Now that the preseason depth chart is available, and most of Pete's profiles have been published (BTW, great job on those, Pete), we should have a somewhat less-murky picture of what the upcoming football season holds. Clearly, there are question marks. We're relying on a number of inexperienced, untested players; but there are few seasons when that's not the case to a certain extent.

I, for one, am optimistic (my glass of kool-aid is half full) for a variety of reasons, one of which is: Defense wins ball games, and injuries decimated our defense last year, forcing players who wouldn't have otherwise seen the field to get lots of experience at a young age. Players didn't get the breaks they needed because there was no one to replace them. To further exacerbate the problem, the offense was unable to move the ball consistently, forcing the depleted defense to spend more time on the field. How many games did we lose last season because the defense was spent at the end of the game, allowing the opposition to come from behind for the win (can you say NC State, for one)?

There are a variety of other factors, I'm sure, that can be discussed below. In the meantime, are you optimistic about the 2012 season, or is your glass of kool-aid half empty?