Tom Shatel talks about importance of offensive linemen
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druski_2k5
Five-Star Recruit
Getting big play receivers would be amazing. But lets be honest, without the big boys up front, the offense goes no where. Hence why they call football a game that is won in the trenches.
See our National Title seasons, 2009 season/Holiday Bowl. When we won National Titles, we had the best offensive lines in the country, and could do anything we wanted on offense, because the guys up front paved the way for everything else to work.
In 2009, we were banged up all year up-front, hence what I hope, was our Achilles heal on offense.
Then in the bowl game, when we got a little healthier, every just exploded for us on offense. Granted, Arizona's defense may not have been that good, you cannot deny us getting a little healthy had something to do with our great offensive output.
You could have Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Chad Ochocinco, with Peyton Manning on offense, but if you have no line to protect you from a 3, 5, 7 step drop, then you will not move the ball. If you have no offensive line to make a push, your star running backs will not get yards.
Of course this sounds cliche and simple, but it all starts up-front. Once you solidify guys up front, then you can go out for big play-makers.
Eventually, winning, and winning often, will make the big play-makers look at Nebraska, because we will have a more balanced offense, that can run and pass at the right times, instead of 90% power running/option game, which is why I think we never got the big play-makers that some other teams get in college football during the Osborne/Solich years, but we still had very good roleplayers on our offense too.
With a more balanced offense, and contending for conference and national titles, will bring the players here, and I am confident we are heading in that direction.
See our National Title seasons, 2009 season/Holiday Bowl. When we won National Titles, we had the best offensive lines in the country, and could do anything we wanted on offense, because the guys up front paved the way for everything else to work.
In 2009, we were banged up all year up-front, hence what I hope, was our Achilles heal on offense.
Then in the bowl game, when we got a little healthier, every just exploded for us on offense. Granted, Arizona's defense may not have been that good, you cannot deny us getting a little healthy had something to do with our great offensive output.
You could have Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Chad Ochocinco, with Peyton Manning on offense, but if you have no line to protect you from a 3, 5, 7 step drop, then you will not move the ball. If you have no offensive line to make a push, your star running backs will not get yards.
Of course this sounds cliche and simple, but it all starts up-front. Once you solidify guys up front, then you can go out for big play-makers.
Eventually, winning, and winning often, will make the big play-makers look at Nebraska, because we will have a more balanced offense, that can run and pass at the right times, instead of 90% power running/option game, which is why I think we never got the big play-makers that some other teams get in college football during the Osborne/Solich years, but we still had very good roleplayers on our offense too.
With a more balanced offense, and contending for conference and national titles, will bring the players here, and I am confident we are heading in that direction.
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zoogs
Assistant Coach
I disagree with this. The offense absolutely needs playmaking receivers - and we might have some in Enunwa and Bell. We went after some others in Terry and Carter - sure, we didn't end up with all of them and the ones we ended up with might not have the highest stars. But it's just disingenuous to make the two claims/inferences made here: 1, that we aren't trying to recruit playmaking receivers, and 2, the previous staff focused on that rather than OL. Our pipeline was disjointed and broken when BC came over, and he made restocking the cupboard a priority. I've been in this discussion with a couple posters before, but I'll maintain he left them in much better shape than he found them, and we were on our way to restocking them further.
That said, I'm extremely excited about the 2011 class that is shaping up, especially on the OL.
Touchdown Tommie
All-Conference
I just think it is very disturbing that people would like to have big time WRs instead of solid OL. I think it is obvious with the success of the past (I know it is the past, but the success cannot be denied). If you have no one who can compete with a solid DL or LB corp, it really doesn't matter how good your skill positions are. There are some solid OL coming in this year and next year. It will also help with bringing in solid/highly ranked RBs to the program. I truly feel with a solid OL, the skill guys will come in...they will be protected and able to make big time plays!
