There's a terrific thread on recruiting in Texas on Huskerpedia right now. It's one of the better chat lines that I've seen for awhile. Here's the link.
Inside that thread, this line was posted that got me to do some checking. It came from a contributor called "N2FL":
FYI, Hal Wasson, the head coach at Southlake Carroll High School, one of the top prep programs in the state of Texas, will take part in the NU Spring Coaches Clinic. That is a very good move.
This was to me a very interesting little nugget. Southlake Carroll, of course, is where star kicker Kris Brown came from. (And, yes---Chase Daniel too.) So, I Googled "Hal Wasson" and came up with this comprehensive article from the Dallas Morning News website.
What a deal indeed for the Husker program to bring this guy in if it pans out! I can see 2 results from this--first, the obvious in an improving tie-in with a big dog in Texas high school ball. But also--think of the further insights that high school coaches will get into running the spread offense at the high school level. If this is done more in Nebraska, then we have a shot at some of our own home-grown talent being "spread-friendly" so to speak--which will pay its own dividends in the future.
It's great to see how one initiative can have a positive result on several levels. I like it!
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Huskers' Ganz Needs Our Mojo
Joe Ganz is having his pro day workout in Lincoln today and tomorrow (March 12 and 13). The info is here.
Joe, just to say it---good luck man, and knock 'em dead You deserve to be in The League. Pro sports needs more guys like you.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
Joe, just to say it---good luck man, and knock 'em dead You deserve to be in The League. Pro sports needs more guys like you.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
Monday, March 2, 2009
Witt's Departure Sends Message About Husker "O"
It's now just over a week since the news came out that Patrick Witt is leaving the Husker football program. Like many fans, I was shocked at first--after all, this young man had graduated from high school a semester early to move from Texas to Lincoln and go through spring practice 2 years ago. He sat through a redshirt year, had 5 years to play 4, and got some action in 2008. So, what's the deal, I wondered?
Then, reality started to set in. Let's talk about sheer high-profile numbers first. Cody Green's arrival on campus this winter, added to the already-on-hand contingent of Witt, Zac Lee, and Kody Spano, obviously meant that there were 'way too many head chefs in the kitchen. We all know how isolated the QB spot is from subbing. (The only spot in team sports that I can compare it to is goalie in either soccer or hockey.) And, during this Old Husker Fan's years of yelling myself hoarse, staying up late worrying about the next day's game (yep, been there and done that), and feeling so giddy about great plays that they just run over again and again, the only time I can recall more than 2 high-rank scholarship QBs on the roster is in 1971, when Jerry Tagge and Van Brownson were seniors, with David Humm as a freshman. It's one thing to have 2 or even 3 well-recruited roster QBs. Four is pushing the envelope.
But, out of those 4, why Witt and not either Lee or Spano? (If Cody G hadn't wanted to be here, he had the option of not signing a letter of intent.) To me, the answer here has everything to do with what the Huskers are going to emphasize in the 2009 version of the Shawn Watson Offense--and that is, ground, ground, ground. If you like running, get set for '09.
Think about it--almost half the Husker passing game production is gone with the departure of Nate Swift and Todd Peterson. (Details of their '08 contributions are noted here.) We don't know who will step in to take their places, and in fact--we may not know until several games into the season. So, with that in mind, look for the ground game and the much-improved defense (plus the oh-so-well-thought-of Alex Henery) to be the foundation of the 2009 "Pelini-skers"--at least, until the receiver situation comes around.
And, as we know, Patrick Witt is a thrower/runner---not a runner/thrower. The days of the statue QB are gone (Bill Callahan obviously didn't appreciate the lessons that T.O. learned more than 25 years ago). That's where Patrick Witt's forte just didn't fit anymore.
To everyone's credit, in this OHF's opinion, this realization and meeting of the minds was taken care of now. Young Mr. Witt can move on and find a home in an offense where he can be a zinger and not a zigger-and-zagger. And the Husker offensive brain trust can put in its '09 version knowing that any of the guys under center (or in the shotgun--which probably will be the case more often than not) will be capable of handling each and every play without missing a beat. This may turn out to truly be a win-win situation ahead of spring ball.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
Then, reality started to set in. Let's talk about sheer high-profile numbers first. Cody Green's arrival on campus this winter, added to the already-on-hand contingent of Witt, Zac Lee, and Kody Spano, obviously meant that there were 'way too many head chefs in the kitchen. We all know how isolated the QB spot is from subbing. (The only spot in team sports that I can compare it to is goalie in either soccer or hockey.) And, during this Old Husker Fan's years of yelling myself hoarse, staying up late worrying about the next day's game (yep, been there and done that), and feeling so giddy about great plays that they just run over again and again, the only time I can recall more than 2 high-rank scholarship QBs on the roster is in 1971, when Jerry Tagge and Van Brownson were seniors, with David Humm as a freshman. It's one thing to have 2 or even 3 well-recruited roster QBs. Four is pushing the envelope.
