Running Backs - What Will We Learn This Spring

[True2tRA]

If I had to predict the starter right now I would say Cross is the man. Personally, I think Cross is probably the best RB on the team anyway. As far as an unproven back I'd like to see get some time, I'd say Wilbon. He looks like a damn good all around back. I don't know about his catching abilities, have yet to see that, but he is quick and very shifty. I can't say I've been real impressed with Newby. Doesn't seem to run with much confidence or authority but there could be other attributing factors. I would like to see more from Newby and Taylor really. Taylor is the great unknown but he sure looks the part.

I hope we start the year with a RB by committee but by three or four games in we settle on two guys to take the majority. Let them compete and see who steps up in the game then rotate the others in mop up duty. I hope we see a lot of that mop up time.

 

[cornographic]

I'll go with Cross till someone shows they have the strength to move the pile, like he can. Maybe he will only end up playing on short yardage plays, but haven't seen anyone really stop him

when he hits the line straight on.

I think the starters job, is his to lose.

GBR!!!

Just like TA. He is the incumbent, so its his to lose IMO. I hope that MR and CO explain to him what type of back he is. He is not a bounce it outside burner, or a guy with nimble, quick feet. He is a bruiser who can road kill a DB in the open field. He needs to plant the foot and go. Hit the whole with authority and move. Look at Lynch at Seattle. He is big, runs with authority, quickly gets his shoulders squared and runs behind his pads. If you can get to him before he squares up, you have a shot. He gets square, defenders better get small..... Cross needs to be shown this. He doesn't have to run how he can't. Run how he can.

Lynch can run square, sideways, and backwards. He's like the Tazmanian Devil, a whirlwind of shoulders, elbows, knees, and a wide running stance. all combine to make him extremely difficult to tackle. Add to that a decent amount of shake and bake, speed, and 'Beast Mode' and you get the best back in the League.

Cross, IMO, isn't anywhere near Lynch. Cross is mostly a N/S guy, ineffective laterally, not much shake and bake, fairly slow to the hole--slowish in general--and surprisingly easy to knock off his feet. If I'm not mistaken, Newby was the #2 guy last year. He's got speed(solid 4.4), excellent moves, balnce, and a decent receiver. He could improve his strength is all. Taylor and/or Wilbon may beat out Newby later on in the season, but I think Newby will end up being the starter come fall, mostly based on experience(over AT and Wilbon).

Cross will start out #2, but may also be overtaken by AT and Wilbon at some point. I used to be a big fan of Cross, but last year pretty much sealed the deal for me that he's just a so-so back.

 

[cornographic]

If I had to predict the starter right now I would say Cross is the man. Personally, I think Cross is probably the best RB on the team anyway. As far as an unproven back I'd like to see get some time, I'd say Wilbon. He looks like a damn good all around back. I don't know about his catching abilities, have yet to see that, but he is quick and very shifty. I can't say I've been real impressed with Newby. Doesn't seem to run with much confidence or authority but there could be other attributing factors. I would like to see more from Newby and Taylor really. Taylor is the great unknown but he sure looks the part.

I hope we start the year with a RB by committee but by three or four games in we settle on two guys to take the majority. Let them compete and see who steps up in the game then rotate the others in mop up duty. I hope we see a lot of that mop up time.

If you are correct about Cross, Nebraska has issues(see my previous post).

 

[Hunter94]

I'll go with Cross till someone shows they have the strength to move the pile, like he can. Maybe he will only end up playing on short yardage plays, but haven't seen anyone really stop him

when he hits the line straight on.

I think the starters job, is his to lose.

GBR!!!

Just like TA. He is the incumbent, so its his to lose IMO. I hope that MR and CO explain to him what type of back he is. He is not a bounce it outside burner, or a guy with nimble, quick feet. He is a bruiser who can road kill a DB in the open field. He needs to plant the foot and go. Hit the whole with authority and move. Look at Lynch at Seattle. He is big, runs with authority, quickly gets his shoulders squared and runs behind his pads. If you can get to him before he squares up, you have a shot. He gets square, defenders better get small..... Cross needs to be shown this. He doesn't have to run how he can't. Run how he can.

