LJS: State of the Huskers - Offensive Line

I understand where Stai is coming from, and there is something to building continuity and rhythm as a unit. However, his teams were also able to build huge leads so the backups and 3rd strings were still able to get plenty of reps. Also, Tenopir would rotate guys in on occasion to get the top unit some rest.

There is no magic formula for subbing o-linemen and getting guys reps. I wish Cav would do a better job of getting some of the backups some time and not just go with the same five guys for the entire game. IMO, those 5 guys aren't going to be rested in the 4th quarter and they are going to lose effectiveness.

 
The only problem I had with Cav's way of running the Oline last year was that he said there was a substantial gap between the starters and back ups. But when Kondolo got hurt and they moved Sterup to G, there was a considerable improvement in line play.

So I think he picked who he thought were the best 5 and decided to stick with them no matter what. And that was clearly the wrong move as evidenced in a few games.

 
The problem I have with Cav is that he has this attitude that "he's the coach, we are just fans, so we don't know any better". I know he knows way more than I do, but Lincoln isn't Corvallis. He just can't have that attitude in a place that has plenty of football knowledge.

 
ColoradoHusk said:
The problem I have with Cav is that he has this attitude that "he's the coach, we are just fans, so we don't know any better". I know he knows way more than I do, but Lincoln isn't Corvallis. He just can't have that attitude in a place that has plenty of football knowledge.
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I could see where people could feel that way. I took it as, "this is the way I have always coached my lines and geographic location doesn't change that philosophy." Whether we agreed or not, I didn't see it as he thought we were dumb fans.

 
Cav's mentality is basically what the NFL does - minimal substitution and you stick with your starters unless there is injury or they need to come out for another reasons.

One of the biggest pros, of course, is that it builds continuity among the starters, hopefully leading to a better product overall. I think one of the biggest cons, at least from my perspective, is that it doesn't build depth very well. That's not as big of a concern in the NFL since the talent pool to choose from is significantly different, but in college, being able to build depth on the lines is pretty critical.

My argument would be if it ends up working, though, then I don't have any issues.

 
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StPaulHusker said:
The only problem I had with Cav's way of running the Oline last year was that he said there was a substantial gap between the starters and back ups. But when Kondolo got hurt and they moved Sterup to G, there was a considerable improvement in line play.

So I think he picked who he thought were the best 5 and decided to stick with them no matter what. And that was clearly the wrong move as evidenced in a few games.
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Agree with this.

Early in the season where that was the story, I kept saying "but what happens when someone gets hurt?" At some point you're going to have to rotate for some reason - injury, ineffectiveness, etc. I don't necessarily think it's a bad plan, but I don't think the reasons given really make sense.

Sterup moved from tackle to guard and started the next week. By all accounts, Foster was right there with Utter but couldn't get on the field. Thurston came in when Reeves got hurt and we didn't seem to miss a beat.

I understand wanting the starters to get most of the reps and be a cohesive unit. But I fail to see where giving a couple backups a series here and there would be that damaging to chemistry. If anything, it would make it easier for the unit to still be cohesive when someone gets hurt.

 
Serious question, why is this all of a sudden an issue with this staff? I don't remember people making a stink out of the rotation when Barney and Garrison were calling shots. Were there cries to see more Knevel, Hannon and the Rock in 2014? I know they weren't rotated in on a regular basis.

 
huskerhill said:
Serious question, why is this all of a sudden an issue with this staff? I don't remember people making a stink out of the rotation when Barney and Garrison were calling shots. Were there cries to see more Knevel, Hannon and the Rock in 2014? I know they weren't rotated in on a regular basis.
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The previous staff was more open to rotation which is what is causing the grumblings, even though people still thought other players should be seeing more PT in previous seasons. Now, rotation is pretty uncommon.

 
Personally, I only care about a backup getting PT when the starter isn't getting the job done. And, as a whole, the OL wasn't for a while. So that's why I wanted other players to get in the game.

 
StPaulHusker said:
Personally, I only care about a backup getting PT when the starter isn't getting the job done. And, as a whole, the OL wasn't for a while. So that's why I wanted other players to get in the game.
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I can understand that if this were a group that had played under this system for years. However, at the beginning of the year, all the players were playing under a new system with a new coach that probably wanted them to do things somewhat differently than the last coach.

So, I guess I understand them not looking like a good offensive line early in the year and I also can understand the coach not wanting to rotate early so that the players that he believes are the best can start to figure things out.

 
BigRedBuster said:
StPaulHusker said:
Personally, I only care about a backup getting PT when the starter isn't getting the job done. And, as a whole, the OL wasn't for a while. So that's why I wanted other players to get in the game.
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I can understand that if this were a group that had played under this system for years. However, at the beginning of the year, all the players were playing under a new system with a new coach that probably wanted them to do things somewhat differently than the last coach.

So, I guess I understand them not looking like a good offensive line early in the year and I also can understand the coach not wanting to rotate early so that the players that he believes are the best can start to figure things out.
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That's definitely the other side to it. But after watching replays of the NW game, I believed they just weren't that good as the best 5. And turns out once they took out Kondolo and put in Sterup, they did a much better job.

 
both O lines and D lines will have zero depth this season.........with a lot of new faces starting, going to be a biotch.

 
Another thing that bothers me about the offensive staff is that every thing is built through the passing game. The best o-linemen are chosen, based on their pass blocking abilities. To me, that's a passive approach. That's not teaching the linemen to be aggressive and nasty run blockers.

 
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