Hawkeyehusker

That's great news. Now if Bowman comes back we could be firing on all cylinders come the fall.

Keller certainly has the number one spot. Ganz just doesn't have the long arm to stretch the field vertically. The real QB battle will be next season when Ganz, Lee and Witt are all competing for the first string spot.

While it's certainly possible Lee won't redshirt I kind of expect that he will, especially coming off his injury. If it wasn't for the injury I would have expected him to compete this coming season for the backup job. Now Witt has said several times he wants to redshirt. As it is if Lee was healthy Ganz still knows the system too well for Lee to pass him, and by the time 2008 rolls around Lee and Witt will both have over a year and a half experience on the scout team so we may see an exciting fight for the starters job in 08. Of course we have all seen the unexpected happen far too often. Injuries and transfers and other off field situations develop when you least expect them to, so it's good to have the depth.

Q & A with Broderick Thomas http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...fe680321108.txt Q&A with Broderick Thomas By the Lincoln Journal Star Sunday, Apr 15, 2007 - 12:51:05 am CDT Broderick Thomas Broderick Thomas, known as the “Sandman” during his days at Nebraska, was always known as one of the most enthusiastic Huskers in history. The outside linebacker played four years for the Huskers, started three and earned All-America and All-Big Eight honors. He was the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year in 1989 and a NFL first-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in the spring of 1989. He played with the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas was one of more than 150 former Huskers in town this weekend for the lettermen golf tournaments and the annual Spring Game. He spent some time with Ken Hambleton. So what about the “Sandman,” the player who was “bringing the wood,” and had “the keys to our house?” I was always what you saw. I had a passion for the game since I was a little kid. When my uncle (former Chicago Bears linebacker great Mike Singletary) told me as kid, ‘You can play football or you can go get into trouble.’ I chose football. I grew up in Texas. Football is a big deal all year around in Texas. We had the Astrodome packed for a football playoff game in high school. We had spring football and we had winter conditioning in high school, so when I came to Nebraska it was nothing new to me.” Why did you chose Nebraska when all those Texas schools wanted you? Three people. Tom Osborne. Bob Devaney and Charlie McBride. I still get some of that being an outsider with all my Texas friends back home in Houston. But Nebraska is my family now, too.” What keeps you busy these days? I have Broderick Thomas Sports and Entertainment. I have a number of agents working for me. I want to get into the fund-raising efforts for kids — juvenile diabetes, getting kids away from drugs, working with Steve Warren (former Husker) and his group working with mentoring kids. Do you follow Nebraska football? I follow everything Nebraska. I think the volleyball team is the shining light for the university right now. They are the lady on the hood of the Rolls Royce for the university. The football program, it will make it because it must make it. The tradition, tradition, tradition makes Nebraska special and will make it special again. Some people, including some former players, appear upset with the direction of the football program at NU. What do you think? The way I feel is that we need to keep behind the university. Nebraska should have Tom Osborne as the athletic director. Bob Devaney was my athletic director. It seems hard to make a connection with the university but we need to keep trying. I believe Coach Callahan can coach and win. Do you think changes are coming in the program? They’re going to want to talk to me in a couple of years. I have a son, Broderick Thomas Jr., who is a quarterback at Elkins High (near Houston) and he is going to be great. He’s already been contacted by some big-time colleges. He’s a chip off the block. He’s not noisy like I was. My youngest son, Elijah, will be a great athlete, too. It’s not an option, they will be great. I had the same thing going for me. I had the chance to be great and I did the best I could.”

My concern about Murtha's injury is his weight. When these huge offensive linemen injure their legs or ankle's it is common for them to gain a lot of weight. Lydon may heal up nicely in time for the season to start, but he may come back 25 pounds heavier.

