A few questions as we near the first practice

I'd be lying if I said I didn't steal the idea for this post from ESPN's Heather Dinnich, but she hasn't covered Wake yet so the content is definitely original. The premise is pretty simple: what questions need to be answered during the next month of practices?

1. Will someone step up and be a reliable long snapper?
The fact that this is the first question that comes to my mind has to be a very good sign for the Demon Deacons this season. The fact is, this is the only glaring hole at a starting position anywhere on the team. I'm pretty sure we'll ultimately get a positive answer to this question.

Ryan McManus has been expected to take this job from the very beginning, but unfortunately he never quite got the it done in the spring. I know McManus is a competitive guy who badly wants to be on the football field, so I'm guessing he's worked his butt off this summer and has a pretty good looking snap by now. Obviously time will tell, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one.

2. Will the offensive line get the job done?
Since the end of the 2007 season this has probably been the question most Deacon fans have been asking. Based on what I saw in the spring, I think the starting five will be a successful group. They won't be as good as last year's line right away, but we'll see them continue improving and ultimately I don't think fans will be complaining too much.

The biggest concern here is depth. What happens if a couple of starters go down? Joe Looney would probably be ready to step in for a guard, but if a tackle or center were to go down I think there might be a pretty big problem. During these preseason practices we need to see how these younger guys develop.

3. Is there a depth issue in the secondary?
Dan Collins touched on this today, and it might be a slight concern. Channing Schofield, who would have seen significant playing time as a backup and in nickel/dime coverages is no longer with the team. There are still seven cornerbacks on the roster, but two are redshirt freshmen and one is a true freshmen, so an injury or two could open up some major issues here.

I think this question could be answered pretty easily if young guys like Josh Bush step up and show that they're ready to play on Saturday.

Now to put a bit of a different spin on this, here's one question people are asking that I don't think is an issue:

With Kenny Moore gone, who will step up and lead the receiving corps?
I'm convinced this will not be a problem. There are plenty of talented receivers on the roster, not to mention tight end Ben Wooster who is clearly ready to step up and play. I think the Demon Deacons can be just fine without that one go-to receiver. We know Chip Brinkman can catch passes, and the same goes for Jordan Williams and D.J. Boldin. Devon "Y'lou" Brown is ready to step up as well.

Wake doesn't need someone to be Kenny Moore and carry the entire load himself; it doesn't have to be a one man job. The talent is there for this group to get it done as a unit, and I think they will.