Why Mike Riley should be fired now

[Husker Q]

Reasons why Mike Riley should be let go.

 

Identity Fit: Nebraska people and Nebraska football pride themselves in the identity of being honest, tough, hardworking people with a hard nosed football team. Mike Riley’s teams have continuously been considered soft, finesse, and undisciplined. It just doesn’t fit.

An A.D. who knows Nebraska would not hire Riley on fit alone.

 

Play Style: Nebraska football is synonymous with smash-mouth, running game, tough Blackshirt defense. Even when announcers see a good power run they say “that’s Nebraska football”. Mike Riley runs a pass-first, dinky-dunk, west coast/pro style offense which is finesse, soft, and quite the opposite of what many Nebraskans love. Mark Banker has never been known to have tough or good defenses. He may not even be in football if his buddy wasn’t a head coach. Countless Husker fans find MR’s offensive style to be uninspiring and not entertaining (hence the big cheers for a fullback trap). Tom Osborne started with a passing offense and realized that it is difficult with the unpredictable midwest weather (like this years Illinois game) so he changed to a running game which can be more consistent regardless of weather. NE tried it once and it didn’t work with Callahan, why would trying it again produce different results.

An A.D. who knew Nebraska would not have hired Riley on his play stye alone.

 

Coaching Acumen: Mike Riley has had decades to prove his coaching ability. In the NCAA, he has never even won his division! Riley’s BEST season in the NCAA is 4 losses. Another coach (Dennis Erikson) took Riley’s players and coached them to the best season OSU has ever had. Riley has the worst record in San Diego Charger franchise HISTORY. Every team in the NFL has the same salary cap so “lack of resources” is not an excuse. It seems that excuses for poor performance are the only thing you hear from the Riley camp. Only a very poor coach could take a 9 win Nebraska team with 17 returning starters and lose to BYU, Northwestern, Illinios, and Purdue. His job was under fire at Oregon State.

In case you don’t believe me, here is what outside sources ranked the coaching staff before this season (posted before):

Phil Steele - 11/14 in the BIG

Sporting News - 7 in the BIG, 46 nationally

Athlon - 40th

Fox Sports - not in top 25

CBSports - 48/66 in just the "power 5"

 

An A.D. who has watched college football over the last 20 years would not have hired Riley on this alone.

 

Future-Longevity-Stability: Mike Riley is 62 years old. Tom Osborne RETIRED at a younger age. Even if MR was a good coach (which many would argue he isn’t), he does not provide a long-term solution. How many years do you really think he would coach? There are no decent assistants on the staff that anyone wants as a head coach. Regardless of performance, we are likely looking at hiring a new coach in a few years anyway. When he does leave, we will have a non-mobile QB which is not what fits Nebraska’s identity and style. He offers no future for Nebraska.

An A.D. who wants a promising future for Nebraska would not hire a 62 yr old coach.

 

Lack of fan backing/excitement: I don’t know of anyone besides mark banker who said “Yes! Nebraska hired Mike Riley as head coach!” Most people didn’t even know who he was. Fans who watch all of college football seemed to be like “WTF, why would Nebraska hire him?”. Probably most fans were in a wait-and-hope approach to the season. Some had little-no hope that he could do what he was hired to do (win >9 games and championships). This season has not helped fan excitement for NU football. Most I know have gotten to the point where didn’t even care if they watched the game live. Their Saturdays used to revolve around the game.

 

Recruting: Riley nor his assistants are known as great recruiters. He is familiar with California but doesn’t know important Nebraska recruiting areas such as the midwest and Texas.

An A.D. who knows college football recruiting would not have hired Riley for this reason alone.

 

Husker nation divided: Husker nation had become divided with Pelini. It seems that hiring a replacement who would unite Nebraskans would be important. So what would reunite Husker nation.

- A coach who Nebraskans know, with Nebraska ties. Scott Frost would fit this bill. There would be uncertainties in never being a head coach but he feels like family and everyone would be 100% behind him.

