O-line

T

Touchdown Tommie

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As much as it sucks to lose Peat, I do understand him wanting the degree from Stanford. With that being said, does the crappy OL coaching play a role in a recruit like Peat's decision? I mean Cotton sucks and if a recruit sees this in games and if he is visiting with him. I just think Cotton needs to go unless they turn it around this year.

 
Touchdown Tommie said:
As much as it sucks to lose Peat, I do understand him wanting the degree from Stanford. With that being said, does the crappy OL coaching play a role in a recruit like Peat's decision? I mean Cotton sucks and if a recruit sees this in games and if he is visiting with him. I just think Cotton needs to go unless they turn it around this year.
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I don't think you will have many people disagree with you here, if any. Hopefully this year and next, we will start to see some of the monsters of the last couple of recruiting classes make an impact.

 
No doubt that Cotton has got some highly talented kids to commit their talents to us. I can't blame this Peat kid for taking advantage of a Stanford education and some top notch football. Stanford is putting lineman into the NFL which cannot be said for Nebraska. Stanford also runs more of a power pro style offense. I wish the kid well and in a way was hoping he wouldn't waste his talents by coming here. I feel bad for a lot of the kids who have come to play on this offensive line just to have the box loaded with 8 or 9 defenders all game long. Then have fans get mad when the 5 man front can't block all 8 of the defenders? If the coaches refuse to instill any sort of passing game or passing threat into this offense, then who the hell am I to tell them how to do their jobs. Defenses will continue to load the box, continue to blow up our offensive line, and Barney will continue to take the blame. I expect more prime time offensive lineman to turn their heads away from Nebraska until this offense finds some balance. Once there is balance, I think it is reasonable to expect a dominant performance from this offensive line now and again.

 
We have a lot of young talent brought in along the Oline over the past 3+ seasons, now we have to wait and see if the Cotton and Garrison can take the highly recruited high school studs and turn them into something special at Nebraska.

Cotton hasnt had this much youth and raw talent to work with since he has been apart of this staff.

 
Incoming freshmen: Cory Whitaker and Paul Thurston

RS Freshmen: Givens-Price, Ryan Klachko, Ryan Reeves and Zach Sterup

Sophmore: Tyler Moore and Mike Moudy

Junior: Jerimiah Sirles, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale, Nick Ash

Senior: All walk ons(correct me if im wrong)

Those are our scholarship recruits, didnt include walk-ons. If i forgot anybody, please include them.

This unit(the OL) thus far in Pelinis HC career, has been the biggest weeknes IMO. The talent is there, it just needs to be worked and molded into one cohesive unit.

Lets rebuild the pipeline!

Disclaimer.....all this was extremely easy for me to type.....Im not a coach and dont claim to be......GBR!

 
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Just realized, of the obove listed...Moore, Arod and Sirles are the only ones to see PT Last season???

THese guys cant all be busts, have there been injuries?

 
n.e.husker said:
Incoming freshmen: Cory Whitaker and Paul Thurston

RS Freshmen: Givens-Price, Ryan Klachko, Ryan Reeves and Zach Sterup

Sophmore: Tyler Moore and Mike Moudy

Junior: Jerimiah Sirles, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale, Nick Ash

Senior: All walk ons(correct me if im wrong)

Those are our scholarship recruits, didnt include walk-ons. If i forgot anybody, please include them.

This unit(the OL) thus far in Pelinis HC career, has been the biggest weeknes IMO. The talent is there, it just needs to be worked and molded into one cohesive unit.

Lets rebuild the pipeline!

Disclaimer.....all this was extremely easy for me to type.....Im not a coach and dont claim to be......GBR!
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what is the story with him? I have heard several times he might be leaving....anyone know if their is any truth to this

 
Finally! I love a good Cotton bashing offensive line thread.

TttR...A, I think you have a point, however, I will offer this counter. We don't have a great passing game, but I don't see any reason why that has to matter as much as some wish it would. We didn't have a great passing game for years, but there's no way to convince me that our success in the 90's wasn't based off our great line/perimeter blocking. Defenses would know exactly what were going to do and they didn't stop it, because we were a step better. Attribute that to what you will, but I think our offensive line is holding us back significantly more than our lack of an accomplished passing game.

As far as Cotton is concerned, everybody knows I'm not a fan of his, but I'm still giving him a shot. With the amount of depth returning next year, and in 2013, there's no reason for this unit to not be one of the top lines in the nation. If they're not this year or next, then we will definitively know what the issue is. I just don't want us to get there. Furthermore, I don't want us to be a team that relies on that 'one year' every four or five years where we have a ton of seniors that make a special season for us. We have the resources to be a serious conference championship contender every year, and title contender every couple of years. What we don't have is room for shoddy line play.

