Was Fabian playing lame duck last year?

[bigredtoad]

Whats the deal with this freakshow of talent that all of a sudden is emerging at the combine??? Fabian is posting these gaudy numbers like 4.25/40 and 41 vert ------where the hell was this talent during last season?! Was he hurt or what? Could it have been he was sandbagging b/c he didnt like the coach and/or system and wanted to save himself for the draft??? Just seems weird to me he was a huge nonfactor last year.

 

Former Bayshore star runs blistering time in 40-yard dash

 

ROGER MOONEY

 

Herald Staff Writer

 

Nervous? How could he not be?

 

The massive stands at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis were empty Tuesday save for the eyes of the NFL coaches and general managers sitting with stopwatches and clipboards in hand looking for a reason to add Fabian Washington to their draft wish-list or discount him.

 

Washington stood at the start of the lane used to time to the 40-yard run at the NFL Scouting Combine. Waiting for him at the end was his NFL future.

 

"With all those coaches in the stands looking at me, I was really nervous," said the 2002 graduate of Bayshore High. "But I told myself, I had to get out fast in the first 10 yards and take it from there."

 

The plan worked as close to perfection as a football player can get.

 

Washington, who will skip his senior season at Nebraska for the NFL, finished his first chance at the 40 in an eye-popping 4.25 seconds - believed to be the fastest time ever run at the combine.

 

"That's what I've been told," Washington said.

 

Washington, who ran his second 40 in an equally amazing 4.28, has been running times close to that while training at Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn, N.J.

 

"It was a surprise to do it at such a big stage, but I wasn't surprised I ran that fast," Washington said.

 

Neither was his agent, Brian Mackler.

 

"He's been training for eight solid weeks, six days a week for seven to eight hours a day," Mackler said. "All that training paid off." The Sporting News listed Washington as the sixth-best cornerback in the country before the season. While the Cornhuskers struggled during a 5-6 season, Washington excelled. He was second on the team with three interceptions and broke up a team-leading 15 passes. A three-year starter, Washington led the Huskers in pass breakups each year. He finished his college career with 11 interceptions, tied for fourth on the program's all-time list.

 

"He covers real well," Nebraska linebacker Barrett Rudd said Sunday. "He's a real strong athlete, and if he gets stronger, I think he'll do real well in the NFL."

 

Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Washington bench pressed the required 225 pounds 18 times during his strength test Sunday.

 

"He's 180 pounds of solid muscle," Mackler said.

 

Washington also hit 41.5 inches in the vertical leap.

 

"He just put on a show," Mackler said. "He exceeded expectations."

 

Washington said he interviewed with Tampa Bay, Buffalo, New Orleans, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland. Those teams will be in attendance at the Cornhuskers pro day March 9 in Lincoln, Neb., where Washington will be able to put on more of a show.

 

"They want to see my footwork, how I react to the ball and my explosiveness," Washington said. "We'll be doing football-specific drills."

 

Still, what will remain with the NFL coaches is the buzz he created with his 4.25 Tuesday. In a year when some big names turned in poor times - Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett ran a 4.73 and USC receiver Mike Williams finished in a 4.59 - Washington's time looked like Olympic gold.

 

"We have the 4.38 he ran in high school up on the board in the locker room, and people look at me like I'm crazy," Bayshore coach Raymond Woodie said. "They say people don't run a 4.38, and he did it in high school. Now they're saying he ran the fastest time ever at the combine. Ever. You're including a lot of great football players."

 

Washington said he wasn't looking to make history in Indianapolis just a name for himself.

 

"I'm very proud of what I did," Washington said. "I wanted to perform in the top five for defensive backs, and I think I did that."

 

He certainly did.

 

"To say he did well might be an understatement," Mackler said. "What he did was unbelievable."

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/spo...ts/11026695.htm

[skersfan]

Toad,

 

I think there are two parts to the story, maybe even three. He was injured early in the year. He loved Pelini and did not buy into they system of the new coaches. He has had nothing but time to improve his physical situation at a world class training site.

 

Money is on the table, and that opens eyes and brings on a lot of effort.

 

I hope he makes good money and wish him luck, but I must say I am glad he is gone.

[formerfan]

Toad,

 

I think there are two parts to the story, maybe even three.  He was injured early in the year.  He loved Pelini and did not buy into they system of the new coaches.  He has had nothing but time to improve his physical situation at a world class training site.

 

Money is on the table, and that opens eyes and brings on a lot of effort. 

 

I hope he makes good money and wish him luck, but I must say I am glad he is gone.

Glad he is gone, WOW!!!! The best, most athletic player on the squad and youre glad he's gone?????????????

 

If coz would have had an inkling of an idea about how to put together a gameplan, maybe Fabian would have fared better last year. He did well his first two years, but the minute elmo and cozzy stepped on campus, he didnt. Wonder why????

 

To answer the original question, he may have been playing lame duck, possibly. But he was certainly playing for a lame @$$ coaching staff.

[skersfan]

former fan,

 

As ususal you only have part of the story.

 

There was a small group of players that wanted to dictate the type of defense Nebraska was to play. They wanted to run the same defense that Pelini did, unfortunately they could not understand that EJ and Super D made the defense the year before, not them. They were the benefactors. Fabian and Josh were part of that group. They were told prior to the Colorado game to keep their mouths shut or hit the road. We have seen that they have moved on. You either are part of the program or you are not. They decided with the help of Pelini to not be part. There were many problems with the defense, they could have helped make it better but decided to do things differently.

