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Those who want to read will read. Those who don't will ignore. Linking to a long article is just as time consuming to read as reading a posted article. Jmo
But you i do understand your point on post length. We are a twitter society.
LINCOLN — Nebraska is developing so much depth at defensive tackle this spring that position coach John Papuchis is second-guessing the distribution of reps he's typically given to the unit during practice.
“I haven't had this issue where I leave practice thinking, ‘I wish I would have gotten (true freshman) Kevin Williams more snaps today or I wish I would have gotten (redshirt freshman) Jay Guy more reps today,' ” Papuchis said. “Usually you're kind of searching for guys to throw in there at the end. But those guys all deserve reps.”
It's about the only downside to depth. A meticulous coach wishing that he had more on-field chances to allow the members of his talented group to prove themselves.
(cont...)
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
LINCOLN ? Nebraska is developing so much depth at defensive tackle this spring that position coach John Papuchis is second-guessing the distribution of reps he's typically given to the unit during practice.
?I haven't had this issue where I leave practice thinking, ?I wish I would have gotten (true freshman) Kevin Williams more snaps today or I wish I would have gotten (redshirt freshman) Jay Guy more reps today,' ? Papuchis said. ?Usually you're kind of searching for guys to throw in there at the end. But those guys all deserve reps.?
It's about the only downside to depth. A meticulous coach wishing that he had more on-field chances to allow the members of his talented group to prove themselves.
(cont...)
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- If Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is stressed about his team's dismal finish last season, staff turnover and the challenges that await in the Big Ten, he isn't showing it.
I guess it's on TV, so glad to see that. Official release:
Nebraska's game at Wyoming on Sept. 24, will be a nationally televised contest, as the Mountain West Conference announced Thursday that the Huskers' game in Laramie will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. central (5:30 p.m. local time in Laramie) and be televised on Versus.
With Thursday's announcement, every Husker football game this season will be televised, as Nebraska's home games and all Big Ten Conference matchups are shown on ABC, the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) or the Big Ten Network.
Nebraska is 4-0 all-time in game televised on Versus, including a 20-10 win at Baylor on Oct. 31, 2009. The Huskers are also a perfect 5-0 against Wyoming, as this year's meeting will be the first between the two teams since a 42-43 win in 1994.
This year's match-up begins a three-game series with the Cowboys, with the other contests set for 2013 (Aug. 31) and 2016 (Sept. 17), both in Lincoln.
Posted by: Steve Sipple on April 7, 2011 at 9:08AM CST
Doing five hours of sports-talk radio with the esteemed Mike'l Severe on Wednesday, I learned a few things:
** Big Ten analyst Gerry DiNardo, who watched Nebraska practice Monday, came away impressed with the Husker offensive line. During his appearance on 1620 AM's "Unsportsmanlike Conduct," DiNardo described the Husker O-line as "athletic" and "well put together."
"It's more athletic than most offensive lines I've seen in the Big Ten," he said.
DiNardo said he thinks the team with the best defense will win the Big Ten this season, which seemingly could bode well for Nebraska.
** Matt Hayes of The Sporting News updated his Top 10 teams for 2011: 1. Louisiana State; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Oregon; 4. Stanford; 5. Alabama; 6. Oklahoma State; 7. Nebraska; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Boise State; 10. Florida State.
Hayes writes of Nebraska: "The transition to the Big Ten will be tougher than most expect, but Huskers are too balanced to not win the Legends Division and get two games against Ohio State."
Hayes apparently thinks Ohio State's turmoil will take a toll on the Buckeyes.
** Former Husker wideout Niles Paul also was a guest on the show. He talked about how much he had to study the playbook when Bill Callahan was head coach (yes, a worn-out topic, to a degree, but I still enjoy hearing nuggets about what players have to do to play). Paul recalls that during his first preseason camp in August 2007, he would study his playbook until 2 a.m., then have to be ready to practice at 6 a.m.
"It was a very tough time, especially as a freshman," he said. "There's so much else going on, especially as a college student."
Paul played in seven games as a reserve receiver in 2007 and had one catch.
======================================
Not sure I agree w/ the OLine assessment. They have a ways to go to meet nebraska's standards. footwork will be key..
