HuskerfaninOkieland Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Husker Extra 5 big questions for the upcoming season By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star Monday, Jul 27, 2009 - 12:15:39 am CDT Not to be confused with a Dockers slacks convention, sports reporters today converge on Dallas for the Big 12 Conference’s football media days. It is the kind of event where you just might end up taking an elevator ride with Mack Brown, or find yourself eating pasta a couple tables away from Sam Bradford. Rarely does any monumental news come out of these annual gatherings (last year we learned that Matt Slauson wears his pants in a size 40 waist), but the questions will flow in abundance nonetheless. Because? Well, because. Football is almost here and talking about its pending arrival for three days brings it that much closer. Of course Husker coach Bo Pelini will be in attendance, joined by Nebraska players Ndamukong Suh, Roy Helu and Jacob Hickman. The Huskers are one of four teams to take the stage today, and no doubt Pelini and Suh, just named the preseason’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, will be very popular quotes. What might Huskers be asked today and in the weeks that follow? We have some ideas. 1) How ready is Zac Lee to assume not just the leadership role, but also all the hits and occasional biting critiques, that come with being Nebraska’s quarterback? And does anyone head into fall camp with a lead in the race for the backup job? Joe Ganz had an air of confidence, almost hinting at cockiness, that served Nebraska so well last year during a transition phase. He was a natural leader and players gravitated toward his swagger. Now it’s Lee’s turn to be the voice of the offense. Teammates have said he’ll fit the role well, but the big questions won’t be answered until adversity hits. How will Lee handle matters after a big interception in hostile territory? Will he maintain his swagger when the going is rough? Expect reporters to ask Pelini, Hickman and Helu today about Lee’s mentality and how he’s taken command of the offense during summer drills. But perhaps the biggest question — how durable is Lee? — can’t be answered until the games begin. Husker fans have been spoiled in recent years by how tough Zac Taylor and Ganz were. Both took a lot of licks and just kept getting up. How Lee holds up to the punishment could be a deciding factor in how this team holds up. Of course, there’s also that whole issue of who backs up Lee. Kody Spano? Cody Green? Latravis Washington? At what point this fall do coaches define who is where on the depth chart and if someone (like Green, for instance) will redshirt? 2) It’s all about status. What is the status of Niles Paul after a rocky spring? And how about the status of Jaivorio Burkes. Will he ever play football for Nebraska again after some medical issues? Linebacker Phillip Dillard was in the doghouse in the spring, but does he have the chance for a grand comeback this fall? Is Kody Spano ready to compete in fall ball? Time for some status checks. It’s assumed Paul, who had some off-the-field issues and served a team suspension in the spring, will be full-go when fall camp starts on Aug. 9, but you can be assured that question will come up today. Burkes’ name will also come up given that the offensive lineman missed spring ball for undisclosed medical reasons. (He had an issue with high blood pressure the year before.) Indications have been he probably won’t play this year, but nothing has been put in stone. Dillard is perhaps the most interesting case. He’s NU’s most experienced linebacker but took a plunge down the depth chart in the spring. Whether Dillard rebounds will no doubt be a storyline of the fall. (Expect also today a question to be asked about linebacker Blake Lawrence, who had some concussion problems in the spring.) Then there’s Spano, who had knee surgery in the spring. Is he ready to go and where does he stand in the race for the backup job? 3) They’ve got plenty of potential and a great talent in Suh. But can this defensive line take another leap forward and continue off the domination it showed in the Gator Bowl? Last year, hardly anyone believed Carl Pelini when he said his defensive line could be a strength of the football team. We should have. By the end of this year, NU’s D-line was playing some great football. Ask Todd Reesing. Ask Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. But can this defensive line raise its game another level despite the departure of Zach Potter and Ty Steinkuhler? Suh will get a lot of the attention but it’s how guys like Jared Crick, Pierre Allen, Terrence Moore and Baker Steinkuhler develop that will be as critical as anything to this defense. Also, Barry Turner will be a story as he looks to come