Should we expect our WRs to be better this year?

[DaCat]

I hope I'm wrong, but I am still not confident that we will see much improvement in our WR corps this year. We need another Zeke Markshausen type of guy to step up out of nowhere. Looking at the projected starters as listed by InsideNU, here is what we have:
H-receiver: Solomon Vault (So) -- seems to have good handsY-receiver: Christian Jones (Sr) -- equal or better hands than PraterZ-receiver: Cam Dickerson (Sr) -- very inconsistentX-receiver: Miles Shuler (Sr) -- replaces TJones on the outside, both had some glaring drops last year.Superback: Dan Vitale (Sr): -- our best receiver. Garrett Dickerson and Jayme Taylor have high ceilings.
Mike McHugh had some big catches last season, but was also inconsistent. I think he will see the field a lot more this year and become an important contributor. At this point, this group needs to really step up and improve its production. Some things you can coach up, and some things you just got to have already. Don't know if this group has what it takes.

 

[NJCat83588]

Probably more of the same. Prater became the go-to guy, CJones will need to be the same and coming off a second surgery is a real question mark. Vault needs to learn to run routes, but does seem to have good hands. Shuler is what he is, average at best. Agree on Cam and the SBs.

Whether or not the WRs are better actually depends more on the QB play. If the QB can get the ball to the right guy on time, they can be successful. If not, then the Receivers will struggle.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I think the door might be open for someone like Nagel. If Grant Perry had stayed with NU, he very well could have played next season.

 

[lou v]

I think both Nagel and Roberts will play next season, too. Roberts has the type of speed that will blow the top off the defense, and Nagel, who has pretty good speed himself, could be an ideal slot.

One thing about your list: Vault is a running back, not a wide receiver. That said, we could see him on the field as a back in place of a wide receiver. NU's backs, especially Anderson and Vault, are competing for time with wideouts, as well as other backs. I think we'll see more two-back sets this year. NU has an embarrassment of playmakers at running back and I think McCall will find more ways to get more of them on the field.

 

[realcatfan]

Originally posted by DaCat:
Z-receiver: Cam Dickerson (Sr) -- very inconsistent[/QUOTE]Dickerson broke his hand spring of 2014 which would explain why he was inconsistent and had as many drops as he did. Maybe we should put the kid due to this.

Originally posted by NJCat:
Shuler is what he is, average at best.

The rules of this board is: "If it's something you would not say to their faces, then don't post it." Are you going to really call Miles Shuler average at best to his face? If so, you should probably duck. On second thought, you won't have to because Miles is a great kid and would let it slide. Shuler, who you are judging as "average at best," also dealt with injuries all last season. We do know that Shuler has absolutely elite speed. Having him, Andersen and Vault on the team will give us a number of speedy weapons. Shuler also has 2 years left of eligibility ie he's still a young player and will only get better and improve on his deficient areas.

 

[DaCat]

I was going off the hypothetical starting lineup at InsideNU which is as good as anything out there. Shuler and Cam Dickerson have to improve substantially. Those dropped passes just can't happen again. Looking forward to some pleasant surprises like Roberts and Nagel stepping up. That would be a nice.

 

[NUCat320]

I was looking at the wnur depth chart yesterday and thought the same thing - for all the juniors and seniors listed, there's not much history of productivity. Granted, the entire passing game was out of sync last year, and the prior two seasons were shared roles.

I do think that the TE group is very strong, and I hope there's a path towards more multi-TE sets. They were used effectively last year in the ND game in particular.

Re: Vault. He sure shows the look of a package player - slot, backfield, motion - but we've never seen a guy like that successfully used under McCall. Mark was a great talent, but only thrived in a traditional set. This is because McCall never seems to use motion strategically - only as a way to reposition guys and not as a weapon.

 

[NJCat83588]

Please. Give me a break. What kind of a knock is saying someone is "average at best"? When he was healthy, where would you rank him among Big 10 receivers? Above average? He played 8 games and caught 23 passes for an average of 8.3 yards/catch, and a long catch of 22 yards. To me, that was average. He seems to have the skill set to do better. Here are the NU receivers whose average per catch AND long catch are both better than Miles': Prater, Vitale, Jones, Dickerson, McHugh, Youngblood-Ary, and Carr.

Miles is probably a terrific kid. But based on what he accomplished last season, he was an average Big 10 receiver, at best.

If you can't objectively assess performance without running afoul of board sensibilities, then most of the discussion here would be off limits.

