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Steven M. Sipple: Chatterbox McKeon has defense to shepherd
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 - 09:49:07 am CDT
In case you haven’t heard, and assuming you care at all, the media is barred from watching Nebraska football practices this spring. This is no big deal to me. Neither Tom Osborne nor Frank Solich allowed the media to watch spring drills, except for Saturday scrimmages.
Bill Callahan allowed the media to watch all of his spring practices during the previous three years before shutting it down this year, presumably because of competition at quarterback and the tendency of media to publish inane statistics (the QB was 12-for-13 in a passing drill that included no defense!!). But I digress.
Unable to watch practice, media members rely heavily on Nebraska coaches’ and players’ assessments of the proceedings. Which is why Corey McKeon, the Huskers’ effusive and refreshingly blunt middle linebacker, becomes valuable these days.
McKeon’s a hoot — a vulgar, inappropriate, chattering hoot (ask him about playing dodge ball in Acapulco on spring break). He lightens things up considerably in a pressure-packed environment. Teams need a few guys like him. He prattles incessantly during practice, and it’s often hilarious stuff. But you don’t become a three-year starter at middle linebacker by being a clown. The kid has substance.
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To be sure, the senior from Naperville, Ill., was serious Monday as he discussed his role as a leader during spring practice, which just passed its midway point.
“Now you’ve got coach Callahan staying on you because he knows what you know, that the defense needs to be put together at some point, and he’s looking at the linebackers to do it,” McKeon said. “He’s looking at two positions — the wideouts to lead the offense and the linebackers to lead the defense.
“And if there’s something going wrong, he’s not looking at Coach Coz (defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove) or any of the coaches. He’s looking at us. And it’s a big responsibility.”
The 2007 season obviously is gigantic for Callahan. He’s trying to keep the wolves from his doorstep. Husker fans want to see continued progress in year four of the Callahan era. They hunger for a “breakthrough” victory. They yearn for the program’s return to “elite” status.
It seems kind of silly discussing this stuff in the spring, what with the regular season five months away. But hey, that’s Nebraska. In the Huskers’ spring camp, the pressure is palpable. Lots of serious faces. At least that’s my read. Everyone knows what’s at stake here.
It’s hard to know what to make of Nebraska in 2007. The Huskers will have a new quarterback (probably Sam Keller, perhaps Joe Ganz) who will sling darts to a deep and experienced band of wide receivers. The offensive line should be better than it’s been in at least six years, but the I-back position is badly depleted.
Even with Zack Bowman’s knee injury last week, Nebraska’s secondary should be improved, but you wonder about the revamped defensive line, particularly the ends.
Make no mistake, the linebackers are the strength of the defense. McKeon, Bo Ruud, Lance Brandenburgh, Steve Octavien. Those four seniors need to stabilize the defense, especially in light of Bowman’s injury.
Last season, Nebraska linebackers Stewart Bradley, McKeon and Ruud ranked first, third and fourth on the team in tackles. They benefited greatly from a strong and veteran front four, most notably mammoth ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore. Carriker and Moore, both NFL-bound, occupied blockers so linebackers could roam free.
McKeon has noticed the duo’s absence this spring.
“Your reads and your progressions are a lot different now because there are new guys attacking you,” McKeon said. “You get spoiled having two NFL guys there. Now you’ve got two ‘rooks’ (first-year starters Clayton Sievers and Zach Potter) just trying to get the hang of things.
“Once they get the feel for things, they’ll get better. And they’ve definitely gotten better in eight practices this spring. But, you know, there are (offensive) linemen coming up on you a lot quicker now. You’ve got to be ready. That half-second turns into a split second.”
As for the offense, McKeon praises junior right tackle Lydon Murtha’s improvement. Senior left tackle Carl Nicks also is playing well, McKeon said, which obviously is a boon for Keller and Ganz.
Ah, the quarterbacks. McKeon obviously has gotten a good feel for that situation. He said Ganz possesses ample athletic ability, knows the offense well and can make plays on his own. McKeon praised Keller’s killer instinct.
McKeon didn’t choose a favorite. Maybe next time.
“The gist of it is, they’re two different styles of quarterback,” McKeon said. “Joe, he’s a product of the system. He goes through his progressions: ‘He’s not open, you go to him. He’s not open, so go to him (repeats) …’
“Sam’s going to attack people. He’s got that experience where he’s looking for Maurice Purify every play. You look over and see Cortney Grixby guarding Maurice Purify, he knows where to put the ball to get a big play.”
In short, Keller knows how to use his weapons to attack favorable matchups.
Thanks, Corey. We (the media) will try not to abuse your gregariousness.
