Tom O'Brien Brings Hope To NC State Football Once Again

When Chuck Amato was fired from NC State after a horrendous 2006-2007 season, it appeared that NC State football would have a three to four year rebuilding plan to get back on track and transform into a winning program.

Little did the Wolfpack know that their savior would arrive from conference rival Boston College, and immediately turn the Pack into a bowl team in two years and a potential ACC title team in just three.

Tom O'Brien arrived in Raleigh from Boston College straight off of a ten win season.

It seemed like a very stupid decision to leave a talented BC team with star quarterback Matt Ryan returning to go to a North Carolina State team fresh off losing most of its stars, especially on defense, just two years earlier.

Amato had not been recruiting as well as he previously had been either, so O'Brien didn't have a whole lot of new talent to work with.

As O'Brien's former team got off to an 8-0 start, the Wolfpack struggled out of the starting blocks, starting the season with an abysmal 1-5 record, their only win coming against Wofford.

It looked as though O'Brien had made a very bad decision to spur Boston College at this point.

The Wolfpack's season was not done at that point though. The troops rallied around their coach and won their next four games, including a win at Miami. Then promptly dropped the next two, finishing with an embarrassing 38-0 defeat at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins.

Boston College meanwhile enjoyed an 11-3 season, defeating NC State as well.

However last year brought hope to the NC State faithful. After another bad start (2-6), things did appear to be heading down a bad road.

However, Russell Wilson's emergence, along with defensive improvements and four straight wins. NC State was one half and a Russell Wilson knee injury from having their first winning season in three years.

Well, before Rutgers pulled off a come from behind victory in their Papajohns.com Bowl game.

O'Brien has been progressing similarly as he did while at Boston College. After two 4-7 season at Boston College he lead them to an 8-3 year and a bowl birth, which wouldn't be an unreasonable expectation of what the Wolfpack should do this season.

O'Brien's recruiting classes aren't filled with blue chip guys, but he gets more out of his lesser recruits than almost anybody in the nation.

Take a look at Russell Wilson. He was just a 5'11", two-star QB coming out of high school in Virginia and now he is first team All-ACC as a freshmen. That is dynamite coaching and evaluation of talent right there.

Did O'Brien make the right decision to come to Raleigh and coach the Wolfpack?

We'll see how Boston College holds up in the next few years, but NC State certainly has a very promising season ahead of them and many more great seasons ahead.

NC State: The Sleeper of the ACC

The ACC is one of the deepest conferences in the NCAA. Last season the conference cranked out ten teams that went to bowls. This year promises to be the same with many of the top teams in the ACC returning much of their key talent. Teams like Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Georgia Tech are early favorites to be in Tampa come December, but if the North Carolina State Wolfpack can catch a few breaks along the way, watch out for them.

The key to the Wolfpack's success this year rests on sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson's shoulders. It was evident last year, in their bowl game against Rutgers, how much of a difference maker he was. He picked defenses apart at will last season with his arm and legs and should be able to do the same this year. There are no other quarterbacks in the ACC with his talent and most of the time, having the best QB is a very good sign toward being a top team. His scrambling ability presents a lot of problems for any team and if he can play at the same level as he was at the end of last season, he should be first-team All-ACC again and be playing for the ACC title.

Another factor the Wolfpack have going in their favor is their schedule. While many of their tougher conference games come on the road, they have a total of eight home games to only four away games. They have all four of their non-conference games at Carter-Finley Stadium, which will be very good for them to kick off their season. Four home games to start a season can really get momentum going and kick off the season the right way instead of the 2-6 start of last season. They were 2-1 in home non-conference games last year with the only loss coming to the then 13th ranked South Florida Bulls. Pitt and South Carolina are both good teams, but the Wolfpack should win those games playing at home.

NC State also has a lot of experience coming back on both sides of the ball. They have eight returning starters on offense, including four on the O-line. Toney Baker also is back after sitting out last season and he could still be an impact player at running back. Jamelle Eugene is also a game breaker out of the backfield and can break some long runs. Owen Spencer and Jarvis Williams are both very talented receivers who will be big mismatches at 6'3" and 6'4" and T.J. Graham is a speedy slot receiver who makes big plays. As far as tthe defense goes, they have 3 returning starters on a very good d-line that include All-ACC candidate Willie Young. Losing Nate Irving at middle linebacker hurts but their offense is good enough to take the pressure off of the defense for most games.