 

[pawildcat]

I think obviously one of our biggest problems last year on offense (in addition to not catching the ball) was the loss of virtually all our fast players either to departure (Mark) or injury. We had no ability to stretch opposing defenses and that, combined with one of the more immobile QBs we've had in a while, really limited our offense. If McCall can dial in some formations that get Vault, Anderson, Shuler and Roberts out in space this year, it could really add another dimension and open things up for Jackson. That, and we need more OL consistency.

 

[Hungry Jack]

My personal rule of thumb is to post only positive or neutral analyses about players, and not document my thoughts about negative aspects of performance. You can still be objective about a player, but withhold the more critical stuff. I do this because 1) I think players read these boards; 2) these are amateur athletes; 3) they are much better at football than I am.

With regard to Shuler, his speed can and should be deployed as a weapon in our offense. It's on McCall to figure that out. While he is a senior, he has limited playing experience. It's entirely conceivable that he breaks out like Prater did once he attains a certain level of experience. Prater also had exceptional physical tools (despite his injuries), but needed more game experience to really shine.

 

[Styre]

Also, it's a good thing he's a terrific kid, otherwise he would beat you into a pulp for daring to call him average. That's the kind of person "real 'Cat fans" want on our team.

I think Shuler has the tools to be a successful receiver. He has big-play capability based on speed alone, but the offense has been lacking that explosiveness for a while. Hopefully some more consistent QB play and protection schemes will allow him to flourish.
This post was edited on 4/14 10:42 AM by Styre

 

[Gladeskat]

Originally posted by realcatfan:
Originally posted by DaCat:
Z-receiver: Cam Dickerson (Sr) -- very inconsistent

Dickerson broke his hand spring of 2014 which would explain why he was inconsistent and had as many drops as he did. Maybe we should put the kid due to this.

Originally posted by NJCat:
Shuler is what he is, average at best.

The rules of this board is: "If it's something you would not say to their faces, then don't post it." Are you going to really call Miles Shuler average at best to his face? If so, you should probably duck. On second thought, you won't have to because Miles is a great kid and would let it slide. Shuler, who you are judging as "average at best," also dealt with injuries all last season. We do know that Shuler has absolutely elite speed. Having him, Andersen and Vault on the team will give us a number of speedy weapons. Shuler also has 2 years left of eligibility ie he's still a young player and will only get better and improve on his deficient areas.
[/QUOTE] Shuler only has one year left. He only had two years of eligibility remaining when he transferred to NU.

Players' performances are a matter of record. They realize that and shouldn't be offended. Most of our WR's had mediocre to poor seasons last year in terms of drops. Shuler had several key drops that would have been TD's. It's one thing to say "average at beast". It's another thing to say someone is a "waste of a scholarship".

 

[realcatfan]

Originally posted by Gladeskat:

Originally posted by realcatfan:
Originally posted by DaCat:
Z-receiver: Cam Dickerson (Sr) -- very inconsistent

Dickerson broke his hand spring of 2014 which would explain why he was inconsistent and had as many drops as he did. Maybe we should put the kid due to this.

Originally posted by NJCat:
Shuler is what he is, average at best.

The rules of this board is: "If it's something you would not say to their faces, then don't post it." Are you going to really call Miles Shuler average at best to his face? If so, you should probably duck. On second thought, you won't have to because Miles is a great kid and would let it slide. Shuler, who you are judging as "average at best," also dealt with injuries all last season. We do know that Shuler has absolutely elite speed. Having him, Andersen and Vault on the team will give us a number of speedy weapons. Shuler also has 2 years left of eligibility ie he's still a young player and will only get better and improve on his deficient areas.

Shuler only has one year left. He only had two years of eligibility remaining when he transferred to NU.

Players' performances are a matter of record. They realize that and shouldn't be offended. Most of our WR's had mediocre to poor seasons last year in terms of drops. Shuler had several key drops that would have been TD's. It's one thing to say "average at beast". It's another thing to say someone is a "waste of a scholarship".[/QUOTE] I wouldn't say either to his face. I would say I love watching your speed, and I hope you have a great year. I'll be rooting for you like a real cat fan.

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Your sensitivities occasionally dwell beyond the pale.

 

[lonestarmvp]

2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison

I haven't posted here in a while but I was able to catch the spring game and follow the reports on the program. Lot's of good progress and emerging talent. Lou posted about the "embarrassment of talent" at the RB position and this is a tribute to good recruiting for the position. What a difference a year can make - job well done.

