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Locked due to no posts in 60 days. Report 1st post if need unlocked Parrella @ Big Red Breakfast

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Big Red Shrine

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My favorite quote:

The twins have gotten so big

He was talking about it affecting their footwork and agility, but I like the sound of it because he's had Phillip working with them all summer.

Talks about the importance of having the spring to work with guys, specifically Newell,

to see what he was doing right and wrong and correcting them as soon as possible

Nothing groundbreaking, but it sounds like he likes the group and is challenging them to be great now. The technique work they are getting from him must be night and day compared to last year.

http://www.kmtv.com/omahasportsinsi...-john-parrella-at-the-big-red-today-breakfast
 



I hope he restores the Blackshirt tradition in championship form. I think he will use alot of what he was taught at NU and beyond. Hopefully the players go ALL IN and come out fired up and ready.
 
From the article: Parrella said the defensive line needs to come together fast, not point toward the Big Ten season, “and forget, ‘Hey, we’re young.’ No one cares. We need to be ready now.”

I really like this mentality. We should know right away how good we are. :thumbsup:
 
Also enjoyed the part in which he told his guys they can hit anyone on the field but Riley or Langs. "Sure, you can hit coach Bray. But he'll hit you back."
 
Sounds like we are in a bit of trouble on the Dline reading the tea leaves. We need to really recruit better and believe we are/will in the next few seasons.
 



Sounds like we are in a bit of trouble on the Dline reading the tea leaves. We need to really recruit better and believe we are/will in the next few seasons.

Not sure how you came up with that. We must be reading different tea leaves...:Confused:
 
Lets just hope the injury bug doesn't hit us. I think we have a lot of young in-experienced talent that could come together pretty quick. We are just so thin right now.
 
Sounds like we are in a bit of trouble on the Dline reading the tea leaves. We need to really recruit better and believe we are/will in the next few seasons.

I don't think that any of Parrella's comments point to a fear of his that our DL is in trouble. I think he is just pointing out how he is motivating his players and the kind of mentality that he is instilling. He is saying that he won't accept excuses. At least, that is how I interpret it.

That being said, if you are an objective outsider looking in - say somebody like Phil Steele, you look at this team and say that the DL and OL are the big question marks due to the number of new starters. The DL has very little starting experience, as does the OL. There is a reason why analyst's that take a mile-high view of a team, any team, look at returning starters, returning experience, and depth at a position and then cite that as a strength or weakness. So, to say that the DL and OL at NU are a potential weak link on the team is not a stretch.

Then, if you dig deeper, you analyze the supposed talent/depth at those positions, how long they have been in the program, the perceived development, etc. This is where Husker fans can start to delude ourselves and talk ourselves into the idea that although we have few returning starters at a position, that we are high on the guys stepping up or have confidence in that position coach getting his guys ready to play. This is a more informed analysis than simply looking at the number of returning starters, but it is also more subjective and based on opinions rather than fact.

While the OL technically has few returning starters, I think we Husker fans can be pretty certain that the OL interior - C and OG, are fairly deep with some very good talent that is just now getting their chance to shine. So I am not worried there. OT is a little more tricky to project as a strength or a weakness. I think we all agree that Gates is a known stud, check. Personally, I think that Knevel will do well, but I think that plenty of us don't know for sure - so, call that one a toss-up, strength or weakness. But, then it gets dicey. The guys that are reportedly 2nd string OTs, they aren't really known for being ballyhooed recruits, and have largely spent a lot of time on the team without making much of an impact. Guys like Gaylord and Farniok are supposed to be studs, but they are both young and Farniok hasn't even been through a practice yet. They will probably be great, but rarely do OTs break through as RFr or true-Fr - they likely need time in the program to develop - so being able to count on them this year is probably risky at best. So, while I believe that our starting OTs will be good, I am concerned about what happens if we have an injury at that position.

