[NU Sports] Johns only coaching change, so far

[Tom Maycock]

The Cats appear to have more pure talent and ability on offense than anytime I 
can recall. If Persa is even 90% healthy come September, they could be scary 
good next year. 

And depending on who is in the O-line pipeline, the future looks very bright for 
a few years to come.

On defense, it appears that whether it was down to physical ability or just 
execution, the defensive starters who graduated last year all seemed to do a 
better job than their replacements this year. 

Let's see, that's McManis, Hahn, Wotton, Smith, Phillips. And Marshall Thomas 
made some plays too. All gone. 

Well, of those, McManis, Wotton, Smith, and Phillips were probably as good at 
their positions as anyone I've seen at NU--both in pure ability and results. And 
Hahn was very good himself when healthy. 

In hindsight, it's no surprise the D took a step backward this year. 

The disappointing thing is that I didn't see a whole lot of evidence that next 
year's edition will be better. 

On the other hand, there are some intriguing young players who red-shirted or 
played very little this year, including Carter, Campbell, Goodlow, and Hampton, 
who could play significant roles next year. I'm optimistic, but very guardedly 
so. You can certainly see why Fitz served notice that any jobs on D will have to 
be earned next year. 

Tom