Why all the Safety bashing???

[admo]

If our d-line does not get consistent pressure and penetration, our secondary will get picked apart all day. Our line last year helped out tremendously. This year cannot be a repeat story that the secondary is out of position. Cant keep giving up the the big play, or extend drives because someone is clearly open or not putting a hit and wrapping up ball carriers.

 

[Huskerballz]

Thenarse definately needs to get the plays down in the secondary, if he could he would be a beast considering his play on special teams. Hagg, as someone said before, is going to be a wait and see type of guy in that position and I personally think he'll do well. O'Hanlon needs to pay attention to his angles in the secondary because I remember several times last season where he was out of position and got burnt bad. Asante.......................don't get me started.

Asante is the most physically gifted athlete we have on that defense besides Suh. If the lighbulb clicked on this offseason for him (which I think it did) I think you're looking at an all conference saftey. He's quick, he's agile, he's strong, and he knows how to hit. If he can get the mental aspect of the game down and know how to react instead of think, I think we're looking at big things for him this season. (80+ tackles, 6+ interceptions big).

 

[caveman99]

Thenarse definately needs to get the plays down in the secondary, if he could he would be a beast considering his play on special teams. Hagg, as someone said before, is going to be a wait and see type of guy in that position and I personally think he'll do well. O'Hanlon needs to pay attention to his angles in the secondary because I remember several times last season where he was out of position and got burnt bad. Asante.......................don't get me started.

Asante is the most physically gifted athlete we have on that defense besides Suh. If the lighbulb clicked on this offseason for him (which I think it did) I think you're looking at an all conference saftey. He's quick, he's agile, he's strong, and he knows how to hit. If he can get the mental aspect of the game down and know how to react instead of think, I think we're looking at big things for him this season. (80+ tackles, 6+ interceptions big).

Alright I am buying what you are selling.

 

[OwlFamily]

I'm still concerned about the safeties because of how badly they played last season. I think O'Hanlon is solid but not great, isn't as good a blitzer as the others. He will likely start ahead of Thenarse who is a monster on ST, but tackles poorly and is lost in the secondary. Asante gets a lot of props from the media, but I have yet to see him play even one good, complete game. He also misses some tackles (not as many as Thenarse). We haven't seen Hagg play safety yet; he looked okay as the nickel and backup CB last year. And we haven't seen PJ Smith and some of the other young players at all.

That's why I'm concerned about the secondary this season. Do I think they could turn it around and be good or great? Absolutely, but I haven't seen it yet. We heard from Sanders before last season how great they were going to be, and then they sucked for much of the year. FAU is a good early test to see if the secondary can carry their weight this year.

FAU will definately try to get past your secondary. Rusty Smith has great arm strength and he will try to air it out to our WR down field. Unfortunately you cant solely focus on that as the TE and FB' will be looking to get across the middle and pick up 6-10 as well.

We have a very good team with our QB/TE/WR/FB playing together in every game almost for 3 years. They know what each other is going to do.

Now if (and I belive WHEN) Suh gets thru the line and Smith gets under pressure well see what happens. Thats usually were you will see the dump off to the TE/FB for a quick 3-6 yards. Our offense tends to spread Defenses around as there are multiple threats from all over.

 

[caveman99]

I'm still concerned about the safeties because of how badly they played last season. I think O'Hanlon is solid but not great, isn't as good a blitzer as the others. He will likely start ahead of Thenarse who is a monster on ST, but tackles poorly and is lost in the secondary. Asante gets a lot of props from the media, but I have yet to see him play even one good, complete game. He also misses some tackles (not as many as Thenarse). We haven't seen Hagg play safety yet; he looked okay as the nickel and backup CB last year. And we haven't seen PJ Smith and some of the other young players at all.

That's why I'm concerned about the secondary this season. Do I think they could turn it around and be good or great? Absolutely, but I haven't seen it yet. We heard from Sanders before last season how great they were going to be, and then they sucked for much of the year. FAU is a good early test to see if the secondary can carry their weight this year.

FAU will definately try to get past your secondary. Rusty Smith has great arm strength and he will try to air it out to our WR down field. Unfortunately you cant solely focus on that as the TE and FB' will be looking to get across the middle and pick up 6-10 as well.

We have a very good team with our QB/TE/WR/FB playing together in every game almost for 3 years. They know what each other is going to do.

Now if (and I belive WHEN) Suh gets thru the line and Smith gets under pressure well see what happens. Thats usually were you will see the dump off to the TE/FB for a quick 3-6 yards. Our offense tends to spread Defenses around as there are multiple threats from all over.

I like FAU's skill players, I think you have it right though up front. Suh and Co WILL be very good this year. I am not sure Smith will get a lot of time to throw.

 

[admo]

I'm still concerned about the safeties because of how badly they played last season. I think O'Hanlon is solid but not great, isn't as good a blitzer as the others. He will likely start ahead of Thenarse who is a monster on ST, but tackles poorly and is lost in the secondary. Asante gets a lot of props from the media, but I have yet to see him play even one good, complete game. He also misses some tackles (not as many as Thenarse). We haven't seen Hagg play safety yet; he looked okay as the nickel and backup CB last year. And we haven't seen PJ Smith and some of the other young players at all.

