McCalebb and Spring Practice

[bikeriderga 135]

Wow this thread is going no where fast. Just off the top of my head we probably loose the 2010 LSU and Clemson games without OMac. He was just as much a part of a national championship team as Dyer was, if not more. It's amazing how so many are quick to discredit him.

I just don't get it either... OMac has NEVER had the luxury of someone like Prosch opening holes for him either.

I guess these same fans were either not around when Lionel James played for us and the 49ers either. Omac reminds me of the "little train".

[gAUlf 1]

When OM was at his best we haf Cam and ran the spread with a veteran OL

  Not to mention we really only had two RBs to take carries.  Much more talent on The Plains now than then.  No disrespect to OM

I look at it this way. When OM was at his best we had a QB who could make plays with his feet, and opposing defense's had to respect that. I think we can all assume we will have a QB with a similar skill set starting this year. And for all the talk about a "pro" offense I still saw 70% of the plays Saturday being run from shotgun.

What do you mean more talent? We may have more bodies but KF hasn't proven to be on Cam's level, the Oline is still going to be young and neither Mason, Blakley or Grant have shown anything. I'm in no way saying none of the players will not live up to their predecessors, but they are all unproven. The only one who has proven anything is Onterio.

[chimesAU 89]

Wow this thread is going no where fast. Just off the top of my head we probably loose the 2010 LSU and Clemson games without OMac. He was just as much a part of a national championship team as Dyer was, if not more. It's amazing how so many are quick to discredit him.

Nobody has discredited what he did for us in the past. Keep in mind that production came in a different offense. Also, OM was our only speed back for a few years so he was featured much more. Now we have a couple of guys who are just as fast but are stronger, have better balance, can cut on a dime, and don't have to run out of bounds to save themselves for the next play. Omac WAS an important cog in our national championship run but this is a different offense with different talent around him.

[AU64 10,122]

Nobody has discredited what he did for us in the past. Keep in mind that production came in a different offense. Also, OM was our only speed back for a few years so he was featured much more. Now we have a couple of guys who are just as fast but are stronger, have better balance, can cut on a dime, and don't have to run out of bounds to save themselves for the next play. Omac WAS an important cog in our national championship run but this is a different offense with different talent around him.

There is a place for Omac and coaches will find it.  If Tre is playng more RB I look for Omac to do kick returns though the new rule may make that a less important task now since it will be pretty easy for any college kicker to put the ball out of the end zone.  The kid's fast and talented.....he will contribute this season.

[dpwspringer 0]

Wow this thread is going no where fast. Just off the top of my head we probably loose the 2010 LSU and Clemson games without OMac. He was just as much a part of a national championship team as Dyer was, if not more. It's amazing how so many are quick to discredit him.

Nobody has discredited what he did for us in the past. Keep in mind that production came in a different offense. Also, OM was our only speed back for a few years so he was featured much more. Now we have a couple of guys who are just as fast but are stronger, have better balance, can cut on a dime, and don't have to run out of bounds to save themselves for the next play. Omac WAS an important cog in our national championship run but this is a different offense with different talent around him.

I agree we have some other rbs that are fast, but I don't know if they are as fast as Omac and the threat he is.  It is likely that they all have some things they are better and worse at when compared to each other.  We can't settle it here at this time.  It will get settled next season as the games are played and the season plays out.

Two years at this time Fannin was the rb that was going to tote the ball for a 1000+ yards but he lost the ball too often and the every down running was turned over to a fr by the name of Dyer with Omac being the speed sweep guy.  Now Fannin did a lot of other things to help, but I know I cringed every time he handled the ball.  We will see how it goes, if Omac slips a lot and it hurts us, the coaches will make adjustments.  Omac's slipping problems may be something as simple as short cleats (for better speed) and his running out of bounds and giving up a few yards may have been what he was instructed to do... my guess is it was.  

[BurtonJ20 61]

When OM was at his best we haf Cam and ran the spread with a veteran OL

  Not to mention we really only had two RBs to take carries.  Much more talent on The Plains now than then.  No disrespect to OM

I look at it this way. When OM was at his best we had a QB who could make plays with his feet, and opposing defense's had to respect that. I think we can all assume we will have a QB with a similar skill set starting this year. And for all the talk about a "pro" offense I still saw 70% of the plays Saturday being run from shotgun.

What do you mean more talent? We may have more bodies but KF hasn't proven to be on Cam's level, the Oline is still going to be young and neither Mason, Blakley or Grant have shown anything. I'm in no way saying none of the players will not live up to their predecessors, but they are all unproven. The only one who has proven anything is Onterio.