If NC State can execute on offense this year they will be one of the top teams in the ACC. Right up there with Florida State and Wake Forest in the Atlantic division. They will be scary good if they can get production from their defense. The ACC is wide open, just like last year, and NC State could be the team that swoops in and takes advantage of it, possibly punching themselves a ticket to Tampa in early December.

NFC South Preview

The next few weeks I will be previewing the NFL division-by-division in detail. I'm going start the NFC South since my rooting interest the Carolina Panthers are in that division. I tried to be as objective as possible.

1. Carolina Panthers (projected record: 11-5)
vs. Philadelphia W
@Atlanta W
@Dallas W
BYE
vs. Washington W
@Tampa Bay W
vs. Buffalo W
@Arizona L
@New Orleans L
vs. Atlanta W
vs. Dolphins W
@ NY Jets L
vs. Tampa Bay W
@ New England L
vs. Minnesota W
@ NY Giants L
vs. New Orleans W

3 Things I like

1. The offensive line- Carolina has one of the best left-right tackle tandems in the league in Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah. Gross is a perennial pro bowler and Otah emerged, as a rookie, into one of the best young right tackles in football. The rest of the line isn't quite as flashy, but they get the job done. They make it very easy for the players behind them

2. DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart- These two might be the best running back tandem in football. If DeAngelo is really the DeAngelo we saw in the second half of the season last year, then he might be the best back in football. Even Peterson can't break long runs as routinely as Williams. Stewart provides a nice contrast to Williams, but people forget that this guy is fast too. He is the complete package with speed and power mixed into one. Stewart could very well work himself into the class of elite running backs this year if he gets more carries and stays injury free.

3. The underdog factor- As a Panthers fan, I can tell you that they always play better when they aren't expected to win by the mass media. Even though they won the division last season, most "experts" are picking New Orleans or even Atlanta to win the NFC South. There just aren't very many people picking the Panthers. This is the situation they thrive in. Just like last season, they weren't expected to win the division, but look at what they did. While history is not on their side (they've never had back to back winning seasons), the underdog factor is.

3 Things I don't like

1. The QB sitiuation- Oh do I remember Jake Delhomme's 5 interception game in the playoffs. Yes, it is fresh in my mind. But, I'm not worried about Jake's game. I think he'll put up numbers like 17-13. I think he will play with a chip on his shoulder from the Cardinals game, and he will be motivated to have a good season. I'm worried that he'll be injured. The season before last was a complete disaster when he went down. They don't have even a solid backup. McCown isn't reliable, and as much as I like my man Matt Moore, he isn't a good NFL quarterback. They needed to go out and some kind of insurance this offseason. There were plenty of slid backups on the market, but they passed. Delhomme is 34 and due for injury, now he isn't a great quarterback or anything, but if he goes down the Panthers are in trouble.

2. The defensive line- A week ago this might have been a plus, but losing Maake Kemoeatu (out for the season) to injury slots Damione Lewis and Nick Heyden as the starting defensive tackles; and neither of those guys is 6'5" 350 pounds. When Kemoeatu went down at the end of the year last season, the Panthers were torched on the ground, could it mean the same thing this year? Probably so. One position on the D line is set in stone though. However, Julius Peppers, always one of the leagues premier defensive ends in coming off of a long contract dispute, and publicly announced his desire to play elsewhere. Could this affect his play? The other end position will go to last years starter, Tyler Brayton, or rookie Everette Brown. Brayton is just average and who knows about Brown, but there is certainly a lack of certainty on the defensive line.

3. Coaching- As a Panthers fan I have grown tired of their coaching. They have yet to put back to back winning seasons and John Fox is still employed as the head coach. They continue to stick to Jake Delhomme as their QB without any backup plan. I already elaborated on that above. Another thing is that in sometimes very important games they totally take Steve Smith out of the gameplan. I remember a few years ago, while getting stomped by Seattle in the NFC Championship game they talked about using Smith as a "decoy." They still do that in some games. I have a question; why would you use the one of the best wideouts in the NFL as a decoy? They need to get Dwayne Jarrett a little more involved this season. He had amazing talent at USC catching the ball; at least use him in the red zone.

