FanNation

Yeah, Calvin's gone and that's sad, but the offense may be stronger next year for several reasons.

1- Taylor Bennett-  I was amazed when I saw the guy in the Gator bowl game.  After all, he'd only seen significant playing time at the Duke game this season, and only at Connecticut last year.  While WVU is not exactly known for their defense, I think we can all agree that they are of a totally different caliber than Duke and Connecticut.  And it wasn't just because of Calvin Johnson either; Tashard Choice and James Johnson had the best game of their careers as well.  Taylor doesn't have much experience, but he played smart as he disected the WVU defense, and after several years of practicing with this team, I think he knows the team very well.  I think he'll bring a new leadership (on and off the field) that Reggie Ball never did.  I don't know that he'll be spectacular right out the gate, but I would look for Taylor to mature as a starter very quickly.

2- Tashard Choice-  In an offense that was centered around the freakish plays that Calvin could make, Tashard was still able to lead the ACC in rushing yards and finish ninth in the nation in rushing.  He rushed for over 100 yards in 9 of his last 10 games while setting a record for the most consecutive 100+ yard games in school history.  He also rushed for the second most yards in a season of any Jacket ever.  Last year Tashard got off to a bit of a slow start, but after the way he closed the '06 season I don't think he'll do that again.  After putting up these kinds of numbers when he wasn't even the team's main playmaker, I would expect these numbers to rise even further now that Tashard is the team's primary playmaker.

3- James Johnson-  I don't think he's on the same level as Calvin, but James Johnson played very well overall in '06.  he finished third in the ACC in recieving TDs despite being neglected in favor of Calvin.  He also finished in the top in in recieving yards in the ACC, meaning that he was still able to recive for more totally yards than the top wideout for some ACC schools.  Coming back this year as the top WR for the Yellow Jackets and playing with a (hopefully) much improved QB, I think JJ will step it up this year.

 These are just the highlights of a very talented Yellow Jacket offense.  We have some other good returnees as well, not to mention a very exciting recruiting class.  We have great QB depth next year, and I suggest that everyone check out the recruiting class on rivals.com if you haven't already.