A quick look at the 2010 offense

[RunTheBall]

Do we have legitimate reason to expect an improved offense next year? A quick look at each position group, with an eye on the potential to be better ......... or worse.

QB - Both guys are back, a year more experienced. Lee's injury explains a lot, IMO, and gives every reason to expect a more experienced, healthier Lee to be much improved. Also have Martinez and Spano to consider. Overall, every reason to expect a lot of improvement and very little reason to expect a drop off.

WR - The mystery group to me. Should have been much better than they were. No one plays with any consistency, and that may reflect coaching, sad to say. The important guys are back, and Paul and Kinney both show a lot of potential as big strong WRs, and Paul has good speed. Have to expect some improvement due to experience, even if position coaching is an issue. Good potential for improvement again and the only negative is will the coaching get the consistent performance we need?

TE - Everybody is back. A lot of talent here and history tends to indicate coach Brown knows his stuff. The key for this group is finding more and better opportunities for playmaking. The great mystery to me is why we made almost no effort to get the ball to these guys where they had a chance to get some yards after the catch. Again, everybody has a year more experience, so plenty of reason to expect improvement. The key will again be coaching, this time on the strategic level. Get them the ball, please.

RB - The only real problem was injuries, perhaps compounded by youth. Other than Helu there was absolutely no experience. Again, everybody is back and if we get a little better luck with injuries we could/should see tremendous improvement here. I can't see any real reason to expect any kind of dropoff.

OL - Ah, the offensive line. Barney Cotton is either your favorite whipping boy, or the unfairly maligned oldtime Husker. Next year I think we'll have a good idea whether he can do the job or not. The injuries here, both to starters and potential backups, were incredible. The C, LG and LT all fought injuries all year, making it very difficult to judge overall ability. We lose the starting center but everyone else is back with a year more experience. In addition, a very highly regarded class of freshmen are ready to step in, at least as very active backups. No more excuses. The line, if properly coached, should explode this year.

All in all, there is every reason to expect a far more experienced offense to be greatly improved. It would be difficult for them to not be healthier, everyone will be a year older and only one full-time starter needs to be replaced. If the offense is reasonably healthy there will be no excuse for the offense to not be a lot more productive. I view 2010 as kind of one last chance for several offensive coaches. I expect them to come through, big-time.

 

[EZ-E]

Agree with virtually everything that you said in your post.

I agree about Zac's injury. In the first couple games he looked like he could make most of the throws the offense would require him to make. Then his accuracy and strength just seemed to dimenish drastically.

You have to mention Cody Green in the QB discussion though as he was a true freshman thrown into a tough spot for any freshman to be in this year. I expect him to do nothing but improve and challenge for that starting spot.

Our OL will definately have much needed depth in 2010 which we lacked in 2009. So I expect them to get better as well.

To sum up this post, you normally dont get worse with another year of experience under your belt.

 

[ESPY]

Get the TEs the ball! Looking back at '09, I just don't know why McNeil & the rest of the TE corps weren't targeted way more often. With as much trouble as our WRs had running routes & catching the ball, you'd think the natural response would be to target your TEs, especially when they proved time & again they can handle the rock & use their size & athleticism to get extra yards.

Now, I will say there were several plays throughout the course of the season specifically designed for TEs. Unfortunately these plays didn't work out because our offensive line couldn't do its job. Just take a look at the 22 set & option pass Watson inserted at mid-season. The primary benefactor of those sets ended up being Paul with one-on-one coverage. But, there were several more attempts in which the TE was wide open. I went to the K-State game, and there were 3 plays the TE, who was the primary target, would've walked into the endzone if our blocking would've given Lee more time.

I guess this further proves our O-line needs to step up. We have solid skill position players, and we need to get them the ball. It all starts up front.

 

[carlfense]

Do we have legitimate reason to expect an improved offense next year? A quick look at each position group, with an eye on the potential to be better ......... or worse.

QB - Both guys are back, a year more experienced. Lee's injury explains a lot, IMO, and gives every reason to expect a more experienced, healthier Lee to be much improved. Also have Martinez and Spano to consider. Overall, every reason to expect a lot of improvement and very little reason to expect a drop off.

WR - The mystery group to me. Should have been much better than they were. No one plays with any consistency, and that may reflect coaching, sad to say. The important guys are back, and Paul and Kinney both show a lot of potential as big strong WRs, and Paul has good speed. Have to expect some improvement due to experience, even if position coaching is an issue. Good potential for improvement again and the only negative is will the coaching get the consistent performance we need?

