Home Opener Starts George Welsh Chalk Talk Series

With Wyoming coming to town Saturday, the University of Virginia Alumni Association and TheSabre.com are happy to announce the start of the "Friday Night Chalk Talks with George Welsh" series. The former UVa coach will be on hand to talk football strategy. The event opens at 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall. Learn more about the series here.

Learn from a Legend Friday Night Chalk Talks with George Welsh Every Friday night before home football games, Cavalier fans can spend time with former UVa head coach George Welsh as he breaks down the weekend's opponent and talks football strategy. Come by Alumni Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 for Buffalo wings and cash bar. Coach Welsh will begin his chalk talk at approximately 7:30. The event is open to the public and is sponsored by the University of Virginia Alumni Association and TheSabre.com.

Don't forget, the Alumni Association features lots of game weekend activities. There's the "More Than the Score" pregame lecture series (Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, is this week's guest), pregame Barbeque and beverages at Alumni Hall, and a postgame celebration at Alumni Hall as well. You can learn about all of those events and the Chalk Talk series here.

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com
Editor

Football recruiting ...

Earlier this week, Ballou (Washington, D.C.) outside linebacker recruit Romale Tucker received the news that the University of Virginia would be extending a scholarship offer. The 6-4, 210-pound Tucker spoke with coach Mike London and verbally committed to the Hoos over the weekend. So the commitment is official ... well, almost.

"I did make my decision," Tucker said. "The [UVa written] offer hasn't come in yet, but Coach London told me it is on the way. I talked to Coach London yesterday. I told him I wanted to be there. I did commit. He just said he wants to talk to my Mom to make sure it's all right, so I think he's going to call tomorrow to talk to her. Then it's all set."

Also, TheSabre.com released its PreSeason Top 30 late last week and there was some movement from the PreSummer Top 30, as more prospects have come to light and more film has been viewed. One newcomer to the list is Henrico's Corey Mosley, a 5-9, 192-pound athlete prospect. Mosley has made at least three trips to UVa including a recent trip for a practice. Mosley holds offers from UVa, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. He is not sure when he will make a decision.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Patrick Patterson Down to Six
Five-star prospect Patrick Patterson has narrowed his list to six schools and has set at least two official visits, with a third seemingly almost a done deal. The 6-8, 235-pound Huntington (WV) star hopes to visit all six of his finalists - with one school getting an unofficial visit - before making a commitment.

Pre-Season Top 30 Shows Some Changes
This class certainly seems to be a deep one, with over 40 players having received at least one Division 1A scholarship offer. This class boasts a number of very solid prospects, and in some respects this has been one of the toughest classes to rank. One thing is for sure - the state of Virginia continues to produce quality talent. Virginia and Virginia Tech are both doing well with in-state recruiting this year, particularly with this list

Tucker Joins Cavs 2007 Class
Earlier this week, Ballou (Washington, D.C.) outside linebacker recruit Romale Tucker received the news that the University of Virginia would be extending a scholarship offer. The 6-4, 210-pound Tucker spoke with coach Mike London and verbally committed to the Hoos. So the commitment is official ... well, almost.

Also from the past week ...

• Stokes Reacts to UVa Offer

Planning a great September cookout at your house? Headed to someone else's barbeque? Planning to tailgate at UVa? Either way, Kroger® is the place to go for all of your grilling and cooking needs. Pick up your favorite hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, or whatever else you need for a perfect and tasty meal.

Count on your Kroger delicatessen to create inviting tailgating trays that taste as good as they look. Or you can simpy grab an already cooked rotisserie chicken. Or how about potato salad, wings, or other great quick dining options? Kroger gives you fast options so you can get to the game fast to support your Hoos!

Also, don't forget that Kroger® is still the place to go for all of your dinner needs!

Thanks, as always, for giving the Sabre's sponsors the first chance to win your business. Remember, our sponsors help bring you a better Web site.

The Sabre's Game Week Coverage

Helmet logos courtesy of The Helmet Project

Diehard football fans know that preparing for the game starts a long time before Saturday. That's where the Sabre has you covered! Our game info pages are stocked with all the information you need for the Hoos' next game. That means you can get the essentials (time, place, TV, postgame stats, weather forecasts, preview articles, depth charts, roster cards, etc.) in one convenient location.

