2000's Husker All Decade Team

[REDSTEEL]

Where's the Zac Taylor love? That guy turned our offense around.....at least until this year.

 

Right here:

 

If it's a "traditional" offense, I'd strongly consider Zac Taylor over Joey Ganz. Zac is one of my favorite Huskers ever, and tough as nails. Imagine that guy on a decent team with Bo's defense. That's a solid team, that is.

 

That still couldn't move the ball against Auburn course maybe if Henery was on the team they win every game by scoring just fg's.

[whateveritis1224]

I liked Zac Taylor and he's probably the number 2 QB of the decade for Nebraska (Crouch is the only one who's better).

 

While I liked Ganz and what he did for us last year, I think he was put into a good situation. Top to bottom our WR core was probably it's best ever (only lost Purify from the previous season, maybe Hardy can't remember), we had an experienced line who didn't have any serious injuries (that made the player miss more than 1 game), and we had a stable of RB's that were probably among the best in the Big XII (Lucky was coming off of a 1700 total yard year but got hurt, Helu showed that he was a great back, and Castille was a bruiser). A lot of things went right for the offense last year and Ganz was the best person to run it.

 

Taylor took the reins of Nebraska's offense in the transitory period and showed us that the WCO/passing offense could work. In the process he probably took an average Nebraska team to 8 wins, and another to the Big XII championship and the Cotton Bowl. He was the only one besides Lee (who road on the coat tails of the defense) to take Nebraska to the Big XII title game this decade. Sure Crouch played in the National Championship, but they backed in when no one else decided they wanted to play Miami (seriously there were probably 3 or 4 things that needed to happen in the last week of the season that did happen).

 

How many good teams did Nebraska play that year? I know of Oklahoma and Colorado, but were there any others? Were there any North teams that were up besides Colorado that year?

 

Oh yeah my decade team would be

 

QB-Taylor

RB-Cory Ross

RB-Marlon Lucky- even though we wanted him to do more, he had a better career than B-Jax

RB-Buckhalter

WR-Swift

WR-Purify

TE- Herian or McNeil

 

DE-Carriker

DE-Kelsay

DT-Suh

LB-Barret Ruud

LB-Demarrio Williams

DB-Josh Bullocks

DB-Daniel Bullocks

DB-Dujuan Groce

DB-Amukamara

 

I know I don't have a full team but those are my picks.

[shyndy]

lucky had a "better" career than b-jax because he got a lot better oppurtunity.

 

for reciever what about Wilson Thomas? That guy could catch anything his way.

[knapplc]

Where's the Zac Taylor love? That guy turned our offense around.....at least until this year.

 

Right here:

 

If it's a "traditional" offense, I'd strongly consider Zac Taylor over Joey Ganz. Zac is one of my favorite Huskers ever, and tough as nails. Imagine that guy on a decent team with Bo's defense. That's a solid team, that is.

 

That still couldn't move the ball against Auburn course maybe if Henery was on the team they win every game by scoring just fg's.

Which part of "Bill Callahan" confuses you?

[irafreak]

Since I have been seeing some articles on some moments of the past decade, thought it would interesting to see who my Husker faithful would put on their All-Decade Team of the 2000's.

 

Crouch would have to be the QB since the other QB's this decade have been slim pickens. (Probably upset some of the Ganz is God people.)

 

QB - Crouch

RB - Roy Helu Jr

WR - Swift

WR - Purify

TE - Wistrom

OL - Volk

OL - Fonoti

OL - Raiola

OL - Hochstein

OL - Incognito

PK - Josh Brown

PR - Bobby Newcombe

 

DE - Carriker

DT - Suh

DT - Slechta

RE - Vander Bosch

DE - Kelsey

LB - Williams

LB - Ruud

LB - Polk

DB - Craver

DB - J. Bullocks

DB - D. Bullocks

DB - Groce

S - Matt O'Hanlon

P - Koch

Sorry I have to throw the flag for illegal participation. 12 men on the field for your defense.

 

I thought crouch was one of the most electrifying players in our history. Selfish yes. A baby sure. But the dude could fly and single handedly carried us through 2001. Also his passing was ok at times and the shoulder injury/surgery played a part. It depends on the offense you're running.

 

I would have to put Dejaun Groce as my punt returner though. Guy was a monster!

[Enhance]

 

How many years did Suh have the domination he had this year? Crouch was very solid for 4 years at Nebraska. Suh....18 months.

 

Not to those picking Ganz over Crouch...Like others have said Crouch was a threat to score (passing or running) on every single play. Did you have that same feeling with Ganz? Be serious now.

Can you elaborate as to what you mean by this?

 

Personally, I look at it this way. Knapplc said it best, in that guys with Eric's abilities and winning talents come along every couple of years (see Vince Young). Guys like Suh are once in a generation players. You look at what he did and all of the stats he accumulated, and it's hard to argue otherwise. He put up nearly as many tackles as entire defensive lines.

 

Plus, here is another edge I give to Suh. Solich's offense was tailored to give Eric all the control and put up ridiculous stats. Any time your QB puts up nearly as many yards as your starting running back, you know the system is tailored to make him run and make plays. The system was built for Crouch to succeed.

 

This defense was not built for Suh to succeed. It was built for Suh to plug up holes and allow linebackers and the secondary to make plays. Suh is not a product of the system, he is a product of his own natural abilities.

 

That's why I give Suh the edge.

[whateveritis1224]

lucky had a "better" career than b-jax because he got a lot better oppurtunity.

 

He made something of it with over 3600 total yards. He's also the season leader for receptions and yards receiving by a running back by a far and away margin (I think, but it's hard to believe that someone could some close to 70 receptions for 700 yards back in '07, maybe Ross came close one of his years, but it's hard to believe). While he didn't pan out the way he was supposed too, in a decade where there weren't any exceptional Nebraska Running Backs, he gets my nod. (not to knock Ross or anyone else it's just that Nebraska didn't have a great back that came close to what Green and some of the other backs that filled out the 90s for Nebraska)

[skersfan]

Cory did not have the line, the coach or the program to be what prior running backs were.

 

You put Cory on one of the 90's teams you would have seen near the same results if not the same.

 

He was Nebraska when he was here. No one played harder than Cory. Without him there would have been more losses.

 

Not really fair to compare him to the top backs in college, pro is different. IF he could have been used like Bush is, he might have had a better chance in the pros.

 

Still my all time favorite Husker. He and Suh are my two top players for Nebraska, Zac Taylor would be third. All three when the fortunes of the program were not that great. Playing above and beyond expectations, leaving it on the field every single play.

 

Suh gets the accolades, but the other two were very important to this program, at time we needed them more than some others on great teams.