Husker_Power
Starter
Published Friday, August 24, 2007
By Mike Babcock
For The Independent
LINK
LINCOLN Reporters ask just about every freshman football player about the possibility of redshirting, whether or not it has been discussed and what his attitude is about it.
Anthony Blue was no different. The subject came up early in training camp, when the 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback from Cedar Hill, Texas was available for a post-practice interview, as every newcomer is.
Blue is soft-spoken, quick to laugh, in most ways a typical freshman.
His response to redshirting was fairly typical, anyway. "At the end of training camp, I just want to know where the coaches want me at, and go with it," he said. "If they say 'redshirting,' then I'm cool with it. If they say I'm going to play, then I'm going to try to be the best at that role."
At that point, the possibility of redshirting might have been second to the number of meetings freshmen had to attend each day. There were meetings for academics as well as for the team, not to mention special teams. "We have about eight meetings and they're time-consuming," said Blue.
"You've just got to stay awake . . . just have to pay attention."
Apparently, paying attention isn't a problem for Blue. Soon after he arrived in June, he established himself in the film room. Coaches couldn't require it, or even monitor him. But he was there all the time, on his own, studying tapes by himself, according to cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian.
"I only had one other kid prepare like that, a kid named Torrian Gray, who's the secondary coach at Virginia Tech," said Elmassian.
"We used to have to throw him out during the summer.
"He's the only kid I've ever seen, experienced, prepare like that."
Blue makes two. "Even the kids who are here, they're going, 'Whoa.' He's a very cerebral young man. Obviously, if you have a chance to talk to him, he's not looking at you, he's looking through you. He's an excellent listener. He's like a sponge, just sucks it up," Elmassian said.
Which brings us back to the question of redshirting. It doesn't look as if Blue will.
"He's got a chance to perform as a freshman," said Elmassian.
And not necessarily just in special packages, such as a nickel back.
"Don't put him in the Hall of Fame yet," Elmassian said. "We have a tendency to put people in the Hall of Fame and they haven't stepped on the field. But he's a pretty good player, a real good player."
Elmassian got a sense of Blue's ability watching his high school videotapes. He was "a 'sudden' kid, a physical kid." But when he visited, he was "really slender and slight."
The coaches were concerned about his size. But when Elmassian made a home visit in January, he was surprised. Blue had put on weight. "I said, 'Who are you?' " said Elmassian. "Then when he came here this summer, that's (his diligent preparation) all the kids talked about."
Because of the injuries at cornerback, had Blue been at Nebraska last season, he would have played, Elmassian said, and "if someone goes down, started, yeh. He would have started or he'd have been the third corner and he would have been playing. We were down to two."
And those two, Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones also dealt with injuries.
Blue had an immediate connection with Elmassian. "He's a cool guy," Blue said. "My high school coach was just like him, so I like the way he coaches. They're both demanding, like you would think they're military sergeants. If they want something done, they want it done 'now.' "
Blue could be playing now instead of later because of his willingness to respond, and to prepare.
"He's got excellent work ethic," Elmassian said. "He's really a mature young man."
Huskers continue reps in cooler temperatures
The Nebraska football team took advantage of the break in the heat that has plagued the region over the last week and practiced inside Memorial Stadium for 2 1/2 hours as they begin wrapping up fall practices and moving into game-week workouts.
"We're getting a lot of work versus the scouts and also our defense, so we have a combination of things going on in practice right now," Head Coach Bill Callahan said. "Overall, we're on schedule, and we're taking it a day at a time."
The roars of laughter coming from the huddle after practice were courtesy of the team's third special visitor this week, as players and coaches were entertained by an appearance by Larry the Cable Guy, a Nebraska native and avid Husker fan.
"He was great," Callahan said. "He's a Husker through and through. It's been good to have him out here visiting with our players because it relaxes them and they have fun and he cracks a few jokes."
While post practice laughs were a welcome event for Nebraska, it was all business during workouts as the Huskers are now just eight days away from hosting their season-opening game against Nevada on Sept. 1.
The Huskers will practice from 2-4:45 p.m. again on Friday and will conclude Fall Camp this weekend with workouts on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's practice will feature Nebraska's largest audience of Fall Camp, as the NU student body is invited to attend.