That's why I'm concerned about the secondary this season. Do I think they could turn it around and be good or great? Absolutely, but I haven't seen it yet. We heard from Sanders before last season how great they were going to be, and then they sucked for much of the year. FAU is a good early test to see if the secondary can carry their weight this year.

FAU will definately try to get past your secondary. Rusty Smith has great arm strength and he will try to air it out to our WR down field. Unfortunately you cant solely focus on that as the TE and FB' will be looking to get across the middle and pick up 6-10 as well.

We have a very good team with our QB/TE/WR/FB playing together in every game almost for 3 years. They know what each other is going to do.

Now if (and I belive WHEN) Suh gets thru the line and Smith gets under pressure well see what happens. Thats usually were you will see the dump off to the TE/FB for a quick 3-6 yards. Our offense tends to spread Defenses around as there are multiple threats from all over.

So yall have proven players at the skill positions that will spread the defense, and we have a secondary that is trying to improve from a year ago and control a spread attack a bit better. Sounds like a good season opener.

 

[knapplc]

Owl, what kind of quick passing game does FAU have installed? Will Rusty be ready to throw off of three steps? Do they have short routes - slants, outs, etc. - ready?

I think the D Line will be looking to make a statement this game and set the tone for the season. If they have three/four seconds to get to Rusty while the routes develop downfield, I think we're going to see FAU's backup in before halftime.

 

[OwlFamily]

Owl, what kind of quick passing game does FAU have installed? Will Rusty be ready to throw off of three steps? Do they have short routes - slants, outs, etc. - ready?

I think the D Line will be looking to make a statement this game and set the tone for the season. If they have three/four seconds to get to Rusty while the routes develop downfield, I think we're going to see FAU's backup in before halftime.

Jeff Brohm our new QB coach has been working since spring on a quicker release for Rusty Smith, and from what weve seen he is quicker on the draw now. Our OL is VERY dedicated to protecting the QB. I think they only gave up 9 sacks all year, including games against Texas, Michigan State. I know that your DL is solid and that Suh is a monster so that will be interesting. Our OL is the beefiest (LOL is that a word?) its ever been with most of the line just under 300 LBS.

If you guys get thru and put pressure watch out for the dump off to either the RB or FB (William Rose and Alfred Morris) also our TE's have a great deal of height and athletisicim so they can usually break across the middle for a few and Rusty throws it high where they can pull it down.

IF its a blowout at the half I agree youll see our back up QB (Jeff Van Camp) as he is our projected starter next year. I wouldnt be surprised to see him get a series in during the 2nd quarter even it if is close to get him some more game experience.

 

[admo]

Thanks Owl, good stuff. You mentioned "IF" its a blowout by halftime.. Just so you know, most of our season openers over the past 7 or 8 years have been tight at halftime. We normally regroup and come out stronger in the second half and begin to pull away. Should be a good game, I'm looking forward to it!

 

[huzkerbob]

Owl, what kind of quick passing game does FAU have installed? Will Rusty be ready to throw off of three steps? Do they have short routes - slants, outs, etc. - ready?

I think the D Line will be looking to make a statement this game and set the tone for the season. If they have three/four seconds to get to Rusty while the routes develop downfield, I think we're going to see FAU's backup in before halftime.

Jeff Brohm our new QB coach has been working since spring on a quicker release for Rusty Smith, and from what weve seen he is quicker on the draw now. Our OL is VERY dedicated to protecting the QB. I think they only gave up 9 sacks all year, including games against Texas, Michigan State. I know that your DL is solid and that Suh is a monster so that will be interesting. Our OL is the beefiest (LOL is that a word?) its ever been with most of the line just under 300 LBS.

If you guys get thru and put pressure watch out for the dump off to either the RB or FB (William Rose and Alfred Morris) also our TE's have a great deal of height and athletisicim so they can usually break across the middle for a few and Rusty throws it high where they can pull it down.

IF its a blowout at the half I agree youll see our back up QB (Jeff Van Camp) as he is our projected starter next year. I wouldnt be surprised to see him get a series in during the 2nd quarter even it if is close to get him some more game experience.

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about the TEs FAU will bring to Lincoln.

Rob Housler filled in admirably last year, and averaged 16 yards a catch and 519 yards for the season. Jamari Grant averaged 15 ydc and hauled in 358 yards. That's two of the highest averages in the country. What makes those stats even more impressive is that both players where secondary options after FAU's number one TE Jason Harmon (825 yds, 13yds average in 2007) missed last season with an injury.

As talented and deep as Nebraska's TEs are reported to be, FAU will bring a unit that rivals Nebraska's in skill and greatly surpasses them in production. I won't be surprised at all to see the Owls TEs make our inexperienced LB's look silly on more than one occasion come Saturday.