The DL has more questions. Again, returning starting experience is very low. I have a lot of faith that Parrella will teach, develop, inspire, motivate, and recruit very well, but he needs time. I think that he is generating some very good interest out on the recruiting trail, but he needs some time to see if he can land those big fish. The sample size of the recruits he has landed so far is just too small given the short amount of time to make many meaningful conclusions. I think he will do well, though. At DT, we are thin and inexperienced. You can't ignore that. You just can't lose 4 seniors, all with starting experience who were projected to be the whole of the 2-deep (debatable on if Maurice or KW was that 4th vs 5th DT) and nearly all of which have/had NFL potential, and not have major questions. Even Alabama would at least have questions if they lost their top 4 DTs with experience and eligibility remaining. That being said, I think that nearly all Husker fans could agree that we like the projected talent of those 5 DTs that are next in line. The Davis twins, Maurice, Stoltenberg, and Newell were all either ballyhooed recruits and/or they have shown great flashes or potential. Newell was seen as having plenty of talent as a recruit, but has yet to deliver - maybe Parrella will be the difference for him. Stoltenberg has a great frame with great body composition and the kind of work ethic and attitude that should serve him well. The Davis twins are lifting weights for the first time in their lives and we have heard how this has led to them bulking up to some really good playing weights, and they reportedly have such great first steps and speed that I think they will do well if the mental side of their game is good. I've got think that the Davis twins will help in the pass-rush dept. Yet, all of those guys have hardly seen a game rep. Maurice really seemed to step up when given the opportunity last year, but the sample size is small. So, I really think there is some talent there, and NU SHOULD be able to weather a couple injuries at the position with 5 DTs if they are all starter worthy. Yet, here I am a Husker fan that is talking himself into the idea that a perceived weakness as an objective outsider looking in would find is instead a strength. IF NU has 5 DTs that are interchangeable and all starter-caliber, then I think we will do well. But, more often than not there is a drop off from starter to 2nd/3rd string, so then talented depth and experience becomes a real risk with injury.

At DE, I like Freedom, though I am not quite sure what to make of him yet. He has shown flashes similar to Moss a couple years ago, though I also see a bit of the Jason Ankrah in him - a solid player but a guy who rarely makes an impact on the game. If we are going to improve our pass rush, we really need him to consistently be the player that we saw flashes of last year. I have nothing but respect for Dzuris - Parrella said he really likes his consistent work ethic - but, with no offense to either player, I see Dzuris as a guy a lot like Gangwish - a highly respected member of the team but also a guy who is more of a placeholder and not a guy that is going to wow you on the field - a guy that the other team has to account for. Does he even have the ability to be a difference-maker? Davis, Neal, and Natter are all said to have potential, but Natter has struggled to break through for years and if Davis and Neal aren't overtaking Dzuris, then they have some work to do. I do get the impression that Davis and Neal could both be Randy Gregory clones, but it is a matter of them putting it together (Parrella seemed to allude that they have great frames and speed, but that they struggle a bit with body position and leverage). The true freshman coming in I don't see as making an immediate impact.

I think that if Parrella can continue to fill in behind our existing DTs with quality recruits, that the future at the DT position will only continue to get better. I have yet to see this staff bring in some real studs at DE and they need to get there. I don't think we could ask for a better DL coach, he just needs to deliver and only time will tell. Some of these issues with recruiting and depth go back to the Pelini staff. They just had a lot of misses on the DL and didn't capitalize very well on the program impact from Suh and Crick. Most seasons for them recruiting the DL were a bust, with one or 2 classes that panned out well and gave a good 3 year run of talent on the DL (McMullen, Gregory, Collins, VV, and to a lesser extent KW and Curry). The fact that Hank Hughes struck out big time in recruiting, development, and retention at positions of need only further extends the drought of the Pelini staff at these positions since McMullen, Gregory, Collins, and VV were recruited.

I really think that NU is recruiting at a championship level at QB, WR, TE, and DB. We are nearly there at LB and OL. I am undecided at RB. I think that is enough to challenge for some division and possibly conference championships. But, to approach dominating the B1G and start challenging the playoff picture, we really need to get the kind of energy, development, and recruiting on the DL as we are seeing at WR.

Just my 3 cents...
 
I don't think that any of Parrella's comments point to a fear of his that our DL is in trouble. I think he is just pointing out how he is motivating his players and the kind of mentality that he is instilling. He is saying that he won't accept excuses. At least, that is how I interpret it...................

Just my 3 cents...

:thumbsup:
Whew! What'd we get for a Dime?
biggrin.gif
 
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Lets just hope the injury bug doesn't hit us. I think we have a lot of young in-experienced talent that could come together pretty quick. We are just so thin right now.
That's what really scares me, we are thin and very young. GBR
 

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