Ron Brown: I want to find a role for Collins Okafor

[nhuskers5]

I want a million dollars too, but it's not going to happen...I'll believe it when I see it.

Prove something, Collins!

 

[The Dude]

Who?

 

[RedDenver]

Wow, the negativity is suffocating in here. I hope everyone realizes Okafor is probably our #2 IB right now. Until the frosh prove otherwise, and I would never bet on true frosh contributing, we need at least 1 and preferably 2 guys behind Rex to step up. Collins might be a guy who saves our a$$ this year when the time comes. Have to wait and see.

 

[Hunter94]

if collins ends up our #2 back, we are screwed, big time!

 

[girlknowsfootball]

To me this says that the Marrow kid is not going to make it, or if he does he's not going to play RB. I don't think Ron is worried about RB depth here... he knows he'll have the talent and players come fall with the addition of 4 new RB's (Aaron Green, Ameer Abdullah, Braylon Heard & walk on Richard Wynne Jr.) He's gonna have the guys, but for the first half of the season they're gonna be swimming a little bit. Rex is gonna need a back up to take some snaps to give him rests the first few games of the season so that these new kids can get a few reps and a lot of practice.

I forget who said this, it was a coach on halftime of a game last year on ABC, but he said that of all the positions on the football field... Running Back is the easiest transition out of high school. That's why you see freshmen play here a lot more than other spots... i.e. Roy Helu, Marlon Lucky, Rex Burkhead, etc. Aaron and Ameer are smart kids... one of them is gonna see the field early next year. I think it will take Braylon a little time to learn especially with being out of football for a year.

Summary: Spring we need to build some guys. Fall we'll be okay. Next year we're gonna bring in a big back and be rollin.

 

[corncraze]

Personally i think this is the staff's attempt to get a 3rd down back. Since D-Tray left, we are lacking a big back, so I think this is them attempting to work with what they got. Honestly I would be very surprised if I saw Okafor turn anything here, but with Brown coaching I guess can never tell. That dude's got some coaching skills.

The whole "big back" concept is kind of trite I think, especially within our system (or what I think our system will be). Rex Burkhead is a perfectly capable 3rd down back. Even when we had D-Tray last year, we never used him (and I don't think that's where the offense went wrong). Furthermore, it appeared that he transferred because he was a "big back," and we were clearly not going to have any real use for him in our offense.

I think the coaching staff wants guys who are every-down backs, like Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead were. I think they're working Okafor not because we need a "big back" or a "3rd down back," but because without the three freshmen coming in, we are very shallow at RB, and we desperately need someone with some athleticism like Okafor to step up.

Right on the depth. But we do need a smash mouth short yardage back and Okafor is built for that.

I think if it was just a depth concern austin jones and lester ward would be talked about a little more.

 

[corncraze]

Wow, the negativity is suffocating in here. I hope everyone realizes Okafor is probably our #2 IB right now. Until the frosh prove otherwise, and I would never bet on true frosh contributing, we need at least 1 and preferably 2 guys behind Rex to step up. Collins might be a guy who saves our a$$ this year when the time comes. Have to wait and see.

Disagree. Austin Jones and Lester Ward are both higher in the depth chart right now, but I fully expect Green and Heard to fight for the no. 2 spot

 

[Hercules]

Personally i think this is the staff's attempt to get a 3rd down back. Since D-Tray left, we are lacking a big back, so I think this is them attempting to work with what they got. Honestly I would be very surprised if I saw Okafor turn anything here, but with Brown coaching I guess can never tell. That dude's got some coaching skills.

The whole "big back" concept is kind of trite I think, especially within our system (or what I think our system will be). Rex Burkhead is a perfectly capable 3rd down back. Even when we had D-Tray last year, we never used him (and I don't think that's where the offense went wrong). Furthermore, it appeared that he transferred because he was a "big back," and we were clearly not going to have any real use for him in our offense.

I think the coaching staff wants guys who are every-down backs, like Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead were. I think they're working Okafor not because we need a "big back" or a "3rd down back," but because without the three freshmen coming in, we are very shallow at RB, and we desperately need someone with some athleticism like Okafor to step up.

Right on the depth. But we do need a smash mouth short yardage back and Okafor is built for that.

I disagree. Your best running back on first down should be no different than your best running back on third down.

 

[RedDenver]

Wow, the negativity is suffocating in here. I hope everyone realizes Okafor is probably our #2 IB right now. Until the frosh prove otherwise, and I would never bet on true frosh contributing, we need at least 1 and preferably 2 guys behind Rex to step up. Collins might be a guy who saves our a$$ this year when the time comes. Have to wait and see.

Disagree. Austin Jones and Lester Ward are both higher in the depth chart right now, but I fully expect Green and Heard to fight for the no. 2 spot

Isn't Ward moving to TE? I thought I read that somewhere.

 

[RedDenver]

if collins ends up our #2 back, we are screwed, big time!

Maybe. We might be screwed if a true frosh ends up there. We might be screwed whoever ends up there. Or Okafor could do just fine, as could any of the others. We'll have to see who steps up. It's one of the reasons I love college football.

 

[Husker Richard]

Wow, the negativity is suffocating in here. I hope everyone realizes Okafor is probably our #2 IB right now. Until the frosh prove otherwise, and I would never bet on true frosh contributing, we need at least 1 and preferably 2 guys behind Rex to step up. Collins might be a guy who saves our a$$ this year when the time comes. Have to wait and see.

Disagree. Austin Jones and Lester Ward are both higher in the depth chart right now, but I fully expect Green and Heard to fight for the no. 2 spot

Isn't Ward moving to TE? I thought I read that somewhere.

I believe this is correct. Bo said something to that effect (more along the lines of moving him around and seeing what they can do with him, possibly at TE) in an interview after the first spring practice.

 

[The Dude]

Rex is as tough a runner as any big back. I'll take him on 3rd and short any day.

 

[huskered17]

I wish he could find a role for M Mendoza. All that speed and quickness, has to be some where it can be helpful. What a shame he wasn't able to put it use for this team. All moves of J R, with much more speed. :hmmph

GBR!!!

 

[girlknowsfootball]

We're gonna have the speed come fall. What we're gonna lack is a guy other than Rex that can pound it up the middle. This new offense wants to be able to attack a defense where they are weak... thus we need to have the big back that can pound it up the middle in case that's what the defense gives us.

 

[NUance]

We're gonna have the speed come fall. What we're gonna lack is a guy other than Rex that can pound it up the middle. This new offense wants to be able to attack a defense where they are weak... thus we need to have the big back that can pound it up the middle in case that's what the defense gives us.

I'm not sure I am reading your post right. Are you saying Rex is a guy who can pound it up the middle, and we need another? Or are you saying we need someone in addition to Rex——we need a guy who can pound it up the middle? (I think you're saying the second thing, which I agree with.)

I'm not trying to argue, or slam you, it's just that this is the second time in a month I've heard Rex being called a back who can pound it up the middle. Thing is, Rex just isn't a short yardage back. He's listed as 210, but I doubt he actually weighs that much. Prolly closer to two bills. And he's mighty tough for his size. But Rex is not a short yardage big back.