It's cliché at this point but… this year feels different. Mike Riley is a CEO - the guy hires the best and trusts them to deliver a superior product. The new staff is full of true professionals; they are committed to teaching and giving everyone a fair shake. Will there be attrition? Sure, but that is natural… and healthy. The biggest reason for my optimism is the staffs' lack of ego. There is competition between position groups to be the BEST and this is driven by the individual coaches in their own respective manners. Coach Dub is a trip - loud, charismatic and a ball of energy while other guys are reserved (Langs) but they still get their point across. There is no in-fighting, no belittling, etc. just blue collars guys who appreciate the opportunity they've been given at a big time blue blood program.
I think you could sum up Riley and his staff this way: There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.
Much has been made about the lack of tackling to the ground. I think this is a combination of a couple things: 1) Injury avoidance - we know all too well that we've been bitten by this bug in the past so if MR feels the answer to this is not to tackle to the ground, I'm all for it. 2) the push by the NCAA to decrease the amount of contact during periods where it can be minimized. To this end, I think we've been (knock on wood) fairly successful with only one major injury (Carter). I've been told but haven't confirmed that this is a re-ag of the injury he suffered last year (which, by the way, was a significant injury).
The layout of practice this year has changed quite a bit. There is a LOT of teaching going on. I'd estimate that the team spends upwards of 60-80% of their time in position specific groups. As Riley has said, he's going to adapt his scheme to match the personnel we have. In my opinion, we don't have the talent necessary at each position group to do what they'd like so this will be a true test for Riley. Give him two years to get some of the elite talent he is targeting (and will land) and we may have a dynamo.
Without contact, some position groups are hard to judge so bear with me on these:
RB: It's still a toss-up and this will certainly be a committee based upon the specific packages. Coach has done a good job making sure the kids understand this as we do have a full stable and we want to limit the attrition at this position. I do suspect that we could see one leave the program after fall ball. I wish I could rank them but there are just too many variables. If I had to pick one that has a breakout year it would be Taylor and one that leaves the team it'd be Newby or Wilbon. Our QB's are struggling a bit (more on that in a minute) so Riley has put an emphasis on this group learning swing and screen plays and a paramount has been placed on pass pro.
OL: While not FSU, it's much improved from years past. Cav is old school - when he talks, the guys listen. Cav, Rily and Banker weren't embellishing when they said they took Tenipor's opinion very seriously - he has been very involved with the staff. This is not only great for us as he's a brilliant position coach but one would have to assume that getting him back in the fold does wonders for him mentally. Lewis anchors this group but a couple younger guys have really stepped up including Price and Foster.
QB: The great debate. And one that we likely won't have an answer to for quite some time. For now, Tommy is the man - he gets the reps with the first team exclusively. Bush, et all do get reps with the 1's however, they also split time with the other units. This may be a bold statement but I'm not sure there is a QB on this roster that will be the starting quarterback two years from now. The group has been erratic at best but I do have the utmost faith in Langs and Riley to nurture the talent into the best they can possibly be. Obviously Bush has received a lot of praise - he has a frame of an elite qb and has shown flashes of being such but.. he's inconsistent. Only time will tell but he appears to be willing to put in the work as he's frequently the last one off the field on practice days. Speaking of inconsistent, at times it appears Tommy has two left feet. He is having a difficult time grasping some of the footwork that Langs is very particular about. Additionally, the timing on Armstrong's throws is off on a lot of passes as he's consistently hitting behind his receivers. Langsdorf appears to be very patient and is constantly working with him without raising his voice. As for the others, I was told a couple weeks ago that it looked like this: Armstrong, Bush, Fyfe, Stanton, Darlington. Today, I'd say it may be something like this (very clear, I know ): 1. Armstrong 2a. Bush 2b. Fyfe 3. Darlington 4. Stanton. This is another position we'll likely see some attrition at but I won't speculate as to whom.
WR: A great group coached by one of the best. Williams brings some serious passion to the game and is widely respected by his guys. He holds them accountable for everything and I've never seen such a stickler for the details. But, the most important thing is obviously catching the ball. "Catch the damn ball" has crossed his lips more than once this year. You can have great timing, run a perfect route and do all the fundamentals properly however, if you drop the ball it's all for not. He will literally stop the entire drill to correct a mistake and is a believer in "muscle memory". This group is anchored by Westy as he is a natural leader but there is abundance of talent. DPE is going to be a beast in space and I think his production will be even better than last years. I'll throw TE's into this group as well - while they've been all but extinct at NU in the past, they have come home to roost this year. Carter is hands down the best talent we have at this position and losing him hurts. Hopefully all goes well with his recovery and he's full go by fall. McNitt is a serviceable #2 at the moment but again, he's not Carter. Will be interesting to see how Snyder fits into this group once he's on campus. If he picks up the playbook quickly, he has a real possibility to see some serious time this year.
