Tennessee Titans – The Titans have a young quarterback as well, in Jake Locker. Tennesse already has a very good number one receiver in Kenny Britt when he stays healthy and out of trouble. That has been the hardest problem with the Britt as the number one. They have had to rely on Nate Washington to carry the load, and although Washington is a good wide out he is not a guy who I believe is a #2. They drafted Kendall Wright who will be a great slot wide out for them. Ochocinco could be a player that helps a young Jake Locker early in his career to become a good quarterback, which he has all the potential to do.

Players he would need to beat out in Tennessee – Devin Aguilar, Nate Washington, Damian Williams, Chase Deadder, LaQuinton Evans, Lavelle Hawkins, James Kirkendoll, Marc Mariani, O.J. Murdock, Michael Preston, and D.J. Woods.

St. Louis Rams – I know everyone always puts the Rams on a list, because they think that they Rams need a lot. To be honest, I wouldn’t put him on the roster unless I thought he could help. In the Rams case, it would be as a teacher and helper for their young receiving core. I like Brian Quick, and if he can get a person that can help him develop faster, he could be a very special player. I see Quick as the number 2 right now, but if they can get Ochocinco back to his older days before New England he could be a very good teacher for a young Quick.

Players he would need to beat out in St. Louis – Brian Quick

State of the Titans Roster: Wide Receiver

Jimmy Morris — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:00:19 -0000

We are currently working our way through the state of the Titans roster. Today we look at the wide receivers. We previously looked at QB and RB.

It is pretty easy to argue that this is the most talented group of receivers this franchise has had since the move to Tennessee. Most people ridiculed me for wanting a receiver in the first round after how some of the guys came on last season. The fact that Kendall Wright was the pick at #20 just goes to show you the importance of the passing game in today's NFL.

Click through the jump for a more in-depth look at the receivers currently on the roster.

KENNY BRITT
Age: 23 (turns 24 in September)
Contract: Entering the 4th year of his 5 year rookie contract

Britt has the ability to be a top 10 receiver in the NFL if he can stay healthy and stay out of trouble off the field. He has done a good job of staying out of trouble for almost a year now, knock on wood. Now he just has to get his knee ready to go.

NATE WASHINGTON
Age: 28 (turns 29 in August)
Contract: Entering the third year of a six-year $26.8 million contract

Washington had a breakout year last season. He became the player the Titans hoped they were getting when they gave him all of that money. He should be even more effective with Britt and Kendall Wright out there.

KENDALL WRIGHT
Age: 22 (turns 23 in November)
Contract: He is the only draft pick yet to be signed

Wright was brought in to "take the top off of the defense." From all the reports I have seen so far about the OTAs, it seems like Wright is going to be able to do just that.

DAMIAN WILLIAMS
Age: 24
Contract: Entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract

Williams showed flashes of being really good last year, but he was also extremely inconsistent. He needs to get better with locating the deep ball and knowing where he is on the football field if he is going to realize his potential.

LAVELLE HAWKINS
Age: 25 (turns 26 in July)
Contract: Signed a three-year $7.2 million contract this offseason

The Hawk came on at the end of the season last year. There was one point in the middle of the year that I was ready for them to let him go, but he ended the season with 47 catches for 470 yards. Those are solid numbers.

MARC MARIANI
Age: 27
Contract: Entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract

Mariani has been the subject of much debate here on the site. There is no doubt he is a quality returner, but his roster spot could be in jeopardy this season with the depth of talent at the receiver position on the roster, and the change in kickoff rules. He needs to have a good camp.

You can chose between Devin Aguilar, Chase Deaddar, LaQuinton Evans, James Kirkendoll, O.J. Murdock, Michael Preston and D.J. Woods to be your training camp/preseason hero that doesn't ever do anything in a real football game.

Cincinnati 125 for 125 | # 102 D.J. Woods

Matt Opper — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:30:37 -0000

Wide Receiver | Letters 2008-2011

D.J. Woods kind of defines the type of career you usually see with the guys who find their way onto the list. He defies the type because his two year peak came as a sophomore in 2009 and as a junior in 2010. He didn't go out with a bang as a senior, more with a whimper posting numbers that were significantly off the pace that he established as a sophomore and a junior.