Witt and Lee will both will redshirt this coming season, so as good as Witt looked yesterday imagine what he and Lee will be like with 20 months in the system next year when they are all competing for the starters job.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...c5885219242.txt Position breakdowns after the Spring Game By the Lincoln Journal Star Sunday, Apr 15, 2007 - 12:51:05 am CDT Quarterbacks In the mix: Senior Sam Keller and junior Joe Ganz will carry their competition for the starting job into preseason camp in August. Junior Beau Davis and true freshman Patrick Witt drew praise from coaches for their play this spring. Junior college transfer Zac Lee sat out spring drills with a knee injury, but will be ready for preseason camp. Evaluation: Ganz had a “huge advantage” during spring practice having spent three years in Bill Callahan’s West Coast system, said offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Ganz was perfecting his grasp of the offense while Keller was still learning on the run. However, if Keller makes steady and discernible progress, he likely will win the job — but not without a fight from the determined Ganz. Stock rising: Keller, based on his 10-for-13, 193-yard passing performance Saturday. He showed good command of the offense and made scoring drives look easy at times. Of course, there was no blitzing. Stay tuned. Advertisement Running backs In the mix: Junior Marlon Lucky carried a heavy load this spring. Classmate Cody Glenn showed toughness in practicing every day despite a right foot injury that dates to mid-November. Sophomore Major Culbert and true freshman Marcus Mendoza supplied depth. True freshmen Quentin Castille and Roy Helu will arrive in the summer. At fullback, as many as five players are in the mix, including J.B. Phillips, Andy Sand and Thomas Lawson. Matt Senske (back) sat out the spring, but could be a major factor. Evaluation: Lucky, by all accounts, enjoyed a strong spring and may be poised for a breakout season (assuming his knee injury suffered Saturday isn’t serious). Coaches and teammates noted that he’s looking bigger and faster and seeing the field better. He looked pretty good Saturday. NU needs Glenn’s foot injury to heal well to give the team a second experienced I-back. Stock rising: Glenn. He showed some power and burst Saturday in finishing with 44 yards on 11 carries. He didn’t run with the same abandon that he showed last spring and at times last season, but he showed glimpses of it. Wide receivers In the mix: At the “X” wideout spot, the top two are senior Maurice Purify and junior Nate Swift. “From there, it’s a tossup,” said receivers coach Ted Gilmore. Those vying for time are Todd Peterson, Menelik Holt, Will Henry and Chris Brooks. At the “Z” position, senior Terrence Nunn is the clear No. 1, with classmates Frantz Hardy and Dan Erickson dead-even going into summer conditioning, Gilmore said. Evaluation: Gilmore said most of his “X” receivers struggled to catch the ball this spring. “Mo (Purify) has been consistent catching the ball, and the rest of them have not been consistent. Too many dropped balls at that position right now.” Hardy moved this spring from “X” to “Z” and is still learning his new position. Stock rising: Erickson. “Dan’s ball skills might not be as good as the other receivers. But I know what I’m going to get from him — full-speed effort every single time.” Tight ends In the mix: This is a veteran group, with seniors J.B. Phillips, Sean Hill, Josh Mueller and junior Hunter Teafatiller. Phillips also sees time at H-back and fullback. Evaluation: With Nebraska likely to again use two-, three-, and even four-tight end sets, depth obviously is integral at this position. The Huskers have plenty of depth here, but could use some more playmaking ability. Phillips led the group last season with 13 receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Teafatiller made his catches count, with four of his five grabs going for touchdowns. Mueller also had five catches (for 26 yards and two TDs). NU coaches eagerly await the return of promising redshirt freshman Mike McNeill, who missed the spring with a shoulder injury. Stock rising: The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Phillips made a couple of nice grabs Saturday in finishing with three receptions for 35 yards. Offensive linemen In the mix: Nebraska will enter preseason camp in August with a first-string line that features senior Carl Nicks at left tackle, junior Andy Christensen at left guard, senior Brett Byford at center, junior Matt Slauson at right guard and junior Lydon Murtha at right tackle. Two of the top backups — guard Mike Huff and guard/tackle Jacob Hickman — missed the entire spring with injuries. Christensen sat out Saturday with a foot sprain, with promising redshirt freshman Keith Williams starting in his place. Evaluation: Offensive line coach Dennis Wagner likes the line’s depth. “I’ve got 11 guys