Are the Receivers Really the Strength of the 2007 Team?

1 comment so far June 26, 2007 by Steve Hanway

Coach Callahan said it when he didn’t have to which means he probably meant it. He called the wide receivers the strength of the team. But that was before Maurice Purify’s off-the-field troubles began so it’s worth revisiting.

With or without Purify, the Huskers bring back loads of experience. Terence Nunn, Nate Swift, Frantz Hardy, and Todd Peterson all have two years (or more) of on-the-field experience. That can go a long way in helping a new starting quarterback get acclimated. Behind that group are some underclassmen with at least one spring under their belt in Chris Brooks, Menelik Holt, and Will Henry.

Imagine a goal line package with Purify, Peterson, Holt and Henry, all of whom go 6’4” or taller in a single back formation. You spread the field and you’re sure to get single coverage somewhere on a smaller defensive back. The quarterback can then just lob the ball to the taller receiver like a point guard does to a power forward in the post and it’s 6 points. Whether it’s at the goal line or anywhere else on the field, what hope does an opponent have of stopping that? If Purify’s out you could run the same play with a 6’4” tight end. The point being, that there aren’t many defensive backs that can cover a player that size and the Huskers have several.

What’s more, two of those “forwards” haven’t cracked the two-deep yet. That just tells you how much Callahan likes some of the receivers that aren’t 6’4” which also tells you how deep the Huskers really are. That’s not even mentioning the two (or more) new receivers arriving in the fall. So while the linebackers might have the best collection of starters and maybe even the best reserve on the team, the receiver position has the most quality depth and that’s as good a reason as any to call it the strength of the team.

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