Nebraska to launch Rex Burkhead Heisman website

[The Dude]

Rex's Heisman hopes rest solely on the shoulders of our Offensive Line. If he's going to be even considered for any post-season awards, they have to step up, big-time.

I'd say it has as much to do with Martinez and the receivers as it does with the offensive line. If we're not going to have a passing game that opponents respect, then we're going to continue to see defenses hovering around the line of scrimmage with their eyes on Burkhead and Martinez. Which only makes it that much tougher on the offensive line.

 

Keep in mind we only have 5 offensive lineman out there, and continuously putting them up against an 8 man box is a losing battle, no matter how good they are.

 

This is a key point people tend to leave out when criticizing the offensive line.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I think the national media and certainly the Big 10 universe sees exactly what we see in Rex Burkhead and has given him all the attention he's earned. I think Rex is even more notorious in college football than his stats would suggest, because the sporting press digs that he's a throwback workhorse who has periodically strapped a struggling offense on his back and carried the day. Rex has graduated from under the radar to the All-Conference and All-American conversation, and that's an honor. It would be a stretch to put him in a Heisman Top 10, but as a known and admired entity he'll be given every chance to crack it with a great season.

 

Unfortunately, the sign of a successful Husker offense likely includes less reliance on Rex Burkhead to carry the day.

[True2tRA]

Good for the University. Good for Burkhead. Good for recruiting. Sounds like a good thing all around. We should go above and beyond for guys who do things the right way on and off the field.

 

 

 

Rex's Heisman hopes rest solely on the shoulders of our Offensive Line. If he's going to be even considered for any post-season awards, they have to step up, big-time.

I'd say it has as much to do with Martinez and the receivers as it does with the offensive line. If we're not going to have a passing game that opponents respect, then we're going to continue to see defenses hovering around the line of scrimmage with their eyes on Burkhead and Martinez. Which only makes it that much tougher on the offensive line.

 

Keep in mind we only have 5 offensive lineman out there, and continuously putting them up against an 8 man box is a losing battle, no matter how good they are.

 

This is a key point people tend to leave out when criticizing the offensive line.

Holy sh#t! The Dude just made the most sense he's ever made! You clearly cut and pasted one of my posts and just changed a word or two though. I've been saying that for years, while the rest of you just continue to say how terrible our offensive line is. They may not be great, and they have a lot of room to improve. But it's not all their fault.

[The Dude]

Holy sh#t! The Dude just made the most sense he's ever made!

 

Which is saying a lot, because I make a lot of sense, a lot of the time.

[knapplc]

The only problem with the QB/WR angle is, without a good offensive line, you have zero passing game.

 

Everything hinges on the offensive line. Everything.

[HuskerShark]

The only problem with the QB/WR angle is, without a good offensive line, you have zero passing game.

 

Everything hinges on the offensive line. Everything.

 

The thing about a passing game is that certain types of passing offenses can disguise how good or bad an offensive line is. See Texas Tech under Mike Leach.

[BIG ERN]

[knapplc]

Leach's O Lines weren't crap. That's a bad example.

 

Listen, the whole "offensive line is the foundation of your team" is a truism. Everyone is welcome to disagree, you can cite an example here or there where an average O Line still succeeded, but there's just no getting around it.

 

ESPECIALLY for Nebraska's offense, which will at best be 60/40 Run/Pass, fundamentally solid offensive line play is a must.

[The Dude]

The only problem with the QB/WR angle is, without a good offensive line, you have zero passing game.

 

Everything hinges on the offensive line. Everything.

Generally speaking, I agree. But I'd argue the offensive line has been third on the list of things that need improvement in our passing game. Off target passes and dropped passes being 1 and 2, respectively.

 

Not to say the line couldn't be more consistent, there's always another rung on the ladder. I think they usually give Martinez enough time to get rid of the ball. Maybe I'm off base here, but I don't seem to recall it being a huge issue.

[knapplc]

Did you watch Martinez trying to pass against A&M? Against South Carolina? He had guys in his face all game, every game. He had no time to throw developing routes - everything had to be a quick read or he had a hand in his face. Our line blocks like a sieve against good defenses. Without shoring up that line, we could have Zac Taylor throwing to these receivers and it wouldn't matter.

 

And for the most part they weren't even blitzing - they were getting pressure against our line with their D Line. We can't have that. We have to be able to make a team use extra men to defeat our line, but they don't.