- A coach who is a proven winner. Good coaches win, period. Getting a coach who has won wherever he goes would have Huskers backing and excitement. (Harbaugh, Gary Patterson...)

- A coach who provides hope for the future. Young, up and coming coaches who are a good fit would unite Nebraska. Frost, Tom Herman, Pat Narduzzi, Troy Calhoun would at least feel like a good fit, have good reputations, and provide hope for a future.

I see Husker nation as divided (or as hopeless) as ever. Actually maybe many more on the little-hope, bad coaches side.

An A.D. who knows Nebraska and football would not have hired a coach with a poor resume, no Nebraska ties, knows or cares nothing about Nebraska, and offers no future.

 

When you make a mistake, the best thing to do is rectify it as soon as possible. Don’t leave the mistake to linger. Keeping this A.D. and coaching staff will just make it more difficult and longer for Nebraska to recover. Bring in a good coach, who is appropriate for Nebraska, and he will have a lot to work with (such as a Sr. QB who runs the option very well) to turn it back around next year.

 

A good coach would be happy to take over this team who has only won 5 games but have the talent to win many more. And they don’t have to follow a 9 win coach. It’s a perfect time to correct the mistake that is Eichorst/Riley!

 

[BoNeyard]

He beat Michigan State. We have him for at least 1 more year.

[Polarhusker]

why are we doing this again. Not going to happen.

[Bowfin]

I, for one, don't want to see what Harvey Perleman and Shawn Eichorst would hire as a "Plan B".

 

I also want Riley to get seven years, same as the last guy. Husker nation got in line, bought their ticket, took their seat, now it's time to enjoy the ride!

[Husker67]

Dammit, I can't believe I clicked on this.

[Husker Q]

I, for one, don't want to see what Harvey Perleman and Shawn Eichorst would hire as a "Plan B".

 

I also want Riley to get seven years, same as the last guy. Husker nation got in line, bought their ticket, took their seat, now it's time to enjoy the ride!

Husker Nation didn't hire Riley, Slimy Shawn the non-Husker did.

[alwayshusking]

Enough already

[AZHuskers]

I unequivocally disagree. The subject is futile.

 

Watch the video of the locker room after the win against against MSU. The players like Mike Riley, a lot. While I was a dissident before, I respect the players' attitudes and really appreciated seeing the bonding that has occurred between players and coach. Even OL Finnin that quit the team had all good things to say about Riley.

 

So, fire Riley? Not a chance it will happen!

[flfmrredfan]

No way.

 

First, some of you fans deserve what is coming.

 

Second, no way, no how, should Prickman and his boy Ickyhorst have another chance to make a bad hire.

 

Until both are gone, keep Riley.

[RADAR]

Another crap thread about something that will not happen and should not happen. The team improved from start to finish. The coaching is good. The recruiting is better than it has been in years.

 

Riley will be here for a long time.

[Branno]

Another crap thread about something that will not happen and should not happen. The team improved from start to finish. The coaching is good. The recruiting is better than it has been in years.

 

Riley will be here for a long time.

The team did not improve, and with the start they had it should have been easy to improve.

 

The coaching is not good.

 

We'll see with the recruiting, it's a claim we've heard every year since 2008.

 

We'll see about Riley. If we aren't in the running for a CCG Riley better not be back.

[theknife]

In what Husker Bubble are you basing this argument? We now have the stigma of firing two 9 win coaches; if we pull the rug out from under the guy one year later, it's going to make the job that much less appealing. For better or worse, this is our coach for at the very least another 12 months. Coaches view Nebraska as a program in a cloud of despair, a program with resources, but including a fan base fraught with division and exceedingly high expectations. Firing a dude less than 12 months only makes said expectations that much higher.

[Hammerhead]

Reasons why Mike Riley should be let go.

 

 

Identity Fit: Nebraska people and Nebraska football pride themselves in the identity of being honest, tough, hardworking people with a hard nosed football team. Mike Rileys teams have continuously been considered soft, finesse, and undisciplined. It just doesnt fit.

