Nate Cottrell...just a question, nothing bad

[GTBatGirl96]

I was just so tickled that he caught that pass and then scored.When you have not done it EVER, it ain't that easy folks.

He did a great job staying in bounds too. I thought he had stepped out real time, but on the replay, he does a great balancing act to stay in.

 

[alentrekin]

Nate is playing well for us and I think being used in the right spots. That throw James could have made was there, but not easy and James is still learning both the checkdowns and how to dial his arm back for those kinds of throws.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

honestly where would he slide in? The starting WRs are doing a fine job and that's before trying to get TO into the midst. The RBs are doing fine. He's not a QB.

???

Yeah, I like the guy and respect everything he’s done for our program, but I don’t know where he’d fit in.

 

[Milwaukee]

Nm

 

[MacJacket]

Why do you guys keep falling for the bait? Lol please stop feeding them they want you to respond like this so they can rant against the staff and then hit you with “I was just answering a direct question”. Come on guys be smart.

Ha. I knew it was bait but wanted to hear his justification. Next time I’ll just ignore it.


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[Lee]

Nm

Ha.

 

[takethepoints]

1. The system was designed for Abacks to lead the team in YPC. Most of that was due to how well the other Aback blocked on a particular play. Honestly Lynch suffered last year because he was our best blocking Aback most of the time and lost touches and production due to that.
2. That is actually a false statement. Jarrett actually averaged 4 ypc more than Cottrell last year.
3. How has the staff “failed to utilize” him? Did Paul “fail to utilize” him as well since he only touched the ball 6% of the time last year? Or could it be that there are other players that give us a better chance when they have the ball in their hands? Neither staff failed to utilize him.

Cottrell is a solid player and awesome teammate. He’s a guy you want on your side and to go to battle with. The fact he isn’t getting more touches just means that we have some talented guys ahead if him.

1. Yes and it used their speed. Something we seem, all of a sudden, incapable of doing. And, btw, Cottrell is a great blocker.
2. True, but Omari hardly got any touches at all. This dog won't fight.
3. He would have started at AB if Paul has stayed and would have done just fine. He had Lynch ahead of him last year and, no surprise, Paul liked him better; he always went with the most experienced back at all positions. And, yes, the present staff has failed to use him at all. And, yes, I still think that is a mistake. But now that we have suddenly decided to become a running team (about friggin' time too) maybe we'll see him get more touches.

Oth, I do want to see Howard get more touches too, just like you. He's producing; our new frosh RB isn't. Period.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Nm

Ha.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

Nate has made some plays but he has also flubbed some plays, especially kick off returns. I was so glad to see us take a fair catch and just start on the 25. That should be SOP until we find someone that return a kick. Our kick return game stinks, and Nate has been a big part of that. He has made some good plays covering kicks and certainly the play at Miami is the highlight of his season. I think he is getting what he deserves in terms of playing time. As for the next level, right now we do not have anyone that could start on Sunday. Hopefully some of them will develop into that over the seasons to come.

Go Jackets!

 

[Lee]

1. Yes and it used their speed. Something we seem, all of a sudden, incapable of doing. And, btw, Cottrell is a great blocker.
2. True, but Omari hardly got any touches at all. This dog won't fight.
3. He would have started at AB if Paul has stayed and would have done just fine. He had Lynch ahead of him last year and, no surprise, Paul liked him better; he always went with the most experienced back at all positions. And, yes, the present staff has failed to use him at all. And, yes, I still think that is a mistake. But now that we have suddenly decided to become a running team (about friggin' time too) maybe we'll see him get more touches.

Oth, I do want to see Howard get more touches too, just like you. He's producing; our new frosh RB isn't. Period.

Did you watch Griffin carry the ball in the Miami game? He had potentially the best run of the day and Mason was a beast all game.

Agreed on Cottrell being a great blocker. He is a selfless player and a guy you want on your team.

 

[Jacket in Dairyland]

IIRC, Nate blew out his knee his freshman year. Sometimes players never get back all they had before. Just a thought. Still love the guy for sticking with it after his injury.

 

[MWBATL]

He was just on with Packer and Durham on ACC Network. I only caught the tail end but he represented us well as far as I heard.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Cottrell is one of our fastest players and a great blocker and does have good hands and is a gritty player. But unfortunately he is not even close to being one of our best athletes.

He can't put his foot in the ground and change direction and accelerate. That play where Jerry Howard slows down and then accelerates to fake out a defender and get to the outside for a big gain is a play that Cottrell can't make.

Most of the big gains we had were plays where Mason or Howard or Griffen were forced to make the first guy miss and then run for daylight. Again Cottrell can't do that.

A better argument would be why isn't the BEST athlete on the team (TO) not in the game more? Why can't the staff find creative ways to get him more touches?