DL: Hank Huges is a lucky man. He has one of the most dominant tandems in all of college football right now. Collins and Valentine are a veritable for and are going to create headaches for a number of teams this year. We really need some guys to step up on the edges to ensure containment on the outside cause opponents aren't going to have much room to run up the middle. I know many have written him off after last year but don't sleep on Joe Keels this season. He's hungry and has been impressive thus far.
LB: It is what it is. We have some guys that have the potential to be impact players but they need to step it up a notch or two. Bando has had a great spring and seems to be making the most of the new coaching situation. Dedrick Young is going to be a good one in time and it would not surprise me to see him see some serious minutes this year as long as he keeps his nose in the playbook.
DB: Probably to most stacked position on the team and naturally, one that we're likely to see some attrition at after fall camp. Coach Stewart is fairly mild mannered and does a great job teaching these kids. They all seem to respect him and he's a great replacement for Warren. He puts a big emphasis on footwork and route recognition. I'd say this is one group where it is almost impossible to identify the starters. There is so much competition and we're lucky to have such a deep roster in the spot.
A few more notes general notes on the offense and defense. I would expect to see a 4/3 base for the majority of the time. We'll be much more aggressive in our blitzes and hopefully this should allow some of the natural talent to shine. I expect this defense to be one of the best in the nation. They are getting their swagger back and the blackshirt tradition has been revitalized. As for the O, looks like we may be running out of the shotgun quite a bit this year. Lot of intermediate and short pass plays and dumps to the TE. Would expect to see some flare passes, draws, options and even the zone read on occasion.
This is a recent quote by one of the leaders on the team: "I'm not flashy; I just have to get out there and do my thing. I'm a leader and that role doesn't come easily and isn't taken lightly. I want to out work everyone; in the gym, in the classroom and on the field. I want my teammates to see the work I put in so they'll work just as hard. No one on this team should be comfortable with where they are today. We all need to get better every single day."
I'm as excited for the future of Husker football as I've been in 10 years. We are on the path to success, no doubt about it.
This post was edited on 4/6 11:16 AM by mike513
I think you could sum up Riley and his staff this way: There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.
Much has been made about the lack of tackling to the ground. I think this is a combination of a couple things: 1) Injury avoidance - we know all too well that we've been bitten by this bug in the past so if MR feels the answer to this is not to tackle to the ground, I'm all for it. 2) the push by the NCAA to decrease the amount of contact during periods where it can be minimized. To this end, I think we've been (knock on wood) fairly successful with only one major injury (Carter). I've been told but haven't confirmed that this is a re-ag of the injury he suffered last year (which, by the way, was a significant injury).
The layout of practice this year has changed quite a bit. There is a LOT of teaching going on. I'd estimate that the team spends upwards of 60-80% of their time in position specific groups. As Riley has said, he's going to adapt his scheme to match the personnel we have. In my opinion, we don't have the talent necessary at each position group to do what they'd like so this will be a true test for Riley. Give him two years to get some of the elite talent he is targeting (and will land) and we may have a dynamo.
Without contact, some position groups are hard to judge so bear with me on these:
RB: It's still a toss-up and this will certainly be a committee based upon the specific packages. Coach has done a good job making sure the kids understand this as we do have a full stable and we want to limit the attrition at this position. I do suspect that we could see one leave the program after fall ball. I wish I could rank them but there are just too many variables. If I had to pick one that has a breakout year it would be Taylor and one that leaves the team it'd be Newby or Wilbon. Our QB's are struggling a bit (more on that in a minute) so Riley has put an emphasis on this group learning swing and screen plays and a paramount has been placed on pass pro.
OL: While not FSU, it's much improved from years past. Cav is old school - when he talks, the guys listen. Cav, Rily and Banker weren't embellishing when they said they took Tenipor's opinion very seriously - he has been very involved with the staff. This is not only great for us as he's a brilliant position coach but one would have to assume that getting him back in the fold does wonders for him mentally. Lewis anchors this group but a couple younger guys have really stepped up including Price and Foster.