Quick Summary: The Panthers will ride their strong running game to an NFC South division title. They will lose in the Super Bowl the San Diego Chargers.

2. New Orleans Saints (projected record: 10-6)
vs. Detroit L
@ Philadelphia L
@ Buffalo W
vs. NY Jets W
BYE
vs. NY Giants W
@ Miami L
vs. Atlanta L
vs. Carolina W
@ St. Louis W
@ Tampa Bay L
vs. New England W
@ Washington W
@ Atlanta W
vs. Dallas W
vs. Tampa Bay W
@ Carolina L

3 Things I like

1. Drew Brees- Brees is the best quarterback in the NFC hands down. He reads the defense like few others in the league and can really spread the ball around. He didn't have his number one target in Marquis Colston for half of the year and still threw for 5,000 yards. Crazy. I don't think he will put up quite as good numbers this season, but he should get around 4,500 yards, 30 TD's, and 15 interceptions. He will continue to be a very good, consistent quarterback and will lead the Saints to playoff contention.

2. Offseason moves- The Saints defense was horrible last year and they did a lot to improve it. The secondary was the focus of their offseason moves. They grabbed Darren Sharper from the Vikings and drafted Malcolm Jenkins in the first round of the draft. Sharper can still be an effective player who can cause turnovers and be a difference maker. He won't be the pro bowler he was earlier in his career, but will be effective. Jenkins is a good sized corner with speed who could start right away, although usually cornerbacks take at least a year to develop. Not necessarily a move to help them a lot this season, but will in the future.

3. Depth- The Saints are one of the deepest teams in football; especially on the offensive end. Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush provide a nice contrast and third stringer Mike Bell still has some juice. He was a quality back in his rookie season in Denver. Their receiving depth is amazing. One could make the argument that Marques Colston is top 10 wideout in the league. Lance Moore showed last year that he is one of the best number two wideouts in the league. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem are two of the best deep threat receivers in the league. Bush is also one of the best receiving running backs in the NFL. If Jeremy Shockey comes to play this year, they will have a top tier tight end as well. No wonder Brees almost broke Marino's yards record last season.


3 Things I don't like

1. Running backs- A lot of people will say that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. I have to disagree. I have nothing to back this up, but I feel that Pierre Thomas was more of a half season wonder than a top NFL runner. I think he'll be lucky to score the nine touchdowns he had last year, even while being a feature back this year. As far as Reggie Bush goes, isn't it time we can call him a bust. He has not been an effective pro running back up to this point. The Texans have to be saying "I told you so." He has never had more than 581 yards rushing, more than 3.8 yards per carry, or more than 6 TD's in any season he has played. He has been a decent receiver out of the backfield, averaging more than 500 yards per season, but that's not all the Saints expected when they got Bush. If you can call Greg Oden a bust in basketball, it's time to call Reggie Bush a bust in football.

2. Defense- The Saints did much to improve their defense in the offseason, but it is still a weakness. Jonathan Vilma is the only guy who remotely scares an offensive coordinator, the rest of their players as purely average NFL starters. Charles Grant and Will Smith were once formidable pass rushers on the ends, but have since dropped off, along with being caught using performance enhancers. Jenkins and Sharper were good additions to the secondary, but neither make a huge game changers like an Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu that the Saints desperately need.

3. The hype- Just like the Panthers don't play well when their are high expectations on them, the Saints don't either. Since their magical 2006 season they have yet to post a winning record and were favored by most sources to win the division both of those years. They are yet again most NFL experts pick to win the NFC South. I'm not usually a big believer in superstitions and all of that, but the NFL seems to follow trends more than other leagues and this has been a trend for the Saints

Quick Summary: The Saints will get out of the gate slow, but behind another great Drew Brees season they will go 10-6 and lose in the Wild Card round to the New York Giants.