I was talking about more bodies, talent and competition at the RB position.  If you didn't see much more potential at RB than we had at AU when Cam was here we just did not watch the same game.  All of the RB's in A-Day game faced the same defense and OM was the least impressive.  Granted they weren't running the types of plays that showcase his ability.  When Cam was at AU we had Dyer, Omac and a few carries from Mario until fumbles became an issue.  Now we have OM, Mason, Blakely, Grant and Robinson coming for the fall.  Robinson is really the only unknown commodity.  Coach Luper himself has stated they are still trying to figure out how OM fits in the offense.  Those are his words not mine.  If A-day was any indication, I believe him. 

I don't want to seem to be an O-Mac basher so I will not provide any more of my "opinion" in this thread.

War Eagle guys.

[tigers93 0]

OMac will still be a big part of our offense.  Even if eh does not get the ball he will be a great decoy and when he does get the ball he will continue his great success.  The only difference this year is it appears we have 4 guys who can tote the rock and each beings his own skillset.  I see each RB getting 10-15 touches and the hot hand geting closer to 20 in a game by game situation.  This year mopre than ever the starting RB does not mean you are the man in my opinion.  Just getting us going for the day.  Just my thoughts.  I am excited.

[gAUlf 1]

When OM was at his best we haf Cam and ran the spread with a veteran OL

  Not to mention we really only had two RBs to take carries.  Much more talent on The Plains now than then.  No disrespect to OM

I look at it this way. When OM was at his best we had a QB who could make plays with his feet, and opposing defense's had to respect that. I think we can all assume we will have a QB with a similar skill set starting this year. And for all the talk about a "pro" offense I still saw 70% of the plays Saturday being run from shotgun.

What do you mean more talent? We may have more bodies but KF hasn't proven to be on Cam's level, the Oline is still going to be young and neither Mason, Blakley or Grant have shown anything. I'm in no way saying none of the players will not live up to their predecessors, but they are all unproven. The only one who has proven anything is Onterio.

I was talking about more bodies, talent and competition at the RB position.  If you didn't see much more potential at RB than we had at AU when Cam was here we just did not watch the same game.  All of the RB's in A-Day game faced the same defense and OM was the least impressive.  Granted they weren't running the types of plays that showcase his ability.  When Cam was at AU we had Dyer, Omac and a few carries from Mario until fumbles became an issue.  Now we have OM, Mason, Blakely, Grant and Robinson coming for the fall.  Robinson is really the only unknown commodity.  Coach Luper himself has stated they are still trying to figure out how OM fits in the offense.  Those are his words not mine.  If A-day was any indication, I believe him. 

I don't want to seem to be an O-Mac basher so I will not provide any more of my "opinion" in this thread.

War Eagle guys.

I guess we just see it differently. IMO McCalebb is the only known commodity we have at RB. The key word everyone keeps using is "potential". Potential to me means you still haven't done anything yet. It just seems that some are implying that all of the other RB's are better than OM when Mason is the only one who has any kind of game experience.

[JamesG 0]

No one is questioning OMACs ability. He has more experience than the others. He has done WAY more for this team than the others. The other RBs ARE unproven. He is more mature than the others. He is more battle tested than the others. He played a HUGE part in the teams success over the past 3 years. Heck, we would've lost several more games had he not played in them.

The only thing I am questioning is how he will fit into this offense. He is a 170 lb change of pace back that gains 99% of his yards on toss/jet sweeps to the perimeter. His great speed was a huge part of an offense that uses alot of misdirection. He fit perfectly in Malzahns offense. But this isn't Malzahns offense. He's not a downhill runner. He doesn't break tackles. He isn't built to run between the tackles. Not sure why some think saying that is a slight to OMAC. No one is trying to discredit anything he has done. Atleast not me.

[bikeriderga 135]

No one is questioning OMACs ability. He has more experience than the others. He has done WAY more for this team than the others. The other RBs ARE unproven. He is more mature than the others. He is more battle tested than the others. He played a HUGE part in the teams success over the past 3 years. Heck, we would've lost several more games had he not played in them.

The only thing I am questioning is how he will fit into this offense. He is a 170 lb change of pace back that gains 99% of his yards on toss/jet sweeps to the perimeter. His great speed was a huge part of an offense that uses alot of misdirection. He fit perfectly in Malzahns offense. But this isn't Malzahns offense. He's not a downhill runner. He doesn't break tackles. He isn't built to run between the tackles. Not sure why some think saying that is a slight to OMAC. No one is trying to discredit anything he has done. Atleast not me.

No disrespect, but yes some are!! Read some of the post in the other RB discussions. If you say OMAC trips on a blade of grass, is afraid to take a hit, etc, that is a total lack of respect in my mind.

