Louisville Cardinals Football: Breaking Down the Offense in 2011

The Louisville Cardinals finished the 2010 season 7-6 with a win over Southern Mississippi University in the prestigious Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.

Here I will go through position by position and grade each unit of the offense.

From the quarterback to the offensive lineman, each unit is equally important in assuring a successful 2011 campaign.

Overall Offense: C-

Unfortunately Louisville fans, as you will read in the next slide, things won’t look very good offensively in 2011.

With only three starters returning in 2011, this offensive unit will be in a rebuilding year.

Fortunately though, there are some bright spots.

Maybe? They have two cupcake games to start the season and prepare for rival Kentucky.

Quarterbacks: D+

Wow. This unit is, well… horrible.

Adam Forman and Justin Burke are both gone, and this unit may be one of the worst in the country in 2011.

True freshman Teddy Bridgewater looks like the favorite to get the starting job, and second year coach Charlie Strong will be doing a lot of one-on-one work this summer camp.

Bridgewater brings the scrambling abilities that he will need when he can’t make the necessary reads.

Running Backs: B+

Following up the mess that is Louisville QB conundrum is the Cardinal’s best unit.

Victor Anderson returns for his senior season and will now be the go-to back for the Cardinals.

With Anderson being the primary offensive weapon, look for a 1,000-yard season, barring injuries.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B-

The Cardinals have some talent at receiver, but unfortunately they probably won’t get the opportunity to showcase that talent.

Josh Bellamy is back for senior season, and Andrell Smith is primed and ready to go as well.

Also back is starting tight end Josh Chichester. 

Offensive Line: C-

To put it simply, the offensive line is mess.

Four of the five starters are gone, and only starting center Mario Benavides returns.

Redshirt freshman Jake Smith is likely to start this year, and if he doesn’t get up to speed quickly, this line could fall apart from within.