back after missing almost all of last year with a broken leg. Plenty of media members will be working on Suh stories this week, but what should perhaps be most interesting to Husker fans is what Suh says to any questions about how the guys are developing around him. 4) Besides Suh, who is primed to be a defensive playmaker and help this defense improve from its national ranking of 107th in turnover margin last year? Bo Pelini’s defenses have been known for causing turnovers but last year NU claimed only 12 interceptions and five fumbles. Those numbers need to climb in 2009 for this team to take the next step. Who can make it improve? According to the talk in the spring, Nebraska’s defensive backs were playing with much more confidence, attacking the ball more in their second year in this system. Defensive backs like Prince Amukamara, Anthony West, Larry Asante and Eric Hagg are some of the names you’d expect to make more big plays this year. As for linebacker, big things are anticipated for Mathew May, and now we really get to see what redshirt freshmen Will Compton and Sean Fisher can do. Husker fans hoped they might be game-changers when they were recruited. Now opportunity to make an impact is at the doorstep. 5) Bo Pelini gushed about Roy Helu for the first half of the spring. But a trimmer Quentin Castille also performed well and is coming off a career performance in the Gator Bowl. How close is that competition and how evenly do Husker coaches spread the touches between both players? With Marlon Lucky departed, it’s now truly Helu’s and Castille’s show. Helu told the Journal Star this summer that he and Castille have grown closer and that the two will have a very healthy competition. “I need him. I need Quentin Castille to be there for our team and our offense. I need him for me,” said Helu, who has recovered from a spring hamstring injury. “He’d probably say the same thing. It goes hand in hand that we need each other.” Still, there will certainly be questions this fall about where that competition sits. Who’s leading the way and how will the touches be divided? And who is the No. 3 I-back? Lester Ward? Austin Jones? Maybe a new face like Rex Burkhead? Nothing beats quarterback conversation in this state, but talking about running backs might come in a close second. Reach Brian Christopherson at bchristopherson@journalstar Quote Link to comment
dawhuskerkc Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Husker Extra 5 big questions for the upcoming season By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star Monday, Jul 27, 2009 - 12:15:39 am CDT Not to be confused with a Dockers slacks convention, sports reporters today converge on Dallas for the Big 12 Conference’s football media days. It is the kind of event where you just might end up taking an elevator ride with Mack Brown, or find yourself eating pasta a couple tables away from Sam Bradford. Rarely does any monumental news come out of these annual gatherings (last year we learned that Matt Slauson wears his pants in a size 40 waist), but the questions will flow in abundance nonetheless. Because? Well, because. Football is almost here and talking about its pending arrival for three days brings it that much closer. Of course Husker coach Bo Pelini will be in attendance, joined by Nebraska players Ndamukong Suh, Roy Helu and Jacob Hickman. The Huskers are one of four teams to take the stage today, and no doubt Pelini and Suh, just named the preseason’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, will be very popular quotes. What might Huskers be asked today and in the weeks that follow? We have some ideas. 1) How ready is Zac Lee to assume not just the leadership role, but also all the hits and occasional biting critiques, that come with being Nebraska’s quarterback? And does anyone head into fall camp with a lead in the race for the backup job? Joe Ganz had an air of confidence, almost hinting at cockiness, that served Nebraska so well last year during a transition phase. He was a natural leader and players gravitated toward his swagger. Now it’s Lee’s turn to be the voice of the offense. Teammates have said he’ll fit the role well, but the big questions won’t be answered until adversity hits. How will Lee handle matters after a big interception in hostile territory? Will he maintain his swagger when the going is rough? Expect reporters to ask Pelini, Hickman and Helu today about Lee’s mentality and how he’s taken command of the offense during summer drills. But perhaps the biggest question — how durable is Lee? — can’t be answered until the games begin. Husker fans have been spoiled in recent years by how tough Zac Taylor and Ganz were. Both took a lot of licks and just kept getting up. How Lee holds up to the punishment could be a deciding factor in how this team holds up. Of course, there’s also that whole issue of who backs up Lee. Kody Spano? Cody Green? Latravis Washington? At what point this fall do coaches define who is where on the depth chart and if someone (like Green, for instance) will redshirt? 