An A.D. who knows Nebraska would not hire Riley on fit alone.

 

Nebraska football is synonymous with smash-mouth, running game, tough Blackshirt defense. Even when announcers see a good power run they say thats Nebraska football. Mike Riley runs a pass-first, dinky-dunk, west coast/pro style offense which is finesse, soft, and quite the opposite of what many Nebraskans love. Mark Banker has never been known to have tough or good defenses. He may not even be in football if his buddy wasnt a head coach. Countless Husker fans find MRs offensive style to be uninspiring and not entertaining (hence the big cheers for a fullback trap). Tom Osborne started with a passing offense and realized that it is difficult with the unpredictable midwest weather (like this years Illinois game) so he changed to a running game which can be more consistent regardless of weather. NE tried it once and it didnt work with Callahan, why would trying it again produce different results.

An A.D. who knew Nebraska would not have hired Riley on his play stye alone.

Why are we so hung up on so-called traditional Nebraska football? The reason why it didn't work with Callahan was that Cosgrove's defense held us back. The mentality that Nebraska football has to be 3 yards and a cloud of dust every play no matter what does nothing but hold us back, both in recruiting and in performance. There's no reason why we can't run a pro style offense with pro style players.

 

Coaching Acumen:

 

Mike Riley has had decades to prove his coaching ability. In the NCAA, he has never even won his division! Rileys BEST season in the NCAA is 4 losses. Another coach (Dennis Erikson) took Rileys players and coached them to the best season OSU has ever had. Riley has the worst record in San Diego Charger franchise HISTORY. Every team in the NFL has the same salary cap so lack of resources is not an excuse. It seems that excuses for poor performance are the only thing you hear from the Riley camp. Only a very poor coach could take a 9 win Nebraska team with 17 returning starters and lose to BYU, Northwestern, Illinios, and Purdue. His job was under fire at Oregon State.

 

In case you dont believe me, here is what outside sources ranked the coaching staff before this season (posted before):

Phil Steele - 11/14 in the BIG

Sporting News - 7 in the BIG, 46 nationally

Athlon - 40th

Fox Sports - not in top 25

CBSports - 48/66 in just the "power 5"

 

An A.D. who has watched college football over the last 20 years would not have hired Riley on this alone.[/size]

He had one 11-1 season then went right back to the same (if not worse) records as Riley was putting up. That 11-1 season was an anomaly. As for the NFL, I know of another head coach who had a short, lackluster coaching tenure in the NFL. Guy by the name of Nick Saban. I'm not trying to say Riley is gonna be the guy to take Nebraska to the promised land, but it really wasn't the terrible hire that everyone in the "I told you so" crowd is coming out of the woodwork to proclaim now. Unproven, sure, but we missed several opportunities to hire proven coaches by not getting rid of Pelini sooner.

 

 

 

Mike Riley is 62 years old. Tom Osborne RETIRED at a younger age. Even if MR was a good coach (which many would argue he isnt), he does not provide a long-term solution. How many years do you really think he would coach? There are no decent assistants on the staff that anyone wants as a head coach. Regardless of performance, we are likely looking at hiring a new coach in a few years anyway. When he does leave, we will have a non-mobile QB which is not what fits Nebraskas identity and style. He offers no future for Nebraska.

An A.D. who wants a promising future for Nebraska would not hire a 62 yr old coach.

Nick Saban is 64. Would you turn him down due to his age if we got a chance to hire him here?

 

Osborne retired because he knew he was at the top of his game and he felt that Solich was ready to take over, not because he was too old.

 

 

 

Lack of fan backing/excitement:

 

I dont know of anyone besides mark banker who said Yes! Nebraska hired Mike Riley as head coach! Most people didnt even know who he was. Fans who watch all of college football seemed to be like WTF, why would Nebraska hire him?. Probably most fans were in a wait-and-hope approach to the season. Some had little-no hope that he could do what he was hired to do (win >9 games and championships). This season has not helped fan excitement for NU football. Most I know have gotten to the point where didnt even care if they watched the game live. Their Saturdays used to revolve around the game.

