Elliott, of course, was joking around. He appreciated the players in the secondary that did take the week to study and workout. It’s not the same as actual practice – just ask cornerbacks coach Donte Williams – but it’s better than nothing.
“They’ve definitely been out there and worked out, but it’s nothing like actually playing football,” Williams said. “This is still a new defense because every day we’re still installing things and we’re still working on things. Mentally sometimes while you can watch film, it’s different than coming out here full-speed against our offense.”
And getting back to full-speed was a bit of a challenge on Tuesday. While the Huskers didn’t practice in full pads, there was no easing back into it. With little time to prepare until the spring game, it was all about getting right back into the swring of things.
As far as how the secondary performed on Tuesday, it was hit-and-miss. Williams wasn’t too worried.
“It was a little but of a drain,” Williams said. “It was good, but you could tell the guys took time off. We’ll be back at it.”
Elliott smiled thinking about the day. There was some rust to shake off and he admitted the team got “a little bit winded today,” but there was no time to rest.
“We put them through their paces today,” Elliott said. “You get them back for the first day after spring break and you want to make them pay a little bit for all the fun they had, and they paid today.”
While the secondary isn’t greatly affected by the defense’s shift to a 3-4 system, the group is still adjusting to two new coaches. Williams has been around a little longer, but he admits he’s “still new too.” That means he and Elliott have worked hard to make the transition as seamless as possible, which Williams believes will benefit the players down the road.
“A lot of these guys have aspirations to keep playing once they leave here and continuing their playing career,” Williams said. “They’re going to have a new coach sooner or later so it’s good transitioning for them.”
With that in mind, Elliott is pleased so far with his players and how they’re adapting to the changes. Speaking specifically about the secondary, he feels good about the future of the group.
“I like what’s going on back there,” Elliott said. “The guys are competing well and there’s a lot of competition. I think they’ve bought into the system and I think we’re going to be all right.”
Erin is the Deputy Editor and Digital Marketing Strategist for Hail Varsity. She has covered Nebraska athletics since 2012, which has included stops at Bleacher Report, Cox Media Group’s Land of 10, and even Hail Varsity (previously from 2012-2017). She has also been featured on the Big Ten Network, NET’s Big Red Wrap-Up, and a varsity of radio shows nationwide. When not covering the Huskers, Erin is probably at Chipotle.