Consider these numbers. in 2009 and 2010 Woods averaged 769 yards with 6 TD's. Last year Woods had 450 yards receiving with 2 TD's and was plagued with inconsistency throughout the Bearcats season. But in the final balance D.J. deserves a spot on the list. After all he ranks in the top 5 in Bearcats history in terms of catches (159 4th) and yards (2156, 5th) and had streak of 28 games with at least one reception.

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store.

Drive by Drive | Cincinnati Bearcats vs Austin Peay

Matt Opper — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:00:25 -0000

We are all officially in the darkest four months of every calendar year. The four months between the end of the Bearcats season on the hardwood and the start of festivities in Nippert Stadium. This is also the four worst months of the year for Bloggers. Seeing as there are no sports to cover, (unless you want to talk about the fledgling Baseball team), the only content that exists is the things we choose to write about. There are a couple of features in the wing to bridge the gap one of which is what follows below, a drive by drive look at all 13 Football games from the 2011 season starting with the season opening contest against the Austin Peay Governors.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
1	40	1	0	40	:18

Whatever intrigue existed in this game between UC and Austin Peay was evaporated within 18 seconds. First Ralph Abernathy IV took his first collegiate touch 60 yards on the opening kick. Next Isaiah Pead took his first touch of the game 40 yards on one of his patented cutback specials. Tony Miliano missed the extra point UC 6 AP 0

Play of the Drive Since there is only one play on the drive its obviously Pead's sprint. His first touch TD was a sign of the season to come.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
8	34	4	4	4.25	4:40

The Gov'nah's actually showed some fight early in the game picking up three first downs. AP QB Jake Ryan completed 3 of 4 passes for 24 yards and generally looked competent in his first bit of action. It didn't last.

Play of the Drive: J.K. Schaffer was gifted an interception after Ryan's pass went through the hands of Peay's back up RB Wes Kitts and right to Schaffer. J.K. returned the pick 11 yards setting UC up on the Peay 48.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
7	48	2	5	6.8	1:35

After taking possession of the ball UC bombarded the Peay defense with the passing game to little result. Zach Collaros was 2 of 5 for the drive completing passes of 10 and 13 years to Pead and Anythony McClung respectively. The latter of which set the Cats up with first and 10 at the 13. Pead took it from there UC 13 AP 0

Play of the Drive: Pead proving that he was better than Austin Peay again.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
3	8	2	1	2.6	1:39

After giving up a couple first downs on the initial series the Bearcats buckled down after giving up 8 on the initial play of the series to Ryan White. The first three and out on the season.

Play of the Drive: Walter Stewart breaking up a pass on 3rd and 2.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
5	32	5	0	6.4	1:39

Pead and George Winn ripped of runs of 24 and 8 yards on the first two plays of the drive. After that the offense stalled failing to pick up two yards on three plays giving up possession on the Peay 38.

Play of the Drive: There are actually two of them. On second and 2 and again on fourth and 1 Bajakian tried to utilize Zach Collaros as a power runner. It didn't work. This is something of a theme from the season. As 2011 wore on Pead and Winn took over that part of the running game.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
3	-2	3	0	-.67	1:34

The drive went like this. Sack by Chris Williams, run of 6 yards, sack/fumble by Derek Wolfe recovered by Maalik Bomar

Play of the Drive: Its the strip sack of Ryan by Derek Wolfe turning in his first big play of the year

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
4	36	2	2	9	1:22

Another short field and another easy TD. Statistically the Bearcats offense wasn't great in 2011, but they made a living off short fields. Zach was 2 of 2 on the drive including a 13 yard strike to Kenbrell Thompkins for his first score as a Bearcat. UC 20 AP 0

Play of the Drive: The first play of the drive. Right off the turnover Bajakain called up a reverse on the unsuspecting Gov's. D.J. Woods raced for 24 yards before being tripped up.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
3	0	1	2	0	1:38

Nothing, just nothing at all for the Govs

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
14	95	6	8	6.7	5:09

At this point the foot was off the accelerator and the Bearcats were in cruise control.At this point Isaiah Pead was done and Quatro, Winn and Poteat got the carries. Zach went 5 of 8 for 60 yards and the score to D.J. Woods.UC 27 AP 0

Play of the Drive: The deep pass to Woods.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
10	28	6	4	2.8	5:56

Peay managed three first downs, but traversed just 28 yards in total. But a couple of penalties set them back as they failed to cross midfield.