Wondering how we use OMAC in this new offense is a legit question. Make no mistake, he will be used and will be as he always has been, productive. Barring injury, of course.

[TigerPaw1 0]

No one is questioning OMACs ability. He has more experience than the others. He has done WAY more for this team than the others. The other RBs ARE unproven. He is more mature than the others. He is more battle tested than the others. He played a HUGE part in the teams success over the past 3 years. Heck, we would've lost several more games had he not played in them.

The only thing I am questioning is how he will fit into this offense. He is a 170 lb change of pace back that gains 99% of his yards on toss/jet sweeps to the perimeter. His great speed was a huge part of an offense that uses alot of misdirection. He fit perfectly in Malzahns offense. But this isn't Malzahns offense. He's not a downhill runner. He doesn't break tackles. He isn't built to run between the tackles. Not sure why some think saying that is a slight to OMAC. No one is trying to discredit anything he has done. Atleast not me.

Well then lets discuss that. Personally I believe he gets around 15 touches a game at the minimum. The perfect balance for me would be 3-5 catches and 8-12 carries. He is a guy that I can see used in the slot to matchup on a LB or safety, in the I able to run sweeps, sprints or draws, and of course the Shotgun packages as well. I believe Mason and probably Grant split the rest of the carries as they do seem to fit this kind of offense better.

The best way to use him is to get him in space. Even though we are in a pro style offense now doesn't mean we can't still do it. I doubt like you he will carry the ball 20 times up the gut but I do count on him used alot on quick flare routes or screens and used in the running game the same way as he always has been as a change of pace back. I will say though since his freshman year he has steadily bulked up to where he at least seems to take hits better than before. It will be interesting to see where Lefty puts all the different pieces

[JamesG 0]

No one is questioning OMACs ability. He has more experience than the others. He has done WAY more for this team than the others. The other RBs ARE unproven. He is more mature than the others. He is more battle tested than the others. He played a HUGE part in the teams success over the past 3 years. Heck, we would've lost several more games had he not played in them.

The only thing I am questioning is how he will fit into this offense. He is a 170 lb change of pace back that gains 99% of his yards on toss/jet sweeps to the perimeter. His great speed was a huge part of an offense that uses alot of misdirection. He fit perfectly in Malzahns offense. But this isn't Malzahns offense. He's not a downhill runner. He doesn't break tackles. He isn't built to run between the tackles. Not sure why some think saying that is a slight to OMAC. No one is trying to discredit anything he has done. Atleast not me.

Well then lets discuss that. Personally I believe he gets around 15 touches a game at the minimum. The perfect balance for me would be 3-5 catches and 8-12 carries. He is a guy that I can see used in the slot to matchup on a LB or safety, in the I able to run sweeps, sprints or draws, and of course the Shotgun packages as well. I believe Mason and probably Grant split the rest of the carries as they do seem to fit this kind of offense better.

The best way to use him is to get him in space. Even though we are in a pro style offense now doesn't mean we can't still do it. I doubt like you he will carry the ball 20 times up the gut but I do count on him used alot on quick flare routes or screens and used in the running game the same way as he always has been as a change of pace back. I will say though since his freshman year he has steadily bulked up to where he at least seems to take hits better than before. It will be interesting to see where Lefty puts all the different pieces

Agree with pretty much everything you said. You hit the nail on the head the flare routes and screen passes. He could be a huge weapon on those types of plays. CSL will certainly find ways to involve him. You may even see a couple of plays straight out of Malzahns offense.

[JamesG 0]

No one is questioning OMACs ability. He has more experience than the others. He has done WAY more for this team than the others. The other RBs ARE unproven. He is more mature than the others. He is more battle tested than the others. He played a HUGE part in the teams success over the past 3 years. Heck, we would've lost several more games had he not played in them.

The only thing I am questioning is how he will fit into this offense. He is a 170 lb change of pace back that gains 99% of his yards on toss/jet sweeps to the perimeter. His great speed was a huge part of an offense that uses alot of misdirection. He fit perfectly in Malzahns offense. But this isn't Malzahns offense. He's not a downhill runner. He doesn't break tackles. He isn't built to run between the tackles. Not sure why some think saying that is a slight to OMAC. No one is trying to discredit anything he has done. Atleast not me.

No disrespect, but yes some are!! Read some of the post in the other RB discussions. If you say OMAC trips on a blade of grass, is afraid to take a hit, etc, that is a total lack of respect in my mind.

Wondering how we use OMAC in this new offense is a legit question. Make no mistake, he will be used and will be as he always has been, productive. Barring injury, of course.

I'm not aligning myself with those people. Anyone trying to discredit what OMAC has done is just ignorant.