Jammal Lord

[HuskersVsTheWorld]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

 

[GeorgeFlippin]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

Maybe a question to ask yourself is which one would you take as your QB no matter what year they played? As far as Lord is concerned, I think he was well respected and liked by the fan base, but there was a sharp drop off in talent as more than Crouch left after 2001. Personally, I thought Jamal was a good QB and he played hard, won some games carrying the offense on his back.

 

[Stlhuskers]

won some games carrying the offense on his back.

BINGO, Yahtzee, Drink! Nailed it.

 

[Alhannahusker_rivals496739]

If we would have had a real QB that year, Lord would have been a great Iback. Tough runner.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

Wildcat QB who didn't know it at the time cause the word hadn't been invented yet and he lined up under center.

 

[goldencohusker]

By their senior seasons, neither Crouch nor Lord had much supporting talent around them so the offense centered around them. Crouch was a talented option QB with elite speed who would have been successful in any NU offense from the late 70s to early 2000s. It would have been interesting to see how good he could have looked in NU's offenses in the early 80s and from '92-'97. Lord's strength was centered around improvising which he had to do all the time in the offense he was in. NU would likely had been worse without Lord's talents at the end of the Solich era, but I'm not sure how well Lord would have fit in with a TO directed offense.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

intangibles

 

[John_J_Rambo_rivals315142]

intangibles

just come out and say it you self-righteous coward

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

jlb is the teacher in this video (I could easily name about 5-6 other posters here who do the same as jlb every chance they get), and this really did happen about 4 days ago. Pathetic. The student is amazing here, teacher not so much.

 

[inWV]

By their senior seasons, neither Crouch nor Lord had much supporting talent around them so the offense centered around them. Crouch was a talented option QB with elite speed who would have been successful in any NU offense from the late 70s to early 2000s. It would have been interesting to see how good he could have looked in NU's offenses in the early 80s and from '92-'97. Lord's strength was centered around improvising which he had to do all the time in the offense he was in. NU would likely had been worse without Lord's talents at the end of the Solich era, but I'm not sure how well Lord would have fit in with a TO directed offense.

Skill players Lord had on hand his Senior year included Herian, Pilkington, Fluellen and Pork Chop Ross, with David Horne and Tony Davis' kid backing him up. That lineup couldn't have struck fear into the hearts of opposing Ds. And yet with the D Pelini put together, NU won 10 games.

 

[HominidHusker]

I think Jamal was under appreciated perhaps, but I’ll never forget him throwing a couple turf bouncing swing passed. There were some embarrassing throws.
Then Adrian came along, and putting aside the bigger picture, has reminded me of Lord having had his own handful of completely embarrassing throws.

My general rule would be a sub 10 yard pass should not be more than 3 yards off target.

 

[John_J_Rambo_rivals315142]

I think Jamal was under appreciated perhaps, but I’ll never forget him throwing a couple turf bouncing swing passed. There were some embarrassing throws.
Then Adrian came along, and putting aside the bigger picture, has reminded me of Lord having had his own handful of completely embarrassing throws.

Adrian is very similar to Jammal, minus the 10lb heart and onions (or, ironically, the intangibles)

also, Adrian takes hits, Jammal doled them out

 

[IM4NUAlways_]

JL was a good QB and like another posted stated carried the team to victory. He did catch a lot of flack from fans at times but that's what fans do. Always clamoring for the back up when things are not going as they see fit.

Underappreciated.

 

[Kakdawg]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

Good running QB/athlete not a good passer. Should've been a safety from day 1. Probably would have been had Crawford played in Lincoln.



Holla

 

[PCastro]

Skill players Lord had on hand his Senior year included Herian, Pilkington, Fluellen and Pork Chop Ross, with David Horne and Tony Davis' kid backing him up. That lineup couldn't have struck fear into the hearts of opposing Ds. And yet with the D Pelini put together, NU won 10 games.

Loved josh Davis returning kickoffs. He was so effective at that.

 

[steinek11]

Very underappreciated. I met him at a Huskers event at the Holy Ghost years ago. Very humble guy. Told him then what a great job he did. Wonder where he is now.

 

[dinglefritz]

Very underappreciated. I met him at a Huskers event at the Holy Ghost years ago. Very humble guy. Told him then what a great job he did. Wonder where he is now.

His wiki page says he coached football and basketball at his alma mater Bayonne High but it doesn't list him on their faculty directory now. It also says he's worked in the oil fields in North Dakota. There was at least one other former Husker that was doing that I know. The money was very good. Not sure what he's doing now but IF somebody was looking for a hard working guy for their business in Nebraska they need to try to find and hire him. As you pointed out, he was WAY underappreciated. Wish we had him right now.

 

[99_BoothBalloons]

I own one of those weird 2002 jerseys in white with the thick red stripe down each side. #10. Bought it just because I loved Jamaal Lord.

