Should you be concerned with . . .
. . . Our run game: Not yet. We showed essentially the same, dysfunctional game plan that we had last year. We went into the cosmetic surgeon in the offseason and came out looking like the cat lady. We did a few things to help, like a speed option, a playaction screen away from the zone blocking direction, etc, but for the most part we stuck with what we did last year. We heard in the off-season about the things we added, making Colt more of a threat, hurting the backside of a defense, but for the most part, we didn't see them. Against ASU, we didn't need them, against TCU we will, so the big test for us will be what we do when the chips are in and we need 3 yards. If we can't do it this weekend, then you can worry.
. . . Our linebackers: Yes. Big yes. They are slow, they can't defeat the blocks of a Sun Belt lineman, they miss too many tackles. They are mostly liabilities against the pass, especially Bobino. Scott Derry wears a pocket protector under his shoulder pads. They bite too hard on fakes, too. Norton and Muck need to be starting now. When Kindle comes back from his hangover, he needs to start, too. We've seen this LB group's peak, and it's not pretty. There isn't much improvement left after 3-4 years.
. . . Our DBs: Not yet. Foster and Palmer are average. Decent nickelbacks. Neither one can reach the buttons on the elevators at Jester. Eventually, Beasley and Brown will be starting, although it'll take a loss to get them in the starting lineup, like always. The real question here is the scheme. We constantly hang our corners out to dry, giving up too much space on the boundary and not enough post snap movement to fool the QB. Don't worry yet, because our real blitzes, our real coverages, our real defense will come out against TCU. Same as the run game, TCU is the test.
. . . our OL: Yes. Tanner, Hall, and Ulatoski are not very good right now. Too small, too weak, not aggressive enough. We need a mean streak here. Dallas Griffin confuses DTs by shouting complicated electrical engineering formulas at them. Hills can be dominant but makes too many mental mistakes. Griffin probably does his homework. I'll give them a few more games but it's not looking like a great unit right now. I'm worried about TCU, frankly.
. . . Colt: No. He was awful against ASU, inaccurate, hasty, inconsistent. He's the main reason we didn't score 40+ last week. He needs to stick with his mechanics and not rush his throws. He also needs to remember his outlet receiver, since he goes Brett Farve on us and tries to force balls downfield. He's not the type of guy who won't learn from his mistakes, so I expect the calm, accurate Colt to show up soon.
. . . Akina: No. He ran a very vanilla scheme and still had guys in the position to make plays. I'm concerned that his preaching of aggressiveness makes us easy to screen and draw against, but for the most part, he did his job. Now we'll see more variety against TCU, if we need it. He still has a kick ass mustache, at least.
. . . Mack: Yes. He's recruiting short white kids. He's playing Palmer and Bobino. He thinks you're an idiot to question anything he does. He's got his ring, so F you. Me? I'm concerned. If we lose 3-4 games this year, it might be time for a change. I'm just saying. We're better than we're showing, and it starts at the top. He's going the way of Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno, getting the coaching version of Alzheimer's. Early detection is key.