Spring Roundtable

At Big Red Network, we just love to talk Husker football. We're football nerds, really. And our editorial staff is seperated by a pretty good distance. So, a lot of our discussion happens over the phone and e-mail. With spring football starting today, we took a moment to discuss some of the bigger picture items for the spring practice session via an e-mail roundtable. We hope this lively Q&A gets you thinking, and we encourage you to answer the questions for yourself in the comments.

In your mind, what defines "success" for NU this spring? What is most important to be gained or get accomplished?
Steve Hanway: Call me a pessimist but I always consider it a win if Nebraska gets through spring without major injuries to anyone that would’ve been on the two deep. That said, what Nebraska really needs to find is a viable quarterback, eight defensive linemen that can be two-deep players, and eight to ten that can be offensive linemen. Finding receivers behind Niles Paul and Brandon Kinnie would be good.

Tom Cudd: Spring football is all about preparation, knowing what a team is made of. Since it's all sunshine and rainbows right now, the biggest accomplishment is knowing what positions are the strengths or weaknesses of this team.

Brandon Vogel: Avoid the Fulmer Cup big board at all costs and hope no players make ESPN's Bottom Line during the height of whiling it away season.That and injuries. If Nebraska heads into the summer mostly intact I'll consider that a victory. On the field, I would like to see some sorting happen, even if only a little bit, along the offensive line. That's asking a lot in 15 practices, but you'd like to see some gellin'.

Darren Carlson: Getting through without significant injuries is key. After that, I think the spring is all about depth. Nebraska should have a starting 22 that can go with just about anybody. But, what do they have after that? Success this spring means they answer that question.

The Red-White Spring Game's popularity has increased dramatically in recent years. Now they are charging admission for it. Wise move?

Steve Hanway: One of the ways that programs compete is with revenue. They’ve made it a donation thing in the past, so it’s not as though it’s always been free. But when you consider that there are operating costs to cover, it doesn’t seem outrageous. Now if it’s full price (i.e. the same as what you’d pay for Nebraska against Idaho), that seems like a stretch. Then again, season ticket holders for the NFL might pay full price for preseason games.

Tom Cudd: Absolutely. Students still get in free (with a reservation), and kids can get in free if they're doing the drug free pledge. It's $8/$10 for a game day experience without all the stress of worrying about a loss. You can barely get two hours of entertainment at the movies for that price and you can make the Spring Game an all-day affair.

Brandon Vogel: Sure. The guy selling water in the middle of the desert can charge whatever he wants. We, the fans, need the spring game more than anyone else. As long as the tailgating is still free I'm fine.

Darren Carlson: Yes, to a point. It needs to be an approachable price for Joe Fan. Regular game days are getting too expensive for folks. This is a chance to see NU for less. But, I understand that this is about generating revenue. The Huskers almost get as much revenue from the spring game as some teams do from a regular season game. In the Big 12 resource wars, every dollar counts.

Corollary : do you think the Spring Game should be televised?
Steve Hanway: Absolutely. I know I’d watch it. And if you’re so worried about showing something to other teams, you have to understand there’s nothing to prevent them from scouting you by buying a ticket anyway.

Tom Cudd: Why not? Get it on ESPN or Fox Sports and make some more dough for the athletic department. There's no such thing as bad press, and this would just be more exposure for potential recruits to see what it's all about.

Brandon Vogel: First off, I don't buy the "competitive disadvantage" argument some coaches, Pelini included, have made. After the first game of the season everyone has tape and, generally, if you can't beat the first team on your schedule nobody is looking to televise your spring game anyway. Here's where it gets tricky. There's really not that much to see at the spring game but it's an event that has to be seen if you want to get anything from it. I speak from experience, and for displaced Nebraskans everywhere, when I say that listening to the spring game is a mind-numbing experience. It's not a competition with an objective outcome. It's a performance that lends itself to subjective analysis. Nebraska fans want to see players and then form their opinions. For that reason, I think a webcast would serve the fans far and away from Nebraska well. Give the various alumni and fan groups throughout the country a chance to gather just like they do for real games and I think everyone's happy, but I don't see any reason ESPNU needs to be here.

