NEDERLAND — Unlike its rivals along the Neches River, the Nederland football team didn’t go through spring practices with pads. Instead, the Bulldogs will open up two-a-day workouts this week, trying to prepare to defend their District 20-4A title and get head coach Larry Neumann closer to that 200-victory mark.

What storylines will be facing the Bulldogs as they enter these workouts? What will this team be looking to find out about itself as they approach Week Zero?

1) Line questions - One of the biggest changes for the Bulldogs will be losing Kanton Richard at center. The steady performer was a pivot for that group. What will Nederland do to replace him?

Well, the plan originally was to slide starting guard Cole Brown inside and install him as the center. The Bulldogs muttered something about best-laid plans during spring and summer workouts, and now it looks like Brown may stay at guard this season.

The reason is the emergence of Chris Henry at center. Henry surprised the Nederland staff with his play and work ethic and may jump up and steal one of those starting spots here in two-a-day workouts. That way, Nederland can keep Brown at guard, where he really exceled last season.

However the line shakes out, it’s clear Nederland will have a solid base to build from in the offense, even though they it be replacing two starters from last year’s group.

2) DeShawn-ing the offense - So, Nederland has a ton of depth at receiver and a QB who can wing it downfield. Why is a big tight end critical to the offense?

Because having a weapon underneath could turn a good offense into a great one for the Bulldogs. DeShawn Washington is entering his second year with the team and, if he makes the strides that the coaching staff think he’s capable of, could be in for a bigger role in his junior season.

With Washington’s size and athleticism, he could be a nightmare matchup for opposing linebackers and safeties as he works the middle of the field for the Bulldogs. That extra attention can only help both the running game and the other receivers going vertical.

Don’t forget how much help the big-bodied Washington could provide for the new left tackle, as a willing blocker on the outside.

All that’s assuming Washington can take the step forward his talent hinted at in his sophomore campaign.

3) Running concern? - Depending on how you look at departed fullback Brett Brown, the Bulldogs are going to miss their top three rushers from 2011. The big question this summer will be who fills in those gaps.

Expect talented junior Kendrick Hopkins to be involved in that discussion. Hopkins played intermittently during his sophomore season, taking over for Brown when he was suffering through various ailments. Of course, Hopkins also had some injury issues and may not be the athlete that Nederland is looking for in its tailback.

This could be the area with the fiercest competition this fall.

4) Getting defensive - The defensive line won’t face as much turnover as its offensive counterpart, losing starting defensive end and Willie Ray Smith award-winner Corbin Carr, but returning three other starters on that line in Koby Couron, Brock Pryor and Caleb Malveaux.

Add in contributions from Washington at defensive end and sophomore DE Jaron Johnson and the d-line should be pretty set heading into camp.

Both linebackers also return, with both Korbin Stampley and Jordan Wood benefitting from those big boys up front. That just leaves the secondary as the biggest area of turnover for this defense. Starting cornerback Zach Taylor will be back, but is coming off knee surgery in the offseason.

That leaves a cornerback spot and three safety spots open for the Bulldogs this spring. Guys like Colton Kimler, who played at safety last year, and even Seth Barrow could help fill in those starting spots, but there should be heated competition in the back end of this defense.

5) Fighting expectations - The Bulldogs may prefer to be underdogs most of the time, but that won’t be the case this season. Most pre-season prognosticators have Nederland winning district for a second straight season and making some noise in the playoffs.

That’s because they return a host of players from a team that went three rounds deep last year, including pre-season defensive MVP pick Koby Couron, who could anchor that defensive line alongside Brock Pryor. With a host of all-district picks on that side of the ball, Nederland will expected to be good right out of the gate defensively.

How it responds to those expectations will be key to this season. Neumann will undoubtedly have his team pointed in the right direction and focused on the season, but I’m sure he will have a few anxious moments as practice starts in making sure his team stays properly motivated.

The Bulldogs had a special team chemistry last season, and with many of those players back this year, that shouldn’t change much. If that’s the case, those preseason expectations may not be important after all.