This Could Go Either Way...
Decker being out is, of course, a huge loss for us. It COULD mean that our already struggling offense goes into a complete tailspin and never gains another first down.
Seriously, there are two possible outcomes that seem most likely to me as I consider what the loss of Decker will mean to our offense.
1. We'll continue to struggle on offense, and perhaps be even less effective, because we've lost our #1 option.
2. We'll see a more balanced passing attack out of necessity, as Weber is forced to use other options now that his trusted #1 is gone.
Personally, I feel that #2 is slightly more likely to happen. Although Weber won't have Decker to throw to (especially when he's on the run), that means opposing defenses won't be able to key on Decker, so it cuts both ways. We may actually see a much more balanced passing attack, with more guys getting chances to make plays because Weber HAS to look to them.
Some of the the possible positive outcomes as I see them are as follows:
Brandon Green has a year of experience under his belt, and he's shown that he can make tough, clutch catches when given the chance. He's got talent, and a knack for making plays. He's not Eric Decker, but he's a guy who gives us a somewhat proven option when we need a big 3rd down catch. I believe that he'll be Weber's main target for the rest of this year, and go into 2010 as our #1 WR.
Troy Stoudemire should see more passes thrown his way, which (assuming he hangs on to the ball) should be a good thing -- he's our only offensive regular who's a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. We should have the ball in the hands of our playmakers, and Troy is one of those guys.
Hayo Carpenter will get more passes his way. I'll be the first to admit that I expected more out of Hayo, based on the hype. My mistake for expecting too much. However, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since he's had to adjust to a brand new offense, and to far more challeging opposing defensive players. That has to be a major adjustment for anyone. He may not be the downfield game breaker that we hoped for, but he could also blossom between now and the end of the season. Having more PT should give us a chance to see what we've really got.
DaJon McKnight should at least see more red zone passes (where he can use his size and athletic ability) in place of Decker. He might also simply see more PT overall -- I think he has a chance to break out a bit.
Bryant Allen may break out -- I don't EXPECT anything from Bryant as a true freshman. But, he has the raw ability to make plays, and could end up surprising some opposing D's who don't have much film on him. It's certailny unlikely that they'll be scheming to stop us from throwing the ball to him. Hopefully he gets the chance, and makes plays for us.
Eric Lair should get more touches. Taking into account that the guy was a relatively highly touted (for us at least) prospect, he's got some talent. He had a solid guy in front of him in Tow-Arnett, so I'm not worried that he hasn't seen many passes thrown his way to this point. However, with both Decker and Tow-Arnett out, Lair should see some of the throws that Weber used to make to Tow-Arnett. Here's hoping he can step up and make plays when called upon.
In the end, having the experience of playing the rest of the regular season without Decker should better prepare these guys for the 2010 season, when he'll be gone anyway. Here's hoping that we see guys step up collectively to carry the load that Eric carried by himself.
Go Gophers!!!
