Football

[Huskerpapa]

Hope we win this game today.  It would be a good springboard into next fall.

[Norm Peterson]

2 hours ago, huskercwg said:

Hope we win this game today.  It would be a good springboard into next fall.

 

You got your wish.

 

And I agree.  Good springboard into next season.  Now, let's go get the next one, boys.

[Norm Peterson]

So, kinda surprised by the lack of buzz over on the other board I sometimes lurk at.

 

I was really jazzed by the spring game.  I was figuring we might get a better idea of what the offense is supposed to look like with a passing QB.

 

Lee throws a really good ball.  Lotta zip and tight spiral and he gets it out quickly.  And you could see, especially on replays, that he's checking down multiple different reads while the play is in motion.  And the guy he ends up throwing to was typically pretty open.  

 

I really liked what I saw today even considering it's a lot of pageantry for the benefit of recruits.  Vanilla defense designed to make the offense look at least competent.  I thought they showed well.

[The Polish Rifle]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

So, kinda surprised by the lack of buzz over on the other board I sometimes lurk at.

 

I was really jazzed by the spring game.  I was figuring we might get a better idea of what the offense is supposed to look like with a passing QB.

 

Lee throws a really good ball.  Lotta zip and tight spiral and he gets it out quickly.  And you could see, especially on replays, that he's checking down multiple different reads while the play is in motion.  And the guy he ends up throwing to was typically pretty open.  

 

I really liked what I saw today even considering it's a lot of pageantry for the benefit of recruits.  Vanilla defense designed to make the offense look at least competent.  I thought they showed well.

I agree. Lee makes throws that Tommy (who I loved watching play) couldn't even dream of throwing.

[49r]

Was the offense that good?  Or is the Defense that bad??

[Silverbacked1]

24 minutes ago, 49r said:

Was the offense that good?  Or is the Defense that bad??

 

Maybe?

[49r]

58 minutes ago, Silverbacked1 said:

 

Maybe?

 

But probably not...right?

[Huskerpapa]

The defense was extremely basic.  If I had one negative take-away about the defense were the missed tackles.  Honestly, that has been going on for some time and needs to be fixed.  The offensive line played better than expected, that is a huge plus.  But the primary take-away, we have four QB's that can throw the ball.  There were a number of touch passes and more than a few throws that were put into extremely tight windows.  Good to see. 

 

All said, we look decent, but have a long way to go.  By the way, I have no life, so I watched quite a bit of the Minnesota and Michigan spring flings, and I thought we looked better than both of them. 

[Norm Peterson]

My big takeaway is that the passing game is going to open up the running game.  Guarantee they won't be able to stack the box and dare us to throw the ball like in year's past.  Opposing Ds will have to respect our ability to throw the ball.  And the O-line seemed to be able to run and pass block equally effectively, which was a welcome development.

[huskerbaseball13]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 3:04 PM, huskercwg said:

Hope we win this game today.  It would be a good springboard into next fall.

 

NFL draft has been a big eye opener the past few years....just goes to show how down our talent level has been.  This staff is kicking ass and taking names on the recruiting trail right now...if anything else, I think we can expect them to replenish our roster with talent across the board. 

[Norm Peterson]

On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 9:19 AM, huskerbaseball13 said:

 

NFL draft has been a big eye opener the past few years....just goes to show how down our talent level has been.  This staff is kicking ass and taking names on the recruiting trail right now...if anything else, I think we can expect them to replenish our roster with talent across the board. 

 

I was meh about Bo.  I thought he was not very good as an ambassador for our school and because of his abrasive nature, his welcome had worn thin, and so I wasn't arguing about not firing him.  I didn't really care strongly either way.  I wasn't advocating keeping him; I wasn't looking for him to be fired.  If it happened, I was going to be OK with it.  And it happened, and I was OK with it.

 

Except the new guy hasn't exactly lit the world on fire and those five 4-star commits might declare for some other school if we suck eggs on the field this fall.  Don't you think it's kind of a make-or-break year for Riley on the field this season?

 

Yeah, sure, there was only 1 guy picked in the NFL draft this year, so you could say recruiting under Bo had declined compared to his predecessor.  But he still won at least 9 games every year.  Riley hasn't.  You like to talk about the number of losing seasons Miles has had, but if Riley doesn't post a winning record this year, then he and Miles would have had the same number of losing seasons in their first three years.

 

And the difference is that Miles inherited a program with no history and no national relevance, that hadn't been to an NCAA tourney in 15 years and hadn't ever won a game there, and was in turmoil with a roster composed of a lot of mid-major level players.  Riley, on the other hand, inherited a team that went to bowl games every year under his predecessor and finished ranked in the coaches poll each of the last six seasons before Riley was hired.  AND our recruiting ranking for this last class was still in the same ball park as the classes assembled by the prior staff.

 

So ... you always want us to tell you why we should be optimistic about the direction of the basketball program; I'd like to know why you think we should be optimistic about the direction of the football program.

