For me personally, it comes down to two main factors on how we do next season:
Offensively what is the basis of our scheme? If we lean into RPOs, especially with 12 and 21 personnel than I think our offense could be extremely potent. If we go full spread air raid, I really don't think that would play to Marcel's strength and puts one of our best position groups (RBs) more or less on the shelf. If we go more of the style we had last year... I think we will be about the same.
Defensively it comes down to how much Coach Hemphill gets to put his emphasis on the defense. I love Coach Elko for all the pressure and schemes in that area. But I would love for us to get away from the Weak Eagle alignment to 3x1 sets, that was the thing that everyone over the last 2 seasons has abused us in the run game. We were so rigid in our adjustments that when teams found how to get us in that look... they hammered it and took advantage of its inherent weakness. Coach Hemphill in past stops as DC, was much more multiple in his fronts, part of the reason is how he plays the Nickel/Star position. He is willing to tie that player to the box more often... much more so than we have had the last 2 years and when you do that... it gives you so much more freedom in how you can line up. You can get in over fronts, under fronts, 50 fronts, etc. Having that 7th defender who can be dedicated to the box would really improve and help reduce the ran defense issues. I also found it interesting that Bryce decided to come back and it was around the time Coach Hemphill was announced, Bryce would be an ideal player in that role and if you look back at his career, some of his best games where with Durkin when he was walked up as that force player. They might not be using him in that role but I wouldn't hate it at all if he was used there some.
The second part is us getting away from match man quarters as our primary coverage. We ran that the VAST majority of the time with the only adjustment to it was man free or match 3. Which is why we only had 3 interceptions and only 1 from the Secondary. The reason being is that in Man free the only players not with their eyes not on receivers are the Free Safety (our 1 db pick) and the mike backer (our 2 linebacker picks). I want us to take the ball away and I want our best athletes on the field with their eyes on the ball more often. Coach Hemphill alluded to that in his first presser which made me smile, I really hope he gets to influence our coverage concepts because I really think that paired with coach Elko's pressures we could really improve as a defense over all and that could make us the sort of defense that wins big games with game breaking turnovers.
In my mind those are the two things I am looking for. 1. Is our offense going to lean into the RPO, with strong run formations (12 and 21 personnel). 2. Is our defense going to get away from a 6 man box with Match coverage to everything. I truly believe if we do those two things we could be an elite team with the talent we have.
