Agreed! I donāt think Lamb starts and I also donāt think Bearns will start at TE
You guys know better than me, for sure. How about McGee or Adair at TE, or maybe Laskey? Or maybe they need to bring in another TE or two? At WR, could be several of the new guys.
I think Adair is a converted TE too
I imagine young will be the starting tight end
Sometimes they will use two of them. Who do you see being the other one?
Does Albin like a blocking TE or does he lean toward a pass-catcher?
TE is a position that has always been a position of strength. Itās also a position where walkons commonly succeed. First and foremost, TEs absolutely need to block, but they will occasionally catch a pass as well. They typically throw to the TE 2-4 times a game. When Albin has an outstanding pass catching TE, he will throw to them a lot more, but they still need to be able to block.
I guessed Bearns because he started 5 games last year, but also because, at 6ā1" 280, heās almost OL sized, though heās definitely short for a TE. Iām sure heāll play some, but it could be that Young is the āstarterā.
Have always loved what good TEs do! Great athletes! Laskey is from my neck of the woods, so I will be watching. From a running program. Good kid apparently. Besides thatā¦really appreciate your being on here. Your insight is wonderfulā¦but your attitude exceeds
even that! Thanks!
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Look, you all know your players, and I donāt. All i have is the participation report to tell me who played, and their recruiting rankings. Thus, if I try to guess who will play, I will be wrong often, so feel free to correct me. Mostly Iām just trying to figure out if they have enough players yet, and the answer I came up with is no. They probably need 10 more players, at least.
Cetainly in no position to ācorrectā you. In addition to knowing. something about football, we over here realize you have some pretty deep insight into Albin and his philosophy. (In fact I read a post here that was wondering if you WERE Albin! LOL!). Just thanks again for joining us. Hope youāll make it to a game!
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you are correct, we donāt have enough players to field a spring game yet.
My āunderstandingā of Albin comes from a lifetime of watching his predecessors, and watching his personal growth. His coaching philosophy is passed down from Tom Osborne, through Frank Solich. Frank spent something like 30 years with Tom, and then Albin spent 20 years with Frank. Neither hopped around, looking for maximum money. Instead they wanted to build something they could be proud of. Tom spent his entire career at one school. Frank tried to, but when ādisplacedā, after a 9-3 season, found another home, and spent the rest of his career there. The lesson that Solich took from his ādisplacementā was that a coach needs to have the support and respect of the administration, and I have no doubt that Albin, who was displaced from Nebraska at the same time, came away with the same lesson. It remains to be seen what Albin will do, Iām sure weāll never know the details of the reason for his move to Charlotte, but itās worth noting that Albin did not get much of a pay raise, so that take for what itās worth.
So, to understand what I expect from Albin, letās look at Osborne. At itās core, Osborne focused on taking the players he had, and making them better each day, teaching them basic skills, teaching them that progress comes from hard work, and that if you set goals, and work hard, you can achieve them. He treated the players fairly, and never over-promised, and tried to deliver what he had promised. His program was built by walkons, players who had less athletic talent, but who were willing to outwork everyone else. It was built in the weight room, particularly with off-season conditioning. The scholarship athletes saw the walkons working hard, and they figured it out; if they didnāt work hard, too, they would lose their job. Some/most schools treat walkons like cannon fodder - someone for the scout squad, but not as a serious contender for playing time, but Osborne treated them equally.
Next, Osborne was excellent at assessing talent, and chose players who had the character and dedication to put in the hard work necessary to succeed. He chose assistants who would train the players, and coach them up, but also ones that would be loyal and stick around. He had very, very little turnover to his coaching, which is why his coaching tree is small. Itās funny, but a coach with a fickle staff, who turns over assistants frequently ends up having more influence than a coach with a dedicated staff. He treated his assistants well, and they were loyal, and stayed around. No one expected that Solich could have loyal, long term assistants at Ohio, where the budget for assistant coaches was tiny, but thatās exactly what he had. There was some turnover, but there were many coaches like Burrow, and Albin who stayed with him for many, many years.
