Field Position

[hskrfan4life]

I think the big stat there is that we haven't lost a game in which we won the field position battle since 2011. If we can win that battle in every game this year, that would be amazing.

Same here. It just goes to show that when we don't hurt ourselves, we are just fine. You always hear it from the coaches and it occasionally trickles down to the players. "We need to fix US". They are totally right.

With the current way they have been running the punt return game it won't lead to us winning the field position battle. No matter where the opponent is kicking the ball from we don't apply very much pressure if any at all.

 

[SouthAfricanHusker]

I think the youth on defense and the injuries on offense may have contributed to the punt return scheme. Maybe the coaches simply didn't have enough time to work on everything, so punt returns were made simple and weren't practiced much. It's the only thing that makes sense to me for this ridiculous scheme.

That's some good spin. Our returns have been crap for most of Pelini's tenure. I think that changes this year. A slight change in punt returns, reduce turnovers a little, defense improves... That could be the difference between a 4 loss season and a 2 loss season with no blowouts.

 

[blessed2bahusker]

LINCOLN — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini hopes a new series of drills that isolate positions within a punt return unit will help the Huskers strengthen a major weakness on special teams.

He’s spent time evaluating the punt return unit, which was responsible for two lost fumbles and set a school record for fewest yards per return (3.04) last season.


Taking feedback and advice from outside the program, the coach has his Huskers conducting a separate one-on-one drill for positions across the punt return unit so far this spring. Each Husker has taken part in the drills, aside from returners, linemen and quarterbacks. And the coaches — particularly Pelini — are teaching basic principles to players, while building an archive of practice film they’ll eventually use to fill a depth chart.
“I think it’s a good evaluation tool,” Pelini said. “I think the competition has been really good, as far as our guys’ approach to those drills, and some of the new things that we’re doing there. I think it’s going to help us be further ahead as far as identifying who can do what.”

link to the rest of the article....

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/pelini-hopes-new--on--drills-lead-to-stronger/article_9845863c-af78-5963-8d49-eaf11f293809.html

This article that came out in the spring addresses some of the concerns, but others... not so much.

Reading this somewhat gives me hope for punt returns improving dramatically this year, but on the other hand it really makes me wonder what the hell we've been doing all this time. Were we really not teaching our guys any technique during all this time? I kind of have a feeling Pelini was giving Els room to fix it and not micro-manage, but he finally decided enough was enough.

As far as Bo admitting to being too cautious -

“There are times, I’ve got to admit, I’ve been cautious in some of my approaches there.”

I would sure feel a hell of a lot better if he said that he intends to be less cautious in the future, but he doesn't. Here's to hoping!

 

[knapplc]

LINCOLN — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini hopes a new series of drills that isolate positions within a punt return unit will help the Huskers strengthen a major weakness on special teams.

He’s spent time evaluating the punt return unit, which was responsible for two lost fumbles and set a school record for fewest yards per return (3.04) last season.

Taking feedback and advice from outside the program, the coach has his Huskers conducting a separate one-on-one drill for positions across the punt return unit so far this spring. Each Husker has taken part in the drills, aside from returners, linemen and quarterbacks. And the coaches — particularly Pelini — are teaching basic principles to players, while building an archive of practice film they’ll eventually use to fill a depth chart.

This seems so much like reinventing the wheel. He needs to stop making everything so complicated and develop a few simple schemes. We need three competent rushers - two on the edges, one up the middle - and good blockers up front. The blockers tie up the protection while the rushers get to the punter ASAP. Give the punter something to think about EVERY SINGLE TIME he has to punt the ball. Put pressure on their punt unit to snap, protect and get a quality punt off every time.

The more pressure you put on the punter, the fewer people will be able to release and go after our return man, giving him a chance to field the punt and make a return.

This is just basic stuff, fundamental football.

 

[RedDenver]

I think the youth on defense and the injuries on offense may have contributed to the punt return scheme. Maybe the coaches simply didn't have enough time to work on everything, so punt returns were made simple and weren't practiced much. It's the only thing that makes sense to me for this ridiculous scheme.

That's some good spin. Our returns have been crap for most of Pelini's tenure. I think that changes this year. A slight change in punt returns, reduce turnovers a little, defense improves... That could be the difference between a 4 loss season and a 2 loss season with no blowouts.

I'm not sure why that's "spin". I'm trying to make sense of the terrible scheme.