Play of the Drive: On third and 10 Walter Stewart pressured Ryan into a throw that J.K. wound up breaking up

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
10	78	7	3	7.8	3:48

This drive was the first appearance of the wildcat on the season for UC. Jordan Luallen subbed on three plays, all runs for 8,9 and 8 yards before subbing back out as Zach threw a TD on a textbook smash concept to Anthony McClung UC 34 AP 0

Play of the Drive: McClung. Smash.

Plays	Yards	Runs	Passes	Per Play	Possession
3	25	0	3	7.8	:19

After Adrian Witty forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. UC ran two plays to little success before a bust in the Gov secondary parted the red season for McClung to pick up his second in the span of about 30 seconds. UC 41 AP 0

Thus ended all relevant action for this game, and with it my coverage of the game which stops when the second string goes in. If you wish to see all the greatest hits from the second half such as Adam Fearing Scored, Munchie Legaux has Dreadlocks and Jordan Luallen is Athletic ESPN's video archive for the game is available here. Stay tuned for the next edition which will be the bloodletting against Tennessee.

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store.

J.K. Schaffer Leads Four Cincinnati Bearcats Undrafted Free Agent Signees

Matt Opper — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 02:32:00 -0000

The draft is officially over and four Bearcats were selected within the top 127 picks in the draft including two third rounders, which is the most UC has produced in a draft ever. However there are still some Bearcats with decisions to be made in terms of where they sign their UFA contracts.

J.K. Schaffer - Jacksonville

Zach Collaros - Tampa Bay

D.J. Woods - Tennessee

Monte Taylor - Seattle

Keep in mind that Bearcats signing undrafted free agent contracts had great years in 2011. Not exactly in terms of making a 53 man roster but Armon Binns, Vidal Hazelton and Ben Guidugli are all still in the league, albeit spending a lot of time on the practice squad. As most readers surely know Binns and Hazelton are on the Bengals roster. It is hard saying who from this group will wind up sticking on a roster, but I wouldn't count out J.K. Schaffer making it with the Jaguars.

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store.

Cincinnati Bengals Host 24 Prospects During Local Player Workout On Tuesday

Josh Kirkendall — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:38:50 -0000

The Cincinnati Bengals hosted their annual local player's workout, which is roughly players that played college and/or high school football in the region. Along with over half of the prospects being from the University of Cincinnati, other notables include Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly and Ohio State University wide receiver Devier Posey. The following is the list of players that attended on Tuesday.

OL Chandler Burden, Kentucky (La Salle HS)
TE Garrett Celek, Michigan State (La Salle HS)
WR Chedrick Cherry, California-Pa. (Moeller HS)
TE Josh Chichester, Louisville (Lakota West HS)
QB Zach Collaros, Cincinnati
LS Tom DeTemple, Cincinnati (Moeller HS)
CB Reuben Haley, Cincinnati (Mt. Healthy HS)
DE Steve Hancock, Cincinnati
WR Tomaz Hilton, Cincinnati
LB Jamar Howard, Central Missouri State (Withrow HS)
DT John Hughes, Cincinnati
DE/LB Grant Hunter, Butler (Lakota West HS)
LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College (St. Xavier HS)
DE/LB Ben Martin, Tennessee (La Salle HS)
C Randy Martinez, Cincinnati
S Patrick McClellan, Eastern Kentucky (Moeller HS)
WR Devier Posey, Ohio State (La Salle HS)
S Wesley Richardson, Cincinnati
LB J.K. Schaffer, Cincinnati (La Salle HS)
DE Monte Taylor, Cincinnati
DE Stephen Trigg, Cincinnati
WR Stan Warrenhuffman, Campbellsville (Mt. Healthy HS)
WR Orion Woodward, Cincinnati
WR D.J. Woods, Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats Post Spring Offensive Depth Chart

Matt Opper — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:32:38 -0000

Follow Down The Drive on Facebook/Twitter and check out the DTD Store.

Fifteen up , fifteen down. With that Spring Practice is over and the Bearcats will begin their summer Strength and Conditioning routine next week. In the mean time we can begin pulling out rosters and speculating wildly about starters, rotation players and sleepers. And none of it will really matter because you can take the thing out and tear it up at the start of August because it will have no bearing on anything at that point. This is what I think the depth chart for the September 6th season opener against Pitt will look like based on the available evidence.