 

[caveman99]

Owl, what kind of quick passing game does FAU have installed? Will Rusty be ready to throw off of three steps? Do they have short routes - slants, outs, etc. - ready?

I think the D Line will be looking to make a statement this game and set the tone for the season. If they have three/four seconds to get to Rusty while the routes develop downfield, I think we're going to see FAU's backup in before halftime.

Jeff Brohm our new QB coach has been working since spring on a quicker release for Rusty Smith, and from what weve seen he is quicker on the draw now. Our OL is VERY dedicated to protecting the QB. I think they only gave up 9 sacks all year, including games against Texas, Michigan State. I know that your DL is solid and that Suh is a monster so that will be interesting. Our OL is the beefiest (LOL is that a word?) its ever been with most of the line just under 300 LBS.

If you guys get thru and put pressure watch out for the dump off to either the RB or FB (William Rose and Alfred Morris) also our TE's have a great deal of height and athletisicim so they can usually break across the middle for a few and Rusty throws it high where they can pull it down.

IF its a blowout at the half I agree youll see our back up QB (Jeff Van Camp) as he is our projected starter next year. I wouldnt be surprised to see him get a series in during the 2nd quarter even it if is close to get him some more game experience.

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about the TEs FAU will bring to Lincoln.

Rob Housler filled in admirably last year, and averaged 16 yards a catch and 519 yards for the season. Jamari Grant averaged 15 ydc and hauled in 358 yards. That's two of the highest averages in the country. What makes those stats even more impressive is that both players where secondary options after FAU's number one TE Jason Harmon (825 yds, 13yds average in 2007) missed last season with an injury.

As talented and deep as Nebraska's TEs are reported to be, FAU will bring a unit that rivals Nebraska's in skill and greatly surpasses them in production. I won't be surprised at all to see the Owls TEs make our inexperienced LB's look silly on more than one occasion come Saturday.

In the presser today, Larry Asante made it clear that they were fully aware of the FAU TE's.

 

[OwlFamily]

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about the TEs FAU will bring to Lincoln.

Rob Housler filled in admirably last year, and averaged 16 yards a catch and 519 yards for the season. Jamari Grant averaged 15 ydc and hauled in 358 yards. That's two of the highest averages in the country. What makes those stats even more impressive is that both players where secondary options after FAU's number one TE Jason Harmon (825 yds, 13yds average in 2007) missed last season with an injury.

As talented and deep as Nebraska's TEs are reported to be, FAU will bring a unit that rivals Nebraska's in skill and greatly surpasses them in production. I won't be surprised at all to see the Owls TEs make our inexperienced LB's look silly on more than one occasion come Saturday.

Yup, Rob did great.

Word I hear is that he has a redshirt year left and MAY take it this year with the return of Harmon, and him and Grant being 1 and 2 on the charts. I hope thats so, I would LOVE to have him back next year.

One thing you WONT be seeing is Rusty Smith scrambling. This is NOT a spread offense with a Dual threat QB. If Rusty Smith is running down the field then something has gone HORRIBLY wrong for the offense. We will use our new RB (Alfred Morris) to setup the pass and keep you honest. But i dont expect many holes to be punched thru your DL.

 

[jjamuss]

Thenarse definately needs to get the plays down in the secondary, if he could he would be a beast considering his play on special teams. Hagg, as someone said before, is going to be a wait and see type of guy in that position and I personally think he'll do well. O'Hanlon needs to pay attention to his angles in the secondary because I remember several times last season where he was out of position and got burnt bad. Asante.......................don't get me started.

Asante is the most physically gifted athlete we have on that defense besides Suh. If the lighbulb clicked on this offseason for him (which I think it did) I think you're looking at an all conference saftey. He's quick, he's agile, he's strong, and he knows how to hit. If he can get the mental aspect of the game down and know how to react instead of think, I think we're looking at big things for him this season. (80+ tackles, 6+ interceptions big).

agreed :yeah

 

[knapplc]

One thing you WONT be seeing is Rusty Smith scrambling. This is NOT a spread offense with a Dual threat QB. If Rusty Smith is running down the field then something has gone HORRIBLY wrong for the offense. We will use our new RB (Alfred Morris) to setup the pass and keep you honest. But i dont expect many holes to be punched thru your DL.

Unless your O Line is like a wall of brick, I have concerns about Smith's immobility. If he can't move agilely to avoid pressure he's going to take some serious hits.

 

[jjamuss]

One thing you WONT be seeing is Rusty Smith scrambling. This is NOT a spread offense with a Dual threat QB. If Rusty Smith is running down the field then something has gone HORRIBLY wrong for the offense. We will use our new RB (Alfred Morris) to setup the pass and keep you honest. But i dont expect many holes to be punched thru your DL.

Unless your O Line is like a wall of brick, I have concerns about Smith's immobility. If he can't move agilely to avoid pressure he's going to take some serious hits.

Hope the backup QB is ready to play... not trying to offend, but if your Oline cant stop Suh its going to be a long night for the Owls.