Will be posting information about the first week of practice. Any information you would like to add will be appreciated.
Sam Mckewon
Nebraska's giant roster comes with advantages - but longer work hours if you want to evaluate all of it.
Riley's not used to running a spring practice with more than 100 guys on the team. Nebraska's roster tops 120 players, so Riley initially split the Huskers into two groups and staggered their practice times, which put the coaches on the field for four hours. And instead of getting treatment or resting, a lot of the players either showed up early or stuck around late to watch their buddies practice in the other group. By the end of the first week, Riley was back to overseeing two groups practicing at once.
Riley structured practice to get as much of an evaluation as possible. That's a solid thing to do and perhaps overdue, given that any former coaching staff, after seven years, can get in an evaluation rut. As linebackers coach Trent Bray noted, some of NU's walk-ons hadn't received a significant practice snap in some time. At least, after this spring, there won't be any stones left unturned. But it's probably not a sustainable model in fall camp. Riley seemed to know it by the end of the first week when he switched it up.
* * *
Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf appear ready for now to meet Nebraska's old offense halfway.
Nebraska's offense definitely looks different from 2014. There's a huddle, for one thing, and many more snaps under center. More defined pass routes. More instruction on where to throw the ball, and when, rather than solely a focus on completing the pass.
The Huskers have not abandoned the shotgun, though, and reporters have seen some quarterback run game in practice. Because Riley installed the fly sweep into his offense nearly a decade ago, some of the speed motion from the previous spread offense is still in this offense, too. There seems to be clear recognition that the new staff must mold itself around the parts on hand and not force its schematic template on the team.
Of course, the parts on hand are, as a whole, better than the parts Riley and Langsdorf had at Oregon State. Recruiting rankings, stats and season records back up that contention. It probably hasn't been as much of a struggle for them as fans imagine.
* * *
The Blackshirts are back - and loving the freedom in Mark Banker's defense.
Nebraska's defense was more often a strength than a weakness in the Bo Pelini era. But the unit suffered from identity crises and analysis paralysis when a bigger, stronger team dared the Huskers to match up man for man.
New defensive coordinator Mark Banker wants to unleash that speed and athleticism. He wants guys to get out of their own heads, run and attack. And Husker defenders are on board with that. The biggest smiles seem to be coming from the linebackers, who will play more downhill in NU's system. Find the ball and tackle the guy carrying it.
No scheme is flawless, and Banker's system had its share of leaks at Oregon State in the last two seasons, especially against spread offenses. That said, Pelini's old defense specialized against wide-open spread attacks. So perhaps the two styles can marry well.
* * *
It's open season for starting jobs on the offensive line.
Other than left tackle Alex Lewis appearing to be the top guy at his position, no starting jobs have been locked down. Nebraska needs to find a center who won't get hurt and can play the position more effectively than it was for all of last season, and position coach Mike Cavanaugh has to decidewhich of his many guards he likes most. He has plenty.
Cavanaugh doesn't have as many bodies at tackle, but he's been tasked with improving what's on hand. Other than Jeremiah Sirles, Nebraska hasn't had much to boast about at that position since joining the Big Ten. Too many penalties. Too many misses on pass blocks. Cavanaugh is busy coaching up Lewis, Givens Price, Matt Finnin, David Knevel and Zach Sterup - injured this spring - on the finer points of the position. Great teams are almost always good-to-great at offensive tackle. Nebraska hasn't been. Ditto at center.
* * *
Brian Stewart has some tough choices to make in the secondary.
So much talent, so few starting spots. It's a great problem for Stewart - who joins NU as defensive backs coach after being a defensive coordinator at Maryland and Houston for the last five seasons - but it's still one he'll have to work out. In each practice seen by reporters, a different defensive back has tended to do something special. And even if safety Nate Gerry and cornerback Daniel Davie look like safe bets to come out of the spring as top guys at their positions, they're still getting pushed, and any combination of players could join. The issue is especially pressing at corner, where Davie and Jonathan Rose are seniors being chased by a variety of young studs like Trai Mosley, Boaz Joseph, Chris Jones and Josh Kalu. And one can't forget Charles Jackson, recovering from another injury.
It's hard to see all of these guys sticking around for four years, given the competition at the spot and the attrition needed on the roster to make 85 scholarships work.
* * *
Tommy Armstrong still looks like the guy at quarterback.
The junior already had the room on his side after starting for two years, and the quarterback has given Riley and Langsdorf a strong impression through two weeks. He may not have the most enticing skill set - that could belong to redshirt freshman AJ Bush - but he's looked as good as any quarterback so far this spring, and he's one of two scholarship quarterbacks - along with Johnny Stanton - facing what amounts to the top defense. Stanton hasn't looked bad, but his delivery takes longer than Armstrong's does, and his confidence level just doesn't seem as high.
Riley has handled the quarterback discussion with skill, and given his history with signal-callers, he'll continue to do that. But listen to Riley talk about the position, and he rarely talks about mechanics. Instead, it's the intangibles. Grasp of the system. Leadership. Effort. Attitude. Riley can't change the measurables of the quarterbacks in the program. But he can look for the qualities he likes beyond the physical stuff. And Armstrong has a surfeit of them.