 

[HuskersVsTheWorld]

By their senior seasons, neither Crouch nor Lord had much supporting talent around them so the offense centered around them. Crouch was a talented option QB with elite speed who would have been successful in any NU offense from the late 70s to early 2000s. It would have been interesting to see how good he could have looked in NU's offenses in the early 80s and from '92-'97. Lord's strength was centered around improvising which he had to do all the time in the offense he was in. NU would likely had been worse without Lord's talents at the end of the Solich era, but I'm not sure how well Lord would have fit in with a TO directed offense.

I like this take. That's maybe what I wondered. Comparing those good Husker teams to a Lambo and the QB just needs to drive it. Anyone can go fast in the car, but do you have what it takes to skillfully maneuver and win the race. I agree Crouch was that type of guy. Lord, obviously talented, but maybe some mystery there. Not trying to compare the 2 because look I mean Crouch the dude won the Heisman, but would be curious to flip the quarterbacks for 01 and 02 and just see how different team records turn out.

 

[huskerhooligansdotcom]

Lord was a good player that was hamstrung by a number of items. He has the record for most rushing yards in a season by a QB. 1,412 yards in a season is eighth most in school history and more than Crouch, Frazier, Frost, Martinez, Armstrong, ect ever had. He was a really good runner. He was a poor passer, but actually threw a pretty good deep ball. He was very effective if we had a lead and could be run heavy with deep play actions to the TE. If we were behind and had to come back? Look out.

Had a revolving platoon of inconsistent running backs playing with him. The O-line continued its decline from the Crouch years. fallen off. WR wasn't good. Best threat was his TE who got seriously injured. Questionable play calling and coaching.

He played an incredible game against a heavily heavily favored Texas in 2002 and we were about to possibly pull off a huge upset but he threw a pick in their redzone.

Bottom line - He was the last QB to lose fewer than four games in a season.

 

[TheBeav815]

Good running QB/athlete not a good passer. Should've been a safety from day 1. Probably would have been had Crawford played in Lincoln.



Holla

Pretty spot on. If he wasn't following a Heisman winner he'd be remembered more favorably. For what NU had been for decades they had a mediocre run of OL and RB guys later in the Solich years. Lot of dudes started for those teams who are probably fighting to be 3rd teamers in in the "glory days."

Lord probably did more with less than any Husker QB going back to what, the 80s?

 

[yunginsNU2]

I cant count how many 3rd and 17s he converted when the pass play called broke down and took off running.. there were some designed qb draws but really just run 4 verts and let that man take off..ran like a gazelle

 

[HuskersVsTheWorld]

Bottom line - He was the last QB to lose fewer than four games in a season.

Now that's a stat.

 

[inWV]

Now that's a stat.

Yes, Pederson wasn't going to surrender the the teams in the Big 12. Little did we know the surrendering that would commence after he made the decision to fire Frank.

 

[TheBeav815]

Yes, Pederson wasn't going to surrender the the teams in the Big 12. Little did we know the surrendering that would *continue* after he made the decision to fire Frank.

FIFY

 

[NorthWillRiseAgain]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

Lord would have been an NFL caliber RB. All I remember is people yelling for him to break his leg at the Utah State game while chanting for Dailey. He was treated like crap.

 

[Kakdawg]

Lord would have been an NFL caliber RB. All I remember is people yelling for him to break his leg at the Utah State game while chanting for Dailey. He was treated like crap.

Not sure I'd go that far as him being a NFL RB. Good runner from the QB position ? Absolutely but RB on THAT level is another different thing. I think his natural position would've been safety.


Holla

 

[Can o' corn]

I think Jamal was under appreciated perhaps, but I’ll never forget him throwing a couple turf bouncing swing passed. There were some embarrassing throws.
Then Adrian came along, and putting aside the bigger picture, has reminded me of Lord having had his own handful of completely embarrassing throws.

My general rule would be a sub 10 yard pass should not be more than 3 yards off target.

There were also some really bad decisions to run out of bounds and lose huge yardage rather than throwing the ball away. Oh, and let's not forget the interception to end the Texas game...

 

[oldjar07]

Skill players Lord had on hand his Senior year included Herian, Pilkington, Fluellen and Pork Chop Ross, with David Horne and Tony Davis' kid backing him up. That lineup couldn't have struck fear into the hearts of opposing Ds. And yet with the D Pelini put together, NU won 10 games.

It's a lot better than anything we've had the last 5 years. Herian was great, Ross and Pilkington were nice players. That team wasn't winning 10 games with last year's offense.

 

[Laner2]

Lord would have been an NFL caliber RB. All I remember is people yelling for him to break his leg at the Utah State game while chanting for Dailey. He was treated like crap.