The links to each game are available through our schedule on the Football Info page (Click here for Football Info page.); all you have to do is click on the game of interest and the information is all on that game page! Check out the Wyoming page now! The link is also provided at the top of the Football Message Board and the EDGE Message Board throughout game week.

That doesn't even include the articles you get as part of our premium EDGE coverage. Each week, you'll receive features, columns, and analysis on the Hoos' next game. If you want to be "in the know" and impress your buddies at the next tailgate, the EDGE is the place to be. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page.

Posts of the Week

Subject: A whole range of thoughts about where we are, how we got here, and where
Posted by: Galileo24 on Mon Sep 4 2006 11:08:44 AM
Message: we may be going.

Did recruiting mistakes leave Al Groh's team where it is?

First, for those who are focused on why we are in a rebuilding year 6 years into Groh's tenure. I think there are a couple of reasons why, some of them are very much Groh's fault and some were beyond his control.

Groh came into this job with his thinking based on his Wake Forest experience. Back then, the money and sophistication placed into coaching in the college game was far short of what it is today. He underestimated the coaching level of the competition and overestimated his ability to provide the "coaching" while his assistants were going to be dynamite recruiters. Groh clearly believed that using the NFL aura would help attract the recruits and talent with his coaching would win.

You see this manifesting itself in several ways, what made it more damaging was that it worked with his first full recruiting class. Perhaps if the class of 2002 wasn't the apparent success it was, he would have seen the light earlier, but he brought in arguably the best class in UVA history on paper. Like the fisherman who has the day of his life using a new lure, he believed he would continue having success with that same formula.

The warning lights went off in my head with the class of 2003, which was a good class, but I saw us leaving needs unmet because we turned away "good" talent waiting for the "great" talent and whiffed. Some of you may recall me commenting in that regard at the time and I was soundly bashed for it. The 2004 class was very weak. That is the class that should be excelling for us today.

The 2005 class was the right direction. I view the 2006 class as an aberration caused by a number of things, not the least of which was the loss of four key assistant coaches. It looks like the 2007 class is following the formula of the 2005 class, and that's the right direction but it won't help us for a few years.

Here's something to think about: our defense this year should have senior ILBs Brooks and Parham and defensive linemen Redd and C. Johnson. Instead, we have a walk on and a true soph with two starts under his belt at ILB, backed up by a RS frosh who played running back until about October or November last year. Our left defensive end is a RS frosh seeing his first action backed up by a true sophomore who should be redshirted. I guess maybe Groh should have seen all that coming but that may be unfair.

What we needed was better coaching/teaching from our assistants and the 2005/2007 recruiting formula all along. We didn't have those things in place and that is Groh's fault. He miscalculated and now he's paying for it and we're paying for it. People blame his stubborness, but considering his success in 2002, and the 2003 class was pretty good on paper as well, can you blame him for continuing to follow it in 2004??

It is my hope that he now has the right coaching formula in place though I'm a big skeptic of Mike Groh as OC. Garrett, Borberly and Bernstien are certainly quality teachers and Mike London is the right guy at DC. He seems to be following the right recruiting formula now but is the program too far gone for that formula to bring in sufficient talent??? If he had it in place in 2003, I think we'd be in excellent shape now. We didn't and we have massive holes and inexperience trying to fill those holes. We're not going to be very good this season.

So, we can harp on Groh's past mistakes and clearly in hindsight he made some big errors. Doing that changes nothing about today. The real question that a fan has to deal with is in regards to what is best for the program moving forward?? If you believe he is now making the right changes, basically back to the beginning of the program building mode, then we are best served by patience and supporting them as vigorously as we can. If you don't believe that, then your best course of action is to not buy season tickets for football, write Page and Casteen, and make your protest in the one place that it counts, in the pocketbook.

Me?? I don't see an alternative right now. I'm going to support the team as vigorously as I can. I'm not happy about how we have come to this point, especially since I saw it coming several years ago. However, the right changes seem to have FINALLY been made (except the OC position in which I still am skeptical) so I will be patient for a while longer.