[huskerbaseball13]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

I was meh about Bo.  I thought he was not very good as an ambassador for our school and because of his abrasive nature, his welcome had worn thin, and so I wasn't arguing about not firing him.  I didn't really care strongly either way.  I wasn't advocating keeping him; I wasn't looking for him to be fired.  If it happened, I was going to be OK with it.  And it happened, and I was OK with it.

 

Except the new guy hasn't exactly lit the world on fire and those five 4-star commits might declare for some other school if we suck eggs on the field this fall.  Don't you think it's kind of a make-or-break year for Riley on the field this season?

 

Yeah, sure, there was only 1 guy picked in the NFL draft this year, so you could say recruiting under Bo had declined compared to his predecessor.  But he still won at least 9 games every year.  Riley hasn't.  You like to talk about the number of losing seasons Miles has had, but if Riley doesn't post a winning record this year, then he and Miles would have had the same number of losing seasons in their first three years.

 

And the difference is that Miles inherited a program with no history and no national relevance, that hadn't been to an NCAA tourney in 15 years and hadn't ever won a game there, and was in turmoil with a roster composed of a lot of mid-major level players.  Riley, on the other hand, inherited a team that went to bowl games every year under his predecessor and finished ranked in the coaches poll each of the last six seasons before Riley was hired.  AND our recruiting ranking for this last class was still in the same ball park as the classes assembled by the prior staff.

 

So ... you always want us to tell you why we should be optimistic about the direction of the basketball program; I'd like to know why you think we should be optimistic about the direction of the football program.

I never said you should be optimistic about the football program. My post was in reference to the lack of talent in the program. If you would like, we can discuss Pelini's recruiting classes one by one. I seriously doubt we will ever win a title under Riley...but, in terms of talent and depth I feel he will leave us in a better position than when he arrived.  

[Huskerpapa]

Somewhat agree with what you are saying huskerbaseball, but this class should have had Avery Moss, Vincent Valentine, Malik Collins and Greg McMullen.  Three of those players were drafted and arguably McMullen would have been.  Arguably, Westercamp and Carter could have been drafted but for their injuries suffered in their senior years. 

 

Bo had his flaws, and his coaches did not recruit as well as our current group, but this year was somewhat of an aberration.  Next year may not be a whole lot better.  Jones seems to be a sure bet, but beyond him, others will have to earn the right to be drafted by having great years...including Tanner Lee.

[huskerbaseball13]

12 hours ago, huskercwg said:

Somewhat agree with what you are saying huskerbaseball, but this class should have had Avery Moss, Vincent Valentine, Malik Collins and Greg McMullen.  Three of those players were drafted and arguably McMullen would have been.  Arguably, Westercamp and Carter could have been drafted but for their injuries suffered in their senior years. 

 

Bo had his flaws, and his coaches did not recruit as well as our current group, but this year was somewhat of an aberration.  Next year may not be a whole lot better.  Jones seems to be a sure bet, but beyond him, others will have to earn the right to be drafted by having great years...including Tanner Lee.

 

McMullen was an average at best high major player.....that probably had more to do with what was in his head rather his physical tools.  He was not getting drafted.  If you read Sam M's most recent article it breaks it down pretty well.  Our talent was not where it needed to be and the depth was not good.  Especially in the trenches.  Take a peak at the two recruiting classes for this draft....and you will see why depth has been an issue and why our draft numbers have dwindled.

 

2012 Class

 

17 commitments....8 finished their careers elsewhere

 

2013 Class

 

25 commitments...13 finished their careers elsewhere. 

 

Those numbers don't include Collins/Valentine who left early for the draft....nor does it include the non contributors.  

 

[nustudent]

23 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

I was meh about Bo.  I thought he was not very good as an ambassador for our school and because of his abrasive nature, his welcome had worn thin, and so I wasn't arguing about not firing him.  I didn't really care strongly either way.  I wasn't advocating keeping him; I wasn't looking for him to be fired.  If it happened, I was going to be OK with it.  And it happened, and I was OK with it.

 

Except the new guy hasn't exactly lit the world on fire and those five 4-star commits might declare for some other school if we suck eggs on the field this fall.  Don't you think it's kind of a make-or-break year for Riley on the field this season?

 

Yeah, sure, there was only 1 guy picked in the NFL draft this year, so you could say recruiting under Bo had declined compared to his predecessor.  But he still won at least 9 games every year.  Riley hasn't.  You like to talk about the number of losing seasons Miles has had, but if Riley doesn't post a winning record this year, then he and Miles would have had the same number of losing seasons in their first three years.

 

And the difference is that Miles inherited a program with no history and no national relevance, that hadn't been to an NCAA tourney in 15 years and hadn't ever won a game there, and was in turmoil with a roster composed of a lot of mid-major level players.  Riley, on the other hand, inherited a team that went to bowl games every year under his predecessor and finished ranked in the coaches poll each of the last six seasons before Riley was hired.  AND our recruiting ranking for this last class was still in the same ball park as the classes assembled by the prior staff.

