Hujan Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. Quote Link to comment
huskerscott Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Quote Link to comment
Joe_5700 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. I guess the old QB couch was getting pretty old and needed to be replaced. Is the new one leather? Quote Link to comment
Hujan Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. Quote Link to comment
huskerscott Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. Yes, Watson and Gilmore were big negative effects on the offense. But now everybody seems to think everything is gonna be perfect now that beck is running the show on offense. We may show some improvement this next year and by the end of the year have an identity of what exactly they want to on offense. Dont expect this offense to improve as much as the defense did between 2007 and 2008. A jump of about 60 some spots in total defense, that is just unrealistic. The next year was extremely better. We should expect the same with the offense. If not give Beck and Co. alittle more time to get this right. We are still atleast 2 years away from dominating BigTen defenses. Much like the Callahan era, watson and gilmore didnt screw this up overnight. Thus it wont be fixed overnight. Quote Link to comment
Hujan Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Yes, Watson and Gilmore were big negative effects on the offense. But now everybody seems to think everything is gonna be perfect now that beck is running the show on offense. We may show some improvement this next year and by the end of the year have an identity of what exactly they want to on offense. Dont expect this offense to improve as much as the defense did between 2007 and 2008. A jump of about 60 some spots in total defense, that is just unrealistic. The next year was extremely better. We should expect the same with the offense. If not give Beck and Co. alittle more time to get this right. We are still atleast 2 years away from dominating BigTen defenses. Much like the Callahan era, watson and gilmore didnt screw this up overnight. Thus it wont be fixed overnight. You need a little more: Quote Link to comment
robsker Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. Here is my take. If you were to rank our offense from last year --- taking into consideration only conference games and the Bowl game (doing so, so as to assess only against the better competition) --- and you are ranking on a scale of 1 -10, with 1 being as bad as is possible, 10 being as good as possible and 5 being an average major-conference-level offense --- then I'd place last years offense as a 2.5 on a 10-point scale. Now... I'd expect that with this new year coming up --- a healthy QB, more experience, simpler schemes, and better blocking assignments --- that the NU offense could be much better than last year --- perhaps a 4 on a scale of 10 (almost an average D1 major-conference level offense). Limit the fumbles and penalties, lower the sacks needlessly taken... and maybe NU is a 5.5 or 6 on a scale of 10. So... improvement? Almost certainly. Improvement into a "good" offense (a 6.5-7.0 on a scale of 10)... not likely. But we could have an average (to slightly better than average) offense (which would be a great improvement over last year, where, frankly, NU was pathetic in conference and in the bowl). If so... we can compete reasonably well in the B10. Win a division? Likely no... but compete and win more than we lose (in conference)? Yes. Quote Link to comment
HotGrillonGrillAction Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. Yes, Watson and Gilmore were big negative effects on the offense. But now everybody seems to think everything is gonna be perfect now that beck is running the show on offense. We may show some improvement this next year and by the end of the year have an identity of what exactly they want to on offense. Dont expect this offense to improve as much as the defense did between 2007 and 2008. A jump of about 60 some spots in total defense, that is just unrealistic. The next year was extremely better. We should expect the same with the offense. If not give Beck and Co. alittle more time to get this right. We are still atleast 2 years away from dominating BigTen defenses. Much like the Callahan era, watson and gilmore didnt screw this up overnight. Thus it wont be fixed overnight. I think laughing stock is a bit extreme! We had some HORRID moments...no doubt...but far from the worst and flashes of awesomeness...... I've said it in many posts...a few tweaks here and there.....and TM is the Heisman winner. The tweaks may have been made correctly - time will tell. Laughing stock, NU was not tho...just bad at the wrong times. Quote Link to comment
huskerscott Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 have you seen him recently? he's been doing some serious time in the weight room. looks ready to take a yearlong grind. i havent seen any numbers, but i wouldnt be surprised if he was easily over the 220 mark. he wasnt exactly a seldom used tool last year...172 carries 5.5 yd avg, 15 receptions 9.9 yard avg. id say hes coming along at a perfect pace and more than capable of being relied upon as the feature back. the guy is the most natural leader on the team. and i think its kind of short sighted saying he is our only offensive threat. its like taylor martinez doesnt exist to some of you. put aside the qb argument, you dont just shove his talent back on the shelf because of the way a true freshman year ended for him. Rex does not have a lot of sensational highlight plays, mostly because he lacks top-end speed. Having said that, Rex may get pub in the same way that Toby Gerhart did--by just being a brutal, consistent runner. Rex will get some additional benefit for the fact that he can run the Rexcat and throw for a few scores. All in all, I don't think it's ridiculous to believe that he can push for the Heisman either this year or the next one. Not to mention that he will benefit from the fact that there are other play-makers on the team. Assuming as I must that Martinez will remain the starting QB, teams are going to have to account for both players. And with Reed, Kinnie, and Bell as potential receiving threats, teams can't afford to just load the box and play the run. I predict that Burkhead will finish with at least 1,200 yards rushing and 11 TDs this season. He will have another 300 yards and 2 TDs receiving, and 3 TDs passing, for a total of ~1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. It may not be enough to win the Heisman considering guys like Boise State's QB, Andrew Luck, Denard Robinson, and the RB from South Carolina, but he'll probably be in the conversation. Thats what teams did towards the end of the year and seem to work in their favor. 