Lynch can run square, sideways, and backwards. He's like the Tazmanian Devil, a whirlwind of shoulders, elbows, knees, and a wide running stance. all combine to make him extremely difficult to tackle. Add to that a decent amount of shake and bake, speed, and 'Beast Mode' and you get the best back in the League.

Cross, IMO, isn't anywhere near Lynch. Cross is mostly a N/S guy, ineffective laterally, not much shake and bake, fairly slow to the hole--slowish in general--and surprisingly easy to knock off his feet. If I'm not mistaken, Newby was the #2 guy last year. He's got speed(solid 4.4), excellent moves, balnce, and a decent receiver. He could improve his strength is all. Taylor and/or Wilbon may beat out Newby later on in the season, but I think Newby will end up being the starter come fall, mostly based on experience(over AT and Wilbon).

Cross will start out #2, but may also be overtaken by AT and Wilbon at some point. I used to be a big fan of Cross, but last year pretty much sealed the deal for me that he's just a so-so back.

Newby has speed, i am not sure he has anything else to go with it......Cross needs to correct his upright position when he runs and get the shoulders lower and improve his balance....until we get to fall ball, i am not sure we will have any real separation between what looks like a bunch of average backs, with incomplete skill sets.....they all suffer from lack of something, first one to fix his sh#t and be most complete will see a lot of playing time........let's see what the coaches can do with these guys.....still think we will see quite a bit of rotation, lots of inexperience, lots.

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

How do we know Taylor or Wilbon aren't complete backs? We have seen Cross and Newby so we have a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Just ready to see them in the scrimmage. My guess is we will be impressed the most by Taylor

 

[SouthLincoln Husker]

Cross & Newby has had problems picking up the blitzes on passing downs. This and catching the football out of the backfield will be big indicators on getting the starting job.

 

[Hunter94]

How do we know Taylor or Wilbon aren't complete backs? We have seen Cross and Newby so we have a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Just ready to see them in the scrimmage. My guess is we will be impressed the most by Taylor

just from the inexperience and the curve to adjust to the speed of college ball from high school.....puts these guys in a tough spot.......soooooo much to learn, it takes time to learn and pick up blitzes alone. i don't think anyone would expect these guys to walk on the field and be able to do everything a seasoned player could do.....Taylor has been injured, hope he comes back with confidence.......Wilbon is like a shiny new penny.....we shall see, but we may need them all to keep the ball moving....they will get their chance to show their skills. wish them the best.

 

[SouthLincoln Husker]

How do we know Taylor or Wilbon aren't complete backs? We have seen Cross and Newby so we have a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Just ready to see them in the scrimmage. My guess is we will be impressed the most by Taylor

just from the inexperience and the curve to adjust to the speed of college ball from high school.....puts these guys in a tough spot.......soooooo much to learn, it takes time to learn and pick up blitzes alone. i don't think anyone would expect these guys to walk on the field and be able to do everything a seasoned player could do.....Taylor has been injured, hope he comes back with confidence.......Wilbon is like a shiny new penny.....we shall see, but we may need them all to keep the ball moving....they will get their chance to show their skills. wish them the best.

How times have changed. This is the first time in awhile that we have wondered who the starting RB would be! A good line can make an average back look great.

 

[cornographic]

I'll go with Cross till someone shows they have the strength to move the pile, like he can. Maybe he will only end up playing on short yardage plays, but haven't seen anyone really stop him

when he hits the line straight on.

I think the starters job, is his to lose.

GBR!!!

Just like TA. He is the incumbent, so its his to lose IMO. I hope that MR and CO explain to him what type of back he is. He is not a bounce it outside burner, or a guy with nimble, quick feet. He is a bruiser who can road kill a DB in the open field. He needs to plant the foot and go. Hit the whole with authority and move. Look at Lynch at Seattle. He is big, runs with authority, quickly gets his shoulders squared and runs behind his pads. If you can get to him before he squares up, you have a shot. He gets square, defenders better get small..... Cross needs to be shown this. He doesn't have to run how he can't. Run how he can.

