Expectations weren't high at all for most of those guys.
I don't get your argument.
Some of those players got injured (Mitchell, Tebucky, C. Scott), some were forced into starting roles because of injuries (Beisel, Brown, Hawkins), and others were role players (Dwight, Flutie, Caldwell). The rest (Mallard, Levya, Freeman, Edwards, Terrell, Morton, Warfield) were longshots to make the team starting off.