HUSKER FREAK
Starter
Cross is a down hill rb and that is it. And pass pro? I really didn't think he was good at it at all especially for his size.
Post spring game RB depth chart
- Thread starter Eric the Red
- Start date
NUance
Assistant Coach
Yeah, it seems like a two horse race right now. To me anyway. I've been a fan of Taylor since last summer. I still think he would have been the clear cut #2 last year if it hadn't been for the broken ankle. I guess who gets the nod to start will depends on what type of back Riley and Langsdorf feel fits best in their offense. Newby is better able to juke the first guy or two into missing. Adam Taylor seems to be a smoother runner, hitting holes at top speed. Reminds me of a slightly larger Roy Helu.
In any case, it seems like we have great depth right now at RB. Knock on wood.
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Pro Style- the agreed upon formation is:
Under Center-One Back offense
At LEAST 1 TE
Usually 1 RB
(2 TE/2 WR/1 RB; 1 TE/3 WR/1 RB) type sets
Often times has an H back in as an adjuster
Typically uses 2-3 WRs
18" splits- not super wide splits many spread teams use
No option- speed/veer/zone
Been around since 1940s
Primary Architects-_ Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, Sid Gilman
Primary Runs are Inside and Outside Zone
Bugel has an East Coast style that did use gap schemes- power/counter but the accepted version now and from the west coast- are all zone guys
RBs often used for flare control
They all use the same concepts as base:
Smash
4 Verticals
All Curls
Deep Play action
Horizontal stretch- bubble and smoke screens
My buddy Chris Brown writes some easy to understand stuff here on Smart Football: His book Essential Smart Football helps novices understand the modern game
http://smartfootball.com/offense/peyton-manning-and-tom-moores-indianapolis-colts-offense#sthash.DNu6GoX4.dpbs
Under Center-One Back offense
At LEAST 1 TE
Usually 1 RB
(2 TE/2 WR/1 RB; 1 TE/3 WR/1 RB) type sets
Often times has an H back in as an adjuster
Typically uses 2-3 WRs
18" splits- not super wide splits many spread teams use
No option- speed/veer/zone
Been around since 1940s
Primary Architects-_ Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, Sid Gilman
Primary Runs are Inside and Outside Zone
Bugel has an East Coast style that did use gap schemes- power/counter but the accepted version now and from the west coast- are all zone guys
RBs often used for flare control
They all use the same concepts as base:
Smash
4 Verticals
All Curls
Deep Play action
Horizontal stretch- bubble and smoke screens
My buddy Chris Brown writes some easy to understand stuff here on Smart Football: His book Essential Smart Football helps novices understand the modern game
http://smartfootball.com/offense/peyton-manning-and-tom-moores-indianapolis-colts-offense#sthash.DNu6GoX4.dpbs
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HUSKER FREAK
Starter
I just remember him whiffing a lot in pass pro I guess
BigRedBuster
International Man of Mystery
He always has, the guy is in his 60s; he isn't changing
Watch what he ran at Oregon State- Pro Style
San Diego- Pro Style.,
NFL guys who go back to college FB almost all pro style, Harbaugh, Carroll, Callahan, etc
Once he has his own guys it will look very close to what Callahan ran. Look at the stats
You can run Pro Style and still run Jet
He may run a handful of Zone read style plays like he did Saturday
Once he gets his own QBs here- that will go away. Remember the OC has said MANY times he doesn't want his QBs playing RB. He's not joking, that is what they believe in.
But you can run zone and leave the backside DE unblocked and control him with the QB- and still be Pro Style
In the NFL he gets blocked by the H back- in College you boot, H back or "zone read" look him away.
The guys who know football- call his offense pro style. Most people here don't even know what pro style is, heck guys like Sipple and Peterson on the radio don't and that's where a lot of people here get their football info- not good sources. Benning KNOWS
Zone, TE heavy, PA passes, QB boot control, H back adjuster, handful of pro pass concepts
That's WHY Tight End is so important in his offense/recruiting- don't look for him to get back to everything he wants until he gets several competent TEs- look for them to go heavy for TEs this recruiting period.
That didn't exist with the NU spread-hybrid/junkyard offense of Tim Beck
This has always been 75%+ of what he has always run
That wont change long term
Guys like him and his assistants coach what they know and believe in- for them that is pro style
Yes and huddling is a must
Like almost all the Pro style guys they use the very descriptive long tail west coast PRO nomenclature
Yep- 6-12 word playcalls is the norm
Im not a fan of it- just stating the real facts
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Dagerow
Special Teams Player
I always go for the shifty running backs, so for me, I would like Newby and then Wilborn, with flashes of Cross. I acknowledge that Cross has his limitations (but still have a higher opinion of him then a lot of others here), but his hard work and attitude influence me greatly. I want the guy to succeed, and that feeling influences my ranking.
