With all due respect to the amazing bikers participating in Little 500 April 11th and 12th - The end of IU basketball unoficially kicked off the start of IU football.
Spring football offically gets underway tomorrow as the Hoosiers take the practice field as a team for the first time since they were preparing for the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.The biggest issue regarding IU is quarterback.
Kellen Lewis is still suspended, which means all eyes will be (for the moment) on Ben Chappell. His only pass in a Big Ten game couldn't have went worse, an interception for a touchdown against Norhtwestern last season. With the status of Lewis cloudy at best, it will be very interesting to see the improvement (or lack thereof) of Chappell.
Other things i'll be keeping my eye on are:
1) The cornerbacks. Tracy Porter and Leslie Majors are gone, and the opportunity to step up and be a playmaker for the IU defense is there for the taking. Christopher Phillips has shown the ability to make some plays, but who else will step up?
2) Greg Middleton. Middleton was an unexpected one man wrecking crew and a fan favorite of columnist/Sports editor Matt Dollinger, who affectionately referred to him as "Playmaker Greg Middleton." What will Middleton look like in practice, and how will his year been different now that his element of surprise is no longer there? Can he continue to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks, or will he need help from the other side of the defensive line?
3) Leadership. Who are the leaders of this team? Last years captains, Tracy Porter and Josiah Sears have graduated. Watching the team all season I can say objectively that the players on last years team had the upmost respect for Porter and Sears, and their leadership will be missed. Another leader of the team was James Hardy, who left a year early to enter in the NFL draft. I would have thought Lewis would have been a natural born leader this year, entering his third year as starting quarterback...But his status, as we all know, is uncertain.
Some of the potential leaders of the team that come to mind would senior defensive tackle Greg Brown and senior running back Marcus Thigpen. Brown will be a third year starter, which makes him the most experience player on the defensive side of the ball. and Thigpen has the chance to not only be a leader for the special teams and offense; but a mentor of sorts to incoming freshman Darius Willis and the other crop of running backs. Thigpens experience could be so valuable to the raw freshman running backs.
Those are the things that I'm curious about - What are you interested in? Who are the leaders of this team? Who are the front runners for cornerback? What are your thoughts on Chappel?Feel free to let me know in comments, and if there are any questions you would like to ask coach Lynch, Ben Chappell. Christopher Phillips or Middleton (The players I have requested) that you would like me to ask, throw 'em on the comments and i'll get the answers. Welcome back Under the Rockers....It's football season once again.