 

I give him the benefit of the doubt, but by no means was he a major player on the defense last year. I will say it was due to injury. I think you will hear more about this after the draft.

 

You choose to believe that all was wonderful in Husker land. I choose reality. Anyone who watched the Colorado and Miami games could see how far the program had fallen in terms of speed and talent. Texas Tech was another lesson. In 2003 we could not have played a top 15 team and won. From penthouse to outhouse in 4 short years. Live in the past all you want, but it is the past and it will never come back.\

 

I understand why last year happened. Too many changes in too short of time. I feel sorry for the kids that went through all of this. They bought in under one coach and had the rug pulled out from under them and then again. Not easy to overcome those things. But what this program does not need is another change anytime soon. I have been a loyal fan for 54 years now. I have seen the ups and the downs, the fans wanting to fire Osborne, heck I was one of them. I did not want Frank fired, but have realized just how bad off we were. You need to move forward in life and so does a program. This program needs all to be pulling in the same direction, because if it goes down this time, I truly do not feel it will ever recover.

[formerfan]

Toad,

 

I think there are two parts to the story, maybe even three.  He was injured early in the year.  He loved Pelini and did not buy into they system of the new coaches.  He has had nothing but time to improve his physical situation at a world class training site.

 

Money is on the table, and that opens eyes and brings on a lot of effort. 

 

I hope he makes good money and wish him luck, but I must say I am glad he is gone.

Glad he is gone, WOW!!!! The best, most athletic player on the squad and youre glad he's gone?????????????

 

If coz would have had an inkling of an idea about how to put together a gameplan, maybe Fabian would have fared better last year. He did well his first two years, but the minute elmo and cozzy stepped on campus, he didnt. Wonder why????

 

To answer the original question, he may have been playing lame duck, possibly. But he was certainly playing for a lame @$$ coaching staff.

I don't understand how you are still a "Husker"?

 

I mean dude you are negative about eveything.

 

You won't even give the coaches a chance.

 

I bet you have Frank solich wallpaper in your bathroom.

 

Just another anti-husker. Or a "Husker" that thinks he's a husker but he's really not.

 

Go find another team pal if your not willing to go through tough times. And give the guys a chance.

 

If there was never any chances in life (or your life) would anyone be able to suceed? Would you be able to accomplish things in your life you've been able to accomplish. What if you were in their position and you had people talking about them the way you do. How would you feel?

Watching the performance of this staff, there is little to nothing to be positive about. I gave them a chance, the same chance that Pelini, Cotton, Williams, and Sanders had, and they did much, much worse than that staff. I dont see it getting much better.

 

Actually, as I have said before, I like FS and respect him. He is a good coach, but not a great recruiter, that was his downfall (that and loyalty to his assistants). I did not have a problem with removing FS in theory, the problem I had was the timing, the fact that his new staff was never given a chance, the fact that pud made a mockery of the progam, and last but not least, if youre gonna fire a guy who won 75% of his games and promise a WOW! replacement, you had damn well better hire someone who is better. callahan is not better, he sucks and he is a self-serving, disgusting, idiotic, major league @$$-hole who has done nothing but crap on the program and its traditions, and cause it much more harm and misery.

 

I love the old Husker program and as I have said before, if you really get behind this staff and watch them destroy the traditions and the pride of the Huskers, then maybe YOU need to find a new program, because what they are doing is very, very hurtful.

 

BTW, if the new staff has such thin skin, then maybe they need to find a new line of work and give back their 6 and 7 figure salaries. In the world where I live or at my job, if I performed how cally and co have, I would have been fired yesterday.

 

Besides, I have self pride to say if I cant do the job right, then I wont half-ass it, I will let someone else do it.

[kramer]

I don't mean to be negative or to bag on FW or JB. But if they are testing so well at the combines, why didn't we see this translate to better play on the field.

 

The speed and strength shown by these players at the combine IMO should have equated to a better showing on the field. Especially in the dept of physicality. If FW can bench 225lbs 19 times at 190lbs he should be able to be very physical with just about anybody. That is a very impressive stat.

[kramer]

According to Kiper, Fabian "made a big splash as a freshman and leveled off somewhat as a junior. But his experience against top-shelf competition is a major plus. He also has tremendous leaping ability and size/speed ratio, placing him squarely in the mid-to-late first round."

 

Good for Fabian! Now he'll be able to make enough money to get his Mom and his younger brother out of the bad neighborhood they're living in, which he said was his #1 reason for leaving Nebraska early.

Maybe if his brother is good enough we'll have a Washington connection going on when his brother graduates HS.

 

Elsewhere among the B12, he rates Benson at #4 (down from #1), Derrick Johnson at #9, Dan Cody at #10 (down from #6), and Jammal Brown (OT, OU) at #21 (previously unranked). He has OU S Brodney Pool dropping off his Big Board from #23.

[kramer]

Kiper has Washington going 18th to Minn and Ruud going 32nd to the Pats. the Pats have a big question mark with Teddy B's stroke. interesting. what do you guys think?? with Bullocks going in the 2nd round to the Buc's

[Red November]

Fabian at 25