I think the 2011 season will be make or break time for Cotton. If his o-line is still inconsistent with the wealth of talent that's been built up, I don't see him staying. I don't think Pelini will let go of Cotton easily, but I also feel Pelini wants to win the best possible coaches.
jnkyrdoff6
Five-Star Recruit
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huKSer
All-American
Real simple example, but: I was helping with a 9th grade team and we had some amazing play makers, good RB and a QB that turned out to be a 3 yr starter on varsity. That class had one or two capable O-linemen, lots of Ole blocking. Had to move the QB and RB to the line to just have a chance. (The second string QB had trouble handing off on our basic veer dive.)
Varsity did well in the next couple of years because the previous year had one of the best O-lines I have ever worked with. ("Hey Joe, go move that tractor." Joe goes to the tractor, picks it up and asks "Where do you want it?")We only lost one game with that line.
Touchdown Tommie
All-Conference
This is a very good point! It will be interesting to see how things fall. I do wonder if it is truly Cotton or if it is the players. I really hope they both get their act together and play well next year and into the future.
I have a question for all the recruiting gurus who were poo pooing our recruiting class, because it somehow lacked "big play" receivers........
For all the praise that was heaped upon Callahan for his recruiting genius, what big play receivers other than Maurice Purify, did he attract to Nebraska?
The only other one might be Franz Hardy.
Am I missing anything? Where are all the benefits we're supposed to get from all that 4 :star talent during those great recruiting years by Callahan? Most all his talent have been skipped over on the depth chart, or as we saw with the defense, retooled to work correctly.
For all the praise that was heaped upon Callahan for his recruiting genius, what big play receivers other than Maurice Purify, did he attract to Nebraska?
- Niles Paul is a legacy recruit (Ahman Green's Nephew) so there was a high probability he was coming here in the first place.
- Peterson was a walk-on from Grand Island, who was on his way here regardless.
- Nunn and Swift were already committed before Callahan's arrival.
- Of all the producing TE's we've had (Herian, Hill, Keiser, Mueller, Phillips) all were here before BC. McNeil looked good in 2008, but production dropped off in 2009.
- Menelik Holt, who was supposed to be the heir apparent, ended up being a bust.
The only other one might be Franz Hardy.
Am I missing anything? Where are all the benefits we're supposed to get from all that 4 :star talent during those great recruiting years by Callahan? Most all his talent have been skipped over on the depth chart, or as we saw with the defense, retooled to work correctly.
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sewardite4NU
Five-Star Recruit
I'll just take a receiver that can get open and catch the ball. Nate Swift and Matt Davison were never going to burn you deep, but if you threw the ball to them, they were gonna catch it. Yards after the catch are nice, but I'll take the yards just from the catch itself.
Also as people have said, with a good o-line the QB is gonna have time to find guys, and with enough time receivers are bound to get open. DBs can't cover receivers forever. It won't be easy to get big play receivers to come here with the running game being emphasized, so we need to just focus on getting a few guys with dependable hands. The big play 4.3 40 guys would be nice, but give me someone who runs crisp routes, can catch, and is physical enough to block downfield and I'll be satisfied. Jerry Rice ran something like a 4.7 40, so obviously not the burner, but the dude could flat out catch and run routes and get open.
Also as people have said, with a good o-line the QB is gonna have time to find guys, and with enough time receivers are bound to get open. DBs can't cover receivers forever. It won't be easy to get big play receivers to come here with the running game being emphasized, so we need to just focus on getting a few guys with dependable hands. The big play 4.3 40 guys would be nice, but give me someone who runs crisp routes, can catch, and is physical enough to block downfield and I'll be satisfied. Jerry Rice ran something like a 4.7 40, so obviously not the burner, but the dude could flat out catch and run routes and get open.
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junior4949
All-American
You can have all the All Americans you want at the skill positions, but it won't get you very far with a porous OL. OU had one of their worst seasons under Stoops. Their All American Heisman winning QB was injured the better part of the year because he didn't have a very good OL. I'd venture to guess OU has some of the best skill players in the nation, yet they lost a lot of games due to a poor OL. Game breaking WR's do you absolutely no good if your QB is laying on the ground before he gets to throw the ball.