UNLV DYNASTY - 2017 Outlook - OBinKC's Dynasty

Arena Blog Dynasty Scores Sign Up ☰

OBinKC's Dynasty Blog

UNLV DYNASTY - 2017 Outlook

Posted on September 19, 2017 at 12:51 PM.

(0)

UNLV Rebels

This is how I'm going to blog this dynasty going forward. Kind of like a first-person point of view of how I want to run this program with mental notes and what not. I think this will keep me personally more interested in writing about my dynasty and less a chore of copying down stats. I like that it's a different approach. I'm simply not in the same league as the awesome dynasty reporters in the forums, so why not do something new, right? Ok, here we go.

Having the advantage of already playing with this roster and seeing how things shake out, I'll admit that I will manage this team with a bit of 20/20 hindsight. I'm going to redshirt certain players that I know will help me down the line, and also because depth will be more about injury than fatigue. I'll need to use what I've learned about this team to set things up for the long haul. You might notice that this is kind of like cheating, but if you've ever played a dynasty with Fatigue OFF, you'll know that you need every advantage you can get. So call me Bill Belichick for all I care, lol.

Offense

Redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers will still lead this squad, as he possesses 80 SPD, 89 THP, and 80 THA. He's built like someone who can make the NFL draft if he progresses well in a couple years (hint hint), so I'm going to need to find his replacement in this year's recruiting.

Junior halfback Lexington Thomas will carry the load unless he gets injured (the no Fatigue setting will give him so many more reps). So I've decided to redshirt the backup halfback, sophomore Charles Williams, as he looks poised to take over when Thomas graduates.

I run a lot of Trio passing sets, so I'm relying on three good receivers. Senior Devonte Boyd is a good #1 so I have no complaints there. He will be joined by sophomores Brandon Presley and Mekhi Stevenson. There is a decent reserve of backup receivers, notably sophomore Darren Woods Jr., but I will eventually need to recruit better talent at wideout going forward.

The offensive line is not the most impressive, but I have a strength at the center position. Junior Zack Singer is the bright spot this year, and Sid Acosta will take his place upon graduation. Like I said, the rest of the line is suspect at best, so I'm going to need to recruit heavy at guard and tackle.

Defense

I'm running a 4-2-5 this year. I've tried both the 4-2-5 and 3-3-5, and while I like the diversity in coverage of the 3-3-5, I'm personally not as good at getting pressure with my linebackers as some people are. So I'm looking to build a dominant four man front. I want strong run stoppers at the DT positions, and pure pass rushers at the ends. I want the best hybrid SS/LBs I can find to man the SS positions, and I want pure coverage corners. I want a good run stuffer at MLB and a coverage or balanced guy at OLB. And I want a coverage safety.

Starting with the defensive line, I've inherited a lot of pass rushers. At this time I can only play my best men, so I will try to get the best talent without giving up too much of my philosophy. Seniors Mike Hughes Jr. and Jason Fao are the best all-around DTs so they will start. I will be recruiting aggressively at DT right off the bat. At the ends, I'm going with Antonio Zepeda and Nick Dehdashtian. I will also be recruiting pass rushers at this spot fairly early.

Senior and defensive captain Brian Keyes will start at MLB, and Gabe McCoy will be right next to him in this 4-2-5 at OLB. At the SS positions, I will have junior Dalton Baker and senior Robert Jackson. Jackson normally plays cornerback, but he's the best qualified to step up into this "spur" position with his tackling and block shedding ability than the others on this team. I will be recruiting heavily for this position immediately as well.

Darius Mouton will be the one to watch at cornerback this season. The rest of the defensive backs will be fighting for starting spots.

Special Teams

Freshman Daniel Gutierrez is our kicker, but he's inexperienced. So junior Evan Pantels will be handling both punting and kicking duties. As of now, Ty'Jason Roberts will be the kick and punt returner. As far as kick coverage, our lack of depth shows most here. I'm expecting some big kickoff returns by opponents.

Overall

I'm just hoping to get close to .500 this season. I think we will be fine on offense, but we will no doubt get gashed by the run until we get some real run stoppers on this team. The important thing for this season is that we will build the foundation for this program to have future success in winning the Mountain West.