Imani Cross...

[skullNbones]

Will need more carries next year. I think he 's capable and underused. I just don't think Ameer should take such a pounding all season long. Keep him fresh so that he can make big plays through later B1G games.

Discuss.....

 

[TheRedCarver]

 

[Minnesota_husker]

Not trying to be a jerk, but their are countless threads discussing this.

I appreciate you bringing a discussion to the table(and know it is the offseason, so we are all stressed for material).

Cross will lose carries to Taylor/Newby this year.

 

[NUance]

As much as I love Cross, he's not the runner that Ameer is. Even between the tackles. Somehow Abdullah has the knack to make that first guy miss.

But I do agree that we can't run Abdullah into the ground again. It might mean more carries for Cross. But probably a combination of Cross, Newby and Taylor. Who knows, maybe Taylor will be the one to emerge?

 

[EbylHusker]

 

[The Dude]

Maybe he'll get more carries if he's healthy. Unless, of course, the coaches were being dishonest about him being injured. Which certainly isn't out of the question.

 

[Eric the Red]

Not trying to be a jerk, but their are countless threads discussing this.
I appreciate you bringing a discussion to the table(and know it is the offseason, so we are all stressed for material).

Cross will lose carries to Taylor/Newby this year.

So what if it's been discussed? They are a new member and maybe they can provide a different angle. It's one of the biggest topics for the year and we will all see this discussed many times over the next year.

 

[Eric the Red]

Not trying to be a jerk, but their are countless threads discussing this.
I appreciate you bringing a discussion to the table(and know it is the offseason, so we are all stressed for material).

Cross will lose carries to Taylor/Newby this year.

So what if it's been discussed? They are a new member and maybe they can provide a different angle. It's one of the biggest topics for the year and we will all see this discussed many times over the next year.

Sorry about the tone in this....I'm really not mad.

. I just don't want to have anyone have second thoughts about starting a topic. It's all good.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

You say Cross needs more carries, but Cross needs to PROVE he can get more carries. How does he do this? Become more productive when he does get the rock, improve his speed without losing what he is good at (ground and pound) and most of all, improve his field vision! More carries aren't just given, they are earned, and based on last year's performance, the only person who has earned the carries, is Ameer.

With that said, I hope Cross can come out with a much improved game and prove a lot of people wrong, including myself. I bought into all the hype last year, only to be let down. I bought into it once, now its his turn to prove to be that athlete he is or wants to be. The kid will be a monster for us if he can gain some patience and find holes.

 

[The Dude]

If Cross was indeed injured, like the coaches said when the season ended, 5.3 yards per carry and 10 TDs is mighty impressive. I think he's earned more carries.

 

[lo country]

Move Cross to FB. He'd still be the most experienced guy there. Run more power with him in as a 2 back set. Get him the ball in the flats. He would be a load to bring down in the open field. Let him get a few steps before he gets the ball. Have Brown get him to run more physical. He does not have the speed persay of a Todd Gurley or the bruiser from Bama, but if he would lower his shoulders, he would be devastating between the tackles and could easily help wearing down the DL as well as the LB's.

On another note, maybe his playing time or lack of is not a knock on his ability in the run game, but in pass pro......

 

[HuskerNationNick]

If Cross was indeed injured, like the coaches said when the season ended, 5.3 yards per carry and 10 TDs is mighty impressive. I think he's earned more carries.

The only issue I have about that stat, is its deceiving. Not trying to start a huge debate or argue with you The Dude, but 5 of those 10 TD's came out of conference play, while 0 were gained at UCLA. In conference play, he had 53 carries for 247 yards @ 4.6 ypc. 31 of those carries and 132 yards were against Purdue and Illinois where we had a heyday on the ground.

I am not trying to down the kid at all, just saying I personally have not seen enough to say "he needs more carries". IMO, he needs to prove he can be a quality back when we need him, not just against weaker opponents with really bad rush defenses.

 

[The Dude]

The coaches' explanation was he didn't get more carries because he was dinged up. Implying that he deserved them, it just didn't work that way.

The Braylon Heard fiasco comes to mind, though.

 

[knapplc]

If Cross wasn't injured I'd like to know why his running style changed so drastically in the latter half of the year. He went from a tough, fluid runner to hesitant and easy to tackle. A play in the Minnesota games springs to mind immediately where he ran straight into contact, slowly, and went straight down.

 

[True2tRA]

I wonder if Burkhead is ever going to get his legs back? He didn't have a carry in the NFL last year. Probably because they ran his f'ing legs off of him his junior year and he was hurt most of his senior year. The guy could barely walk after that Iowa game. We had more than capable backs behind him, and this staff refused to use them. So much, that one of my personal favorites at the position left the team. So while the injury excuse may be true, I tend to trust my own two eyes. Imani looked excellent and his talent is not being utilized. He didn't look too injured to me. Dinged up? Maybe, but when you play football you're always f'ing dinged up so....... This staff has a history of mismanaging running backs. I'm not surprised. Credit Imani though, at least he hasn't quit.