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
Posted by: Brian Christopherson on April 9, 2011 at 11:46AM CST
Plenty of fanfare goes into the annual Red-White scrimmage that will be played next week, but coaches are likely to get more out of a scrimmage like the one that took place Saturday morning.
It lasted about 150 plays (which is a lot) and, at times, pitted 1s v 1s. Most importantly, Bo Pelini was pleased at its completion.
"I was really unhappy with our practice yesterday," Pelini said. "I don't know whether they knew we were scrimmaging today or whatever. I didn't like yesterday's practice. We got a lot done today. Had a good scrimmage, good tempo. Saw some good things on both sides. Once again, it's about evaluating our players, giving guys opportunities and seeing who's taking to the coaching."
Perhaps as satisfying as anything to Pelini was the fact the team committed just two false start penalties and put the ball on the ground only once in the 150 plays.
"Two false starts in 150 so snaps is not bad. Most of those were with the young guys," Pelini said. "That shows me that the emphasis is working and there's progress, but one is too many as far as I'm concerned."
Coaches were careful in how they used quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead on Saturday.
"We gave Rex limited time," Pelini said. "He looked really good when he was in there."
"Taylor, we limited his reps," he added. "Brion (Carnes), we gave a good look. Cody Green had a good scrimmage. I thought he did some good things out there. I think they all have to work on their consistency. Kody Spano did some good things. I think across the board we saw some good things but we saw a lot of things that need to get fixed."
Pelini said Martinez "tweaked" his toe the other day. "It's not a bad thing, but it gave us a chance to really get a good look and give a lot of the other quarterbacks reps and spread out reps with the first team. It was really good."
***** About the team in general: "Our first units are playing pretty good. We got to keep continuing to work and get depth and get more consistency with guys who are on the come, the younger guys."
***** About the offense's understanding of the offense: "I think there overall understanding of the offense is good. The execution isn't always there yet. Some of the details of it aren't there, but the further we come fundamentally, the better off we're going to be. Because I think the knowledge is there."
***** About the final week of spring ball that awaits: "We have four more practices. We have to make the most out of each and every one of them. We can't afford to step back like we did yesterday. We took a step back yesterday, and our football team understands that. Hopefully we'll learn from what happened yesterday and the approach we took and we'll get better."
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
They are likeable, thick-skinned folks who love their college football. They watch it in old stadiums that resemble gray battleships. They are amused by the sight of a snow flurry. One of their favorite pastimes is to devour a huge slab of red meat, preferably cooked.
Hmm. They sound a lot like us.
The marriage between the Big Ten Conference and Nebraska does not officially begin until July 1. But the transition to this new life in the old world has begun. Both sides are already checking each other out.
Nebraska athletic officials and football and basketball coaches will attend the Big Ten Joint Group and annual business meetings May 17-18 in Chicago. Two weeks before that, Nebraska media relations officials will meet with Big Ten media relations directors in the Windy City. Already, NU — that's Nebraska, not Northwestern — has sent marketing and licensing folks to Big Ten meetings in Frank Sinatra's kind of town.
Meanwhile, the city of Lincoln has been invaded. Last week, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com and Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune — sort of the Lewis and Clark of the Big Ten — spent a couple days in the Capital City. They went to football practice, chatted with coaches and players, met with Tom Osborne and looked to see if there really was a Nebraska weight room. And that wasn't even the highlight of their trip.
“Had a medium-rare Lazlo's burger for lunch — outstanding,'' reported Greenstein. “And Adam and I split ribs and the prime rib at Misty's for dinner. It was a great day to be a carnivore.''
The early reviews from a couple of Big Ten guys: This should be every bit the good fit that everyone predicts.
“I think in 10 to 15 years, we'll be talking to our kids and telling them how Nebraska used to be in the Big 12 and they'll look at us and say, ‘Really?''' Greenstein said. “That's how perfect a fit Nebraska is — big state school, rabid fans, Midwestern decency.
“The town reminded me a little bit of South Bend (Ind.), which is not the greatest compliment. But the football facilities blew me away. I walked by this huge weight room and was told that it was just for the staff. THE weight room was a sight to behold.''
Rittenberg said Nebraska's facilities already rank near the top in the Big Ten.
