Quote Originally Posted by PaladinFan View Post
To rebut:

1. Samford is likely not going to start playing stingy defense and running the ball. Chris Hatcher is the coach and he is what he is. They threw the ball nearly 200 times more than the next team in the SoCon last season.

2. I'm not sure how you gauge "meanness" on a preseason roster.

3. If Samford had a bunch of 6'5 315 pound offensive linemen that could dominate opposing defenses, run, and block, they would be playing for Alabama, not Samford.

4. High school numbers and rankings are perfectly irrelevant. A friend of mine played offensive tackle at Troy. He was 6'5 310 in college. Said he dominated at the high school level because he was simply bigger and stronger than everyone he played. At the D1 level, though, he became fairly mediocre. At this level, a vast size and strength advantage is significantly mitigated.

5. There are always exceptions, but many transfers simply are not talented enough to play where they currently are. Just because a guy gets a scholarship offer from "Big School U" doesn't make him a supremely talented football player. I cannot tell you how many transfers I've seen come into the SoCon with great fanfare that ended up never really even seeing the field. Happens every year.

6. Were I a Samford fan, I would be slightly concerned about the need to take on so many transfers. What message does this send to the players you recruited? Commit to the program but if we find some guy looking for a change of scenery, we will replace you? Again, if you are finding the need to take on half a dozen transfers, what does that suggest about recruiting efforts and the ability to create depth on your roster? So many holes you have to go find ringers to fill them?

I think Samford will be a good team. I do think they have established a deserved reputation of being a great September team, but not so hot in November. I do not currently see them as one of the top teams in the conference, but as we find out every year, there are always surprises.
I'm not as optimistic as my new Samford Fan is. I think that for whatever reason, we actually underachieved(even with making the Playoffs) this past year, and I have been disappointed too many times for more years than I would like to admit. The nucleus is here for a VERY good 2017 season, however, as the talent level is definitely here.

I would like to address the 6 rebuttals that my FU friend has listed.

#1 You are right in that this is THE question - will Hatcher actually have a decent running game? I know that he says this is a priority for this year, but we'll just have to wait and see.

#2 I agree with FU fan on this one.

#3 Not completely true. In the last 4 years, Samford has put 5 guys in the NFL. Bradberry is ranked as the #1 CB rookie in the league, and was drafted ahead of any player that Auburn sent last year. I'm sure that Furman has some guys that could play for SC or Clemson also.

#4 Yes and No. A good BIG man will simply beat a good little man. Size does matter, but yeah, he can look like Tarzan and play like Jane, it just depends on the player.

#5 Sorry that Ingle Martin didn't work out for you.

#6 Wrong. Samford only signed 2 this year, as of now. We are in a unique situation in that transfers here will often be lower level FBS players that want to get back close to home, and I can assure you that they have to have the academics. The B'ham metro area is a huge resource for players, as Furman obviously knows.

Your closing paragraph with the November letdown comment, I wish I could argue, but I'll have to admit there is truth in that assessment. What concerns me also is the perception that we are sometimes soft. Again, however, there is evidence, unfortunately, to support that.