2) It’s all about status. What is the status of Niles Paul after a rocky spring? And how about the status of Jaivorio Burkes. Will he ever play football for Nebraska again after some medical issues? Linebacker Phillip Dillard was in the doghouse in the spring, but does he have the chance for a grand comeback this fall? Is Kody Spano ready to compete in fall ball? Time for some status checks. It’s assumed Paul, who had some off-the-field issues and served a team suspension in the spring, will be full-go when fall camp starts on Aug. 9, but you can be assured that question will come up today. Burkes’ name will also come up given that the offensive lineman missed spring ball for undisclosed medical reasons. (He had an issue with high blood pressure the year before.) Indications have been he probably won’t play this year, but nothing has been put in stone. Dillard is perhaps the most interesting case. He’s NU’s most experienced linebacker but took a plunge down the depth chart in the spring. Whether Dillard rebounds will no doubt be a storyline of the fall. (Expect also today a question to be asked about linebacker Blake Lawrence, who had some concussion problems in the spring.) Then there’s Spano, who had knee surgery in the spring. Is he ready to go and where does he stand in the race for the backup job? 3) They’ve got plenty of potential and a great talent in Suh. But can this defensive line take another leap forward and continue off the domination it showed in the Gator Bowl? Last year, hardly anyone believed Carl Pelini when he said his defensive line could be a strength of the football team. We should have. By the end of this year, NU’s D-line was playing some great football. Ask Todd Reesing. Ask Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. But can this defensive line raise its game another level despite the departure of Zach Potter and Ty Steinkuhler? Suh will get a lot of the attention but it’s how guys like Jared Crick, Pierre Allen, Terrence Moore and Baker Steinkuhler develop that will be as critical as anything to this defense. Also, Barry Turner will be a story as he looks to come back after missing almost all of last year with a broken leg. Plenty of media members will be working on Suh stories this week, but what should perhaps be most interesting to Husker fans is what Suh says to any questions about how the guys are developing around him. 4) Besides Suh, who is primed to be a defensive playmaker and help this defense improve from its national ranking of 107th in turnover margin last year? Bo Pelini’s defenses have been known for causing turnovers but last year NU claimed only 12 interceptions and five fumbles. Those numbers need to climb in 2009 for this team to take the next step. Who can make it improve? According to the talk in the spring, Nebraska’s defensive backs were playing with much more confidence, attacking the ball more in their second year in this system. Defensive backs like Prince Amukamara, Anthony West, Larry Asante and Eric Hagg are some of the names you’d expect to make more big plays this year. As for linebacker, big things are anticipated for Mathew May, and now we really get to see what redshirt freshmen Will Compton and Sean Fisher can do. Husker fans hoped they might be game-changers when they were recruited. Now opportunity to make an impact is at the doorstep. 5) Bo Pelini gushed about Roy Helu for the first half of the spring. But a trimmer Quentin Castille also performed well and is coming off a career performance in the Gator Bowl. How close is that competition and how evenly do Husker coaches spread the touches between both players? With Marlon Lucky departed, it’s now truly Helu’s and Castille’s show. Helu told the Journal Star this summer that he and Castille have grown closer and that the two will have a very healthy competition. “I need him. I need Quentin Castille to be there for our team and our offense. I need him for me,” said Helu, who has recovered from a spring hamstring injury. “He’d probably say the same thing. It goes hand in hand that we need each other.” Still, there will certainly be questions this fall about where that competition sits. Who’s leading the way and how will the touches be divided? And who is the No. 3 I-back? Lester Ward? Austin Jones? Maybe a new face like Rex Burkhead? Nothing beats quarterback conversation in this state, but talking about running backs might come in a close second. Reach Brian Christopherson at bchristopherson@journalstar Quote Link to comment
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