By Mike Babcock
For The Independent
LINK
LINCOLN Reporters ask just about every freshman football player about the possibility of redshirting, whether or not it has been discussed and what his attitude is about it.
Anthony Blue was no different. The subject came up early in training camp, when the 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback from Cedar Hill, Texas was available for a post-practice interview, as every newcomer is.
Blue is soft-spoken, quick to laugh, in most ways a typical freshman.
His response to redshirting was fairly typical, anyway. "At the end of training camp, I just want to know where the coaches want me at, and go with it," he said. "If they say 'redshirting,' then I'm cool with it. If they say I'm going to play, then I'm going to try to be the best at that role."
At that point, the possibility of redshirting might have been second to the number of meetings freshmen had to attend each day. There were meetings for academics as well as for the team, not to mention special teams. "We have about eight meetings and they're time-consuming," said Blue.
"You've just got to stay awake . . . just have to pay attention."
Apparently, paying attention isn't a problem for Blue. Soon after he arrived in June, he established himself in the film room. Coaches couldn't require it, or even monitor him. But he was there all the time, on his own, studying tapes by himself, according to cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian.
"I only had one other kid prepare like that, a kid named Torrian Gray, who's the secondary coach at Virginia Tech," said Elmassian.
"We used to have to throw him out during the summer.
"He's the only kid I've ever seen, experienced, prepare like that."
Blue makes two. "Even the kids who are here, they're going, 'Whoa.' He's a very cerebral young man. Obviously, if you have a chance to talk to him, he's not looking at you, he's looking through you. He's an excellent listener. He's like a sponge, just sucks it up," Elmassian said.
Which brings us back to the question of redshirting. It doesn't look as if Blue will.
"He's got a chance to perform as a freshman," said Elmassian.
And not necessarily just in special packages, such as a nickel back.
"Don't put him in the Hall of Fame yet," Elmassian said. "We have a tendency to put people in the Hall of Fame and they haven't stepped on the field. But he's a pretty good player, a real good player."
Elmassian got a sense of Blue's ability watching his high school videotapes. He was "a 'sudden' kid, a physical kid." But when he visited, he was "really slender and slight."
The coaches were concerned about his size. But when Elmassian made a home visit in January, he was surprised. Blue had put on weight. "I said, 'Who are you?' " said Elmassian. "Then when he came here this summer, that's (his diligent preparation) all the kids talked about."
Because of the injuries at cornerback, had Blue been at Nebraska last season, he would have played, Elmassian said, and "if someone goes down, started, yeh. He would have started or he'd have been the third corner and he would have been playing. We were down to two."
And those two, Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones also dealt with injuries.
Blue had an immediate connection with Elmassian. "He's a cool guy," Blue said. "My high school coach was just like him, so I like the way he coaches. They're both demanding, like you would think they're military sergeants. If they want something done, they want it done 'now.' "
Blue could be playing now instead of later because of his willingness to respond, and to prepare.
"He's got excellent work ethic," Elmassian said. "He's really a mature young man."
Huskers continue reps in cooler temperatures
The Nebraska football team took advantage of the break in the heat that has plagued the region over the last week and practiced inside Memorial Stadium for 2 1/2 hours as they begin wrapping up fall practices and moving into game-week workouts.
"We're getting a lot of work versus the scouts and also our defense, so we have a combination of things going on in practice right now," Head Coach Bill Callahan said. "Overall, we're on schedule, and we're taking it a day at a time."
The roars of laughter coming from the huddle after practice were courtesy of the team's third special visitor this week, as players and coaches were entertained by an appearance by Larry the Cable Guy, a Nebraska native and avid Husker fan.
"He was great," Callahan said. "He's a Husker through and through. It's been good to have him out here visiting with our players because it relaxes them and they have fun and he cracks a few jokes."
While post practice laughs were a welcome event for Nebraska, it was all business during workouts as the Huskers are now just eight days away from hosting their season-opening game against Nevada on Sept. 1.
The Huskers will practice from 2-4:45 p.m. again on Friday and will conclude Fall Camp this weekend with workouts on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's practice will feature Nebraska's largest audience of Fall Camp, as the NU student body is invited to attend.