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Saturday notebook: Defense still developing attacking mentality
***Defensive coordinator Erick Chinander said the biggest adjustment for the defense right now is learning to play with aggression at all times. He said it’s always easy to get players to think about attacking, but the real hurdle is getting them to trust themselves enough to do it on the field.
***Chinander said the best thing about going up against Scott Frost’s offense in practice was that they get so many reps in each day and also will see about every formation, pre-snap movement, and personnel grouping possible by the time the season starts.
***Chinander said the defensive backs have shown good potential early on this spring, and he thinks cornerback Lamar Jackson particularly could make a big jump this offseason.
Chinander said Jackson was a good enough player that it shouldn’t matter what defense he was working in, Jackson should thrive in any system. He said the junior cornerback still needed to develop a more physical mindset, but called him “a special kid” who was loaded with potential.
***Chinander said NU has a lot to work with at linebacker, and some of the early standouts have been Mohamed Barry, Will Honas, and Dedrick Young.
***Defensive line coach Mike Dawson said this d-line was as deep of a group as any position he’d coached in his entire career, regardless of the position. He said reps are going to be hard to come by as a result, which makes every practice so important for the players.
***New sophomore defensive back Deontai Williams has been working at both safety and cornerback this spring.
***Defensive backs coach Travis Fisher said he’s really been impressed with the overall intelligence of Nebraska’s secondary, especially guys like Aaron Williams and Antonio Reed.
***Sophomore Breon Dixon is working at outside linebacker this spring.
***Offensive lineman Tanner Farmer said the new offense really fits the unit’s personnel better than the previous system. Not only is it relatively easy to learn, the staff has also made it clear it’s going to tailor the scheme to fit the players’ strengths, not make the players fit the offense.
For example, if a lineman isn’t good at pull blocking, they won’t call a play where he has to pull.
***Nose tackle Mick Stoltenberg said he’s weighing 310 pounds and might be in the best shape of his career right now. He said after four years of strength and conditioning at Nebraska he didn’t think there was much more room for him to develop physically, but he’s cut down noticeable body fat and has made big gains in the weight room in his short time under new strength coach Zach Duval.
***Aaron Williams said communication would key above all else for the secondary in this defense, and he’s really enjoyed the emphasis on DBs shooting their shots when it comes to taking chances to make plays. He said the system allows the trust that your teammates will back you up if you make a mistake, unlike the last system where one error would likely lead to a touchdown.
***Jack Stoll was glowing when talking about the role change of the tight ends in this offense. He said the tight ends might be the most versatile position on the entire offense because they have to play both on the end of the line, in the slot, and out on the perimeter depending on the play call.
***One practice observer told Sean Callahan after the session that he noticed the quarterbacks were holding the ball a bit too long than the coaches would like right now, He said really none of the QBs stood out much from the rest of the pack.
Saturday notebook: Defense still developing attacking mentality
***Defensive coordinator Erick Chinander said the biggest adjustment for the defense right now is learning to play with aggression at all times. He said it’s always easy to get players to think about attacking, but the real hurdle is getting them to trust themselves enough to do it on the field.
***Chinander said the best thing about going up against Scott Frost’s offense in practice was that they get so many reps in each day and also will see about every formation, pre-snap movement, and personnel grouping possible by the time the season starts.
***Chinander said the defensive backs have shown good potential early on this spring, and he thinks cornerback Lamar Jackson particularly could make a big jump this offseason.
Chinander said Jackson was a good enough player that it shouldn’t matter what defense he was working in, Jackson should thrive in any system. He said the junior cornerback still needed to develop a more physical mindset, but called him “a special kid” who was loaded with potential.
***Chinander said NU has a lot to work with at linebacker, and some of the early standouts have been Mohamed Barry, Will Honas, and Dedrick Young.
***Defensive line coach Mike Dawson said this d-line was as deep of a group as any position he’d coached in his entire career, regardless of the position. He said reps are going to be hard to come by as a result, which makes every practice so important for the players.
***New sophomore defensive back Deontai Williams has been working at both safety and cornerback this spring.
***Defensive backs coach Travis Fisher said he’s really been impressed with the overall intelligence of Nebraska’s secondary, especially guys like Aaron Williams and Antonio Reed.
***Sophomore Breon Dixon is working at outside linebacker this spring.
***Offensive lineman Tanner Farmer said the new offense really fits the unit’s personnel better than the previous system. Not only is it relatively easy to learn, the staff has also made it clear it’s going to tailor the scheme to fit the players’ strengths, not make the players fit the offense.
For example, if a lineman isn’t good at pull blocking, they won’t call a play where he has to pull.
***Nose tackle Mick Stoltenberg said he’s weighing 310 pounds and might be in the best shape of his career right now. He said after four years of strength and conditioning at Nebraska he didn’t think there was much more room for him to develop physically, but he’s cut down noticeable body fat and has made big gains in the weight room in his short time under new strength coach Zach Duval.
***Aaron Williams said communication would key above all else for the secondary in this defense, and he’s really enjoyed the emphasis on DBs shooting their shots when it comes to taking chances to make plays. He said the system allows the trust that your teammates will back you up if you make a mistake, unlike the last system where one error would likely lead to a touchdown.
***Jack Stoll was glowing when talking about the role change of the tight ends in this offense. He said the tight ends might be the most versatile position on the entire offense because they have to play both on the end of the line, in the slot, and out on the perimeter depending on the play call.
***One practice observer told Sean Callahan after the session that he noticed the quarterbacks were holding the ball a bit too long than the coaches would like right now, He said really none of the QBs stood out much from the rest of the pack.
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