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What this translates into Saturday with wins and losses, I don't know exactly, but be excited. Leading into this season this team has more potential than any team in the last 7 years. Most of this is stuff that has been said before and this post is very generic in nature by purpose.
- A "Team", an energetic, motivated, and enthused team. This is the first time in a long time I've seen this from a Husker team where both offense, defense, young and old show signs of unity. I mentioned this in another post the energy levels are at a different level this year. Also, you have offense and defense players intermingling during down periods of practice. Compare this to last season you could feel a division and sense players or groups of players were outcasts or not bought in.
- The DL is by far the best position group, talent and depth on the team. The 2s have put it to the 1s on several occasions. Hopefully the DL group is that good and OL looks bad because of it. OL did have its moments too. Pass protection is much improved over last year.
- WRs, especially Toure, are game changers this year. Toure looks to have a special relations with Martinez and is the go to guy on scrambles or broken plays. Similar with Martin, he has a knack for being open. Betts is easily the most improved player on offense (mainly due to playbook and system knowledge). Manning looks like a man, but have seen him play soft from time to time. Don't be surprised if the token white WR (Falck or Liewer) gets significant playing time.
- Coach Frost looks like a energized man and has a different personality to him this year - more outgoing and joking around. This was up until the press conference yesterday, but I've been around the Nebraska media a few times and they're like rats and hawks. It's funny watching when the cattle gates open (the doors to the practice field) and watching the media all run and scramble trying to get the best possible position for their stupid photo galleries or clips of the first 30 minutes of practice. Just being around them for those periods are annoying as hell. I can't imagine having to deal with them on a regular basis. Sloppy Gregg from RSS looks terrible in person and wears one of those over the counter knee braces with baggy cargo shorts. He looks like he rolled on in from a 2 day bender.
- As Martinez goes, this team goes. If he gets hurt it's downhill fast from there. The gap between him and Smothers is significant. He looks like better than freshman Martinez. Lost a little bit of the bad weight, throwing a lot better (not sure how much was him vs WRs at wrong depths and timing), and looks faster this year.
- Penalties and small details will still haunt this team. Mainly procedural on offense, but can tell they're head hunters on defense so don't be surprised by a few targeting calls again. By procedural fouls, I mean illegal motions/shifts, false starts (by backs), ineligible downfield (WRs covered up by formation - not knowing on or off line of scrimmage). These were mostly by younger WRs/TEs/backs. However, there were a lot of them in fall camp and scrimmages.
- Improved play calling. This is something that is completely new. In their scrimmages and team work this fall camp, they didn't do defined downs and distances and ran plays off a playsheet resetting the ball every time. They went full game mode with either a quarter or a full half of scrimmage calling plays from sideline. Most was still thud on ball carrier, but live everywhere else.
- I can tell you sources on the beloved RSS have dried up completely. There was a major scrimmage last week and not a single word was ever posted about it.
- Option football guy and I-Formation guy will get full husked from time to time.
With all that said, it's hard to compare when you're going against yourself. And more times than not, it's 1s vs 2s. I just have to compare this team vs what I've seen from them in the past 8 years.
The stretch between NW, Michigan, @Minn, Purdue will be the defining point of the season. If they get through these 4 game 3-1 (7, 8 or 9 win season possible w/ bowl game) or even 2-2 (6, 7, or 8 wins possible w/ bowl game). However, if they go 1-3, it could possibly end up a 5-7 season really fast.
The best possible scenario if Martinez misses time, it's during the NW, Michigan, @Minn, Purdue stretch and they go 2-2, or hell even OSU, Wisc would be better to miss.
I'll go out on a limb and say 4-1 to start, 6-3 before the Ohio State, @Wisconsin, Cockeye stretch and they'll knock off Cockeye this year. 7-5 going bowling.
- A "Team", an energetic, motivated, and enthused team. This is the first time in a long time I've seen this from a Husker team where both offense, defense, young and old show signs of unity. I mentioned this in another post the energy levels are at a different level this year. Also, you have offense and defense players intermingling during down periods of practice. Compare this to last season you could feel a division and sense players or groups of players were outcasts or not bought in.
- The DL is by far the best position group, talent and depth on the team. The 2s have put it to the 1s on several occasions. Hopefully the DL group is that good and OL looks bad because of it. OL did have its moments too. Pass protection is much improved over last year.
- WRs, especially Toure, are game changers this year. Toure looks to have a special relations with Martinez and is the go to guy on scrambles or broken plays. Similar with Martin, he has a knack for being open. Betts is easily the most improved player on offense (mainly due to playbook and system knowledge). Manning looks like a man, but have seen him play soft from time to time. Don't be surprised if the token white WR (Falck or Liewer) gets significant playing time.
- Coach Frost looks like a energized man and has a different personality to him this year - more outgoing and joking around. This was up until the press conference yesterday, but I've been around the Nebraska media a few times and they're like rats and hawks. It's funny watching when the cattle gates open (the doors to the practice field) and watching the media all run and scramble trying to get the best possible position for their stupid photo galleries or clips of the first 30 minutes of practice. Just being around them for those periods are annoying as hell. I can't imagine having to deal with them on a regular basis. Sloppy Gregg from RSS looks terrible in person and wears one of those over the counter knee braces with baggy cargo shorts. He looks like he rolled on in from a 2 day bender.
- As Martinez goes, this team goes. If he gets hurt it's downhill fast from there. The gap between him and Smothers is significant. He looks like better than freshman Martinez. Lost a little bit of the bad weight, throwing a lot better (not sure how much was him vs WRs at wrong depths and timing), and looks faster this year.
- Penalties and small details will still haunt this team. Mainly procedural on offense, but can tell they're head hunters on defense so don't be surprised by a few targeting calls again. By procedural fouls, I mean illegal motions/shifts, false starts (by backs), ineligible downfield (WRs covered up by formation - not knowing on or off line of scrimmage). These were mostly by younger WRs/TEs/backs. However, there were a lot of them in fall camp and scrimmages.
- Improved play calling. This is something that is completely new. In their scrimmages and team work this fall camp, they didn't do defined downs and distances and ran plays off a playsheet resetting the ball every time. They went full game mode with either a quarter or a full half of scrimmage calling plays from sideline. Most was still thud on ball carrier, but live everywhere else.
- I can tell you sources on the beloved RSS have dried up completely. There was a major scrimmage last week and not a single word was ever posted about it.
- Option football guy and I-Formation guy will get full husked from time to time.
With all that said, it's hard to compare when you're going against yourself. And more times than not, it's 1s vs 2s. I just have to compare this team vs what I've seen from them in the past 8 years.
The stretch between NW, Michigan, @Minn, Purdue will be the defining point of the season. If they get through these 4 game 3-1 (7, 8 or 9 win season possible w/ bowl game) or even 2-2 (6, 7, or 8 wins possible w/ bowl game). However, if they go 1-3, it could possibly end up a 5-7 season really fast.
The best possible scenario if Martinez misses time, it's during the NW, Michigan, @Minn, Purdue stretch and they go 2-2, or hell even OSU, Wisc would be better to miss.
I'll go out on a limb and say 4-1 to start, 6-3 before the Ohio State, @Wisconsin, Cockeye stretch and they'll knock off Cockeye this year. 7-5 going bowling.
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