TE - Everybody is back. A lot of talent here and history tends to indicate coach Brown knows his stuff. The key for this group is finding more and better opportunities for playmaking. The great mystery to me is why we made almost no effort to get the ball to these guys where they had a chance to get some yards after the catch. Again, everybody has a year more experience, so plenty of reason to expect improvement. The key will again be coaching, this time on the strategic level. Get them the ball, please.

RB - The only real problem was injuries, perhaps compounded by youth. Other than Helu there was absolutely no experience. Again, everybody is back and if we get a little better luck with injuries we could/should see tremendous improvement here. I can't see any real reason to expect any kind of dropoff.

OL - Ah, the offensive line. Barney Cotton is either your favorite whipping boy, or the unfairly maligned oldtime Husker. Next year I think we'll have a good idea whether he can do the job or not. The injuries here, both to starters and potential backups, were incredible. The C, LG and LT all fought injuries all year, making it very difficult to judge overall ability. We lose the starting center but everyone else is back with a year more experience. In addition, a very highly regarded class of freshmen are ready to step in, at least as very active backups. No more excuses. The line, if properly coached, should explode this year.

All in all, there is every reason to expect a far more experienced offense to be greatly improved. It would be difficult for them to not be healthier, everyone will be a year older and only one full-time starter needs to be replaced. If the offense is reasonably healthy there will be no excuse for the offense to not be a lot more productive. I view 2010 as kind of one last chance for several offensive coaches. I expect them to come through, big-time.

Great post. I agree fully with the frustration about the OL and the WR. I don't know if it is coaching or lack of talent . . . but those positions need significant improvement.

 

[RedDenver]

My main reason for expecting improvement is getting 4 OL starters back and 10 starters back overall. I don't think you can overemphasize how important returning experience is, especially on the OL.

 

[robsker]

My main reason for expecting improvement is getting 4 OL starters back and 10 starters back overall. I don't think you can overemphasize how important returning experience is, especially on the OL.

I agree completely. Experience is key. I too expect significant improvement on offense. But..... will it be enough? I am still really concerned with QB play --- to really compete at the level some think (top 5 or so) we need whopper huge improvement at QB. Can we expect that much improvement? Not sure?

 

[girlknowsfootball]

I don't feel like our offense can get any worse next year. We were just about at the bottom of the rankings this past year and nearly went 13-1 despite. If our defense is 5 times better like Bo said it will be, heck, if our defense is equal to what it was last year, even a little worse, and our offense improves from the nationally ranked 100's to the nationally ranked 70's, we will have 0 or 1 loss and be a top 5 team.

O-Line Returning Experience O-Line New Prospects

Marcel Jones Brent Qvale

D.J. Jones Jeremiah Sirles

Keith Williams Jesse Coffey

Mike Smith Nick Ash (went up against Suh and improved drastically coaches say)

Ricky Henry Andrew Rodriguez

Mike Caputo Mike Moudy

Jermarcus Hardrick

Our O-Line candidates are going to double in number... plus there's all the guys who didn't play last year that are back with one more year in the system of the new offense to compete.

At QB you have Zac Lee with a healthy arm and one more year in the system. He learned a lot about scrambling and running an option this year... look for him to be much more comfortable with a multiple offense. You have Cody Green with another spring training and offseason to get stronger, faster, and more confident. You have a running based offense that appeals to his natural instincts. Kody Spano is back. Taylor Martinez has his chance to shine with a ton of potential. Latravis Washington has 1 1/2 years in the system at QB now.

At RB you have Helu back healthy, Burkhead ready to steal Helu's spot, Robinson with an offseason in Dobson's program to improve his footwork, speed, and strength... not to mention an offseason and spring practice to learn the offense better. You have Heard coming in at the #8 running back in the country excited about being a husker.

At WR you have Paul who will be even more explosive. You have Kinnie who came on strong at the end of the season with some awesome NFL calibur catches. Cooper will have an offseason with Dobson where he will get much stronger and put on that much needed weight.

At TE you have everyone coming back. Harper will be another threat at this position. Look for multiple TE setups next season with the depth they have here.

And don't even get me started on the defense. With all the experience we have returning and the young guys who are about to explode... look for another top 10 defense next year with more depth and even more confidence.

 

[Hunter94]

I don't feel like our offense can get any worse next year. We were just about at the bottom of the rankings this past year and nearly went 13-1 despite. If our defense is 5 times better like Bo said it will be, heck, if our defense is equal to what it was last year, even a little worse, and our offense improves from the nationally ranked 100's to the nationally ranked 70's, we will have 0 or 1 loss and be a top 5 team.