There was a ton of excitement when Bo Pelini was hired. He was that "guy with Nebraska ties" that so many people (myself included) wanted. How'd that turn out for us?

 

I can honestly say I was more apathetic about Husker football before Pelini got fired than I am now. I genuinely didn't care if we beat Iowa or not last year, because it just felt like more of the same crap again. I'm obviously frustrated with how this season went overall, but at least there's some hope for improvement.

 

 

 

Riley nor his assistants are known as great recruiters. He is familiar with California but doesnt know important Nebraska recruiting areas such as the midwest and Texas.

An A.D. who knows college football recruiting would not have hired Riley for this reason alone.

RB Tre Bryant is from St. Louis, MO.

OG John Raridon is from Des Moines, IA.

WR J.D. Spielman is from Eden Prairie, MN.

OG Boe Wilson is from Lees Summit, MO.

OG Bryan Brokop is from New Lenox, IL.

DE Ben Stille is from Ashland, NE.

 

We also still have a fighting chance at getting OT Matt Farniok from Sioux Falls, SD.

 

That's just Midwestern guys, just to make a point about recruiting here. Yes, we missed on a few people from the Midwest and from Texas, but it's not like we didn't make any effort to recruit there.

 

Meanwhile, his ties to California recruiting have brought in Patrick O'Brien (go on, tell me we don't desperately need a good QB to take over either next year or when Armstrong graduates), Marquel Dismuke, and Derrion Grim, as well as gotten guys like Keyshawn Jr., Tristan Gebbia, and Darnay Holmes interested in coming to Nebraska. Without Riley, none of the recruits in Keyshawn Johnson's camp are even interested in coming to Nebraska. Sure, maybe we could've recruited a little better had we brought in Ed Orgeron instead of Banker or another of Riley's defensive assistants, but I'd say for a first-year coach at a school that's one season removed from firing a 9-3 coach, he's doing just fine on the recruiting front.

 

 

 

Husker nation divided:

 

Husker nation had become divided with Pelini. It seems that hiring a replacement who would unite Nebraskans would be important. So what would reunite Husker nation.

- A coach who Nebraskans know, with Nebraska ties. Scott Frost would fit this bill. There would be uncertainties in never being a head coach but he feels like family and everyone would be 100% behind him.

- A coach who is a proven winner. Good coaches win, period. Getting a coach who has won wherever he goes would have Huskers backing and excitement. (Harbaugh, Gary Patterson...)

- A coach who provides hope for the future. Young, up and coming coaches who are a good fit would unite Nebraska. Frost, Tom Herman, Pat Narduzzi, Troy Calhoun would at least feel like a good fit, have good reputations, and provide hope for a future.

I see Husker nation as divided (or as hopeless) as ever. Actually maybe many more on the little-hope, bad coaches side.

An A.D. who knows Nebraska and football would not have hired a coach with a poor resume, no Nebraska ties, knows or cares nothing about Nebraska, and offers no future.

Again, back to having to have a coach with Nebraska ties. The only thing that will unite this fanbase is winning. If Scott Frost were hired and didn't come in here and right the ship immediately, he'd be run out on the same rail that people want to run Riley out on. If you have zero hope for this team after one bad season, then that's not on Riley as a coach, that's on you as a fan.

[teachercd]

Another crap thread about something that will not happen and should not happen. The team improved from start to finish. The coaching is good. The recruiting is better than it has been in years.

 

Riley will be here for a long time.

More turnovers

More flags (maybe)

More losses

1-5 in division

[RADAR]

 

Another crap thread about something that will not happen and should not happen. The team improved from start to finish. The coaching is good. The recruiting is better than it has been in years.

 

Riley will be here for a long time.

The team did not improve, and with the start they had it should have been easy to improve.

 

The coaching is not good.

 

We'll see with the recruiting, it's a claim we've heard every year since 2008.

 

We'll see about Riley. If we aren't in the running for a CCG Riley better not be back.

 

Everything you said is wrong, but you can spell it out if you like.