3. Atlanta Falcons (projected record: 7-9)
vs. Miami W
vs. Carolina L
@ New England L
BYE
@ San Francisco L
vs. Chicago W
@ Dallas L
@ New Orleans W
vs. Washington W
@ Carolina L
@ NY Giants L
vs. Tampa Bay W
vs. Philadelphia W
vs. New Orleans L
@ NY Jets L
vs. Buffalo W
@ Tampa Bay L

3 Things I like

1. Running backs- Michael Turner had a huge season last year and I don't think he will have quite as good a year, but the reason I really like their running backs is Jerious Norwood. It's crazy he's not getting more than 100 carries per year. His career yards per carry is 5.8! Give the guy the ball! Why rush Michael Turner 30 times a game, when you can rush Norwood more and take some of the burden and injury risk off of Turner. Norwood needs to find a starting job somewhere because he is the real deal. He is 5'11" 209 pounds and is as fast as a zebra. He is the next Michael Turner, in that he will become a starter somewhere else and become a star after backing up a star running back.

2. Tony Gonzalez- Gonzalez is just what this offense needed. He provides Matt Ryan with a guy to throw to when his down field threats of Roddy White and Michael Jenkins aren't open. Gonzalez is still one of the best tight ends in the game too. Just because he is 33 doesn't mean he cannot be a top tight end. In fact, he could end this year with the most touchdown of any tight ends. Actually I believe he will. He had 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns with Tyler Thigpen throwing to him. TYLER THIGPEN! I'd say Matt Ryan is quite an upgrade from Tyler Thigpen.

3. John Abraham- The Falcons defensive line is awful, but John Abraham holds them together. When he got a sack last year they were 8-1. When he did not have a sack they were 3-4. He is the lone difference maker on the defense and needs to be a force like last year. He needs to get 15 sacks for this team to be contenders for a playoff spot.

3 Things I don't like

1. Defense- It seems to be forgotten than Atlanta's defense was not good last year at all. Mike Peterson was an okay addition, but he isn't a game changer. They also lost three of their top five tacklers from last year. They also lost their leader Keith Brooking. They have only gotten worse from last year and will not improve on the 11-5 record unless several young players step up and turn into pro bowl caliber defenders.

2. Young QB- I like Matt Ryan and think he is a good quarterback, but I'm not sure he can win in a come from behind situation or a big game situation. He was never in a situation in college where a national championship birth was on the line and failed in the playoffs last year. In losses last year he played bad in all of them, throwing a combined three more interceptions than touchdowns in all of them. He might have to step it up a little more this year and I'm not sure if he is ready to take a franchise on his back.

3. Players coming off of career seasons- Atlanta has a lot of players on the offensive side coming off of career seasons. Michael Turner, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Matt Ryan, although a rookie, turned in a great season as well. I don't think you expect improvement on all of those guys seasons. I definitely see Turner taking a step back and Jenkins and Ryan staying about the same. The facts are that they need those guys to be better than last year to have last years success because their defense is worse and I don't see a lot of improvement in those guys.

Quick Summary: The Falcons offense will be about the same as last year, but the defense will be horrible. Bottom five of the league. They will finish 7-9 and miss the playoffs.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (projected record: 6-10)
vs. Dallas L
@ Buffalo L
vs. NY Giants W
@Washington L
@ Philadelphia L
vs. Carolina L
vs. New England L
BYE
vs. Green Bay W
@ Miami W
vs. New Orleans W
@ Atlanta L
@ Carolina L
vs. NY Jets W
@ Seattle L
@ New Orleans L
vs. Atlanta W

3 Things I like

1. Derrick Ward- Derrick Ward is this years Michael Turner, I'm saying that now. He won't put up quite as gaudy numbers but I'm seeing a 1,400 yards, 13 touchdown year. Not quite Turner like, but none the less, a great year. If you play fantasy he will be a huge bargain. He is the sleeper of the year. He had 1,000 yards and only 2 TD's for the Giants last year playing behind Brandon Jacobs. The only reason he had 2 touchdown was because they were going to run the 6'4" 250 pound Jacobs down at the goal line. Ward is perfectly capable of converting those opportunities and will get goal line chances this year. Look our world, another stud running back is in the NFC South.

2. Youth movement- A lot of times this is a bad thing, but Tampa needed this. They might have been better this year with guys like Jeff Garcia and Derrick Brooks, but for the long term, or even next season they are better off with the new direction of this team. They have a promising rookie quarterback in Josh Freeman, star in the making corner Aqib Talib, and a stud middle linebacker in Barrett Ruud. Their future is promising, but maybe at the cost of some wins this year.