Quarterback

Stater: Munchie Legaux - Much has been made about the strides made by Brendon Kay this Spring. There is little doubt that Kay had his best (only) spring of his career this year. But that is part of the problem. Kay has a lot of talent, but this is the first and only time he has been healthy enough to make it through a Spring practice without injuring himself or rehabbing an injury, and that's the rub with Kay. He is in competition with two other guys, neither of whom inspire any doubt about their ability to make it through a season.

The reason Munchie will be the guy, barring injury or a meltdown over the summer, comes down to a simple fact. From the standpoint of Mike Bajakian Munchie puts more options on the table than he takes off. That is the key. The sum total of Munchie's abilitys as a quarterback, as a runner and as a leader far exceeds those of Kay and Patrick Coyne, both of whom have limitations that will have to be worked around. Munchie isn't a perfect QB, but there isn't one on the roster either. This is a closest to the pin wins situation. Legaux is on the green, Kay and Coyne are on the fairway.

Back Up: Coyne - For basically the same reason that Munchie won the back up job last year over Chazz Anderson. The back up quarterback is a position for the future rather than the present. Particularly with this staff which gives a much larger chunk of the reps to the back up than most. Kay has played well this Spring, but I am not entirely sure that it was well enough to win the back up job. Coyne is the heir apparent to Munchie, and everyone around the program seems to see him in that light. It's the biggest reason why I expect him to be on the line under Munchie when the Depth Chart is released in September.

Related: Post Spring Defensive Depth Chart

Running Back

Starter: George Winn - The dynamic at this position is set. Winn is the veteran who has worked hard behind the scenes and will be given a chance to earn his keep. But this is a position in transition, and that transition will playout over the course of the year. Winn is a capible guy who can do the job credibly, but he has two young bucks hot on his tail, each of whom is vying to be the future of the position. Winn will start the year as the starter, but I am not confident that he will end the year as such.

Back Up(s): Jameel Poteat and Ralph Abernathy IV - The best case scenario from the coaches perspective is for one of these guys to unseat Winn as the season goes on and become the guy at the position. That way the back field will be set heading into 2013. Both guys are capible of doing just that, though they have different styles as runners Poteat being a more traditional north and south runner, Quatro being in the Quarkback tradition. All three of these guys will get carries, so who has what label might prove to be irrelevant. Still this is what I think the position will look like.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Anthony McClung, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Alex Chisum - On paper the Wide Receivers are going to be down a starter as D.J. Woods graduates. In actuality the top three receivers from the Liberty Bowl will return to start the Pitt game. Towards the end of the season Chisum supplanted Woods as the number three man on the totem pole.

Back Ups: Chris Moore, Dyjuan Lewis, and Danny Milligan - Moore and Lewis are really intriguing guys, but for different reasons. Lewis is hands down the best athlete on the team. He didn't play a ton last year at receiver, he did appear in 10 games last year on special teams. His lack of playing time at receiver was a matter of rust. Last year was his first competitive Football in two years after being held out as a freshman due to academic issues. Moore is similar but slightly different. He would have played last year as a true freshman, but he was injured in camp and then redshirted because of it.

Tight End

Starter: Travis Kelce - The brother of the Beard came into his own last year. He is a big time weapon in the red zone and particularly on third downs where he converted 75 per cent of his receptions for first downs. The unquestioned starter heading into the summer program.

Back Up: Blake Annen - Annen was an unexpected rotation guy in 2010 as a red shirt Freshman. His role last season was scaled back a bit with Kelce back from a year long suspension and Adrien Robinson forming one of the better TE duos in the Big East. Annen was slowly worked into the rotation as the season went along, primarily as a blocker. Keep an eye on DeyShawn Dowdy. He is only a freshman, and only 220 pounds, but he is a freakish athlete who can do some crazy things.

Offensive Line

Starters: (from left tackle to right tackle) Eric Lefeld, Austen Bujnoch, Dan Sprauge, Andre Cureton and Sean Hooey - A surprise strength last year the group has a chance to be even better this year because it appears the everyone of the presumed starters is playing at their "natural" positions. Based on what I have heard and read this group would be classified as the presumed starting five.

Back Ups: Kevin Schlomer, and Sam Longo - It's too early to even project what the offensive line depth chart will look like at this point. Lefled, Bujnoch and Hooey are locks. Sprauge is a partial lock. But Schlomer, Longo and Cureton are all waging a battle for the fifth and final starting spot at right guard. Really it is the only position on the offense that is up for grabs.