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The roster flip
- Thread starter ShortSideOption
- Start date
Post of the day!
I think we had contributing Senior leadership at many levels last year (OL, Running back, Receiver, LB) and I just don't see those guys this year with the exception of Barry. Our sophomore quarterback and grad transfer D Lineman are 2 of our captains. May have something to do with it. It is frustrating
ShortSideOption
Guest
There's more than one way to skin a cat, but Minnesota definitely went a different route and kicked our tail this year. Ohio State and others basically say "if I need you to redshirt to contribute, i'm recruiting the wrong guys." I get we are on a different level than the Buckeyes.
I also understand getting guys bigger, faster, and stronger. but guys like Ethan Piper (listed at same weight as our starting guard) and Bryce Benhart are already playing a bit. Then you have the opposite where Jurgens isn't quite where he needs to be but we still play him. Again, different scenarios so don't want to harp too much, but I don't understand why we did it with some guys but not others.
I think they were saying that Fleck "blew up the 2 deep" and just "started inserting his guys everywhere" how that would have been received here. Would an OL of LT Jaimes LG Farniok C Jurgens RG Piper RT Benhart looked that much worse? Could we have found a way to use Johnson, Robinson, Nance, Noa, and others more? Could we just take our lumps with Nelson at OLB? ILB because difficult due to injury but again, trial by fire is usually better for development.
Redshirting is the way it's been around Lincoln for decades, so I don't know it's wrong. But Fleck used his first two classes to build the foundation on the field. We basically have ours behind the scenes and are hoping they play well. The issue is, we return basically everyone on offense next year.
Thanks ***.
A couple comments you made really strike home with me.
Would the shake up of the OL look much worse? My opinion, no. But also as you mentioned....trial by fire to both figure out where they actually are ( both sides of the ball), AND also to lay that experience foundation. Across the board.
There really is only one way to find out IF we have players.
Play them.
The staff was obviously hoping for better play from our 2 deep this year and thought this is the way to build depth and competition going forward. I would guess if they knew how the season was going to turn out they would say screw it and throw basically every younger person in and say "let's see how this goes".
3 games to go.........there is still time to do just that with MANY. Also without burning a shirt.
ShortSideOption
Guest
Probably true, hindsight is a useful power. I think injuries played a part too. But now that we only have 3 games to go, we should be pretty close to using guys like Piper, Benhart, Newsome, etc.
I hope your right. Can it get much worse?
ShortSideOption
Guest
lol Oh I bet it could. I guess for me, if you see Piper showing better than say Wilson or Hixson in practice, let's start him now. Get some live fire experience. Same goes with other guys.
Well find out Saturday. As long as they play the players that will give 100%... use these last few games to reinforce a accountability and sit guys that aren't going 100% or are making the same mistakes.
The expectations are the issue. No question.
The narrative is he took chicken crap to chicken salad in two years at UCF and Nebraska was somewhere between those two when he took over....so the prevailing opinion is he should be further along than he is.
Everything about the situations is different except Frost and his staff.
That’s where I’m at.
If guys are practicing better than the starters, give them a shot. If they fall on their faces in real game experience at least you know what you have with the next man up.
I can see the thinking here at least. Jurgens had a year on campus to RS and gain about 40 lbs (not to mention work through the injuries). Benhart is a true frosh and maybe could play as well as Farniok, but it remains to be seen. Unlike others, I'm not so sure Farniok would be that much more effective inside, but I am open to the idea at least.
For next year, we'll see what development and the direction is by what happens to our OT's. We ask a ton of our OT's (pass and run blocking on an island, use finesse, use power, move a lot, etc.). It's a tough spot, but even so our OT's have been pretty lousy this year (to be fair Farniok would be better in a set with a FB and a TE, and Jaimes IMO looks hampered by the ankle injury in the IL game, IIRC?). Will both of them be starters next year? I suspect at least one will get beaten out, and don't count out both not starting.
But, in any case, I'm all for playing all the frosh as much as possible. Just don't want to burn any more shirts since we are where we are this year.
Yeah, but is he showing better in practice? If he and Benhart have been showing better say since game 5-6, they should be playing.
