Riley Calls Out Offensive Line

[alwayshusking]

Cav is on notice, that's pretty clear imo. Even going back to spring Riley was saying the OL needs to pick it up. Just as he wasn't happy with ST play last year before Read got iced.

[TonyStalloni]

If the offensive line struggles and I believe it will, we wont have to worry about a new oline coach as we will be looking for a whole new coaching staff!

No we won't.

[Savage Husker]

I'm interested in seeing if Tanner can ease some pressure on the OL by being the pocket passer this offense is designed for. Someone who can stand in the pocket and not only find the open man, but put the ball on the numbers, which could then put the defense on their heals, thus preventing consistent 8 men in the box, ears pinned back rush that Tommy endured.

[Hunter94]

 

 

I'd like to hear him call out his own coaches on that, too...

 

That thought crossed my mind too. But I don't think he is in the habit of calling out individuals. He never specifically called out Banker or Reed last year but he did repeatedly talk about the need to be better in their areas.

 

 

Something like "we as a staff need to improve and put them in a position to succeed" would have worked without calling anyone out specifically.

 

i think Cav knows he needs to get these guys ready this year........he knows, as well as Riley, there has to be some major improvement here........Cav on notice, hot seat!

[Hunter94]

I'm interested in seeing if Tanner can ease some pressure on the OL by being the pocket passer this offense is designed for. Someone who can stand in the pocket and not only find the open man, but put the ball on the numbers, which could then put the defense on their heals, thus preventing consistent 8 men in the box, ears pinned back rush that Tommy endured.

this is like the chicken/egg debate.......which comes first, good pass protection from OL or great throws by a static QB? we will miss Tommie's mobility, not his poor throwing.

we will miss Lee's lack of mobility, but enjoy better passing, if the line can protect. I hope he is not a sitting duck in the back field.

[HuskerNBigD]

How is any of what he said passive aggressive? Hell, we don't even have the full context of what was asked and if there were any additional responses. Pretty matter of fact response, so it seems.

[NUinID]

 

If the offensive line struggles and I believe it will, we wont have to worry about a new oline coach as we will be looking for a whole new coaching staff!

 

 

Why do you believe it will?

 

 

Yeah, I would like to know your reasoning on that also.

 

From all accounts the O-line was looking very servicable in fall camp last year and then Foster went down a week and half before the season starts. So they move a transfer walk on senior in Hahn to play guard, when he had been playing tackle all fall camp.

 

The season starts and the O-line is actually playing OK. It is not a completely dominant line, but is holding its own against most opponents.

 

Then the injuries start. Nothing major, just cronic ankle sprains. Knevel gets hit, Gates, Farmer, Knevel misses 5-6 games in that time, Farmer misses a couple of games, Gates doesn't miss a start but is not well the whole rest of the year. At one point in a game I believe the line starts 3 former walk ons, Conrad, Hahn and the center.

 

Foster somehow manages to get back for the last couple of games of the season.

 

All this shuffling and they still won 9.

 

I think you have to understand how much shuffling that went on last year due to injuries, before you really can judge things.

 

Offensive line play is the unit that is most dependent on playing together. They need to develop as a unit. This is acually more important in the run game than pass game.

 

I am not comparing these guys at all, but part of the reason why the 94 and 95 lines were so great is that they stayed pretty healthy all year. They started the same guys all year. It is so important.

 

With that said the offensive line does need to get better. If they stay healthy I think they will. They brought in a very talented class in 2016. They rolled the dice and RS all of them, they probably could have used a couple of them last year, but now they still have that year.

 

 

It is on Cav to make this unit better, I don't think you or I have to tell him that. He knows what is at stake.

[macroboy]

Cav is on notice, that's pretty clear imo. Even going back to spring Riley was saying the OL needs to pick it up. Just as he wasn't happy with ST play last year before Read got iced.

 

^ This. When he says the unit needs to have a better year he is 100% talking about/ to the coach as well.

[Huskerzoo]

 

 

 

 

If the offensive line struggles and I believe it will, we wont have to worry about a new oline coach as we will be looking for a whole new coaching staff!

 

Why do you believe it will?

Yeah, I would like to know your reasoning on that also.

 

From all accounts the O-line was looking very servicable in fall camp last year and then Foster went down a week and half before the season starts. So they move a transfer walk on senior in Hahn to play guard, when he had been playing tackle all fall camp.

 

The season starts and the O-line is actually playing OK. It is not a completely dominant line, but is holding its own against most opponents.

 

Then the injuries start. Nothing major, just cronic ankle sprains. Knevel gets hit, Gates, Farmer, Knevel misses 5-6 games in that time, Farmer misses a couple of games, Gates doesn't miss a start but is not well the whole rest of the year. At one point in a game I believe the line starts 3 former walk ons, Conrad, Hahn and the center.

 

Foster somehow manages to get back for the last couple of games of the season.

 

All this shuffling and they still won 9.

 

I think you have to understand how much shuffling that went on last year due to injuries, before you really can judge things.

 

Offensive line play is the unit that is most dependent on playing together. They need to develop as a unit. This is acually more important in the run game than pass game.