who want to play, and I can take only 10 (to road games),” he said. “It’s a great situation.” The guard position is particularly well-stocked. At tackle, redshirt freshmen D.J. Jones and Mike Smith have bright futures. Stock rising: Williams. The 6-5, 310-pound St. Louis native certainly looks the part. “He doesn’t have playing experience, but he’s ready to play,” Wagner said. Special teams In the mix: The Huskers are looking to replace two-year starting place-kicker Jordan Congdon. Junior Jake Wesch handled kickoff duties much of the time during the past two seasons, but has never attempted a field goal or extra point in a game. Redshirt freshman Alex Henery is also in the place-kicking mix. At punter, junior Dan Titchener returns after averaging 39.3 yards last season. Redshirt freshman Michael Such is the top backup. Evaluation: Wesch’s importance rises because kickoffs have been pushed back 5 yards to the 30-yard line. If he’s unable to boom kickoffs and handle FGs and PATs, perhaps NU will turn to incoming freshman Adi Kunalic of Fort Worth, Texas. NU was strong last season in kickoff coverage (16th nationally), but weak in returns (112th). Stock rising: Keep an eye on Such. Punting for both teams Saturday, he averaged 48.4 yards on seven kicks. Defensive linemen In the mix: Ty Steinkuhler and Ndamukong Suh will be the cornerstone players of a revamped defensive line. Steinkuhler will play defensive tackle and some base defensive end; Suh can play both tackle spots. When they’re manning the interior, Zach Potter will play base end, with Clayton Sievers and Barry Turner battling at open end. Brandon Johnson and Shukree Barfield will provide depth at nose tackle. Evaluation: First-year defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt has a stiff challenge — replacing four starters. The interior seems solid; questions remain about the ends, especially when compared to last year’s duo of Adam Carriker and Jay Moore. Coaches say getting consistency from younger players is crucial. Stock rising: Steinkuhler. Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said the junior will need to be able to play inside and out. “They are similar positions; he doesn’t have to take the beating he does at the three (technique) if he plays the base.” Linebackers In the mix: Bo Ruud has made a seamless transition to SAM, replacing Stewart Bradley. His move opens a spot for Steve Octavien at WILL, where Ruud and Octavien have split time. Corey McKeon, at MIKE, is the leader of the defense. Lance Brandenburgh can play any three linebacker spots in a backup role, or starting role, if necessary. Phillip Dillard, who missed last season because of knee surgery, could rotate at MIKE on goal-line and short-yardage plays. Evaluation: Linebacker is a spot with few question marks. Four seniors make this position the most experienced on the team. Now, if they can stay healthy ... Stock rising: Octavien. The senior is hoping to bust through after being held back by injuries. Look for him to come off the edge in NU’s nickel package. Cornerbacks In the mix: Junior college transfer Armando Murillo is a key newcomer. Cosgrove said he’s a “good cover guy” with big-play ability who’s made plays throughout the spring. He’ll join seniors Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones. With Zackary Bowman in the fold, that’s a good rotation. Bowman, though, had surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, a setback for the senior who missed all of last season after an ACL tear in his left knee. Evaluation: Bowman’s injury put a damper on Nebraska’s spring practice. Coaches seem optimistic he’ll return ahead of the six-month recovering prognosis, but it’s possible he’ll miss the nonconference season. Stock rising: Jones. He was often criticized last season, but Jones said he’s more comfortable, and Cosgrove, for one, has noticed. “Jonesy has been a different guy out there,” he said. “I think he’s made some very, very good strides.” Safeties In the mix: Larry Asante comes to Nebraska with impressive junior college credentials and figures to make an immediate impact at strong safety. Tierre Green figures to improve after a year of playing free safety. Rickey Thenarse is a converted cornerback who’s still developing. Coaches are pleased with Bryan Wilson at free safety. Evaluation: Cosgrove said the key is to develop younger players here, hence the move for Thenarse. Coaches had also moved Anthony West, but West moved back to cornerback after Bowman was sidelined. Corey Young missed spring with a shoulder injury but will also figure into the mix come fall. Stock rising: Asante. He’s fast and physical, has playmaking ability and has been able to pick up the defense, Cosgrove said. The only drawback this spring was a nagging hamstring injury. “We had a good idea he was a good football player, and then when I saw his athletic ability and how he moves,” Cosgrove said, “I was very impressed.”