1500 all purpose yards is maybe enough for all conference, thats about it. Reed and Kinnie maybe potential offensive playmakers but its not a given who gonna be throwing those guys the ball the yet. Bell hasnt even seen time in a game yet, so I dont know he would be considered a potential playmaker. Lets wait till he sees the field, atleast before we put playmaker next to his name. Of course you'll never agree but for the heck of it there are four major reasons that just could take the Debbie Downer cloud off your head..... 1. a new OC 2. a new QB couch 3. a healthy Tmart (yeah, I know....our best qb & leader is one of the freshmen who hasn't played a down yet) 4. a new WR coach Who knows? You might even enjoy watching NU crush Big10 teams into the dust. And . . . bshirt for the tip in. Thanks, bud. A new OC, a new QB coach are reasons NU wont crush the Ohio State, the Wisconsins of the BigTen. Im not being a Debbie Downer, I just think NU is atleast 2 years away from competing in the BigTen. Our offensive has been the laughing stock of college football the last 2 years. Other than a new OC and position coaches, I have no reason to believe this year wont be any different. History tends to repeat itself. Let the team atleast play some conference games before we get all excited about how good the offense really is. Plus I dont think Tmart is gonna be able to go the whole year without getting injured. I think alittle too much kool aid is being drank around here. Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. Yes, Watson and Gilmore were big negative effects on the offense. But now everybody seems to think everything is gonna be perfect now that beck is running the show on offense. We may show some improvement this next year and by the end of the year have an identity of what exactly they want to on offense. Dont expect this offense to improve as much as the defense did between 2007 and 2008. A jump of about 60 some spots in total defense, that is just unrealistic. The next year was extremely better. We should expect the same with the offense. If not give Beck and Co. alittle more time to get this right. We are still atleast 2 years away from dominating BigTen defenses. Much like the Callahan era, watson and gilmore didnt screw this up overnight. Thus it wont be fixed overnight. I think laughing stock is a bit extreme! We had some HORRID moments...no doubt...but far from the worst and flashes of awesomeness...... I've said it in many posts...a few tweaks here and there.....and TM is the Heisman winner. The tweaks may have been made correctly - time will tell. Laughing stock, NU was not tho...just bad at the wrong times. laughing stock was maybe abit extreme. But when the stage was at its biggest, the offense shut down and looked completely lost. Tweaks here and their could fix this offense tremendously. But we are far from dominating BigTen defenses, I dont care how much "speed" we supposedly have. Quote Link to comment
Hujan Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Here is my take. If you were to rank our offense from last year --- taking into consideration only conference games and the Bowl game (doing so, so as to assess only against the better competition) --- and you are ranking on a scale of 1 -10, with 1 being as bad as is possible, 10 being as good as possible and 5 being an average major-conference-level offense --- then I'd place last years offense as a 2.5 on a 10-point scale. Now... I'd expect that with this new year coming up --- a healthy QB, more experience, simpler schemes, and better blocking assignments --- that the NU offense could be much better than last year --- perhaps a 4 on a scale of 10 (almost an average D1 major-conference level offense). Limit the fumbles and penalties, lower the sacks needlessly taken... and maybe NU is a 5.5 or 6 on a scale of 10. So... improvement? Almost certainly. Improvement into a "good" offense (a 6.5-7.0 on a scale of 10)... not likely. But we could have an average (to slightly better than average) offense (which would be a great improvement over last year, where, frankly, NU was pathetic in conference and in the bowl). If so... we can compete reasonably well in the B10. Win a division? Likely no... but compete and win more than we lose (in conference)? Yes. Let's take a look: K State: 9 Texas: 1 Okie State: 9 Mizzou: 7 Iowa State: 3 Kansas: 3 A&M: 1 Colorado: 5 Oklahoma: 3 Washington: 1 I add that up and get a 4.2 (42/10). Now, notice that pre-Martinez injury (italicized dates) is an average of 6.5, and post-Martinez injury is an average of 2.67, using my very sophisticated numerical assessment of every game. Now, anyone who's followed my posts (don't you all?) would know that I don't lay all the blame for our late-season offensive woes on Martinez's glass ankle, but there is no question it had an impact. To compromise, let's say that without Martinez's injury, our offense would have maintained at least a solid 5.5 average for the year. If you take that 5.5 and add the 1.5 you are crediting us with from the changes to the scheme and coaching staff, you are looking at ~7 on a 10 point scale assuming Martinez stays healthy. I think that's about right: If Martinez stays healthy and we see some