Two keys to watch. First, how do our players develop during the season. It isn't about W-L record as much as it is about development. Second, do we fill out the rest of our 2007 class to meet our immediate needs; i.e., OL, WR, DL, more speed.

That's my take. I'm not happy, but I'm having to deal with the reality. If I don't see the right things this year, I may move to the get rid of Groh bandwagon, but I think most of the changes I felt were necessary have been made.

Subject: Marcus Hamilton said it best in a post-game interview ...
Posted by: Mikeysurf on Mon Sep 4 2006 8:11:11 AM
Message: "It is just one game," said Hamilton. "One game doesn't determine the season. You can't let one game get you down.

Zak Stair is part of an inexperienced O-Line that will have growing pains.

Good advice not only for many of his younger teammates, but also for the fan base in which some seem either delusional or had expectations so out of whack that there's no hint of reality in their mindset.

This team had a ton of questions coming into the Pittsburgh game and most of them remain as the team prepares for Wyoming. We could have played another opening schedule like '05 with Western Michigan, Syracuse, and Duke, struggle in those games to get three wins, while glossing over the flaws that would emerge more promeniently against better competition.

We're not playing for a national championship at UVa or even a league title. The only thing that is important for this specific team is to improve and develop throughout the year and try to become bowl eligible. Regardless if you want to accept that fact or not, this is the reality of where UVa's football program resides at the moment. By my count, I only saw 7 seniors step on the field for offensive or defensive plays on Saturday. Try surveying around the league and the country and see how many teams have fewer than that number of seniors in their 2-deep?

The only thing that matters this year is continuous improvement for individual players, within their respective units, and the collective team, maintaining an effective belief system in their fellow teammates and the coaches, establishing new leaders that lead by example, and for the coaches to do a solid job understanding how to best deploy our talent with some of the changes they've made or will make to schemes and strategy. For an team trying to reclimb the ladder, the only thing that is more important than the aforementioned is learning how to win again as a team.

I've been as tough on Al Groh as anyone. But that serves little purpose with this year's team. This is not '04, or even '05. Groh has made a lot of mistakes and missteps with this program. Ding dong! We all know that! I'm talking about this team, this year.

We have overhauled our coaching staff, we have a ton of new players in place that need to learn how to play effectively, and all of that needs time to mesh. But until we can develop stronger line play on both sides of the ball, all bets are off. I don't care who's at QB, who's calling the plays, etc.! It starts with the line.

Lining up a raw Will Barker (zero game experience) or Zak Stair (basically no game experience with the offense) next to Cunningham, who has been a part time player for the past 2 years, next to Lipsey, who is still struggling with his pass blocking, next to Albert who had a good freshman year, but still has much to learn (and has two new guys on each side of him) and Monroe who like Albert didn't get any reps in the spring, is playing OT for essentially the first time on a full time basis and coming off of knee surgery.

Now, I spend a lot of time focusing on line play. I've worked with a number of young linemen over the years. When you look at what UVa is working with at the moment, I'm not surprised at all, by what took place with the OL. Barker Stair are barely able to straighten out their jocks because these guys are so inexperienced. Barker is learning how to play/move with his new size and deal with college level talent and speed. Stair is moving from left to right tackle, while still adjusting to playing for the first time. They are trying to get comfortable with their assignment, line calls, speed of their opponents, etc. Should anyone be surprised that 2 procedures calls came from that position. That's a lot for a young player in their first real game!

Lipsey has NEVER been strong at pass blocking, which is among the handful of reasons he wasn't playing earlier. Do you think that Pittsburgh may have seen a bit of the UMD game when the Turtles were blitzing up the middle like commuters running for a rush hour train. Cunningham came to UVa as a strong drive blocker. He's been bouncing back and forth between center and guard, and frankly, not really excelling at a high level with either. You think that Monroe may not quite be as quick as he would like to be following surgery and is still learning how to pass block in college.

Folks, it takes time for offensive units to come together and perform as one. FSU brought in Mark McHale in this year because they finally recognized that part of their problems with the productivity of their offense was the result of poor line play.