Another with family ties to the NFL. Another great recruit.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...c3514140952.txt Cornerback working to give NU elusive TD on kickoff return BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star Thursday, Apr 12, 2007 - 12:34:41 am CDT Nebraska’s spring-time search for a potent kickoff return specialist landed Andre Jones in Randy Jordan’s office. Jordan, Nebraska’s running backs coach, also oversees the kickoff return unit. He sat Jones down and told the Husker senior cornerback exactly what coaches wanted. “He said we need to be explosive back there,” Jones said. “The first guy (on coverage) can never make the tackle. We’ve got to make somebody miss each time.” That’s something Jones did at least once this spring in practice, when he said he broke a return for some 60 yards. Jones said Marlon Lucky also had a long return. Bill Callahan will take it. And then some. “We want a better weapon back there,” said Callahan, Nebraska’s head coach. Entering spring practice, Callahan targeted kickoff returns as an area in need of drastic improvement, and with good reason. Nebraska ranked No. 112 nationally last season, averaging 17.4 yards per return. Callahan also expressed frustration in that the Huskers hadn’t returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his three seasons. Nebraska’s drought, though, dates much longer. The last Husker to score on a kickoff return was Joe Walker against Louisiana Tech in 1998. He went 99 yards. Lucky had a touchdown return negated because of penalty in 2005 at Kansas. Lucky averaged 19.1 yards on eight returns last season, with a long return of 32 yards. Brandon Jackson, who declared for the NFL Draft, had nine returns for an average of 17.4 yards. As a sophomore in junior college, Jones averaged 26.1 yards on 15 returns. “I’m glad Coach Callahan is giving me the opportunity to go back there and show what I can do a little bit,” Jones said. “I’m kind of excited to see what’s going to happen.” Jones, Lucky, Tierre Green, Rickey Thenarse, Cortney Grixby — “Anybody that can run,” as Callahan put it — are among the candidates for kickoff return specialist. Before his knee injury, cornerback Zackary Bowman was also in the mix. “I think we’ve challenged our players. The return specialists have to make at least one coverage player miss,” Callahan said, noting specific improvements he wants to see. “Aside from that, I thought our blocking (last year) was very good. The structure of what we were trying to do was solid. We just have to make plays.” Callahan noted Nebraska last season returned only 28 kicks, a number he expects to increase because of a rule change. Kickoffs will be pushed back 5 yards to the 30-yard line, likely resulting in fewer touchbacks and more opportunities for returns. Green, a safety who returned three kickoffs last season, said better communication and improved technique have been points of emphasis throughout the spring for the kickoff return unit. “It’s really simple, when you look at it,” Green said. “Executing is the hard part, because you’ve got somebody else who’s not going to let you.” As for making defenders miss? “You’ve got to be able to have that if you want to break some long ones,” Green said. “With the ball being moved back 5 yards, that will create a lot of returns. There’s going to be a lot of yardage for us to pick up.”

