LINCOLN — Mike McNeill has no real use for discussion about gaining redemption this fall after a rough football season last year.
After all, he caught 28 passes in 2009 — just four fewer than his Nebraska tight-end record total as a sophomore.
“Honestly, it’s funny,” McNeill said. “Last year wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it wasn’t a bad year. It felt like it, because I expected and, I think, people expected it to be more.”
This year, for McNeill, is more about new beginnings. The senior from Kirkwood, Mo., moved to wide receiver in the spring.
Reviews of his play at the new position are starting to accumulate this month in preseason camp. And so far, he looks set to add another bruising element to an already physical group of receivers led by big-bodied Niles Paul and Brandon Kinnie.
“He’s a nice piece,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “We use him in so many different ways. It helps us create a lot of multiplicity. He can block. He can lead block. He can run routes that work underneath and over the top of linebackers.”
McNeill’s versatility led to the change. He displayed a knack for finding open spots in the defense during his breakout sophomore year in 2008. McNeill caught 32 passes to break Johnny Mitchell’s tight-end mark. The catches went for 442 yards — a 13.8-yard average — and six touchdowns.
Last year, his per-catch average slipped to 9.2 yards as the passing game floundered.
Part of the planned fix: Better utilize McNeill’s strength as a receiver and create mismatches in the slot against smaller defenders.
“Mike is a smooth guy,” Kinnie said.
Or, as Ron Brown said, McNeill fits the role well of a big receiver.
“He’s always been a big route-runner and a very intelligent guy,” said Brown, the Nebraska tight ends coach who formerly directed receivers. “The other thing he’s shown up in is blocking.”
As a whole, Brown said, the top unit of NU receivers are as “big as there is in the country.”
“They’re physical, and they’re also good receivers,” Brown said, “so it’s a nice combination.”
Interestingly, McNeill’s move may help the Huskers as much in the run game as through the air. McNeill, who lost about 15 pounds in the offseason to reach 230 this month, takes pride in his blocking. So do Kinnie and Paul.
And might the threat of their size lead to less press coverage by opponents?
“They’ll still come up to bump us, just as a test,” Kinnie said. “I like a challenge. Who doesn’t like a challenge when a DB comes up in your face?”
McNeill likes it, especially if he’s not faced with a big defensive end as he often was at his former position. At receiver, he’ll match against much smaller defensive backs. Even a linebacker won’t seem formidable.
McNeill laughs to himself as he watches the tight ends bang heads while he and the receivers complete a footwork drill. But he’s not laughing when it comes time to run.
In fact, McNeill said, he’d like to track his distance in practice — perhaps with a chip, as he’s seen advertised — to justify the craziness of the receivers’ workouts.
“We run a marathon every day,” he said. “Even when I block in the slot, sometimes I’m running 15 yards downfield to get a safety. So it’s just a lot more running.”
Good thing he lost the weight.
“I couldn’t run like that at 245 pounds,” McNeill said. “If you can do that, you’re genetically gifted. I know there’s some people who can do it, but not me. It’s good, though. All of it will make us tougher in the season.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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