Let's be real, three thing stick out about JL:

1. As a quarterback he was a hell of a running back.
2. He did not have the surrounding cast of 96, 97 or the 99 defense.
3. He had some kind of grudge against the planet Earth because he kept hitting it with footballs.
4. The guy had the heart of a lion and was poorly treated by spoiled fans.

So sez I.........(wait, that's four things)

 

[Crazyhole]

Let's be real, three thing stick out about JL:

1. As a quarterback he was a hell of a running back.
2. He did not have the surrounding cast of 96, 97 or the 99 defense.
3. He had some kind of grudge against the planet Earth because he kept hitting it with footballs.
4. The guy had the heart of a lion and was poorly treated by spoiled fans.

So sez I.........(wait, that's four things)

We've had some historically bad passing qbs, but Jamaal Lord and Mike Grant really stand out to me. There were times that I wondered whether each of them were cross-eyed.

 

[TheBeav815]

Let's get some highlights in here. Dude was pretty nasty in the open field. Doesn't look like a ton of top end speed but he was more elusive than I remember.

 

[Can o' corn]

Third and long? Here comes the quarterback draw. Everyone

 

[dinglefritz]

I like this take. That's maybe what I wondered. Comparing those good Husker teams to a Lambo and the QB just needs to drive it. Anyone can go fast in the car, but do you have what it takes to skillfully maneuver and win the race. I agree Crouch was that type of guy. Lord, obviously talented, but maybe some mystery there. Not trying to compare the 2 because look I mean Crouch the dude won the Heisman, but would be curious to flip the quarterbacks for 01 and 02 and just see how different team records turn out.

The O line Lord played behind was not as good as what Crouch played behind IMO.

 

[huskerhooligansdotcom]

Let's get some highlights in here. Dude was pretty nasty in the open field. Doesn't look like a ton of top end speed but he was more elusive than I remember.

This video is a good showcase of his skills, all from his first year as a starter. You'll notice that a lot of his best highlights on that video were from his first career start against a good Arizona State team. Ran great on broken pass plays but went 5-13 for 33 yards passing. He really well at times, but his running being the entire offense took a physical toll on him.

If he played today, I'd probably play him at Defensive End/Outside Linebacker pass rusher.

 

[OzzyLvr_rivals293656]

Oh, and let's not forget the interception to end the Texas game...

Actually, it was either a poorly run route by #9 (led his defender right into Nebraska’s open receiver) or a poorly designed route combo which allowed the defender to easily drop off his man to intercept the pass at the goal line with only seconds to play. Jamaal threw a nice pass and the receiver would have been wide open to catch the touchdown except for the outside defender wasn’t take out of the play and dropped off #9 for the INT. I don’t put that on Lord. Coaches, maybe. Outside receiver, maybe. At the time he released the ball, Lord made a good decision. If he was at fault for anything, he could have put a little more air underneath and a little deeper to the corner. If that outside defender is taken away from the route, it’s a touchdown.

 

[CornMaster]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed a time or two but I want some insight as I was younger at the turn of the millennium.
2001: Crouch 2600 yds & 25 TD's throwing/running. 11 wins. Heisman. Title game.
2002: Lord 2800 yds & 18 TD's throwing/running. 7 wins.

Here's my current perception of how Husker fans treat them.
One is remembered as an all-time great and signals the end of Husker dominance.
One is irrelevant when talking about best QB's and is tied to Husker downfall.

How good was Lord? Did he get a fair shake? Or is he a victim of unsustainable expectation?

Jamal Lord was playing with a weaker team. Thus his team did not win as much. As a result EC's teams won more, so he is remembered better. Things got sloppy at other positions and JL was blamed because he would try to get the O going and had to do risiky things.

 

[Suhrreal]

Actually, it was either a poorly run route by #9 (led his defender right into Nebraska’s open receiver) or a poorly designed route combo which allowed the defender to easily drop off his man to intercept the pass at the goal line with only seconds to play. Jamaal threw a nice pass and the receiver would have been wide open to catch the touchdown except for the outside defender wasn’t take out of the play and dropped off #9 for the INT. I don’t put that on Lord. Coaches, maybe. Outside receiver, maybe. At the time he released the ball, Lord made a good decision. If he was at fault for anything, he could have put a little more air underneath and a little deeper to the corner. If that outside defender is taken away from the route, it’s a touchdown.

It was a god-awful play call. Put it entirely on the coaches. Also credit UTerus's DB for understanding the situation. He's not worried about his guy catching a 5 yard out far from the 1st down marker with 10 seconds to go in the game. Easy pickings for him and probably the most deflating experience I've had in Memorial Stadium after Dejuan Groce electrified the crowd with a punt return that should have guaranteed OT.

 

[TinyPig]

One of my favorite Huskers! Dude was a beast and probably could have been an all-American at safety.