Callahan must be really pumped. Witt and Lee are both outstanding talents. And if Witt is doing this well straight out of high school imagine what he's going to be like after redshirting for a season.

Rosenthal's Latest Article http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...5e798721301.txt Sievers moving again BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star Wednesday, Apr 11, 2007 - 12:09:57 am CDT Clayton Sievers spent the winter months attending linebacker meetings and doing linebacker drills. That only made sense, what with Nebraska needing to replace Stewart Bradley at the SAM position, and Sievers serving as Bradley’s top backup last season. Sievers, though, should know by now that nothing’s that simple. The Nebraska junior has bounced from tight end as a redshirted freshman to linebacker as a sophomore, then to defensive end in nickel packages, as well as tight end in goal-line and short-yardage situations, back to linebacker to … Well, now, defensive end. Sievers, listed in the spring guide at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, learned of his position switch two weeks before Nebraska began spring football drills. He said defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove approached him with the idea, then gave him a week to think it over. The incentive? The move, Sievers said the coaches told him, would mean playing time. “I said I was cool with it,” Sievers said, “and I talked to (defensive line) Coach (Buddy) Wyatt, and we discussed some stuff.” Now, as Nebraska prepares for Saturday’s Red-White game — the culmination of four weeks of spring practice — Sievers said he’s quite happy with his new position. “I like this role. I think it will suit me good,” said Sievers, an Elkhorn native. “We’re going to do a lot of ‘joker,’ which is three down linemen. (Cosgrove) wants me and Barry Turner both out there at the same time, and I think that will be fun. We’ll hopefully get some sacks.” Turner, though, is sitting out the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery. When Turner, a 6-3, 250-pound junior, returns this fall, he’ll be battling Sievers for the open-end position, where the Huskers must replace Jay Moore. “We’re going to both battle for the spot,” Sievers said. “We’re both going to be in on the nickel package.” In that scenario, Sievers and Turner will play at the ends, with either Ndamukong or Ty Steinkuhler in the middle, and linebacker Steve Octavien — the “joker” — coming off the edge. “Octavien can rush the quarterback, so I think he’ll do really good there,” Sievers said. “He’ll move around, he’ll go into coverage, he’ll blitz.” Said Cosgrove: “We’re trying to put Steve in a position where he can make plays, because he certainly has the ability to give us some big plays.” Wyatt, in his first season at Nebraska, said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen from Sievers, whose experience at the position has been limited to certain situations. Now, Sievers is zoning in exclusively at defensive end, where he aims to become a regular contributor. “It’s a lot different,” Sievers said. “You have to spend a lot more time in meetings and in your playbook. It takes a lot of focus and discipline.” Sievers said he’d specifically watch film this summer on Moore and Adam Carriker from last season. “Jay Moore used to always watch film,” he said. “His position is what I’m playing this year, so I just know I have to do that.” Sievers, though, is about 40 pounds lighter than Moore, and he’s adjusting from playing linebacker to coming out of a three-point stance while facing 300-pound tackles. Knowing how to shift his weight and hold his ground, Sievers said, is key. “The tackles are going back, so obviously you have a force,” he said. “You’re running at them. So you can still bull rush at 250 (pounds). You just have to get them back on their heels.” In spring practice, Sievers is going against tackles Lydon Murtha and Carl Nicks. Both players, Sievers said, are stepping up their game. “Coach said they’re the leaders of our offensive line,” he said. “I can tell it on film, and I can tell it going against them.” “(Nicks) is a beast. He’s definitely an NFL tackle. If you can go against Carl Nicks, you can go pretty much against anyone.”

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...e9100972203.txt Huskers nab Elkhorn lineman BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star Saturday, Apr 07, 2007 - 03:37:37 pm CDT Trevor Robinson could have played college football for any number of big-time programs. He chose the one closest to home. Robinson, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman from Elkhorn High School, has given Nebraska coaches his verbal commitment to accept their scholarship offer. Notre Dame and Michigan also were on his final list of choices. “The big thing is, Nebraska’s close to home,” Robinson said Saturday. “There’s nothing I can do football-wise at those other places that I can’t do at Nebraska.” Robinson becomes the fourth high school player to verbally commit to Nebraska’s class of 2008. He joins offensive lineman Dan Hoch of Harlan, Iowa, running back Collins Okafor of Omaha Westside, and offensive lineman Baker Steinkuhler of Lincoln Southwest. Nebraska’s early crop of offensive line commitments is raising eyebrows nationally. Hoch, 6-6 and 295 pounds, and Steinkuhler, 6-6 and 290, also are regarded to be among the nation’s best prep linemen. Robinson also had scholarship offers from Boston College, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. He visited Nebraska’s spring practice Friday with two former Elkhorn teammates, Kevin Thomsen and Clancey Shannon, who both will walk-on at NU this coming fall. Current Husker linebacker Kyle Moore, also from Elkhorn, joined the three for dinner Friday night. Robinson called Notre Dame and Michigan coaches Friday night to inform them of his decision. “Obviously, Notre Dame has a lot to offer — academics is a big thing there, which is hard to turn down,” Robinson said. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis had visited Elkhorn High on Jan. 17 and had planned a second visit April 24, although Robinson said it no longer makes sense to recruit him. He’s locked in on his decision, he said. “I didn’t want to milk the situation any longer,” Robinson said. “I knew what I wanted and went with it.” Last season as a junior, Robinson helped lead Elkhorn to the Class B state championship game, where the Antlers fell to Crete. He played on both sides of the ball, recording 103 tackles, including six sacks. On offense, “He pushed the line of scrimmage and we ran behind him all year,” said Elkhorn coach Mark Wortman. “If it was fourth-and-2, people knew where it was going and it didn’t matter.” Robinson owns a 3.92 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and scored a 28 on his ACT. The Slant Steven M. Sipple: Chatterbox McKeon has defense to shepherd In case you haven’t heard, and assuming you care at all, the media is barred from watching Nebraska football practices this spring. This is no big deal to me. Neither Tom Osborne nor Frank Solich allowed the media to watch spring drills, except for Saturday scrimmages. Bill Callahan allowed the media to watch all of his spring practices during the previous three years before shutting it down this year, presumably because of competition at quarterback and the tendency of media to publish inane statistics (the QB was 12-for-13 in a passing drill that included no defense!!). But I digress. Full Slant...