QB: The great debate. And one that we likely won't have an answer to for quite some time. For now, Tommy is the man - he gets the reps with the first team exclusively. Bush, et all do get reps with the 1's however, they also split time with the other units. This may be a bold statement but I'm not sure there is a QB on this roster that will be the starting quarterback two years from now. The group has been erratic at best but I do have the utmost faith in Langs and Riley to nurture the talent into the best they can possibly be. Obviously Bush has received a lot of praise - he has a frame of an elite qb and has shown flashes of being such but.. he's inconsistent. Only time will tell but he appears to be willing to put in the work as he's frequently the last one off the field on practice days. Speaking of inconsistent, at times it appears Tommy has two left feet. He is having a difficult time grasping some of the footwork that Langs is very particular about. Additionally, the timing on Armstrong's throws is off on a lot of passes as he's consistently hitting behind his receivers. Langsdorf appears to be very patient and is constantly working with him without raising his voice. As for the others, I was told a couple weeks ago that it looked like this: Armstrong, Bush, Fyfe, Stanton, Darlington. Today, I'd say it may be something like this (very clear, I know ): 1. Armstrong 2a. Bush 2b. Fyfe 3. Darlington 4. Stanton. This is another position we'll likely see some attrition at but I won't speculate as to whom.
WR: A great group coached by one of the best. Williams brings some serious passion to the game and is widely respected by his guys. He holds them accountable for everything and I've never seen such a stickler for the details. But, the most important thing is obviously catching the ball. "Catch the damn ball" has crossed his lips more than once this year. You can have great timing, run a perfect route and do all the fundamentals properly however, if you drop the ball it's all for not. He will literally stop the entire drill to correct a mistake and is a believer in "muscle memory". This group is anchored by Westy as he is a natural leader but there is abundance of talent. DPE is going to be a beast in space and I think his production will be even better than last years. I'll throw TE's into this group as well - while they've been all but extinct at NU in the past, they have come home to roost this year. Carter is hands down the best talent we have at this position and losing him hurts. Hopefully all goes well with his recovery and he's full go by fall. McNitt is a serviceable #2 at the moment but again, he's not Carter. Will be interesting to see how Snyder fits into this group once he's on campus. If he picks up the playbook quickly, he has a real possibility to see some serious time this year.
DL: Hank Huges is a lucky man. He has one of the most dominant tandems in all of college football right now. Collins and Valentine are a veritable for and are going to create headaches for a number of teams this year. We really need some guys to step up on the edges to ensure containment on the outside cause opponents aren't going to have much room to run up the middle. I know many have written him off after last year but don't sleep on Joe Keels this season. He's hungry and has been impressive thus far.
LB: It is what it is. We have some guys that have the potential to be impact players but they need to step it up a notch or two. Bando has had a great spring and seems to be making the most of the new coaching situation. Dedrick Young is going to be a good one in time and it would not surprise me to see him see some serious minutes this year as long as he keeps his nose in the playbook.
DB: Probably to most stacked position on the team and naturally, one that we're likely to see some attrition at after fall camp. Coach Stewart is fairly mild mannered and does a great job teaching these kids. They all seem to respect him and he's a great replacement for Warren. He puts a big emphasis on footwork and route recognition. I'd say this is one group where it is almost impossible to identify the starters. There is so much competition and we're lucky to have such a deep roster in the spot.
A few more notes general notes on the offense and defense. I would expect to see a 4/3 base for the majority of the time. We'll be much more aggressive in our blitzes and hopefully this should allow some of the natural talent to shine. I expect this defense to be one of the best in the nation. They are getting their swagger back and the blackshirt tradition has been revitalized. As for the O, looks like we may be running out of the shotgun quite a bit this year. Lot of intermediate and short pass plays and dumps to the TE. Would expect to see some flare passes, draws, options and even the zone read on occasion.
This is a recent quote by one of the leaders on the team: "I'm not flashy; I just have to get out there and do my thing. I'm a leader and that role doesn't come easily and isn't taken lightly. I want to out work everyone; in the gym, in the classroom and on the field. I want my teammates to see the work I put in so they'll work just as hard. No one on this team should be comfortable with where they are today. We all need to get better every single day."
I'm as excited for the future of Husker football as I've been in 10 years. We are on the path to success, no doubt about it.
This post was edited on 4/6 11:16 AM by mike513