I posted a while back that I thought that this group would experience some turnover. Not because of anything negative about the NU program but rather due the fact that sometimes you can have too much talent at key positions that historically are occupied by big personalities and RB is one of them.

In 2012 Nebraska had 3 freshmen RB's on their roster, Abdullah, Heard and Green along with the Senior Burkead and Cross coming in. Two years later, Burkhead was in the NFL, Abdullah was the lead back, Heard and Green both transferred to become lead backs at other programs (Kentucky and TCU) and are now NFL prospects and Cross who was Abdullah's backup last year is the projected starter next season.

I only point his out to say, that it will be very difficult to keep Jackson, Vault, Anderson, Long and Moten on the same roster for the next 2-3 years IMO unless McCall can find a better scheme to creatively utilize the talent at this position. Similar to the way Oregon and other fast break spread teams use their RB's. To date, I have not seen this from the offense.

I hope I am wrong, but I do think this is something to keep an eye on.

 

[mybrotha]

Originally posted by Cat In The Cradle:
Your sensitivities occasionally dwell beyond the pale.

+1 Cat in the Cradle and Glades.

I think Nagel will play and perhaps a lot by the end of the year. Like J.J. he comes in with an incredible list of accomplishments in his school career. Based on the struggles of this unit last year something tells me he is definitely in the mix next year.
Roberts I believe plays but in a very limited role. Specific plays, returns etc. I think he'll need to adjust to the physicality of the B!G and faster defensive players who gain and close gaps much quicker.
As for Shuler, what I saw from Miles was impressive at first. Made some tough catches that surprised me and I said "Huh he's got good hands." Then he dropped the sure TD pass from Trevor in the NIU game. Sometimes guys make the tough catches because the play happens so fast that they don't think. When they are wide open they think too much and then drop the easy passes. I can almost assure you that's what happened to Tony Jones last year.
In the return game, I would not use Miles. He's very cautious and simply does not get up to speed. I believe our best returner is still Matt Harris by far. I don't think Fitz wants him back there because he is too valuable on defense. While I harp on Fitz a lot, I can see that thought process, especially with our injury problems.

 

[pawildcat]

Re: 2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison

I have certainly seen this in the past from NU offenses. I think the main reason it wasn't there last year was that Shuler, Vault and Anderson were sidelined and the options weren't there. At this point, I'm much more worried about these guys staying healthy than I am about them going somewhere else.

 

[Aging Booster]

Re: 2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison


Long and Vault are different kinds of backs. Vault will be split out at many times or used as a change of pace. Given his size, he is not a full-time Big Ten RB. Long will be a short-yardage back and blocking back - more like a FB. I'd love to see Vitale line up in that role, but Long seems to have it. That leaves three. Moten is likely to redshirt this year. We need two RBs to share time, even barring injury. Nobody just runs one back 30-40 times a game any more. Moreover, each of Jackson, Anderson, and Moten will have a year in the senior spotlight. I see the situation as more comparable to that at UW than to Nebraska.

 

[Fitz51]

Originally posted by realcatfan:

I wouldn't say either to his face. I would say I love watching your speed, and I hope you have a great year. I'll be rooting for you like a real cat fan.

If we had to converse like that around here, discussion would be really, really boring.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Re: 2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison

I think at least 2 incoming freshman will be in the rotation. I think Green or Fessler have similar games and one of them will crack the rotation. Roberts will depend on whether he can beat out Shuler for a return spot. If he can't I would see a red shirt. Vault should be our best return man since Venric. Very fast and ver shifty. Please don't put Matt Harris on returns unless its the championship game. Harris is just too valuable to risk on returns.

I think the wildcard is can we utilize the SB's better. Vitale has to be accounted for and Dickerson is a match up problem. A beast that needs to see the ball. RB and SB should be strong positions and our WR's need to be adequate if we utilize these other weapons better. We don't have a Megatron and might be OK without one.

Long looks good and I think he will have a role this year. Anderson and Vault have to be on the field too to keep defenses honest. Moten look like a terrific prospect but a red shirt would probably be good for both him and the team. He would then come on board when Long is a Sr and JJ and is a Jr. Enough spacing to show light at the end of the tunnel for playing time.

The O actually looked good in the scrimmage. OL and QB are the keys to our O's success as there is a lot more unknown there.