I was hoping he would choose to stay close to home. A big boy like that you know mama has to be a good cook.

I just hope we don't continue to see all these new injuries through two a days.

I can't wait to see how well they function together in the spring game.

I'm sceptical as well. Coz wasn't even letting him engage in full contact drills yet. Which means he still hadn't fully recovered from the first injury. I'm assuming he's out for the season. If he makes it back and can contribute, then all the better.

That's great to hear. Finally, positive news.

Even with Bowman out we should have a strong secondary. Last season, in conference, we finished with the 2nd best pass efficiency defense (53%). Which was great. But 10th in overall pass defense (256 ypg). Which sucked. Somewhat of a mixed bag. But this season we are deeper and more experienced. If our defensive line steps up and pressures the QB we will have a heck of a defense.

I didn't see this anywhere else. Murillo is number two now, right behind Grixby. http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...4c759459167.txt NU turns to other corners BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star Sunday, Apr 01, 2007 - 12:03:09 am CDT Andre Jones (25), here intercepting a pass against Kansas last season, is confident the Huskers' cornerbacks will be more than capable of shutting down opposing receivers this fall. (William Lauer) Andre Jones’ reaction when Zack Bowman injured his right knee this past week? “I just immediately started praying,” Jones said Saturday. “I just hoped he’d be OK.” Nebraska football fans probably can relate. Bowman, who ruptured his patellar tendon in practice Wednesday, is among an elite group of players the Huskers can least afford to lose. A 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior cornerback, he can match up with all of those tall and fleet Big 12 Conference wide receivers. Entering spring drills, he was regarded as the key to NU improving last season’s porous pass defense. Now, however, Bowman’s playing future is clouded by his second major knee injury in an eight-month span. Last August, Bowman suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and Jones was pressed into starting duty fresh out of junior college. Eight months later, Jones once again fields questions from people wondering how he will respond in the wake of Bowman’s latest injury. “It’s a lot better for me now because I understand the schemes and understand what’s going on,” Jones said Saturday. “Last season, I didn’t know what was going on. I was basically coming in off what I was taught in junior college and having to erase all of that.” Jones last August was looking forward to learning from Bowman. This spring, Jones was looking forward to Nebraska having better depth at cornerback. Bowman, Jones and fellow senior Cortney Grixby would form a trio of battle-tested corners as opposed to having just two corners play the vast majority of snaps, as was the case last season when the Huskers finished 79th nationally in pass defense. “Well, it’s pretty much back to where it was last season,” Jones said. At least for now. Both Jones and Grixby said Saturday they think Bowman will return to the team in time for preseason camp in August, although Nebraska coach Bill Callahan has said Bowman could be sidelined for up to six months, meaning he could miss at least five games and perhaps more. Nebraska coaches responded to Bowman’s injury by immediately moving redshirt freshman Anthony West from safety to cornerback. As it stands, Jones, Grixby, West, junior college transfer Armando Murillo and walk-on Tyler Kester form the core of the Husker cornerback crew. The 6-foot, 195-pound Murillo is listed No. 2 on the depth chart behind Grixby, a full-time starter the last two seasons. Because Murillo graduated from Eastern Arizona Community College in time to join Nebraska’s spring camp, he can be brought along at a more manageable pace than the situation Jones encountered last August. Jones said he struggled to learn Nebraska coaches’ terminology. For instance, Husker cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian would tell Jones that a wideout was running a “seam” route. Jones said he would nod as if he understood “seam,” although in reality he had no clue. In addition, Grixby said learning cornerback techniques requires time and diligence. “Different coaches have different techniques, and you have to come in and master those,” Grixby said. “It’s a technique position.” Murillo is being brought along quickly. In a scrimmage Saturday, the Florida native recorded multiple pass breakups, made some tackles and recovered a fumble. “Coach tells him something one time, and he does it,” Jones said. “We need fast learners, so when it’s time to play, those errors won’t be out there.” Murillo said he excels in press coverage at the line of scrimmage. “I have the talent and speed,” he said. “If I learn the system, I should be OK.” Said Grixby: “He’s a very strong corner.” That said, Grixby and Jones likely will be counted on to stabilize the corner positions as Bowman rehabilitates. Bowman had responded well to last season’s injury early in spring camp before colliding with a teammate Wednesday during a non-contact seven-on-seven drill, Callahan said. “He was strong,” Grixby said. “I mean, he had a brace on (his left knee), but it was just there for protective reasons.” Now, Nebraska fans might have to brace for Bowman being sidelined for much, if not all, of the 2007 season. Many Husker fans lobbed stinging criticism toward the cornerbacks last season. “People are going to talk,” Jones said. “Criticism, I mean, I’ve done it, too. It’s not a good thing to criticize, but people will do it. And when you do good, there’s still going to be criticism. I just try to put that behind us and focus on my teammates and the guys I play with, and we just try to go out and get the job done, and not really worry what other people are saying.”