significant, but modest, improvements in our offensive scheming/play calling/fundamentals, I think we can have an above-average to good offense. Of course, the real question is what will the improved offense do to Rex's numbers. Well, it looks more and more likely that Rex, rather than one of the new guys, is going to be the feature back in our system, which will have an increased effect on his carries. Last year, Rex got 951 yards on 172 carries for almost exactly 5.5 yards a pop. Now one has to address how many more carries Rex will get now that he is the feature back. To answer that, I would point out that Rex and Roy had 360 combined carries last year, which is about 25 per game. With our shift to a run-first offense, I would expect us to run the ball at least as much next year, and probably more. And as our only back with any real experience, I would expect Rex to get the bulk of our HB carries. I will split the difference and say that Rex will carry at least 19 times per game next year. At last year's rate of 5.5 yards per carry, that comes out to 1,436 yards assuming a 14-game season (or 1,358 yards assuming we miss the BigTen CCG). But note that this is using last year's rate and is therefore not giving Rex the benefit of any improvements in blocking, play calling, and having other playmakers on the field that the D has to account for. (For example, much of those 5.5 yards last year came with Rex running against a stacked box out of the Wildcat where it was obvious he was going to tote the rock, or with no Martinez on the field. In fact, Rex's two highest production games---Iowa State and Colorado---came without the benefit of Martinez on the field.) Nor is this giving recognition to probably the most important factor of all: Rex's own individual improvement from last year. I would not be surprised, then, if Rex flirted with a yards-per-carry rating of somewhere around 5.8 or even 6.0 next year, depending on how well our offense is humming. Now, if he totes 19 times a game at 6.0 yards per carry, you are looking at just under 1,600 yards in a 14-game season, or just under 1,500 yards by the time Heisman voting will occur. Assuming that he will also make contributions as a receiver, he could have around 1,800 all-purpose yards. Is it enough to win the Heisman? Probably not, but if our offense improves slightly, Martinez stays healthy, and Rex stays healthy, I think there is a good chance he'll at least be in the conversation. Quote Link to comment
zoogs Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 To compromise, let's say that without Martinez's injury, our offense would have maintained at least a solid 5.5 average for the year. There's very little reason to assume this, though. We just streamrolled OSU and followed that up by steamrolling Missouri, one of the better defenses we faced all year - and better than any of the defenses we faced after that, Oklahoma possibly excepted. We'd really get stopped by the likes of ISU, Kansas, Colorado without that injury? I don't believe a bit of that. Even A&M I think we would roll without all the distractions and the blows to the team's confidence as people hit a brick wall. But then, with those refs, you never know. Quote Link to comment
Hujan Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 To compromise, let's say that without Martinez's injury, our offense would have maintained at least a solid 5.5 average for the year. There's very little reason to assume this, though. We just streamrolled OSU and followed that up by steamrolling Missouri, one of the better defenses we faced all year - and better than any of the defenses we faced after that, Oklahoma possibly excepted. We'd really get stopped by the likes of ISU, Kansas, Colorado without that injury? I don't believe a bit of that. Even A&M I think we would roll without all the distractions and the blows to the team's confidence as people hit a brick wall. But then, with those refs, you never know. I tend to agree, but was trying to be conservative in my estimates. I should have said, "At worst, without Martinez's injury, we would have been a solid 5.5 average for the year." In any event, you might be under-estimating Texas A&M's defense a smidge. Von Miller was a force. Regardless, do you agree that Rex is set to have a big year next year? I guarantee he breaks 1,200 yards next season, barring injury. Quote Link to comment
zoogs Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I think Rex will have a big year...although if I had to guess, I'd say he wouldn't break 1200 yards. Next year we'll have Rex, and I figure two of the three true freshmen. As well as some promising walk-ons who could work their way into the rotation. Plus a lot of QB running. I don't know - it's hard to say. Just a prediction. I'd guess he manages 1000, but not 1200. Quote Link to comment
AngryHusker88 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 The extra weight will be helpful, but he is not the homerun threat that Roy was. Hopefully, one of the incoming freshman can be that guy. I love the guy as a player, but can't imagine Rex being a Heisman type guy. Just be Rex and smash it up. Rex isnt a home run threat - hes a 1st down machine Quote Link to comment
The Dude Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Respectfully, I think you are underestimating (1) Watson and Gilmore's negative effect on our offense, and (2) how quickly Beck will be able to turn this ship around to at least some degree. I agree that we won't realize the full benefit of Beck's changes until Year 2, but there will be a significant improvement this seasons, nonetheless. Just as Bo didn't get us to be a top defense until 2009, we still made dramatic improvement in 2008. I agree dumping Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb will be huge. HUGE. I don't know if I agree with your second point though. Bo was a proven defensive genius when he took over. Beck hasn't proven squat. Quote Link to comment
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