[NU Sports] The 2005 Outlook

[DPENDERG at aol.com]

With the arrival of spring and the first kickoff still a long way down the  
road, it's easy to be seduced into an overly optimistic expectation about the  
coming season. The bottom line is expectations have been burned in the  glare 
of reality over the last four seasons.  The only thing that counts is  what 
happens on the field next fall and no one should project anything more  than 
cautious uncertainty about certain pivotal, unanswered  questions:
 
Can players step up to fill those big holes in the OL and DL?
 
Can the chronically vulnerable defensive backfield start to cover receivers  
rather than just watch them run down the field?
 
Can BB throw the ball consistently well beyond his favorite 5-10 yard  
patterns?
 
Do we have receivers who can stretch the field and really challenge  
opposition secondaries?
 
Will Jordan or a newcomer step up to fill the big shoes in the long line of  
outstanding, even dominating Cat running backs, perhaps the most  distinctive 
feature of the Randy Walker era?
 
Can the Cats overall improve to keep pace with a Big Ten which everybody  
agrees will be much stronger this year?  And, do not neglect the  non-conference 
games.  ASU will be a very tough W on their home turf.   And, NIU will be 
mobilized for an upset of their Big Ten neighbor and could  do it if we're not 
well prepared.
 
Sure, in the abstract, it's easy to answer those questions positively, but  
let's face it, we simply do not know and spring practice is hardly a forum  to 
produce answers.  We hope for the best and 6-5 (in my view) would be a  
welcome outcome but not easy to achieve with the schedule we face  unless there are 
really positive replies to those questions.