After all, you’ve got a defense to lead.
js
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 - 09:49:07 am CDT
In case you haven’t heard, and assuming you care at all, the media is barred from watching Nebraska football practices this spring. This is no big deal to me. Neither Tom Osborne nor Frank Solich allowed the media to watch spring drills, except for Saturday scrimmages.
Bill Callahan allowed the media to watch all of his spring practices during the previous three years before shutting it down this year, presumably because of competition at quarterback and the tendency of media to publish inane statistics (the QB was 12-for-13 in a passing drill that included no defense!!). But I digress.
Unable to watch practice, media members rely heavily on Nebraska coaches’ and players’ assessments of the proceedings. Which is why Corey McKeon, the Huskers’ effusive and refreshingly blunt middle linebacker, becomes valuable these days.
McKeon’s a hoot — a vulgar, inappropriate, chattering hoot (ask him about playing dodge ball in Acapulco on spring break). He lightens things up considerably in a pressure-packed environment. Teams need a few guys like him. He prattles incessantly during practice, and it’s often hilarious stuff. But you don’t become a three-year starter at middle linebacker by being a clown. The kid has substance.
Advertisement
To be sure, the senior from Naperville, Ill., was serious Monday as he discussed his role as a leader during spring practice, which just passed its midway point.
“Now you’ve got coach Callahan staying on you because he knows what you know, that the defense needs to be put together at some point, and he’s looking at the linebackers to do it,” McKeon said. “He’s looking at two positions — the wideouts to lead the offense and the linebackers to lead the defense.
“And if there’s something going wrong, he’s not looking at Coach Coz (defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove) or any of the coaches. He’s looking at us. And it’s a big responsibility.”
The 2007 season obviously is gigantic for Callahan. He’s trying to keep the wolves from his doorstep. Husker fans want to see continued progress in year four of the Callahan era. They hunger for a “breakthrough” victory. They yearn for the program’s return to “elite” status.
It seems kind of silly discussing this stuff in the spring, what with the regular season five months away. But hey, that’s Nebraska. In the Huskers’ spring camp, the pressure is palpable. Lots of serious faces. At least that’s my read. Everyone knows what’s at stake here.
It’s hard to know what to make of Nebraska in 2007. The Huskers will have a new quarterback (probably Sam Keller, perhaps Joe Ganz) who will sling darts to a deep and experienced band of wide receivers. The offensive line should be better than it’s been in at least six years, but the I-back position is badly depleted.
Even with Zack Bowman’s knee injury last week, Nebraska’s secondary should be improved, but you wonder about the revamped defensive line, particularly the ends.
Make no mistake, the linebackers are the strength of the defense. McKeon, Bo Ruud, Lance Brandenburgh, Steve Octavien. Those four seniors need to stabilize the defense, especially in light of Bowman’s injury.
Last season, Nebraska linebackers Stewart Bradley, McKeon and Ruud ranked first, third and fourth on the team in tackles. They benefited greatly from a strong and veteran front four, most notably mammoth ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore. Carriker and Moore, both NFL-bound, occupied blockers so linebackers could roam free.
McKeon has noticed the duo’s absence this spring.
“Your reads and your progressions are a lot different now because there are new guys attacking you,” McKeon said. “You get spoiled having two NFL guys there. Now you’ve got two ‘rooks’ (first-year starters Clayton Sievers and Zach Potter) just trying to get the hang of things.
“Once they get the feel for things, they’ll get better. And they’ve definitely gotten better in eight practices this spring. But, you know, there are (offensive) linemen coming up on you a lot quicker now. You’ve got to be ready. That half-second turns into a split second.”
As for the offense, McKeon praises junior right tackle Lydon Murtha’s improvement. Senior left tackle Carl Nicks also is playing well, McKeon said, which obviously is a boon for Keller and Ganz.
Ah, the quarterbacks. McKeon obviously has gotten a good feel for that situation. He said Ganz possesses ample athletic ability, knows the offense well and can make plays on his own. McKeon praised Keller’s killer instinct.
McKeon didn’t choose a favorite. Maybe next time.
“The gist of it is, they’re two different styles of quarterback,” McKeon said. “Joe, he’s a product of the system. He goes through his progressions: ‘He’s not open, you go to him. He’s not open, so go to him (repeats) …’
“Sam’s going to attack people. He’s got that experience where he’s looking for Maurice Purify every play. You look over and see Cortney Grixby guarding Maurice Purify, he knows where to put the ball to get a big play.”
In short, Keller knows how to use his weapons to attack favorable matchups.
Thanks, Corey. We (the media) will try not to abuse your gregariousness.
After all, you’ve got a defense to lead.
js