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Gonna have to be a little patient with Oliver as he learns his new position. He is gonna be behind as far as his route running is concerned compared to the other guys. Plus, as easy as it is to say "get so and so the ball more", so much depends on the game flow and what the defense is giving/taking away. With only 10 pass completions in the Miami game and with Mason-Howard-Griffin holding it down in the running game, the opportunities just weren't there for Oliver, though he did have a "move the chains" catch that I recall.

 

[Cam]

Nate was frankly not played much under CPJ either where he averaged 3.4 carries per game the last 2 years. But I still love the guy. I really appreciate Nate because it seems like he bought into the new coach and culture more than any other senior. As a leader on the team, that's incredibly important for getting the younger players to also buy in as well and create a better team environment. I think it'd be great if he decided he wanted to join the staff as a GA when he finishes, it'd probably do really well to ease the transition even more. He's got great energy and would fit in perfectly, especially as an aid to Coach Lew.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

You mention Oliver is not getting enough touches, well I think it is a similar situation to Nate. Tobias is getting out of this what he is putting into it. He had his shot at QB and lost out to Graham so he is relegated to a backup role there. That means unless James gets injured he would be standing on the sideline signaling in plays. So the coaches are trying to find a role for him. They moved him to wide receiver and kick returner to try to get him more touches. His kick return results have been mixed and were better early on against lesser opposition. He is learning the wide receiver position and to be honest he is about fourth or fifth in line there in a best case for him scenario. Let's see how he develops. If he is as good as many think, he should emerge as a playmaker, go to, type of athlete. He has got a long way to go, maybe a couple of seasons even before he hones his skills at the new position. I hope he does it, but for now, he is just another player trying to stay above the line.

Go Jackets!

 

[smokey_wasp]

Honestly, the A-backs were always going to suffer the biggest drop in production in the transition. This is where we always got big production out of very under the radar recruits because they were system fits and the offense was designed to use them in a way that no other offense really is. Now, if we still had Searcy, I think he would have been an exception with his athletic ability (had big time offers as a cornerback out of high school). But iiwii. Folks complaining about this are basically just saying they didn't want to change the offense from what it was, so it's just a different way to re-litigate the same argument we've been having the whole offseason.

 

[takethepoints]

He can't put his foot in the ground and change direction and accelerate. That play where Jerry Howard slows down and then accelerates to fake out a defender and get to the outside for a big gain is a play that Cottrell can't make.

Most of the big gains we had were plays where Mason or Howard or Griffen were forced to make the first guy miss and then run for daylight. Again Cottrell can't do that.

Well … the problem with this argument is that Cottrell is much faster then Mason and Howard and faster then Griffin. He doesn't need to plant fakes; all he needs to do is accelerate. Like he did last year, for instance.

But you won't get an argument from me about Nate at TB. I don't think he'd be as effective as Mason or Howard there (Griffin or Smith is another story). He does need more touches, however. It'll pay off if he gets them. We'll see, I suppose.

 

[Southpawmac]

Well … the problem with this argument is that Cottrell is much faster then Mason and Howard and faster then Griffin. He doesn't need to plant fakes; all he needs to do is accelerate. Like he did last year, for instance.

But you won't get an argument from me about Nate at TB. I don't think he'd be as effective as Mason or Howard there (Griffin or Smith is another story). He does need more touches, however. It'll pay off if he gets them. We'll see, I suppose.

He has to plant and get up field eventually because the football field is only so wide. Good running backs need more than speed. They need vision, burst, acceleration, and lateral quickness. Nate's a great guy and a good player for us, but he wouldn't be able to produce at the level Mason, Howard, and Griffin can produce. Griffin's overturned TD run alone was enough to showcase his raw talent. In 3+ years, Nate hasn't shown the ability to turn out a run like that.

 

[smokey_wasp]

He doesn't need to plant fakes; all he needs to do is accelerate. Like he did last year, for instance.

This is where I think our staff would vehemently disagree. This is an absolutely necessary skill for a RB to have in our current offense. For an A-back in the old offense? Helpful but not absolutely necessary. He could get by with straight line speed alone and be productive.

And this is the answer to the OP's question, ultimately.

 

[Kolbigriffin3]

Well … the problem with this argument is that Cottrell is much faster then Mason and Howard and faster then Griffin. He doesn't need to plant fakes; all he needs to do is accelerate. Like he did last year, for instance.

But you won't get an argument from me about Nate at TB. I don't think he'd be as effective as Mason or Howard there (Griffin or Smith is another story). He does need more touches, however. It'll pay off if he gets them. We'll see, I suppose.

Yeah, I’ve been just sitting back and reading all of this but don’t disrespect my brother or the other running backs. I understand your live for Cottrell but just don’t do that. He’s where he’s at for a reason. Relax.