If you want to, we can discuss the isolated cases where Osborneās coaching philosophy failed, such as Lawrence Philips and Scott Baldwin, but if not, Iāll simply say that his philosophy of trying to treat players fairly, and to do for them what he promised usually worked out, but not always. In general, the philosophy led to players who were stronger and better conditioned than the competition, and who played hard, and hit hard, every minute of every game, and that resulted in winning more often than losing. The characteristic game pattern that resulted was a game where the teams were even at the start, but one team would tire of the constant beating midway in the second quarter. As they say, everyone has a plan, until they get hit in the face. Well, plans donāt work when you get hit hard every play, from whistle to whistle. The weaker team would recover and regroup during halftime, but by midway through the 3rd quarter, the stronger team would take control.
Osborne also had the fact that he was an offensive genius. Solich was a good coach, but not the same level of offensive genius. Where does Albin fit? I canāt definitively answer that, yet. So far he seems to fit between the two. I think he will turn out to be between the two of them. I think that if the AD and President treat him fairly, he will stay in Charlotte for the rest of his career, and he will turn it into a consistent winner. I think his assistants will mostly stay with him. It wouldnāt surprise me if Fitch, who has changed jobs every couple of years, finds a home, at last, where he can stay for the rest of his career (if he does a good job). Some of his younger coaches, who have high aspirations, will move on, of course, but I think most of them will stay at least a few years, because they will like what they see, and want to learn how the āteamā environment is so much different that they have seen elsewhere.
As far as game specifics, that philosophy must evolve as the game evolves. Nebraska an option team. Ohio used some option, but was largely dependent on zone runs and misdirection, with a larger dose of passing. Charlotte will be different, too, but the one constant is that Charlotte will strive to be the best conditioned team around, and they will try to dominate the line of scrimmage. If the offense dominates the line of scrimmage, they can control the clock, and score points. If the defense can dominate the line of scrimmage, they can force the other team to be one-dimensional, and to pass all the time.
There is only one way to get from here to there, though, and thatās through winter conditioning. I donāt believe you can build a perennial winner through portal rebuilding every year. You might hit the jackpot sometimes, and you will also have bad years. Consistent winning can only come through getting good players, and making them into the best players they can be. I am here because thatās a process I enjoy watching happen. Itās far more fun to root for a guy like Rutledge, who has spent his whole life with one program, than it is to watch for the latest flash-in-the-pan guy. Donāt get me wrong, though. If a guy like Chaney comes in, and works hard, battles hard for every yard, and has the best year of his life, thatās easy to root for, too. Ohio had that last year in Tyus, and he was easy to root for. After spending most of his career as a backup at Northwestern, for his finale, he became a huge Ohio guy, worked yard, ran hard, and fought for every yard, and loved every minute of it.
But still, what I will enjoy more than that, and what I want to see is this: I want to see those 27 players from the 2024 class become the best players they can be, including the 10 or so walkons. I want to seem them become the foundation for Charlotteās creation of a new future. I want to see them become the leaders in the weight room, and set the bar for just how hard they can work to accomplish their personal goals. If they do, then in the process, they can help Charlotte achieve team goals as well. That, and I want to see a team that works hard and plays hard, and has good team unity. Now that will be fun to watch, and thatās why Iām here.
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Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. Those who donāt want to read a page and a half of my rants, can just skip over them. 
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What former NINERS are still in the portal that have not found a team?
Dre butler still in portal. Hope we can get him back
CarlP - we really appreciate and enjoy your insights. I will speak for myself but I am sure others will join me in welcoming you to any tailgate and game.
I am 100% sure NWA agrees as he is the most welcoming person I have seen at any event anywhere.
I know you have your Bobcats to root for but Just let us know if you can make it to a game. We would love to show you how 49ers fellowship and enjoy a good tailgate. You have my promise of a good time and maybe we might even win for you.
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CarlP, Monmouth is a good game to come to lol
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Is Jordan Herman returning to Charlotte or still in the portal?
I am pretty sure Herman is back. Now even that is always subject to change in the next few monthsā¦ sigh.