I'd be surprised if Cross ends up getting more than 5-10 carries a game this year if we stick to the style of running Riley has been known for. I think Newby is going to end up being number one, Taylor, Wilbon, Cross and the rest filling it out. Cross has always done well between the tackles and he's put together some memorable runs during his time here. But, he's also never looked comfortable running zone or moving laterally. When it comes to pass pro, though, I'll be honest and say I don't remember much of his abilities in this area.
I think we did relatively well this weekend though yeah? I remember a botched snap here or there but I don't recall many regular fumbles, if any.
Taylor, Newby, Wilborn and Cross. Four backs each capable of anchoring an offense. Plus a couple of pretty good others.
You can move the ball with shifty and you can move the ball with smash mouth. Pretty good position to be in. I prefer smash mouth.
I know the Cross family, and am a big Imani fan. Ameer's Hiesmann campaign took away some of Imani's goal line touches last year, which I believe was the to the detriment of Ameer's health and the best interests of the team. Personally, I think the offense would have been stronger with more Cross runs in the mix.
I was perplexed that Imani got NO touches against MSU in 2014.
Here is an interesting statistic. In the three years in which Imani has played, Nebraska has had 10 regular season losses, 8 in the BIG and two to UCLA. In those ten games, against the toughest competition, Ameer had 848 yards on 177 carries, an impressive 4.8 yards per carry against the toughest competition Nebraska faced.
If you leave out the 2012 UCLA loss and the 2014 MSU loss (Imani did not appear in either game) Ameer's average per carry goes up to 5 yards per carry.
In the 8 losses in which Imani appeared, he gained 166 yards on 23 carries a 7.2 yard/carry average against the toughest competition.
Ameer would go for much bigger gains against lesser competition, (like Florida Atlantic) but I was perplexed at the lack of carries for Imani given his success in moving the chains against the toughest competition. I believe Bo stuck with a one back philosophy to the detriment of the team.
How did Newby do in the last two seasons against the opponents that beat Nebraska? He appeared in six losses, with 56 yards in 16 carries, a 3.5 ypc average.
Nebraska is in good shape in the backfield. I just hope all the backs get the opportunity to do what they do best.
You can move the ball with shifty and you can move the ball with smash mouth. Pretty good position to be in. I prefer smash mouth.
I know the Cross family, and am a big Imani fan. Ameer's Hiesmann campaign took away some of Imani's goal line touches last year, which I believe was the to the detriment of Ameer's health and the best interests of the team. Personally, I think the offense would have been stronger with more Cross runs in the mix.
I was perplexed that Imani got NO touches against MSU in 2014.
Here is an interesting statistic. In the three years in which Imani has played, Nebraska has had 10 regular season losses, 8 in the BIG and two to UCLA. In those ten games, against the toughest competition, Ameer had 848 yards on 177 carries, an impressive 4.8 yards per carry against the toughest competition Nebraska faced.
If you leave out the 2012 UCLA loss and the 2014 MSU loss (Imani did not appear in either game) Ameer's average per carry goes up to 5 yards per carry.
In the 8 losses in which Imani appeared, he gained 166 yards on 23 carries a 7.2 yard/carry average against the toughest competition.
Ameer would go for much bigger gains against lesser competition, (like Florida Atlantic) but I was perplexed at the lack of carries for Imani given his success in moving the chains against the toughest competition. I believe Bo stuck with a one back philosophy to the detriment of the team.
How did Newby do in the last two seasons against the opponents that beat Nebraska? He appeared in six losses, with 56 yards in 16 carries, a 3.5 ypc average.
Nebraska is in good shape in the backfield. I just hope all the backs get the opportunity to do what they do best.
Red Five
Heisman Trophy Winner
Stop it! Few things drive me more crazy than a "short yardage" back. If you need 1 yard, give the ball to your best RB. I don't care if he is 5'9"/190 lbs or 6'2"/230 lbs.
Last year, if the game is on the line and you need 1 yard, who would you trust more to get it? Imani or Ameer?
This year is might be slightly different since no back has separated himself (that we know of), but I'll take the "best" back over a "bigger" back to get me 1 that yard.
For one yard? Yeah, I would give it to Imani. But Ameer needed TDs to win the Heisman.
We are all entitled to our opinion, I won't try to stop you from expressing yours. Call mine stupid if you want. Ameer had 24 carries against MSU for 45 yards in 2014.
That wasn't working. I would have pounded Imani at them a dozen times. Would they have stopped that too? Maybe, but we will never know because Bo didn't try that.
This year, does Riley fit his team into his scheme, or does he adapt his scheme to his players? I don't see a dominant QB, but I do see a loaded RB corps. I'd go with two backs,
pairing muscle in speed in the backfield, maybe Taylor and Newby as one set, and Cross and Wilborn as the other. I'd plan to run people the f*** over, substituting the pairing every series. But what do I know? I'm an old guy with no appreciation of the West coast, pro set, razzle dazzle stuff that looks pretty.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