 

Further, the very fact that we have Martinez at QB rather than receiver means we're going to make this a running team, not a passing team - which is a shame considering we have (maybe) the best overall talent at WR in Nebraska's history right now. But that's the direction we're headed, meaning the line, the line, the line. That's the focus, that's the area of biggest need.

[The Dude]

Did you watch Martinez trying to pass against A&M? Against South Carolina? He had guys in his face all game, every game. He had no time to throw developing routes - everything had to be a quick read or he had a hand in his face. Our line blocks like a sieve against good defenses. Without shoring up that line, we could have Zac Taylor throwing to these receivers and it wouldn't matter.

 

And for the most part they weren't even blitzing - they were getting pressure against our line with their D Line. We can't have that. We have to be able to make a team use extra men to defeat our line, but they don't.

 

Further, the very fact that we have Martinez at QB rather than receiver means we're going to make this a running team, not a passing team - which is a shame considering we have (maybe) the best overall talent at WR in Nebraska's history right now. But that's the direction we're headed, meaning the line, the line, the line. That's the focus, that's the area of biggest need.

That stretch against South Carolina where they gave up like 5 sacks in a row, or something ridiculous like that, is the only instance I could really remember the line being the biggest problem in the passing game last year.

 

I seem to remember more instances of off target and dropped passes. Instances where the line did their job, but the QB and receivers didn't hold up their end. I can remember a lot more of that, and it's not even close.

 

I think we're heading in the opposite direction that you think we are. I'd be really surprised if we don't throw the ball around more this year. I think we'll be running a lot more plays in general. We'll probably run about as much as we did last year, but we'll pass more. I expect to see a lot more up tempo, and a little more balance.

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

Win! Win all your games and I promise you someone will get recognized!

[zoogs]

I'm with the Dude here on the part about our QBs/WRs being at least as much of an issue as the line, and with knapplc in that I expect us to continue to be a run-oriented team.

 

It all starts up front, as the adage is, but the game is far too complex to pin it all simply on line issues. Take the QB, for instance, who is a huge part of the game. Is he recognizing blitzes pre-snap to set up his pass pro? Is he getting into his stance & going through progressions in time? How's his pocket presence? Yes, while we did have instances of one DT getting through three interior linemen instantly (Washington bowl game), these other things have often been factors as well.

 

It's the same thing with the QB/WR connection. Our WRs have had their share of issues, but that's another 2-way street. Taylor, at least in the past, has had problems hitting receivers on short patterns in stride. The number of times we saw Paul or someone else falling over themselves backwards to get at a ball on a crossing route. If it didn't kill the completion, it killed the YAC those routes were made for. And as one receiver briefly highlighted last season, the QB has to deliver the ball consistently. If it's weird, it's weird, as long as it's consistent and it works. When it's hard to know what kind of ball to expect, it also hurts a receiver's chances of catching the ball - it adds unnecessarily to the amount of thinking they need to do while the ball's in mid-air.

 

Still, there's no way this isn't a run-dominated team, IMO. Our line is probably built for run blocking and not pass pro. Our biggest strength continues to be running the ball. Even with Taylor's improvements, I don't think it's fair to expect him to sit back in the pocket, picking apart soft spots in the zone. We aren't going to spread 'em out like New England and go to the slot over and over. I do not think that plays to our strengths.

 

Instead, I think we are going to pound it successfully enough to set up a moderately lethal long passing game. When the defense has to worry about the run as much as I expect they will vs our rushing attack this year, it is going to open things up for our athletic, talented receivers to end up in 1-on-1 coverage deep downfield. Taylor has the arm to loft it up there and let our receivers either win the battle, or catch it with nobody even close to them. Bell's a deep threat, Reed's a mismatch and both, and maybe others, are going to get way, way open many times this year if the offense is run right.

[walksalone]

I wish him nothing but the best, but as I've stated before, how well he does, depends on if the dudes in front of him can make a difference, or allow him to get the ass beaten off of him. You could put Rex behind the beef at Wisky, and I'm sure you'd get some lofty numbers. You could have my grandma run behind them, she'd could probably score. And she's dead.

[Josh007]

Rex isn't even going to be a finalist. Even if his stats inch him into the top 5, he lacks the flash that all Heisman finalists need.

Agreed...unless he has some unbelievable games in primetime or against top-rated teams. You're right, he doesn't have that "flash" that others have this year and in years past. He's just a workhorse that gets the job done.