 

[DaCat]

Re: 2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison

Originally posted by Purple Pile Driver:
I think at least 2 incoming freshman will be in the rotation. I think Green or Fessler have similar games and one of them will crack the rotation. Roberts will depend on whether he can beat out Shuler for a return spot. If he can't I would see a red shirt. Vault should be our best return man since Venric. Very fast and ver shifty. Please don't put Matt Harris on returns unless its the championship game. Harris is just too valuable to risk on returns.

I think the wildcard is can we utilize the SB's better. Vitale has to be accounted for and Dickerson is a match up problem. A beast that needs to see the ball. RB and SB should be strong positions and our WR's need to be adequate if we utilize these other weapons better. We don't have a Megatron and might be OK without one.

Long looks good and I think he will have a role this year. Anderson and Vault have to be on the field too to keep defenses honest. Moten look like a terrific prospect but a red shirt would probably be good for both him and the team. He would then come on board when Long is a Sr and JJ and is a Jr. Enough spacing to show light at the end of the tunnel for playing time.

The O actually looked good in the scrimmage. OL and QB are the keys to our O's success as there is a lot more unknown there.

I hope one or more freshman will be a revelation -- Nagel, Fessler, Green... don't care who. We just need some guys with sure hands who can get open consistently. I'm thinking of guys in recent years like Ebert, Markshausen, even Brewer. Last year Prater ended up being our go-to guy by the end of the year. I thought Cam Dickerson would be that guy too, but he was just so inconsistent. I haven't given up on him, but he really needs to step it up this year in his final year, and we've seen seniors do that in the past like Markshausen and Prater. Another important factor is the guy delivering the ball. Trevor was very inconsistent in the early part of last year. I am concerned that whoever wins the QB battle this year may have a learning curve that will also impact the performance of the receivers. It's a work in progress, but we definitely need improvement.

 

[IGNORE2]

Re: 2011-2012 Nebraska RB comparison

I would love to see McCall adjust to his talent. What I would do:
Starting Thorson with a line I'm not sure about, run a lot of 1 WR sets. Motion Vault, Vitale, Dickerson at times. Create 4-5 receivers within using backs and ends. Run some option - some real option and help the OL out. Bring back the fast pace to keep subs out and defenses guessing. At one time, they had fast, super fast and crazy. Screw the SEALS PR - go back to RW conditioning.

I would run Oliver or Alvita at least one series a half. If Alviti, I'd try some sets with him and Thorson a la Colter. But, mostly. I would stack the inside with 2 SBs and 2 RBs and let the pass be on the menu.

If the OL and WR are the weakness, then you highlight your strength, yes?

 

[stpaulcat]

They'd better be, if we want to have a chance for success. I believe they will be, but it will hinge on QB play which will hinge in part on OLine play, so what is the fundamental question? I believe, however, it is QB play upon which everything else will hinge, as the QB is the one player who can really incite a team to up their game. Not saying it was QB play solely that caused last years failings, but an upgrade at that position will definitely have an impact on everyone else, IMO

 

[Katatonic]

^ So did the upgrade of Oliver or Alviti last season improve the RBs, the O-line, the receivers?

I must have missed that.

The one upgrade that we probably will see is a QB who isn't hobbled by playing on one leg.

As for the receivers, who knows when CJ will be ready to play and if he is close to what he was pre-injury.

With CJ out last season, the O had to rely on 2 transfers - in being playmakers for the receiving corps.

Unless a couple of the frosh see signif playing time, can't see the receivers being much better (unless McCall starts using the superbacks in multiples packages/diff. roles, as well as passing more to RBs).

 

[JoeWildcat]

Please. Give me a break. What kind of a knock is saying someone is "average at best"? When he was healthy, where would you rank him among Big 10 receivers? Above average? He played 8 games and caught 23 passes for an average of 8.3 yards/catch, and a long catch of 22 yards. To me, that was average. He seems to have the skill set to do better. Here are the NU receivers whose average per catch AND long catch are both better than Miles': Prater, Vitale, Jones, Dickerson, McHugh, Youngblood-Ary, and Carr.

Miles is probably a terrific kid. But based on what he accomplished last season, he was an average Big 10 receiver, at best.

If you can't objectively assess performance without running afoul of board sensibilities, then most of the discussion here would be off limits.

But he won't be able to live in Lake Wobegone.

 

[evanston09]

Perhaps Dickerson's injury gives him room to improve and that should be considered, but at the end of the day, if you're on the field, production is all that matters. It's black and white, if you're on the field you need to make plays. It doesn't really matter if you're hurt or not.