O-Line Returning Experience O-Line New Prospects

Marcel Jones Brent Qvale

D.J. Jones Jeremiah Sirles

Keith Williams Jesse Coffey

Mike Smith Nick Ash (went up against Suh and improved drastically coaches say)

Ricky Henry Andrew Rodriguez

Mike Caputo Mike Moudy

Jermarcus Hardrick

Our O-Line candidates are going to double in number... plus there's all the guys who didn't play last year that are back with one more year in the system of the new offense to compete.

At QB you have Zac Lee with a healthy arm and one more year in the system. He learned a lot about scrambling and running an option this year... look for him to be much more comfortable with a multiple offense. You have Cody Green with another spring training and offseason to get stronger, faster, and more confident. You have a running based offense that appeals to his natural instincts. Kody Spano is back. Taylor Martinez has his chance to shine with a ton of potential. Latravis Washington has 1 1/2 years in the system at QB now.

At RB you have Helu back healthy, Burkhead ready to steal Helu's spot, Robinson with an offseason in Dobson's program to improve his footwork, speed, and strength... not to mention an offseason and spring practice to learn the offense better. You have Heard coming in at the #8 running back in the country excited about being a husker.

At WR you have Paul who will be even more explosive. You have Kinnie who came on strong at the end of the season with some awesome NFL calibur catches. Cooper will have an offseason with Dobson where he will get much stronger and put on that much needed weight.

At TE you have everyone coming back. Harper will be another threat at this position. Look for multiple TE setups next season with the depth they have here.

And don't even get me started on the defense. With all the experience we have returning and the young guys who are about to explode... look for another top 10 defense next year with more depth and even more confidence.

i agree, the offense couldn't possibly play any worse, so the answer would be yes, we sure could be better. coaching could still be an issue though, we will know more half-way through next season, but i suspect injuries will still happen, as with any team.

 

[RunTheBall]

.....

And don't even get me started on the defense. With all the experience we have returning and the young guys who are about to explode... look for another top 10 defense next year with more depth and even more confidence.

Thanks for reminding me about the importance of confidence. That may be the biggest question mark for the offense. The 2009 season could be a major problem for the offense's confidence. Will the decent performance in the Holiday Bowl be enough to bolster the unit's confidence? I think if Lee looks good in summer 7 on 7s after his recovery that will tend to reassure everyone, and coupled with the Holiday Bowl give them a decent amount of confidence entering the season. Talent, experience and confidence must all 3 be there for a consistently effective offense.

 

[robsker]

I don't feel like our offense can get any worse next year. We were just about at the bottom of the rankings this past year and nearly went 13-1 despite. If our defense is 5 times better like Bo said it will be, heck, if our defense is equal to what it was last year, even a little worse, and our offense improves from the nationally ranked 100's to the nationally ranked 70's, we will have 0 or 1 loss and be a top 5 team.

O-Line Returning Experience O-Line New Prospects

Marcel Jones Brent Qvale

D.J. Jones Jeremiah Sirles

Keith Williams Jesse Coffey

Mike Smith Nick Ash (went up against Suh and improved drastically coaches say)

Ricky Henry Andrew Rodriguez

Mike Caputo Mike Moudy

Jermarcus Hardrick

Our O-Line candidates are going to double in number... plus there's all the guys who didn't play last year that are back with one more year in the system of the new offense to compete.

At QB you have Zac Lee with a healthy arm and one more year in the system. He learned a lot about scrambling and running an option this year... look for him to be much more comfortable with a multiple offense. You have Cody Green with another spring training and offseason to get stronger, faster, and more confident. You have a running based offense that appeals to his natural instincts. Kody Spano is back. Taylor Martinez has his chance to shine with a ton of potential. Latravis Washington has 1 1/2 years in the system at QB now.

At RB you have Helu back healthy, Burkhead ready to steal Helu's spot, Robinson with an offseason in Dobson's program to improve his footwork, speed, and strength... not to mention an offseason and spring practice to learn the offense better. You have Heard coming in at the #8 running back in the country excited about being a husker.

At WR you have Paul who will be even more explosive. You have Kinnie who came on strong at the end of the season with some awesome NFL calibur catches. Cooper will have an offseason with Dobson where he will get much stronger and put on that much needed weight.

At TE you have everyone coming back. Harper will be another threat at this position. Look for multiple TE setups next season with the depth they have here.

And don't even get me started on the defense. With all the experience we have returning and the young guys who are about to explode... look for another top 10 defense next year with more depth and even more confidence.

I like most all of what you said. But... stating that Cody Green is a natural runner (well... inferring such) seems inaccurate. Green looked really bad running the ball. He ran high, ran into tacklers and dropped like a sack of potatoes. Yes, in a wide open field where he need not follow blockers or have vision or moves --- and simply run a sprint in an open field --- then he looks good. But he looked terrible in traffic. timid, ready to fall. Not at all a natural runner.