 
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Enhance89 said:
Finally! I love a good Cotton bashing offensive line thread.

TttR...A, I think you have a point, however, I will offer this counter. We don't have a great passing game, but I don't see any reason why that has to matter as much as some wish it would. We didn't have a great passing game for years, but there's no way to convince me that our success in the 90's wasn't based off our great line/perimeter blocking. Defenses would know exactly what were going to do and they didn't stop it, because we were a step better. Attribute that to what you will, but I think our offensive line is holding us back significantly more than our lack of an accomplished passing game.

As far as Cotton is concerned, everybody knows I'm not a fan of his, but I'm still giving him a shot. With the amount of depth returning next year, and in 2013, there's no reason for this unit to not be one of the top lines in the nation. If they're not this year or next, then we will definitively know what the issue is. I just don't want us to get there. Furthermore, I don't want us to be a team that relies on that 'one year' every four or five years where we have a ton of seniors that make a special season for us. We have the resources to be a serious conference championship contender every year, and title contender every couple of years. What we don't have is room for shoddy line play.
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Good point Enhance. The only thing I can really say is that the speed of the game has increased a bit and even the option struggled against faster defenses. Your right though, those offensive lines won the battle every single time. You ever notice how effective our run is nowadays when we have a fullback lead blocker? I've noticed that whenever we put a fullback in there, the fullback seems to pick up that one more block we need to spring the run. How many times running the option did you see the FB make that 1 key block that took the run for 40 yards. All the time. It's the same today. It's like Barney's scheme is better suited to have that FB making that one more block. Rex is always one block away from going.

 
True to the Red.......Always said:
Enhance89 said:
Finally! I love a good Cotton bashing offensive line thread.

TttR...A, I think you have a point, however, I will offer this counter. We don't have a great passing game, but I don't see any reason why that has to matter as much as some wish it would. We didn't have a great passing game for years, but there's no way to convince me that our success in the 90's wasn't based off our great line/perimeter blocking. Defenses would know exactly what were going to do and they didn't stop it, because we were a step better. Attribute that to what you will, but I think our offensive line is holding us back significantly more than our lack of an accomplished passing game.

As far as Cotton is concerned, everybody knows I'm not a fan of his, but I'm still giving him a shot. With the amount of depth returning next year, and in 2013, there's no reason for this unit to not be one of the top lines in the nation. If they're not this year or next, then we will definitively know what the issue is. I just don't want us to get there. Furthermore, I don't want us to be a team that relies on that 'one year' every four or five years where we have a ton of seniors that make a special season for us. We have the resources to be a serious conference championship contender every year, and title contender every couple of years. What we don't have is room for shoddy line play.
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Good point Enhance. The only thing I can really say is that the speed of the game has increased a bit and even the option struggled against faster defenses. Your right though, those offensive lines won the battle every single time. You ever notice how effective our run is nowadays when we have a fullback lead blocker? I've noticed that whenever we put a fullback in there, the fullback seems to pick up that one more block we need to spring the run. How many times running the option did you see the FB make that 1 key block that took the run for 40 yards. All the time. It's the same today. It's like Barney's scheme is better suited to have that FB making that one more block. Rex is always one block away from going.
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To be honest, I don't remember haha. One thing I can absolutely agree with is the notion that Burkhead was almost always one block away, because it definitely felt like that at times. I never really watched Legate this year, but I remember people getting on here and absolutely railing him for missing blocks or doing bad things. Whether that's as true as suggested, I don't know. I know Cotton was originally an o-line coach for our power-run game under Solich, so I think his background is the option.

That said, I don't think any aspect of our option game was good this year. Our line wasn't good at hitting those lateral moving blocks, defenders blew through holes in the line and I don't think Martinez' play style is suited for traditional option. It takes awhile for his engine to get turning, and we all know he has next to no shiftiness. By my estimations, he always did better out of the shotgun, as he was spaced further from the line to make better reads and ramp up his speed. I'd like to see us run a more Florida Tebow option than I would traditional option. I think Martinez' skills are better suited for that.

Overall, I think one of the most basic principles of football is that line play dictates your team's success. We've had average line play, which have resulted in good but disappointing seasons.

 
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The inconsistancy is what kills me about the Oline. Some games they are on it, real focused, disciplined road graters, other games...well not so much.

 
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Who are the people 'assisting' Cotton with offensive line duties now? Is it Garrison and even Brenden Stai?

Obviously, I don't wish any bad on a person, especially a coach. I feel bad saying he needs to go, but he's getting paid A LOT of money (including a raise this last year) for coaching a group of players that have been abysmal at times and really good at others. The offensive line is like Watson's offenses in general - models of inconsistency.

 
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