Mel Kiper chimes in on Husker Draft potential via Robin Washut

[True2tRA]

Why all the hate for Cassidy? He is a damn good player that was usually the victim of his corners running the wrong assignment.

Why does it have to be hate? That's such a strong word. I don't think anyone feels hatred for Cassidy. Most of us just think he's lacking some skills as a football player. That would make him like 98% of the rest of the population that would struggle in Division 1 football. I get the same bad rap for my dislike for Taylor at QB. I don't hate the kid, I just wish he was better utilized on this team as a WR or Safety. Hell anything he can do well, they should be using his speed. He just is not a QB, he is not a leader, his footwork is terribe, his read and recognition skills are horrible, and his ability to scramble and extend passing plays is absolutely non existant. That's not hate, that's facts. These coaches aren't doing him or the rest of the offense any favors by keeping him out there.

[Lil' Red]

Why all the hate for Cassidy? He is a damn good player that was usually the victim of his corners running the wrong assignment.

Why does it have to be hate? That's such a strong word. I don't think anyone feels hatred for Cassidy. Most of us just think he's lacking some skills as a football player. That would make him like 98% of the rest of the population that would struggle in Division 1 football. I get the same bad rap for my dislike for Taylor at QB. I don't hate the kid, I just wish he was better utilized on this team as a WR or Safety. Hell anything he can do well, they should be using his speed. He just is not a QB, he is not a leader, his footwork is terribe, his read and recognition skills are horrible, and his ability to scramble and extend passing plays is absolutely non existant. That's not hate, that's facts. These coaches aren't doing him or the rest of the offense any favors by keeping him out there.

 

Another fact is that the coaches thought Cassidy and Taylor were the best players we had to put out there. If we didn't play them we would be a worse football team so I can't comprehend the logic behind not playing them.

[lo country]

Why all the hate for Cassidy? He is a damn good player that was usually the victim of his corners running the wrong assignment.

Why does it have to be hate? That's such a strong word. I don't think anyone feels hatred for Cassidy. Most of us just think he's lacking some skills as a football player. That would make him like 98% of the rest of the population that would struggle in Division 1 football. I get the same bad rap for my dislike for Taylor at QB. I don't hate the kid, I just wish he was better utilized on this team as a WR or Safety. Hell anything he can do well, they should be using his speed. He just is not a QB, he is not a leader, his footwork is terribe, his read and recognition skills are horrible, and his ability to scramble and extend passing plays is absolutely non existant. That's not hate, that's facts. These coaches aren't doing him or the rest of the offense any favors by keeping him out there.

 

Another fact is that the coaches thought Cassidy and Taylor were the best players we had to put out there. If we didn't play them we would be a worse football team so I can't comprehend the logic behind not playing them.

 

Cassidy, like O'Hanlon before, played over "better" athletes because of their knowledge of the system.

 

That is my biggest knock on the staff, we canned (allegedly) the largest playbook in Div I on the O side, but we still have a very complicated D predicated on every guy being in the right spot at the right time. If one guys misses a read/assignment/adjustment, it means the whole D is exposed. That is what the players and Bo keep talking about "we didn't execute". I would like to see a simpler, more aggressive D that gets the "better" athletes on the field.

 

In 2003 he had one year that got the D a +23 turn over margin (led nation) a record setting 47 turnovers and another record setting 32 INT's. Bo also got RUUD the tackling record for NU. Tried to find overall rankings for the D, but couldn't.

 

Seems Bo did all this w/out "his guys". I would love ot see him go back to this ball hawking a$$ kicking D that he was able to put together after only one season with the guys.

 

Bo does know D. He just needs to adjust to the guys we have and get the kids he recruited for one reason or another onto the field much faster IMO.

[zoogs]

O'Hanlon was great. I think Cassidy struggled a lot more and we think of both as substandard athletes just because they are white, I guess, but O'Hanlon was a good athlete in his own right. He gave up a big play at the beginning of the year but he came back and had a very, very solid season.

[whateveritis1224]

O'Hanlon messed up on one play, but was solid the rest of the year. Probably the best open field tackler in the back 7. Cassidy was good last year, but seemed like he took a step back this year. Maybe it was the fact that he was playing around 4 draft picks that hid some of his faults, but he just didn't seem as sharp this year. Saying that I wish him the best in his future endevours.