“I was very impressed with the set-up, especially how it's all interconnected,'' Rittenberg said. “Michigan and Ohio State have big indoor facilities, too, but they aren't connected. You have to walk a few blocks to get to them.
“The stadium was great. It will fit perfect in the Big Ten. It reminds me of Camp Randall at Wisconsin. Urban location. But I was wondering, where do they do all their tailgating?''
Well, Adam. Here's the thing: Nebraska is not a Big Ten school in the sprawling-campus-with-statutes-and-acres-of-tailgate-areas sense of college football. For Big Ten types, think Wrigleyville. In Lincoln, downtown is where it's at for pregame atmosphere. Eat, drink, shop, go to the game. Repeat after the game.
Rittenberg tried to imagine that, but he admitted, it was a little hard in early April.
“I'll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I don't think Lincoln will be one of the best college towns in the Big Ten,'' Rittenberg said. “Not compared to Madison with State Street or Columbus with High Street or Ann Arbor. Then again, I saw “O'' Street on Monday night in April. Lincoln looks like a good town, though. I thought it was kind of funny, when we were there, it snowed. They even had Big Ten weather for us.''
One Big Ten guy who didn't need a road map of Memorial Stadium is Gerry DiNardo, the Big Ten Network analyst who attended Husker practices last week with colleague Dave Revsine. DiNardo was head coach at Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana but in his previous life he was offensive coordinator for Bill McCartney at Colorado from 1982-90. He knows a lot about Nebraska history and tradition. He was on the winning side of one of the most painful losses in Husker memories (the Colorado fourth-quarter comeback in 1990).
“I think it's a great atmosphere and it will fit right in with the Big Ten,'' DiNardo said. “I remember that year we won and it was a real tough loss for Nebraska fans. But they gave us a standing ovation after the game. It's a place with real class. Big Ten fans are going to love coming to Nebraska.''
DiNardo was on a spring football tour of the Big Ten last week. When asked where Nebraska's talent would fit into the league next year, he begged off, saying, “I've only seen Illinois and Michigan State so far. But, I can tell you, in terms of physicality and size and speed, they fit right in. I was very impressed with their offensive linemen. Their athletic ability, the way they move around. They were very impressive. The Big Ten will notice that.''
Bo Pelini is just getting into a Big Ten state of mind. The Nebraska head coach said he's only broken down two Big Ten teams on film but expects to have them all scouted by the end of May. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini and offensive coordinator Tim Beck had a head start. They've been breaking down every Big Ten opponents' game from 2010 all winter.
What do they see? Personnel and formations. Tendences, too. Big Ten schools are doing likewise. It may not mean much. Carl Pelini said he'll be throwing in some change-ups next fall that weren't on film. Beck, meanwhile, won't say much about his offense and likely won't show much of it next week in the spring game. The other Big Ten schools will add their own wrinkles.
Based on size and speed, Bo and Carl say Nebraska should be fine.
“I like our talent and I think we can stack up against anybody,'' Bo said. “If we can play against Oklahoma and Texas speed-wise, we'll be OK.''
One of the fun quotes of the spring came from Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker, an old-school warrior from the Charlie McBride School of Defense. Speaking at a Hawkeye booster function, Parker said, “Everyone's excited about Nebraska in the Big Ten, but you've got to realize you just let a monster in the door.''
Most Big Ten types would concur, though at different levels. Greenstein agreed, saying “the image that comes to mind is a road-grading machine.'' Rittenberg said Nebraska's defense would do well in the Big Ten, but because of the lack of defense played in the Big 12, the Husker offense might struggle some weeks.
“I don't know if I would use the term monster,'' DiNardo said. “I will say this: The Big Ten is now in position to become the best conference in college football. Will it be that way next year? No. But now you have four elite programs, and then Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan State, too. It goes seven deep. It will become a matter of keeping up with the Joneses. And that will make everyone better.
“I mean, there will be so much pressure to win the division. This league is now harder than it was when Bo (Schembechler) or Woody (Hayes) had to win it. It's tougher than when Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne had to win the Big Eight. The pressure on the coaches to win their divisions is going to be unparalleled. It's fixing to get real intense.''
We know what that means. Yep. Misty's better stock up on the slabs of prime rib.
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
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