Actual Spring Practice Updates

[Warrior10]

Natter returned to practice today.

 

[caveman99]

Armstrong said Taariq Allen and Adam Taylor stood out to him from Saturday’s practice in Memorial Stadium.

I am really happy for Taariq, fought really hard to get back.

 

[Mavric]

Jordan Westerkamp said the punt return teams have been working on some scheme adjustments to try and provide more blocking for those returning punts. Westerkamp said Ameer Abdullah, Brandon Reillyand Terrell Newby have all been working with the punt return units.

I've also read Charles Jackson and Jamal Turner were working there today too.

Steven M. Sipple ‏@HuskerExtraSip 2h

Among #Huskers returning punts Monday were Charles Jackson, Westerkamp, Jamal Turner and walk-on Jordan Nelson of Omaha Burke. Tryouts ...

 

[Mavric]

That is obviously a stock image as it doesn't look 20 years old and thus we would never use it.

I'm curious if we get some newer balls this year. I wonder if that was a Martinez thing (dang, broke my own rule) and if the new set of QBs have different preferences.

I am about 90% certain that the balls we have been using weren't "old", just extremely worn. They have buffers or sanders to wear down new balls straight out of the package and different quarterbacks like their footballs to feel different ways.

But it's not just a Martinez thing. Zac Taylor liked his footballs worn like that too. Looks like Zac Lee did as well:

Yeah, sloppy terminology on my part.

I know most like them broken in pretty well but ours are about as extreme as I've ever seen.

 

[Mavric]

Actually, it sounds like the footballs they're using now aren't nearly as worn down as they have been. Might not have just been a Martinez thing but it sounds like it's not a Armstrong/Stanton/Fyfe thing.

 

[Mavric]

Next practice is Wednesday afternoon.

 

[C N Red]

Enough talk about how worn balls are. You guys have played sports before, right? As with pretty much all bballs, footballs, baseballs, etc they are slick in the beginning, and then as they get worn they get tacky and just the way you want them, and then they eventually get past that point to where they are too slick again. Its been this way for years. I dont understand why this seems like such a hard to underdstand thing all of a sudden. Off soap box.

 

[Landlord]

Enough talk about how worn balls are. You guys have played sports before, right? As with pretty much all bballs, footballs, baseballs, etc they are slick in the beginning, and then as they get worn they get tacky and just the way you want them, and then they eventually get past that point to where they are too slick again. Its been this way for years. I dont understand why this seems like such a hard to underdstand thing all of a sudden. Off soap box.

Because you don't see it at other schools.

 

[C N Red]

Enough talk about how worn balls are. You guys have played sports before, right? As with pretty much all bballs, footballs, baseballs, etc they are slick in the beginning, and then as they get worn they get tacky and just the way you want them, and then they eventually get past that point to where they are too slick again. Its been this way for years. I dont understand why this seems like such a hard to underdstand thing all of a sudden. Off soap box.

Because you don't see it at other schools.

I've seen it at plenty of other college schools and the NFL. This is nothing new IMO and just drives me crazy that people think we would actually play with a slick ball. Give the coaches and players a break, they aren't stupid. Why in the world would they play with a slick ball?????? They wouldn't. Period.

 

[darkhorse85]

Here's a good article detailing what a ball goes through before Eli Manning will use it. He won't touch a new ball.

Link

My favorite part:

No one is allowed to touch those balls. They’re precious jewels.

 

[Mavric]

I've seen it at plenty of other college schools and the NFL. This is nothing new IMO and just drives me crazy that people think we would actually play with a slick ball. Give the coaches and players a break, they aren't stupid. Why in the world would they play with a slick ball?????? They wouldn't. Period.

I've never seen anyone else use ones that are as old-looking and scuffed up as what we've used the last few years. Nobody is saying anyone is stupid.

 

[Mavric]

Here's a good article detailing what a ball goes through before Eli Manning will use it. He won't touch a new ball.

Tough to find good pics but here's the best I could do. There is a difference between broken in and looking almost broken. Mannings looks brand new by comparison - although it's tougher to tell with no stripes on the NFL ball.

 

[sd'sker]

really gotta worry about his throwing motion with him holding the ball so low. eli, now that's how you hold it.

 

[zoogs]

I had no idea the wear on our balls was such an issue!

Not saying it's a dumb one, but the entire last four years I don't think I heard anything about it.

 

[Branno]

I had no idea the wear on our balls was such an issue!

Not saying it's a dumb one, but the entire last four years I don't think I heard anything about it.

They'd point it out during almost every televised game, but not as a negative... just look how much they wear their balls down compared to so and so. The focus on it from ESPN makes me believe no other team had balls that looked as worn as ours, but it doesn't really matter.