Where's Wilbon? Here's where...

True2tRA said:
Good find on that play above. There were multiple examples of Newby doing that, but that one I specifically remember during the game.

Three things about Newby:

Too much hesitation.

Tackled too easily.

He seems to run straight at defenders and try to juke, instead of running into the lanes that have opened up.

I'm not a big fan of this kid, and that's my right. I like Wilbon better.
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unfortunately, this really reminds me of the old marlon lucky vs. brandon jackson argument.

#freewilbon

 
It's not gonna change, so it's a pretty useless discussion really. Nothing Riley has said, including today, indicates them going away from Newby at all.

I'm not anti-Newby by any means, I'm just not impressed with him. It's frustrating watching him run. Yet, he's having a pretty good statistical year so far and it can almost sound stupid arguing for Wilbon over Newby.

Newby is doing okay, it's just my personal viewpoint that Wilbon is a better runner. I wish he'd hurry up and get the rest figured out, but from Riley's comments today as well, it doesn't sound like Wilbon is gaining any ground on that front either. I don't get it? When you ask yourself, how can Wilbon not be figuring this stuff out, and you assume that he's capable of learning just like anybody else, so again, there's something else going on here.

 
HAND_ON_FOREHEAD.jpg


 
I think Wilbon is the better runner of the two. Newby is not a north-south runner. He heads to the sideline, not the goal line. If we had a better O-line Wilbon would be the starter. And our running game would be awesome. But apparently Wilbon can't pass block. (Or won't?) So we have Newby, the better of the two at pass blocking. But not the better of the two at running the ball. IMHO, that is.

 
secretasianman said:
http://m.omaha.com/huskers/why-aren-t-more-husker-rbs-playing-if-you-re/article_f8b674bc-6613-11e5-8c7c-e79c4824f51c.html?mode=jqm

Pretty much sums it up.
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That's fine and dandy when it comes to close games. But look at the South Bama game. Newby carried 28 times. Nobody else carried more than 3.

That was a game some guys could've gotten some good on-the-job training.

Also, I haven't analyzed it closely, but how often is Newby in pass-pro? It seems like he's more often running a pattern.

 
Bowfin said:
If he can't block, your QB ain't throwing for 3 bills over and over. He has little value if that is the problem.
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How about having the center, two guards, two tackles, and one or two tight ends plus a fullback take care of the pass blocking and use a running back mainly to run?

Let's not over think the basic premise here.
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The RB is the first and only player to stop the first defender who gets through. You see the value of a blocking RB on virtually every pass play in college and pros. That's not even counting them running interference for rushing QBs and jet sweeps.

Good coaches scout for good blocking RBs. That's how a lot of Nebraska backs earned NFL careers. An RB who can't pass block is a serious liability, a danger to getting your QB blindsided. An RB who blows more than one blocking assignment will be riding the bench on most teams. An RB who thinks he shouldn't have to block doesn't make the team.

That IS the basic premise.

My guess is that Wilbon just has to grow up a little, in all the predictable ways.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
Bowfin said:
If he can't block, your QB ain't throwing for 3 bills over and over. He has little value if that is the problem.
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How about having the center, two guards, two tackles, and one or two tight ends plus a fullback take care of the pass blocking and use a running back mainly to run?

Let's not over think the basic premise here.
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The RB is the first and only player to stop the first defender who gets through. You see the value of a blocking RB on virtually every pass play in college and pros. That's not even counting them running interference for rushing QBs and jet sweeps.

Good coaches scout for good blocking RBs. That's how a lot of Nebraska backs earned NFL careers. An RB who can't pass block is a serious liability, a danger to getting your QB blindsided. An RB who blows more than one blocking assignment will be riding the bench on most teams. An RB who thinks he shouldn't have to block doesn't make the team.

That IS the basic premise.

My guess is that Wilbon just has to grow up a little, in all the predictable ways.
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ameer abdullah's scouting report says he's poor at pass protection. but he was drafted in the second round before many other backs.

again, there's a reason most nfl teams have designated "passing down backs". the backs that play on other non-passing downs aren't in there for their exceptional pass blocking skills.

 
That's a fair point. But would Ameer (last year) have been considered a pass blocking liability here by this new staff?

I don't think we know the answer to that question.

 
RBs that both run and block are still much preferred, because you can put them in the backfield without announcing your intention to pass.

Ameer wasn't the best pass blocker, but he was certainly game to try. When the rumors involve behind the scenes intel, I worry that Wilbon would simply rather not pass block, as it wasn't always asked of high school phenoms.

Weird that we're even debating this on HuskerBoard. The notion that RB's shouldn't have to block would make Tom Osborne roll over in his grave.

 
GBRedneck said:
secretasianman said:
http://m.omaha.com/huskers/why-aren-t-more-husker-rbs-playing-if-you-re/article_f8b674bc-6613-11e5-8c7c-e79c4824f51c.html?mode=jqm

Pretty much sums it up.
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That's fine and dandy when it comes to close games. But look at the South Bama game. Newby carried 28 times. Nobody else carried more than 3.
That was a game some guys could've gotten some good on-the-job training.

Also, I haven't analyzed it closely, but how often is Newby in pass-pro? It seems like he's more often running a pattern.
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He'll almost always run a pattern if there's not a blitz to pick up. His first responsibility will almost always be to check for that blitz.
So to answer your question, he's almost always in pass-pro on passing plays.

 
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