 

I am not comparing these guys at all, but part of the reason why the 94 and 95 lines were so great is that they stayed pretty healthy all year. They started the same guys all year. It is so important.

 

With that said the offensive line does need to get better. If they stay healthy I think they will. They brought in a very talented class in 2016. They rolled the dice and RS all of them, they probably could have used a couple of them last year, but now they still have that year.

 

 

It is on Cav to make this unit better, I don't think you or I have to tell him that. He knows what is at stake.

Also of note is at the end of the season or qb had a fully torn hamstring. That's going to impact how the line looks.

[In the Deed the Glory]

This is virtually the same thing he said about the defense and special teams last year prior to the season. I would say he has put Cav on notice and he is letting the fans know in an indirect way that Cav has to produce. Why anyone would doubt this man will make changes if things aren't to his liking is beyond me.

 

I bet Hughes, Banker, and Read are all of the opinion Cavanaugh is on the hot seat.

[JJ Husker]

How is any of what he said passive aggressive? Hell, we don't even have the full context of what was asked and if there were any additional responses. Pretty matter of fact response, so it seems.

What he said is not necessarily passive aggressive but rather the way people are interpreting it is. If this is his way of putting the O line or Cav on notice, as many are claiming then it is a passive aggressive way of dealing with the issue. My only point was, as a response to others, hopefully there is a whole lot more going on behind the scene (which I think there is) to elevate the O line's performance. If we want to get back to being relevant and competing for B1G conference championships that road is paved by much better line play (both sides of the ball) than we've seen in quite some time in Lincoln.

[grandpasknee]

Cav is on notice, that's pretty clear imo. Even going back to spring Riley was saying the OL needs to pick it up. Just as he wasn't happy with ST play last year before Read got iced.

Yep, it's all about what Riley didn't say. He said we have experience. We have talent. We should perform well. We need to perform well. He said the players are there. It's Cav that he's talking about.

[Mavric]

I had missed this from Media Days. Kind of goes along with this thread and previous discussion about how much we'll be looking to pass going forward:

At the end of the 2012 season, Mike Riley looked through the stats and decided the sacks had to go down. Had to.

“I just said, ‘That’s enough,'” Riley said on Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days. “Whatever happens, we’re not going to get sacked like that again.”

The Oregon State Beavers were sacked 33 times in 2012. Total loss of 244 yards.

So, Riley and his offensive staff, which included current Nebraska staffers Mike Cavanaugh and Danny Langsdorf, devised a plan.

“We became very good with the quick passing game, and with the screen game and with the draw game, and our lives changed dramatically,” Riley said.

And it did. In 2013, Oregon State broke the Pac-12 record for passing yards in a season. Quarterback Sean Mannion threw for 4,662 yards and 37 touchdowns that year. He completed 66 percent of his passes and threw for an average of 358 yards per game.

“And almost a quarter of those yards were off of screen passes, which is an incredible amount,” Riley said. “Seven hundred and twenty-something yards in screen passes. And I loved it. I loved watching the tape, because it’s a great weapon.”

Nebraska did not have a sack problem in 2016. The Huskers were actually near the bottom of the Big Ten in sacks surrendered, mostly because of Tommy Armstrong’s mobility. But the Huskers do seem to have an offensive line problem in 2017. Which is why Riley plans on using some similar tactics from that 2013 season to curb issues up front.

Land of 10

[In the Deed the Glory]

I had missed this from Media Days. Kind of goes along with this thread and previous discussion about how much we'll be looking to pass going forward:

 

At the end of the 2012 season, Mike Riley looked through the stats and decided the sacks had to go down. Had to.

 

“I just said, ‘That’s enough,'” Riley said on Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days. “Whatever happens, we’re not going to get sacked like that again.”

 

The Oregon State Beavers were sacked 33 times in 2012. Total loss of 244 yards.

 

So, Riley and his offensive staff, which included current Nebraska staffers Mike Cavanaugh and Danny Langsdorf, devised a plan.

 

“We became very good with the quick passing game, and with the screen game and with the draw game, and our lives changed dramatically,” Riley said.

 

And it did. In 2013, Oregon State broke the Pac-12 record for passing yards in a season. Quarterback Sean Mannion threw for 4,662 yards and 37 touchdowns that year. He completed 66 percent of his passes and threw for an average of 358 yards per game.

 

“And almost a quarter of those yards were off of screen passes, which is an incredible amount,” Riley said. “Seven hundred and twenty-something yards in screen passes. And I loved it. I loved watching the tape, because it’s a great weapon.”

 

Nebraska did not have a sack problem in 2016. The Huskers were actually near the bottom of the Big Ten in sacks surrendered, mostly because of Tommy Armstrong’s mobility. But the Huskers do seem to have an offensive line problem in 2017. Which is why Riley plans on using some similar tactics from that 2013 season to curb issues up front.

 

Land of 10

Thanks Mav, that inspires a little confidence for this season.

[Mavric]

Not to burst your bubble but the rest of the story is OSU was 9-4 in 2012. In 2013 the were 7-6.