[Redtillimdead]

The only thing Mel is sure about is he has better hair than Todd mcshay!!!

[True2tRA]

Why all the hate for Cassidy? He is a damn good player that was usually the victim of his corners running the wrong assignment.

Why does it have to be hate? That's such a strong word. I don't think anyone feels hatred for Cassidy. Most of us just think he's lacking some skills as a football player. That would make him like 98% of the rest of the population that would struggle in Division 1 football. I get the same bad rap for my dislike for Taylor at QB. I don't hate the kid, I just wish he was better utilized on this team as a WR or Safety. Hell anything he can do well, they should be using his speed. He just is not a QB, he is not a leader, his footwork is terribe, his read and recognition skills are horrible, and his ability to scramble and extend passing plays is absolutely non existant. That's not hate, that's facts. These coaches aren't doing him or the rest of the offense any favors by keeping him out there.

 

Another fact is that the coaches thought Cassidy and Taylor were the best players we had to put out there. If we didn't play them we would be a worse football team so I can't comprehend the logic behind not playing them.

 

Cassidy, like O'Hanlon before, played over "better" athletes because of their knowledge of the system.

 

That is my biggest knock on the staff, we canned (allegedly) the largest playbook in Div I on the O side, but we still have a very complicated D predicated on every guy being in the right spot at the right time. If one guys misses a read/assignment/adjustment, it means the whole D is exposed. That is what the players and Bo keep talking about "we didn't execute". I would like to see a simpler, more aggressive D that gets the "better" athletes on the field.

 

In 2003 he had one year that got the D a +23 turn over margin (led nation) a record setting 47 turnovers and another record setting 32 INT's. Bo also got RUUD the tackling record for NU. Tried to find overall rankings for the D, but couldn't.

 

Seems Bo did all this w/out "his guys". I would love ot see him go back to this ball hawking a$$ kicking D that he was able to put together after only one season with the guys.

 

Bo does know D. He just needs to adjust to the guys we have and get the kids he recruited for one reason or another onto the field much faster IMO.

Couldn't have said it better myself Lo. This applies to both sides of the ball and I preach it constantly about coaching at this level. Do 5 or 6 things great! Don't do 100 things mediocre. Who cares how multiple you are or how many looks you can give if all 11 guys can't execute it. Football is the ultimate team sport. Finding 11 guys who know the ins and out of 100 different things and execute them fluidly is just impossible. We have some excellent talent on this team, I know that for a fact. It's not doing any good in college when the players only have 4 years and they ride the pine for 2 years just learning the system. Guys are going out there and just doing too much thinking instead of using their God given abilities and PLAYING BALL. When Bo was here for that 1 year, you know what he did. He installed a system as quick and efficiently as he could because it was his first season with that group. He had to put a competitive product on the field without asking them to do too much. Look how well it worked. His first few years as HC were his best defenses. Yeah, he had Suh, but there were far more playmakers than just him. I think the talent was there, but I think Bo kept it simple because his years with those guys were limited. You can see the more these guys are learning, the more thinking they are doing, the worse it looks. It's a hard concept for some to grasp, but I sincerely believe overcomplication is killing this team and staff. It cost Shawn Watson his job already. Hopefully Beck and Bo can figure this out.

[ShawnWatson]

[Lava]

When comparing O'Hanlon to Austin Cassidy you have to look at who they had around them rather than just their individual performance since many times safety play is so dependent on everyone else doing their jobs.

 

O'Hanlon had Suh and Crick on the line and Gomes/Hagg/Dennard/Prince in the secondary with him. The difference in the amount of freedom he had to make plays compared to Cassidy with a rather weak supporting cast this year is insane.

[HuskerCarter]

RobinWashut

Other than Dennard, Crick and David, Kiper didn't see any other #Huskers drafted. Said Austin Cassidy had a chance, but likely undrafted FA

biggest shocker was the fact that Kiper thought Cassidy had a "chance" at being drafted.

 

Some of you are looking too much into this. Look at the keys words used here in bold. Past tense, had a chance. Even says afterward, undrafted free agent.

 

Actually i remember more of Matt O'Hanlon and Larry Asante from 09, Dennard didn't play much except dime back and only when Hagg needed a break. Gomes played CB and switched off and on to safety. I remember seeing alot of Lance Thorell early, like against Virgina Tech. Anthony West played every game as well but rotated in.