But, out of those 4, why Witt and not either Lee or Spano? (If Cody G hadn't wanted to be here, he had the option of not signing a letter of intent.) To me, the answer here has everything to do with what the Huskers are going to emphasize in the 2009 version of the Shawn Watson Offense--and that is, ground, ground, ground. If you like running, get set for '09.
Think about it--almost half the Husker passing game production is gone with the departure of Nate Swift and Todd Peterson. (Details of their '08 contributions are noted here.) We don't know who will step in to take their places, and in fact--we may not know until several games into the season. So, with that in mind, look for the ground game and the much-improved defense (plus the oh-so-well-thought-of Alex Henery) to be the foundation of the 2009 "Pelini-skers"--at least, until the receiver situation comes around.
And, as we know, Patrick Witt is a thrower/runner---not a runner/thrower. The days of the statue QB are gone (Bill Callahan obviously didn't appreciate the lessons that T.O. learned more than 25 years ago). That's where Patrick Witt's forte just didn't fit anymore.
To everyone's credit, in this OHF's opinion, this realization and meeting of the minds was taken care of now. Young Mr. Witt can move on and find a home in an offense where he can be a zinger and not a zigger-and-zagger. And the Husker offensive brain trust can put in its '09 version knowing that any of the guys under center (or in the shotgun--which probably will be the case more often than not) will be capable of handling each and every play without missing a beat. This may turn out to truly be a win-win situation ahead of spring ball.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
Huskers Will Miss Swift-Peterson Combo
This is the first of a sort-of-multi-part blog item. I have some comments on Patrick Witt's leaving the program, but my thoughts on that subject are rooted in how things are looking for the Husker "O" in 2009. And for background on that, we need to consider just how important the loss of Nate Swift and Todd Peterson is to the Big Red attack.
And in a short phrase, it's huge.
We know about the way that Nate Swift played his way into the record books. (For my thoughts on that, check out this item from last fall). But, he Todd Peterson were truly BMOCs when it came to the passing game in 2008. Consider these numbers:
Swift & Peterson 2008
Receptions--125 (Swift 63, Peterson 62)--42% of total team completions (295).
Passing TDs--14 (Swift 10, Peterson 4)--52% of team TD passes (27) and 24% (almost a fourth) of the total team TDs (58).
Receiving yards--1,727 and 133 yards per game--47% of team's season total passing yards (3,653 season and 281 per game).
In short, if you think that these 2 guys were big in the offense and that it seemed like every other pass was going to one or the other, you're right. And this is just the measurable aspect of their contribution--and just in 1 phase. This doesn't take into account Swift's special teams play (the one-man band TD punt return against VA Tech); their savage blocking; nor the number of clutch catches they made (first down catches, TD catches when they were most needed).
And, one more thing--it has been said by some football experts that the greatest ability a player can bring to the team is his avail-ability. Swift & Peterson did that big-time in 2008. They both started all 13 games. Shawn Watson was able to write them in at whichever alphabet letter (X, Y, Z, Sigma) he wanted to each time the ball was teed up for real.
These days, the letters S&P (as in 500) are not very highly-regarded. Not the Husker's S(Swift) & P(Peterson). Guys, thanks and best to you. Numbers 87 and 17 will have some extra lustre in Husker memories from here on out.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
And in a short phrase, it's huge.
We know about the way that Nate Swift played his way into the record books. (For my thoughts on that, check out this item from last fall). But, he Todd Peterson were truly BMOCs when it came to the passing game in 2008. Consider these numbers:
Swift & Peterson 2008
Receptions--125 (Swift 63, Peterson 62)--42% of total team completions (295).
Passing TDs--14 (Swift 10, Peterson 4)--52% of team TD passes (27) and 24% (almost a fourth) of the total team TDs (58).
Receiving yards--1,727 and 133 yards per game--47% of team's season total passing yards (3,653 season and 281 per game).
In short, if you think that these 2 guys were big in the offense and that it seemed like every other pass was going to one or the other, you're right. And this is just the measurable aspect of their contribution--and just in 1 phase. This doesn't take into account Swift's special teams play (the one-man band TD punt return against VA Tech); their savage blocking; nor the number of clutch catches they made (first down catches, TD catches when they were most needed).
And, one more thing--it has been said by some football experts that the greatest ability a player can bring to the team is his avail-ability. Swift & Peterson did that big-time in 2008. They both started all 13 games. Shawn Watson was able to write them in at whichever alphabet letter (X, Y, Z, Sigma) he wanted to each time the ball was teed up for real.
These days, the letters S&P (as in 500) are not very highly-regarded. Not the Husker's S(Swift) & P(Peterson). Guys, thanks and best to you. Numbers 87 and 17 will have some extra lustre in Husker memories from here on out.
Go Big Red!!
The Old Husker Fan
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