Lynch can run square, sideways, and backwards. He's like the Tazmanian Devil, a whirlwind of shoulders, elbows, knees, and a wide running stance. all combine to make him extremely difficult to tackle. Add to that a decent amount of shake and bake, speed, and 'Beast Mode' and you get the best back in the League.

Cross, IMO, isn't anywhere near Lynch. Cross is mostly a N/S guy, ineffective laterally, not much shake and bake, fairly slow to the hole--slowish in general--and surprisingly easy to knock off his feet. If I'm not mistaken, Newby was the #2 guy last year. He's got speed(solid 4.4), excellent moves, balnce, and a decent receiver. He could improve his strength is all. Taylor and/or Wilbon may beat out Newby later on in the season, but I think Newby will end up being the starter come fall, mostly based on experience(over AT and Wilbon).

Cross will start out #2, but may also be overtaken by AT and Wilbon at some point. I used to be a big fan of Cross, but last year pretty much sealed the deal for me that he's just a so-so back.

Newby has speed, i am not sure he has anything else to go with it......Cross needs to correct his upright position when he runs and get the shoulders lower and improve his balance....until we get to fall ball, i am not sure we will have any real separation between what looks like a bunch of average backs, with incomplete skill sets.....they all suffer from lack of something, first one to fix his sh#t and be most complete will see a lot of playing time........let's see what the coaches can do with these guys.....still think we will see quite a bit of rotation, lots of inexperience, lots.

Well, Newby was a 4* RB, rated 10th as per Rivals(http://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Terrell-Newby-132632). From his h.s. vids, he looks like the total package to me, though could use more toughness on the college level. I think as he gets more reps, he could become very good, but we'll see.



http://www.maxpreps.com/news/QrKUctP1JkmnG_0kv4gCiQ/international-bowl--nebraska-recruit-terrell-newby-stands-alone.htm

 

[cornographic]

How do we know Taylor or Wilbon aren't complete backs? We have seen Cross and Newby so we have a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Just ready to see them in the scrimmage. My guess is we will be impressed the most by Taylor

They probably are. It's just a matter of experience at this point.

 

[kbbccandyman]

I like Taylor because LSU liked Taylor and they run with violent RB's and treat them like they are in a video game.

Is there some video clips we can post of Taylor here so we can get reacquainted with him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP_zQYt9o2w

Don't want to be petty or a "Debbie Downer" here but Adam's stats for his senior year are:

2668 yds and 44 TD's. Adam comes back with a vengence after an injury ... you will like what you see

2,478 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns IN ONE SEASON

 

[The Dude]

Have we learned anything yet?

 

[Hunter94]

How do we know Taylor or Wilbon aren't complete backs? We have seen Cross and Newby so we have a feel for strengths and weaknesses. Just ready to see them in the scrimmage. My guess is we will be impressed the most by Taylor

just from the inexperience and the curve to adjust to the speed of college ball from high school.....puts these guys in a tough spot.......soooooo much to learn, it takes time to learn and pick up blitzes alone. i don't think anyone would expect these guys to walk on the field and be able to do everything a seasoned player could do.....Taylor has been injured, hope he comes back with confidence.......Wilbon is like a shiny new penny.....we shall see, but we may need them all to keep the ball moving....they will get their chance to show their skills. wish them the best.

How times have changed. This is the first time in awhile that we have wondered who the starting RB would be! A good line can make an average back look great.

lol, that's what the Cowboys are thinking too, but McFadden ain't no DeMarco Murray.....just a thought on how this may not work for the boys.......ah the Joneses.

 

[The Dude]

Hard to glean too much from all the scattered tweets and what-have-yous, but I get the sense that Cross and Wilbon are on top of the heap so far.

 

[suh_fan93]

Hard to glean too much from all the scattered tweets and what-have-yous, but I get the sense that Cross and Wilbon are on top of the heap so far.

What are they saying about Wilbon?