Until the OL is fixed, you can bring back Schaub, Musgrave, or anyone else, it will not matter. If we can't run effectively or have time to throw, it don't care who's at QB or calling plays. The OL is just like the team which needs time to grow, mature, and develop. For a team with this many question marks, the time to evaluate is at season's end, not after one game against a team that could legitimately win 8 games.

Newslink - Your One Stop Shop for UVa News

TheSabre.com provides an excellent service for the Virginia fan base that you may not know about: Newslink. Sabre NewsLink provides you with links to the daily news on your Hoos. Our staff checks the Internet each morning to locate and link to articles from various online media sources from around the state and beyond. We even throw some interesting ACC news to let you know what the Hoos' opponents are up to. Sabre NewsLink is updated every morning, 365 days a year!

Check out Sabre NewsLink today!

UVa Bookstores' 2006 Virginia Football Pick 'Em

Pick'em is simple. The first contestant who picks the winner and comes closest to predicting the final score wins. In case of ties, the earliest entry will be awarded the prize. Last week's winner won a No. 91 Virginia jersey for example!

Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. EST game day. Entries received after 12:00 a.m. (midnight the night before the game) are ineligible. Limit one entry per person. The next business day following game day, UVa Bookstores will email a short note regarding the results.

For the full information or to enter, click here!

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

George Gelnovatch's team is off to a 3-0 start with three shutouts.

• No.3 Virginia Shuts out George Mason, 2-0: Junior midfielder Nico Colaluca and senior midfielder Ian Holder each netted one goal and No. 3 Virginia picked up its third shutout in defeating George Mason, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.
• Virginia Women's Soccer Suffers Overtime Loss at Tennessee: The Virginia women's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season, falling to No. 20 Tennessee 1-0 in overtime. Ali Christoph scored on a penalty kick in the 98th minute to give the Lady Volunteers (1-1-1) a win in the first game in their new Regal Soccer Stadium.
• Mohammed Named to Nigerian National Team: Virginia women's basketball junior Aisha Mohammed has been named one of 16 players that will compete for the Nigerian National Team at the FIBA World Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 12-23. Kevin Cook, an assistant coach with the WNBA's Houston Comets, will coach Team Nigeria.
• Virginia Volleyball Takes Jefferson Cup Title : Setter Emily Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the Jefferson Cup Volleyball Tournament after leading the Virginia volleyball team to the tourney title Saturday evening (Sept. 1) at Memorial Gym.
• Field Hockey Goes 1-1 Over the Weekend: The Virginia field hockey defeated Ohio on Friday, 3-1, before falling to Old Dominion, 3-2, on Sunday. The Hoos are 2-1 this season and they host Radford on Wednesday.
• Basketball Season Tickets Go On Sale Tuesday: Season tickets for the Virginia men's and women's basketball teams' first season in the John Paul Jones Arena go on sale Sept. 5. Previous season ticket holders will receive their renewal information in the mail the week of Sept. 11.
• Four Cavaliers Named to US Swimming International Rosters: Four Cavaliers - juniors Pat Mellors and Ryan Hurley, along with 2006 graduates Fran Crippen and Brielle White - have been named to the preliminary rosters for the United States in upcoming international competitions USA Swimming announced on Friday.
• Track and Field Announces Class of 2010: Virginia head track and field coach Randy Bungard announced the arrival of the Class of 2010. Adding to the depth of the women's team are nine first years while the men's squad adds 13 newcomers.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virignia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

Issue No. 206 - September 9, 2005

Well, Virginia's first game of the football season sure generated a lot of discussion on the message boards, huh? To me, that's a good thing.

Fans were talking about the positives from the 31-19 win over Western Michigan - Cedric Peerman's performance, Ottowa Anderson, Deyon Williams and the vertical passing game. You also may have noticed that much of the talk was critical. Posters were criticizing everything from the Cav Man intro to Coach Groh's postgame comments, from the offensive line to the secondary, from the three turnovers to the inane "That's Another Cavalier First Down!" announcement on changes of possession. Apparently, there was a lot not to like about UVa's 2005 debut.

That's fine. In fact, that's the beauty of the Sabre message boards - fans can discuss the good, the bad, the ugly and the excellent about UVa sports. It's not a cheerleading site or a mouthpiece for the athletic department. TheSabre.com represents and reflects the whole spectrum of fan opinion and provides an open forum for discussing anything and everything about the Cavaliers. That's why it bothers me when some fans try to stifle those discussions by attacking anyone who's critical.

Over the course of the week, some posters jumped into critical threads and accused anyone negative of failing to be a good fan. As if being a good fan means never voicing complaints or expressing concerns. Please. Sure, some fans overreact to a poor performance and become overly negative or critical. If you don't like it, ignore them. Just please do me a favor and avoid casting a chill over the message boards by accusing your fellow 'Hoos of being lesser fans.

Challenge their opinions if you like, but don't challenge their right to express themselves. And please don't forget that you can be critical and still be a great fan.

Former Sabre Editor John Galinsky wrote that just last year. It all still applies after the opening loss at Pittsburgh this year. Food for thought ...

Coming Soon

Football season kicked off Saturday for Virginia in a less than desirable fashion. Still, The Sabre is the place to be for all of your Cavalier content as we keep you up to date on all that's going on. Here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

Christian Olsen's first start won't make the Hall of Fame, but how did he grade out?

• Greg's Game Grades
  Virginia's loss at Pittsburgh couldn't feature too many high marks, but see how Christian Olsen and others graded out in this weekly piece.
• 10 Things I Learned This Weekend
  JHoo's weekly series kicks off after the Pitt game. So what did JHoo take from the disappointing loss?
• The Hawk's Nest
  Ahmad Hawkins' weekly series continues with a look at home openers and how to bounce back from tough losses.
• Frederick Flying High In Fifth Year
  Virginia's Kara Frederick is in her fifth year with the women's soccer team and she's off to a good start this season.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles from the past week

The Turning Point - Pittsburgh
In every game, there are a handful of moments where the flow could change, a pattern could shift, or the outcome could swing. This season, The Sabre will try to pick one of those times in each game and put it in focus. With that in mind, let's take a look at "The Turning Point" against Pittsburgh. The Panthers topped the Hoos on Saturday night, 38-13.

Pittsburgh Pounds Virginia in Season Opener
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh and Virginia tangoed in the season-opening football game Saturday and the Panthers could have danced all night. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, would be the first team voted off of "So You Think You Can Dance" after they spent most of the night wobbling around on two left feet and making costly mistakes. In the end, Pitt waltzed into the end zone four times with one-play scores and cruised to a dominant 38-13 win at Heinz Field.

Best Seat in the House: Pitt's Tyler Palko
The Virginia football team opens the 2006 season tonight at 7 p.m. at Pittsburgh. The Cavaliers will face a tough test from senior quarterback Tyler Palko, who is a three-year starter that has played in 24 consecutive games. Palko joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to talk about the match-up with UVa and the Panthers' expectations this season.

ACC Roundtable: Who Will Win the Divisions?
The ACC football season kicked off Thursday night with Boston College in action and the Eagles pulled out a victory. But what's in store for the 12 league members this season? Techsideline.com and TheSabre.com teamed up to tackle questions facing some of the teams this season in this ACC Roundtable. Among the topics covered by the five-person panel: Reggie Ball, Wake Forest's chances, Carolina's bowl odds, and of course, some Hokie and Hoo thoughts as well.

A Western Perspective on the Wahoos
For the first time in 11 years, I'm not covering the Virginia football team. I'm in California. I'm out of touch. I have no inside info or spicy scoops. But from 3,000 miles away, I can finally offer an outsider's perspective on the state of Cavalier football. I may not be able to tell you the identity of the back-up long snapper for Al Groh's team, but I can say how things look from way out here in Pete Carroll Country going into the 2006 season.

Game Preview: Virginia at Pittsburgh
The big day is almost here as the Virginia football team opens against Pittsburgh just hours from now. What should the Hoos expect against the Panthers? Who has the edge at each position? What are some absolutes and desirables if UVa expects to win? You can find all the answers in this Pittsburgh Game Preview.

Best Seat in the House: Dave Borbely
Jed Williams caught up with Virginia offensive line coach Dave Borbely recently for The Best Seat in the House. Borbely talked about Al Groh, running the football, coaching the offensive line, and his previous coaching jobs. Make sure to catch The Best Seat in the House on Charlottesville's WINA 1070 AM weeknights at 6 p.m.

The Hawk's Nest - Road Openers Offer Opportunity
Ahmad Hawkins, who plays professionally for the AFL's Colorado Crush, debuts his new Sabre column "The Hawk's Nest", which will appear game week Thursdays. He played from 1997-2000 at Virginia and is legendary in Hoo circles for the go-ahead touchdown catch in the 1998 comeback win at Virginia Tech. This week, Ahmad looks at what goes through a player's mind before season openers, especially on the road.

Catching Up With ... Phillips, Albert, & Hall
Branden Albert, Vic Hall, and John Phillips were part of the University of Virginia's 2005 recruiting class. Albert and Phillips stepped in as true freshmen last year, while Hall redshirted. All three could be big contributors this season so The Sabre caught up with them recently to talk about their first-year experience and what's to come.

Best Seat in the House: ACC 2-Pack, NCSU and Clemson
Jed Williams continued with some ACC football previews on The Best Seat in the House on Charlottesville's WINA 1070 AM. This 2-pack features a pair of Atlantic Division teams in Clemson and N.C. State. Tigers coach Tommy Bowden and Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato discuss their fall practices and the upcoming season.

Hoos Tailgating With Mom - Salad 3-Pack
Kickoff for Virginia football fans is just days away, but before you can watch the game, you have to tailgate - which I think they call dinner for the home viewers. Don't know what to prepare? Never fear, The Sabre has you covered with this latest feature. Each game week, my mom and I are teaming up to bring you some delicious recipes for your next tailgate. This week? Salad! Don't worry, it's not what you think.

10-Day Hoo Preview: Nick's Keys to the Season
The 2006 edition of Virginia football has many question marks. Some have labeled it a rebuilding year, while some see the potential for a surprising season. No matter what your stance, there are some things that must happen this year for the Hoos to have a chance at a successful season. In the final piece of the Sabre's 10-Day Hoo Preview, here's a look at what should be the five most important keys to a solid 2006 campaign.

10-Day Hoo Preview: Position Outlook, Linebackers
As The Sabre concludes its 10-Day Hoo Preview, we saved the most vital and maybe the most unsettled units for last - the offensive line and the linebackers. For Virginia, the linebackers are arguably the most important group on defense. When the team uses a 3-4 base defense, that may be stating the obvious. But how will Clint Sintim and company perform this season?

10-Day Hoo Preview: Position Outlook, Offensive Line
As The Sabre concludes its position outlook series, we saved the most vital and maybe the most unsettled units for last - the offensive line and the linebackers. Talk about All-American quarterbacks, game-breaking wide receivers, and 1,000-yard rushers all you want, but without a cohesive offensive line, you simply can't move the football. How will Branden Albert and the O-Line play this season?

Cavalier Call-in Highlights 2006, Show 1
The first Cavalier Call-in Show of the 2006 season took place Monday night as Virginia football coach Al Groh joined Mac McDonald to preview the upcoming season and Saturday's game at Pittsburgh. Groh took numerous calls and answered some of McDonald's questions as well. Topics included player nicknames, tight ends, defensive play-calling, and more.

10-Day Hoo Preview: November Schedule Breakdown
As mentioned in the September schedule outlook, the Cavaliers face the top three ACC teams from the previous season for the third time in three years in 2006. What could possibly make that sort of bad news worse? The Hoos face all three in one month. The Sabre wraps up its schedule analysis with a look at the last month of the year.

10-Day Hoo Preview: 10 Things To Watch This Season
For Virginia, the football journey begins with a trip this weekend to Pittsburgh. Of course, there will be plenty to watch for and learn during this journey, far beyond wins and losses. So, in the tradition of past top 10 lists, here are 10 things - will Mike London's D be more aggressive, for example - that I expect to learn over the course of the 2006 season.

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