SDHornet said:
We've been a perennial playoff contender since 2019. Anyone thinking we won't be in the mix for post-season play in '24 hasn't been paying attention for the past 5 years. I'll hold off on a week by week prediction for now (there's still another portal session yet to happen) but this Hornet train ain't stopping anytime soon and there's still plenty of room on the train even for the most ardent of doomers (looking at you GCM).
Stingers Up!
Or perhaps they have been paying attention?
Not to completely disagree with you, but rather to play devils advocate --- the biggest part of the engine that re-defined this program for the past 5 years departed a season ago. As did their most impactful players. Consequentially 2023 ended up as the worst record of the past 5 years (4 seasons). And the offense and defense took noticeable steps backward. There were also some very poor performances (blowouts) that weren't occurring from 2019 to 2022.
A reasonably rational fan could argue that the above represents the first step toward a decline. However, conversely, a reasonably rational fan could argue that it was a transition season under a new and first ever head coach and offensive coordinator, but with much of the previous puzzle still in place, and that this upcoming season will ultimately provide a tell-tale sign of what the future might hold.
I'm inclined to include myself as a believer in the latter.
That said, I see your reasoning for the team being in the mix for post-season play in '24 as misguided and false. I'm not suggesting they won't be in the mix or that they won't qualify, but rather that citing the past 5 years (4 seasons) -- 3 of which were under a different HC and OC -- as evidence is faulty. Because those paying attention during that entire time frame would also realize that things have changed the past 15 months.
Taylor left. Skattebo left. Multiple other key players, including the highly productive QB duo, graduated. Thus the team's record regressed to a level below 2019, 2021 and 2022. You'd have to be blind not to acknowledge any of that. Not only that, the team was quite fortunate to be awarded a playoff birth last season. Had they not lucked out in that regard, 2023 would have represented the only season since 2018 (in which they participated) that they didn't qualify. It very easily could have happened, as they weren't shoe-ins as in previous seasons as conference champs.
The point is, there are valid reasons to question the upcoming season and beyond without being a "doomer". Again, I'm with you wrt to remaining positive (or at least cautiously optimistic) until proven otherwise. I'm expecting this season to be better than the last. But I do see 2024 as a pivotal season. If they regress a tad more, it might be time for concern. If they improve, it might be a sign that this program is indeed in it for the long haul.