 

So ... you always want us to tell you why we should be optimistic about the direction of the basketball program; I'd like to know why you think we should be optimistic about the direction of the football program.

I'm still leary of the pro-style offense working in Lincoln, but I put little stock in the Riley's worst record than Bo argument at this point.   Outside of a couple fluke plays that didn't go our way...Riley's 6-7 team was pretty much the same teams Pelini had his last couple years.    A hail mary here and a field goal there and the records were the same.   Not to mention the culture shift and the lack of talent and depth at the most important positions on the field.

 

I think Riley has done everything right off the field and I think that warrants seeing what his culture and talent and can do on the field.

 

As far as the basketball/football comparison.   Obviously, expectations need to be lower for basketball with history.   But it's also fair to note that football is not as able to hit the reset button and start over quickly like basketball can.   Player development is more important and takes longer.   As well as the fact, one guy is headed into year 3 on an upward trend whereas the other is headed into year 6 on a downward trend.

 

In each case, I think both programs are experiencing talent increases.   Whether the coaching is there remains to be seen.

[khoock]

I think you'll really see what Riley is about on the recruiting end with this upcoming class. Riley had a late start with the two previous classes since recruiting starts when these kids are sophomores. At Nebraska he has had access to pull in higher level recruits but he's just not been here long enough where he's had enough time to recruit and land them.

[HB]

1 hour ago, khoock said:

I think you'll really see what Riley is about on the recruiting end with this upcoming class. Riley had a late start with the two previous classes since recruiting starts when these kids are sophomores. At Nebraska he has had access to pull in higher level recruits but he's just not been here long enough where he's had enough time to recruit and land them.

 

He also brought some bad coaches with him.  Fortunately he jettisoned some of them rather than swirling down the drain with them.  Major upgrades on the new hires, especially in recruiting.  

[brfrad]

Bo had his pros and cons.  Some pros, players loved playing for him.  He always won 9 or 10 games.  He was 0:01 away from beating Texas and winning a Big 12 title in his 2nd year, he also had one of the top defenses in the country that year.  He helped make Suh a lot of money in the NFL. 

 

A bunch of cons.  He always found a way to lose 4 games, most of the time he had no business losing those 4 games.  He didn't adapt to the Big 10 with his defensive style.  He didn't hire quality assistant coaches.  A good head coach gets assistant coaches who could take over his job.  Papuchis had no business being a Big 10 defensive coordinator.  Beck had no business being a Big 10 offensive coordinator.  He also had inconsistency in recruiting.  He would have a top 15 recruiting class, but would follow it up with a class outside the top 35.  He would then get another top 20 class, followed by a poor class.

 

I think Riley has shown he is going to get rid of coaches who might be his buddies, if they aren't doing their jobs.  He fills them in with excellent replacements.  He is recruiting very well, just need to be consistent. 

[Norm Peterson]

I don't follow football recruiting nearly as closely as I used to.  But I understand we'll probably have a relatively small recruiting class this year and I'm wondering if that's giving us some leverage with some players.

 

We have 5 more spots.  If you want one of 'em, you'll need to commit soon, probably.  Otherwise ...

[colhusker]

On 4/15/2017 at 8:53 PM, 49r said:

 

But probably not...right?

Defense was very vanilla, heck we didn't even get into the 3-4 once.  Yeah I know I am a bit late to the dance, what do you expect from a wallflower.  

[colhusker]

On 5/2/2017 at 5:46 PM, khoock said:

I think you'll really see what Riley is about on the recruiting end with this upcoming class. Riley had a late start with the two previous classes since recruiting starts when these kids are sophomores. At Nebraska he has had access to pull in higher level recruits but he's just not been here long enough where he's had enough time to recruit and land them.

Last years class filled a lot of needs and was ranked where Nebraska football classes are typically ranked. This years class is shaping up nicely.  Time to coach them up a bit and from what I have read, sounds like we have the guys to do that.  We will see.  Must say the OL still concerns me but like Norm said, they should have an easier job if the passing game is as good as it could be.

[nustudent]

2 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

I don't follow football recruiting nearly as closely as I used to.  But I understand we'll probably have a relatively small recruiting class this year and I'm wondering if that's giving us some leverage with some players.

 

We have 5 more spots.  If you want one of 'em, you'll need to commit soon, probably.  Otherwise ...

I think we'll have more than 5 more....especially using the +3 rule.   But right now, we can use it to our advantage like you mentioned.

 

Also think getting out in front, having a plan, being organized, showing consistent effort and selling Nebraska's benefits help too. 

[hhcmatt]

21 hours ago, nustudent said:

Also think getting out in front, having a plan, being organized, showing consistent effort and selling Nebraska's benefits help too. 

 

Seems more effective than the 'Why would kids want to come here?' strategy we used to employ.