3. New coaching- Jon Gruden was a good coach, but I think it was evident last season that Monte Kiffin was the glue of that team. Once he announced he was leaving for to help his son at the University of Tennessee, things fell apart for the Bucs. The players now have a young coach who helps put a new face on the franchise. I expect the system to be very running heavy, and having a new coaching staff will be good for the young players to adjust to as the coaching will receive more criticism and can shoulder the load a bit better in that respect.


3 Things I don't like

1. Rebuilding- I do like that the Bucs are trying to get younger, but when you rebuild you are sending the fans a message that "we are not doing much this year." That's never a good thing. It's usually not a good thing when a team totally overhauls its coaching staff. Again I do like their moves for the future 2-3 years down the road, but this year will not be good for them. There's something about Florida teams and rebuilding I guess.

2. Quarterbacks- Last year Jeff Garcia was great for Tampa, but he is gone and they have no clear cut number one quarterback on the roster. They have rookie Josh Freeman, who is not quite ready for the NFL. Byron Leftwich is on the roster; the whole NFL starter thing hasn't worked out for him in the past. They also have Luke McCown, who isn't an experienced NFL quarterback either. Leftwich looked good as a backup for Pittsburgh last year, but was run out of Jacksonville after faltering. I really don't think Josh Freeman will ever be a good quarterback, let alone this year. I also don't think McCown will lead them to a winning record. They really do not have any great options.

3. Injury proneness- All of the Bucs skill position player have an injury history. Leftwich, Ward, Graham, Bryant, Clayton, and Winslow all have had careers damaged by injury. Ward not as much as the others, but he has missed games before and has never handled the load he'll carry this year. If all of those guys can stay healthy they could actually be competitive, but that is a huge stretch.

Quick Summary: The Buccaneers will not be as bad as some think, but will still finish 6-10 and miss the playoffs. The will be a very tough out for everybody they play.



-ATG

THE NFL Preview

*This is a general NFL preview with the projected records, awards, and playoff predictions only. I will go over each team in a division-by-division format over the next few weeks.

AFC East
1. New England (14-2)
2. Buffalo (7-9)
3. New York Jets (6-10)
4. Miami Dolphins (3-13)

AFC West
1. San Diego (14-2)
2. Kansas City (7-9)
3. Oakland (7-9)
4. Denver (4-12)

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh (13-3)
2. Baltimore (8-8)
3. Cincinnati (6-10)
4. Cleveland (5-11)


AFC South
1. Indianapolis (11-5)
2. Jacksonville ( 10-6)*
3. Houston (9-7)*
4. Tennessee (7-9)

*Donates Wild Card playoff birth

NFC East
1. New York Giants (10-6)
2. Philadelphia (8-8)
3. Dallas (8-8)
4. Washington (7-9)

NFC West
1. Seattle (11-5)
2. Arizona (9-7)*
3. San Francisco (6-10)
4. St. Louis (2-14)

NFC North
1. Chicago (10-6)
2. Green Bay (9-7)
3. Minnesota (7-9)
4. Detroit (4-12)

NFC South
1. Carolina (11-5)
2. New Orleans (10-6)*
3. Atlanta (7-9)
4. Tampa Bay (6-10)

Award Winners
MVP: Tom Brady
Offensive POY: Maurice Jones-Drew
Defensive POY: Shawn Merriman
Offensive Rookie: Chris Wells
Defensive Rookie: Rey Maualuga
Comeback POY: Shawn Merriman
Coach: Norv Turner

PLAYOFFS

Wild Card
AFC
(6)Houston @ (3)Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 24-10
(5)Jacksonville @ (4) Indianapolis: Indy 30-21
NFC
(6)Arizona Cardinals @ (3) Chicago: Chicago 20-9
(5) New Orleans @ (4)New York Giants: New York 27-24

Divisional
AFC
(4) Indianapolis @ (1) New England: New England 42-24
(3) Pittsburgh @ (2) San Diego: San Diego 31-28
NFC
(4)NY Giants @ (1) Carolina: Carolina 34-20
(3) Chicago @ (2) Seattle: Chicago 21-17

AFC Championship Game
(2) San Diego @ (1) New England: San Diego 32-28

NFC Championship Game
3) Chicago @ (1) Carolina: Carolina 27-13

SUPER BOWL

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS: SAN DIEGO: 34-28
(Super Bowl MVP: Philip Rivers)

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS