LJS: No Excuses for Cav's Line This Year

[In the Deed the Glory]

I agree with the article, did Steve make a similar one when Cotton was here?

Did he need to?

I don't understand the bad rap our OL got under the Pelini years. Some of them were certainly worse than others, but by and large, they were pretty dang solid (at least most of the time). Ameer Abdullah led the nation in yards before first contact the majority of his senior year, and in 2010 we were a small handful of yards away from having 3 1,000 yard rushers. Pass pro was sometimes a different story, but overall, I wonder if Husker fan still holds the standard to be the 90's squads or to be FSU/Bama level excellence, when reality is that we just don't have the talent and ability to be THAT good right now.

Our blocking got better when they brought another OL coach in but it was never really good. We did have some excellent RBs though.

This is exactly the problem with people on here. You don't have good or great running backs without serviceable offensive lines. If we were to do the real analysis let's compare how much money per year Cotton coached offensive lineman are making in the NFL vs Cav coached linemen.

You could have the best o-line coach in the country but if he's coaching at Akron he's not going to have a bunch of former players collecting checks in the NFL. Not an accurate way to measure.

This times 1000

 

[zoogs]

Yeah, that was a game against a FCS opponent, too

AA was extraordinary.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

I agree with the article, did Steve make a similar one when Cotton was here?

Did he need to?

I don't understand the bad rap our OL got under the Pelini years. Some of them were certainly worse than others, but by and large, they were pretty dang solid (at least most of the time). Ameer Abdullah led the nation in yards before first contact the majority of his senior year, and in 2010 we were a small handful of yards away from having 3 1,000 yard rushers. Pass pro was sometimes a different story, but overall, I wonder if Husker fan still holds the standard to be the 90's squads or to be FSU/Bama level excellence, when reality is that we just don't have the talent and ability to be THAT good right now.

Our blocking got better when they brought another OL coach in but it was never really good. We did have some excellent RBs though.

This is exactly the problem with people on here. You don't have good or great running backs without serviceable offensive lines. If we were to do the real analysis let's compare how much money per year Cotton coached offensive lineman are making in the NFL vs Cav coached linemen.

So Ameer Abdullah wasn't a great back? We had an average line that year in terms of talent/ability iirc. I forget which game it was atm but there was a game where it was the last play of the game and if Ameer hadn't scored a touchdown on that play mostly due to his own refusal to give up we would have lost.

Ameer was a great back for us, Roy Helu was another and neither played behind a stellar line.

Yep. How many times was Helu, Rex, and Ameer met immediately in the backfield during their careers? Feels countless. All three were fantastic backs.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

The drop off in run production the past two years has been less about how much/or little the Oline has improved, and more about Newby, Ozigbo, etc. just not being anywhere near as good as the three backs before them.

 

[Landlord]

AMEER ABDULLAH LED THE COUNTRY IN YARDS BEFORE CONTACT FOR MOST OF HIS SENIOR YEAR

Translation: He had some huge holes to run through. He was also an amazing back. Both are true.

 

[Landlord]

AMEER ABDULLAH LED THE COUNTRY IN YARDS BEFORE CONTACT FOR MOST OF HIS SENIOR YEAR

Translation: He had some huge holes to run through. He was also an amazing back. Both are true.

 

[famoustitles]

AMEER ABDULLAH LED THE COUNTRY IN YARDS BEFORE CONTACT FOR MOST OF HIS SENIOR YEAR

Translation: He had some huge holes to run through. He was also an amazing back. Both are true.

I can't find any yards before contact stats. What site are you using?

 

[shyndy]

Most of the stuff being talked about is after garrison came in when our blocking, at least in the run game, improved. That said our WR blocking outclassed our OL imho

 

[Stumpy1]

I agree that monitoring NFL draft and/or NFL success is a method of judging a college program's offensive line, but that's not a remotely fair 1:1 comparison. Cav spent ten years coaching at a far inferior program (in terms of money, talent, support) than Cotton.

Also, I don't think most reasonable fans truly believe our lines were bad or not "serviceable." I think zoogs put it best - we've had 9-4 type offensive lines. That's not going to win you many conference titles or put you in with the country's elite teams.

Cav coached at Hawaii before going to Oregon State also. He coached there from 99-04 and had 5 players drafted under his watch. He had 4 players drafted while at Oregon State from 05-14.

In that same time frame, Nebraska has had 11 players drafted. Those 11 are split between 3 coaches.

I like Cav and am willing to give him a chance with his recruits. I think this year will be a decent year for the group.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

AMEER ABDULLAH LED THE COUNTRY IN YARDS BEFORE CONTACT FOR MOST OF HIS SENIOR YEAR

Translation: He had some huge holes to run through. He was also an amazing back. Both are true.

Aside from Mark Pelini (woah) the entire Oline returned in 2015. Where were the holes then? I'm not suggesting the line didn't do anything, but as I said before..... It had more to do with Ameer (and Rex/Helu before him).

 

[lo country]

Last year, the excuse was the injuries. Better a one legged o-lineman than an inexperienced guy.....This year, we have depth. Allegedly. This year Cav says the OL has to get it done. I'll wait until the season progresses, but for now, I am in the camp that this is his last chance to show he can do something.

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

Last year, the excuse was the injuries. Better a one legged o-lineman than an inexperienced guy.....This year, we have depth. Allegedly. This year Cav says the OL has to get it done. I'll wait until the season progresses, but for now, I am in the camp that this is his last chance to show he can do something.

Has to be right? Cav and Reggie Davis are on the hot seat you'd think.

 

[KingBlank]

I agree that monitoring NFL draft and/or NFL success is a method of judging a college program's offensive line, but that's not a remotely fair 1:1 comparison. Cav spent ten years coaching at a far inferior program (in terms of money, talent, support) than Cotton.

Also, I don't think most reasonable fans truly believe our lines were bad or not "serviceable." I think zoogs put it best - we've had 9-4 type offensive lines. That's not going to win you many conference titles or put you in with the country's elite teams.

Cav coached at Hawaii before going to Oregon State also. He coached there from 99-04 and had 5 players drafted under his watch. He had 4 players drafted while at Oregon State from 05-14.
In that same time frame, Nebraska has had 11 players drafted. Those 11 are split between 3 coaches.

I like Cav and am willing to give him a chance with his recruits. I think this year will be a decent year for the group.

I didn't say drafted, I said money made. You keep using he was at an low tier program that didn't have resources. It's because he was a low tier coach, that excuse is tired, it's inaccurate and plain lazy. The lines our backs ran behind were pretty good, and the backs were also good. We have players that blocked for those guys making big dollars right now drafted or undrafted. It is a fair comparison, Cotton was blamed for"bad" lines, why don't you ask the backs who ran behind them.

 

[Landlord]

Aside from Mark Pelini (woah) the entire Oline returned in 2015. Where were the holes then? I'm not suggesting the line didn't do anything, but as I said before..... It had more to do with Ameer (and Rex/Helu before him).

Interesting that they did so much better with a different coaching staff, huh?

Of course Newby doesn't hold up to the talent of Ameer/Rex/Helu, but Newby could/would still have easily been a 1,000 yard rusher under Beck/Cotton/whoever's system, imo.

 

[lo country]

Last year, the excuse was the injuries. Better a one legged o-lineman than an inexperienced guy.....This year, we have depth. Allegedly. This year Cav says the OL has to get it done. I'll wait until the season progresses, but for now, I am in the camp that this is his last chance to show he can do something.

Has to be right? Cav and Reggie Davis are on the hot seat you'd think.

I agree about Davis as well. A 3rd season without a 1000 yard rusher....this whole musical chairs thing at RB......10th in the league last year in rushing.....