Darren Carlson: No. Okay, it would be good for NU to get some TV revenue from the game. But that is just about it. TCU's upset of Oklahoma a fews ago was fueled in part by a televised OU spring game. Call me paranoid, but I don't want NU to put more on tape then they have to, especially regarding offensive style. Would the exposure help? Maybe. But, the recruiting bump happens by bringing prospects to that game and letting them see a game day atmosphere. Finally, a televised scrimmage is terrible TV. I tried watching some other schools', and my brain tried to eat its way out of my skull.

Pelini is adamant that competition is king and that the depth chart doesn't matter at this point. Do you believe him?
Steve Hanway: To a point. That works if guys are playing on a completely different level than one another. But so often, you’ll get guys that are essentially tied in terms of how good they look in practice. In that case, don’t you consider the experienced guy over the guy that hasn’t really played?

Tom Cudd: In his own mighty words "The depth chart isn’t worth the paper that it’s on". Would you tell Pelini he's a liar to his face? At this point, I think he's trying to evaluate every player in a vacuum so to speak. When we can start seeing players get rapport and working with each other on the field on a regular basis, then you can start filling in the question spots.

Brandon Vogel: Yes. I also could say no and believe that too. The competition angle is the safe coach play but we know the staff has a good grip on what they have and who they expect to see set themselves apart between now and September but they, wisely, leave the door open to be surprised. As I mentioned earlier this week, I think Nebraska has more positions up for grabs than most teams in their position, however, so I'll buy the coachspeak.

Darren Carlson: I thought Brandon did a great job addressing this in a recent post. I agree with what he said there. The key factor is if the kids believe it. If Jared Crick and Roy Helu actually feel like they have to bust their butt every day or lose their spot, then the trickle down to other players on the roster will be obvious.

What are some of the developments and players you are paying special attention to this spring? What makes you feel most curious?
Steve Hanway: I think eveyone wants to see the quarterbacks. Will Cody Green stop looking like he’s throwing it to the other team? Will Taylor Martinez look good as a passer? Will Kody Spano be able to compete with the rest? How good will Jared Crick look without Ndamukong Suh next to him. Who fills Dillard’s role? How much option will we see?

Tom Cudd: The Freak Show Niles Paul may be putting on a show, but I want to see if he can be a leader to the receivers group around him. In addition, I want to see if Eric Martin can play with the same motor against first string offense as he did on special teams.

Brandon Vogel: In addition to the o-line, which I already mentioned, I'll be looking to see growth in Green. Martinez will enjoy the benefit Green had last year being the unseen new guy with some hype, but mostly, whether Green or Lee or someone else wins the job, I want to see a more mature Cody Green. He needs to look like a guy who's going through his second season of spring practice and, with Lee sidelined, the temporary pacesetter at quarterback. I'm also interested in seeing some of the backfield options behind Helu/Burkhead.

Darren Carlson: The offensive line interests me greatly. For the first time in long time, Nebraska has more legit players than they have minutes and reps to go around. The competition should be fierce. It is rare to return four of five starters and still have the possiblity of seeing other faces out there starting in the fall. We might, might, might be seeing the actual rebuilding of the NU offensive line pipeline. And that would really be something.

Non-binding prediction - Red or white....who ya got?
Steve Hanway: Since I haven’t seen the teams, I’ll just say Red because they’ve won most often in the past. But once I see how they pick the teams, I’ll come out with a point spread…

Tom Cudd: Gotta say White. I'm in March mode so I just root for underdogs.

Brandon Vogel: I'm taking whichever team Henery is on.

Darren Carlson: I am glad they are doing more to create some even teams. The Christians Vs. Lions set up that Callahan had was just ridiculous. That said, I'll take the Red squad. But, will they cover?

What do you say? Join the conversation in the comments