I'm heading to practice in a bit. We may even get the depth chart today but wanted to give some predictions of what I think we'll see
QB: Wright/Swann/Seals/Dickey/Taylor
That's the one everyone is waiting on; I think Seals is going to be the odd man out because they committed to Wright before camp start and he's gotten the "1" reps all camp, while Swann has been seeing the field more and is probably the future at that position. Seals and Dickey have comparable skill sets but Dickey (like Swann) was the staff's recruit and so there are similarities there.
RB: Davis/Smith/Griffin/Edwards/Gillespie/Lutz/Betts-Pauley
Davis is the clear No. 1 and I think Smith has seen the field more and outplayed Griffin recently, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. They love Griffin's versatility and attitude. Edwards is probably the future at the position but he's also a freshman and I'm not sure where he is in terms of knowing the blocking schemes compared to the guys ahead of him. (Note, that's a "don't know" and not a "he can't block.") Gillespie has seen the field more lately in fall camp and I wouldn't rule out him playing at some point. Lutz has gotten some snaps and can be used as a receiver too. Betts-Pauley probably won't play unless they need a fullback.
WR:
X: Sheppard/Kyle/Walker
Y: Skinner/Carter/Long
Slot: McGowan/Boddie/E McAllister
This one's tricky for a lot of reasons. I don't know how all this translates in games but the competition from the top 3-4 guys down has been better than I anticipated. Sheppard is the best they have and has had a terrific camp and that's where the certainty stops. I haven't seen as much of Skinner lately; I'm guessing that's a load management issue and really haven't pressed in there. McGowan is the fastest guy on the team and needs to be a little more consistent, but I think they're committed to starting him. Behind him... Boddie played well early in camp but I think McAllister is a little quicker and has looked like an option after he returned from injury last week, plus, he's a lot younger. Logan Kyle has been solid and so has walk-on Wilson Long, he's maybe even been better.
TE: Bresnahan/Schoenwald/Ball/Spence/DeCoursey
Bresnahan and Schoenwald may both start, which I think would leave Carter off the field in that alignment. Ball's had a nice camp and Spence has come on the last week or so. I don't see DeCoursey being much of a factor unless maybe they use a 3- or 4-TE set which I'm sure they won't much and I'm not even sure I've seen it at all.
OL
LT: Hansen/Uzebu/Nelson
LG: Cox/Pitchford/MacDonald
C: Hernandez/Morgan/Ketschek
RG: Castillo/Weaver/Clark
RT: Ashmore/Brammer/Siegel
They've generally run out the same five starters since the beginning of camp. I need to watch second-and third-team rotations more than I have lately--my focus has been on logging plays in scrimmages rather than watching rotations--but I'll try to get back to the latter today. The most significant one seems to be second-team center, where Morgan is undersized but at times has seemed to be the preferred second option there.
QB: Wright/Swann/Seals/Dickey/Taylor
That's the one everyone is waiting on; I think Seals is going to be the odd man out because they committed to Wright before camp start and he's gotten the "1" reps all camp, while Swann has been seeing the field more and is probably the future at that position. Seals and Dickey have comparable skill sets but Dickey (like Swann) was the staff's recruit and so there are similarities there.
RB: Davis/Smith/Griffin/Edwards/Gillespie/Lutz/Betts-Pauley
Davis is the clear No. 1 and I think Smith has seen the field more and outplayed Griffin recently, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. They love Griffin's versatility and attitude. Edwards is probably the future at the position but he's also a freshman and I'm not sure where he is in terms of knowing the blocking schemes compared to the guys ahead of him. (Note, that's a "don't know" and not a "he can't block.") Gillespie has seen the field more lately in fall camp and I wouldn't rule out him playing at some point. Lutz has gotten some snaps and can be used as a receiver too. Betts-Pauley probably won't play unless they need a fullback.
WR:
X: Sheppard/Kyle/Walker
Y: Skinner/Carter/Long
Slot: McGowan/Boddie/E McAllister
This one's tricky for a lot of reasons. I don't know how all this translates in games but the competition from the top 3-4 guys down has been better than I anticipated. Sheppard is the best they have and has had a terrific camp and that's where the certainty stops. I haven't seen as much of Skinner lately; I'm guessing that's a load management issue and really haven't pressed in there. McGowan is the fastest guy on the team and needs to be a little more consistent, but I think they're committed to starting him. Behind him... Boddie played well early in camp but I think McAllister is a little quicker and has looked like an option after he returned from injury last week, plus, he's a lot younger. Logan Kyle has been solid and so has walk-on Wilson Long, he's maybe even been better.
TE: Bresnahan/Schoenwald/Ball/Spence/DeCoursey
Bresnahan and Schoenwald may both start, which I think would leave Carter off the field in that alignment. Ball's had a nice camp and Spence has come on the last week or so. I don't see DeCoursey being much of a factor unless maybe they use a 3- or 4-TE set which I'm sure they won't much and I'm not even sure I've seen it at all.
OL
LT: Hansen/Uzebu/Nelson
LG: Cox/Pitchford/MacDonald
C: Hernandez/Morgan/Ketschek
RG: Castillo/Weaver/Clark
RT: Ashmore/Brammer/Siegel
They've generally run out the same five starters since the beginning of camp. I need to watch second-and third-team rotations more than I have lately--my focus has been on logging plays in scrimmages rather than watching rotations--but I'll try to get back to the latter today. The most significant one seems to be second-team center, where Morgan is undersized but at times has seemed to be the preferred second option there.