Sam Mckewon
Nebraska's giant roster comes with advantages - but longer work hours if you want to evaluate all of it.
Riley's not used to running a spring practice with more than 100 guys on the team. Nebraska's roster tops 120 players, so Riley initially split the Huskers into two groups and staggered their practice times, which put the coaches on the field for four hours. And instead of getting treatment or resting, a lot of the players either showed up early or stuck around late to watch their buddies practice in the other group. By the end of the first week, Riley was back to overseeing two groups practicing at once.
Riley structured practice to get as much of an evaluation as possible. That's a solid thing to do and perhaps overdue, given that any former coaching staff, after seven years, can get in an evaluation rut. As linebackers coach Trent Bray noted, some of NU's walk-ons hadn't received a significant practice snap in some time. At least, after this spring, there won't be any stones left unturned. But it's probably not a sustainable model in fall camp. Riley seemed to know it by the end of the first week when he switched it up.
* * *
Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf appear ready for now to meet Nebraska's old offense halfway.
Nebraska's offense definitely looks different from 2014. There's a huddle, for one thing, and many more snaps under center. More defined pass routes. More instruction on where to throw the ball, and when, rather than solely a focus on completing the pass.
The Huskers have not abandoned the shotgun, though, and reporters have seen some quarterback run game in practice. Because Riley installed the fly sweep into his offense nearly a decade ago, some of the speed motion from the previous spread offense is still in this offense, too. There seems to be clear recognition that the new staff must mold itself around the parts on hand and not force its schematic template on the team.
Of course, the parts on hand are, as a whole, better than the parts Riley and Langsdorf had at Oregon State. Recruiting rankings, stats and season records back up that contention. It probably hasn't been as much of a struggle for them as fans imagine.
* * *
The Blackshirts are back - and loving the freedom in Mark Banker's defense.
Nebraska's defense was more often a strength than a weakness in the Bo Pelini era. But the unit suffered from identity crises and analysis paralysis when a bigger, stronger team dared the Huskers to match up man for man.
New defensive coordinator Mark Banker wants to unleash that speed and athleticism. He wants guys to get out of their own heads, run and attack. And Husker defenders are on board with that. The biggest smiles seem to be coming from the linebackers, who will play more downhill in NU's system. Find the ball and tackle the guy carrying it.
No scheme is flawless, and Banker's system had its share of leaks at Oregon State in the last two seasons, especially against spread offenses. That said, Pelini's old defense specialized against wide-open spread attacks. So perhaps the two styles can marry well.
* * *
It's open season for starting jobs on the offensive line.
Other than left tackle Alex Lewis appearing to be the top guy at his position, no starting jobs have been locked down. Nebraska needs to find a center who won't get hurt and can play the position more effectively than it was for all of last season, and position coach Mike Cavanaugh has to decidewhich of his many guards he likes most. He has plenty.
Cavanaugh doesn't have as many bodies at tackle, but he's been tasked with improving what's on hand. Other than Jeremiah Sirles, Nebraska hasn't had much to boast about at that position since joining the Big Ten. Too many penalties. Too many misses on pass blocks. Cavanaugh is busy coaching up Lewis, Givens Price, Matt Finnin, David Knevel and Zach Sterup - injured this spring - on the finer points of the position. Great teams are almost always good-to-great at offensive tackle. Nebraska hasn't been. Ditto at center.
* * *
Brian Stewart has some tough choices to make in the secondary.
So much talent, so few starting spots. It's a great problem for Stewart - who joins NU as defensive backs coach after being a defensive coordinator at Maryland and Houston for the last five seasons - but it's still one he'll have to work out. In each practice seen by reporters, a different defensive back has tended to do something special. And even if safety Nate Gerry and cornerback Daniel Davie look like safe bets to come out of the spring as top guys at their positions, they're still getting pushed, and any combination of players could join. The issue is especially pressing at corner, where Davie and Jonathan Rose are seniors being chased by a variety of young studs like Trai Mosley, Boaz Joseph, Chris Jones and Josh Kalu. And one can't forget Charles Jackson, recovering from another injury.
It's hard to see all of these guys sticking around for four years, given the competition at the spot and the attrition needed on the roster to make 85 scholarships work.
* * *
Tommy Armstrong still looks like the guy at quarterback.
The junior already had the room on his side after starting for two years, and the quarterback has given Riley and Langsdorf a strong impression through two weeks. He may not have the most enticing skill set - that could belong to redshirt freshman AJ Bush - but he's looked as good as any quarterback so far this spring, and he's one of two scholarship quarterbacks - along with Johnny Stanton - facing what amounts to the top defense. Stanton hasn't looked bad, but his delivery takes longer than Armstrong's does, and his confidence level just doesn't seem as high.
Riley has handled the quarterback discussion with skill, and given his history with signal-callers, he'll continue to do that. But listen to Riley talk about the position, and he rarely talks about mechanics. Instead, it's the intangibles. Grasp of the system. Leadership. Effort. Attitude. Riley can't change the measurables of the quarterbacks in the program. But he can look for the qualities he likes beyond the physical stuff. And Armstrong has a surfeit of them.