Coaches turning 'em loose

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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL

Joe Dailey looked at the white band wrapped around his wrist, then flipped open a Velcro-lined cover.

Football plays. Dozens and dozens of football plays. Some printed in red, some in blue, others in black and green.

His cheat sheet was plastered -save for a small white space - in the bottom corner.

"There's room for about five more," Dailey said.

Well, wonderful. But 175 is enough for now, thank you. That's about twice as many plays as Dailey, Nebraska's sophomore quarterback, had to learn last year.

Besides, it's not like he'll run every single play today, when the Huskers hold a major spring scrimmage at Memorial Stadium.

"But I'm sure we'll get somewhere near it," Dailey said.

Regardless of the number, Dailey's just happy to have his first crack at running the West Coast offense in a live scrimmage - without Coach Bill Callahan and Co. standing behind him, giving Dailey advice or immediately dissecting his every move.

Yes, coaches are turning 'em loose a little today, when Callahan said he'll run four or five "move-the-ball sequences," with all units.

"Now we actually get to do a little bit of open field," senior linebacker Barrett Ruud said, "see if the offense can actually take it down the field on us."

That's more involved than last Saturday, when coaches directed a situational scrimmage, in which players ran through goal line plays, red zone plays and third-and-short plays.

There'll still be some of that today, only this time, a few drives will be mixed in, too.

"We're just going to set them on their own," Callahan said, "signal from the sideline, try to create a rhythm and get these guys operating on their own, kind of wean them, a little bit, away from the coaches."

Dailey's all for that. Like a real game, he'll read the play, go in the huddle, and go at it. "Without worrying about Coach Callahan behind me, giving me the 'Full Monty,' " Dailey said.

"It'll be more of our own freelance, where we're out there by ourselves, get a chance to get away from the coaches, just go at our own pace, full-speed ahead."

Callahan said today's major scrimmage - which comes eight days before the Red-White Spring Game - will allow coaches to offer a major evaluation for each position.

In particular, they'll closely monitor Dailey. He's been taking about 90 percent of the snaps in practice and will handle most of the work today.

"I feel that you've got to make a stand and find a guy you're going to work with and obviously commit to, in terms of repetitions, and we've done that with Joe Dailey in practice," Callahan said. "He has so many things to filter and dissect that it's competitively tough. I think he's endured very well and he continues to get better.

"He shows progress in certain areas. I'm sure when we limit everything that we're doing and just allow him to execute, he'll function very well."

Coaches will have an idea today, when they hand the keys to Dailey and watch from the sidelines.

"It's different, having a coach behind you and telling you what to do every five seconds," Callahan said, "as opposed to when your coach is on the sideline and there's no voice, and they've got to really concentrate and focus and execute."

The defense, which has dominated most of the situational work throughout the spring, will also have a chance to cut loose.

Ruud's excited because the linebackers will shed the knee braces they've been wearing and be able to roam free with more mobility.

And fewer situations.

"Nobody wants to just always go out there and work on drills all day," Ruud said. "If you're a player, you want to go out and play, and that's what we're going to get to do."

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@;journalstar.com.