Swift actually had a good season. He was our number 5 receiver. Behind Nunn (42), Purify (34), Lucky (33), and Jackson (32). One problem last season was Taylor dumping the ball off to our running backs. Jackson and Lucky caught 65 passes between them. Taylor had tunnel vision at times when it came to checking off his receivers. Other times he was running for his life and just threw the ball to the first open guy he could find, which frequently was our running back. This next season our line should be a bit tougher, and they should be able to provide better pass protection. Also Keller is excellent at reading his receivers. My best guess is Sam throws the ball so hard the receivers that actually get in the game will be the ones that can actually hold on to the ball and make the play. If a receiver keeps dropping the ball Keller will hesitate to throw it to him. And from what I've seen of him, if a receiver makes a habit of screwing up, Sam will get in his face and express his opinion. We are so deep in receivers Callahan has a huge number of options. If necessary he could pull Niles off the bench. Paul has made it clear on many occasions he doesn't not want to redshirt.

70,000 or close to it. Wasn't a huge part of the stadium shut down for last years game?

Didn't the coaches start using a tennis ball drill last year?

I think he is as well. He would make a heck of a four year starter. But he'll get his turn.

Last season was a bit unusual because Bowman's injury occured right before the season started. But I for one would have liked to have seen Coz and Elmo our develop defensive back talent quicker last season. The players have been brought in and the talent is here, it's just Coz and Elmo didn't really utilize the new guys until their feet were held to the fire last season. Why it took so long to get these guys on the field I don't know. I realize new guys will screw up and make mistakes. But the only way to learn is to get on the field. Your other comment about keeping our defense off the field is interesting. And it I think it's valid in regards to our season last year. Our defensive talent was developed poorly last season and that's on our coaches shoulders. But this season our offense will be so efficient we will score quicker and more often due to Keller's ability to go vertical. The result will be far more points, far quicker. So our defense will need to step up. We have a lot of talent on defense and there will be no excuses this season. If our D doesn't perform we may see some changes at the end of the year.

I don't think Henry or Brooks will leave. With the WCO and a great QB like Keller throwing the ball our WR's will become more potent weapons. Last season our running backs were our most valuable weapons on the field. Not only did they roll up lots of yardage on running plays but they also caught a lot of balls. This season I think we will put up more yards in the air and hopefully Sam will be spreading the ball around. Delivering the mail as Callahan likes to put it. This is the season for our WR's to shine. Too bad we don't have a couple of go to TE's to round off the offense. This season that's just about the only thing we are missing on offense.