Quiet Riley Has Fire In His Eyes

[Mavric]

If you're a Nebraska football fan, you've perhaps pondered the question.


Mike Riley is a nice guy, sure, but can he light a fire in his players?

Tim Euhus has a suggestion: Check Riley's eyes.

"That's where you can really see it. He's a competitor," says Euhus, a former standout tight end at Oregon State, where Riley was head coach for 14 seasons. "He obviously wants things to change if they're not going well. But he's not going to curse guys out. That's not his style. He'll get guys to play for him because they love him."

Euhus again references Riley's eyes.

"Seriously, just look at the locked look in his eyes on the sideline," Euhus says. "It's a very intense look. There's a very quiet intensity about him."

You might remember another Nebraska head coach who possessed a quiet intensity. Folks long wondered whether Tom Osborne could motivate effectively. He usually maintained a controlled burn. When veins stuck out of Osborne's neck, you knew he was fired up, says Charlie McBride, the former Husker defensive coordinator.

McBride, retired and living part-time near Scottsdale, Arizona, watches a lot of Pac-12 games.

"If you think this guy (Riley) isn't going to get upset on the sideline, you're wrong," McBride says. "I've seen him in several games, 10 or 15 times. He's always been pretty calm, very complimentary to his players when they come off the field.

"But I've also seen him hot at the officials. He's not going to just stand there and say, 'Well, that's just wonderful.' He's a football coach, damn it. He's going to defend his kids."

LJS

 

[Treand3]

Riley isn't the Mr. Rogers we all think he is. Dude is an assassin. Even he said it himself.

 

[admo]

Good reinforcement about the misconception of the Gosh, golly, just happy to be here, nice guy pushover image. He style is a different approach to winning. He communicates his thoughts and direction with intellect backed by experience. Coach wants to win just as much as any other coach. AND he wants his players to succeed on and off the field.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Just remember the ruthless bad guy Osborne was when it came too football. And it was reflected through his team and the way they played and carried themselves.

 

[I AM FOOT FOOT]

tom wasn't afraid to put his foot on another teams throat.

 

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Will Riley throw the throat-slash? Take a swing at the official with his ball-cap?

 

[True2tRA]

Just remember the ruthless bad guy Osborne was when it came too football. And it was reflected through his team and the way they played and carried themselves.

Ruthless bad guy?

He played his second and third stringers and still kicked the shart out of the competition. If anything, that only solidifies his prowess as one of the greatest of all time. We were two deep at every position and three deep at some.

Those guys were badasses cease they gave a sh#t and they had a drive and a passion for being the best. AND THEY WERE. They earned it on the practice field battling against the next guy on the depth chart who was probably better than any of the guys they would play against all season.

Don't get those throttlings we gave confused. This was a brilliant coach displaying the depth of his roster, the brilliance of his coaching, his players passion for excellence and their commitment to each other and their coaches.

That's got nothing to do with being a ruthless bad guy. His players were the ruthless ones. You try practicing against those same nasty bastards day in and day out. You'd want to beat the piss out of your next opponent too.

 

[strigori]

Just remember the ruthless bad guy Osborne was when it came too football. And it was reflected through his team and the way they played and carried themselves.

Ruthless bad guy?

He played his second and third stringers and still kicked the shart out of the competition. If anything, that only solidifies his prowess as one of the greatest of all time. We were two deep at every position and three deep at some.

Those guys were badasses cease they gave a sh#t and they had a drive and a passion for being the best. AND THEY WERE. They earned it on the practice field battling against the next guy on the depth chart who was probably better than any of the guys they would play against all season.

Don't get those throttlings we gave confused. This was a brilliant coach displaying the depth of his roster, the brilliance of his coaching, his players passion for excellence and their commitment to each other and their coaches.

That's got nothing to do with being a ruthless bad guy. His players were the ruthless ones. You try practicing against those same nasty bastards day in and day out. You'd want to beat the piss out of your next opponent too.

A team tends to reflect the head coach. Osborne was ruthless. He had absolutely not issues with stepping on an opposing team's throat. And more than a few times he was accused of running the score up. He was absolutely ruthless, he would just be polite as he crushed the hope and will from the opposition.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

I must admit that I have had a false impression that MR was a pushover. A simple google image search has opened my eyes.

Here's one of him handing out some corporal punishment to his grandson:

Shocking.

Here's one of him striking his own player on the sideline ala Woody Hayes:

... and a threatening gesture towards the fans:

Here's him mocking a member of the media by making his hand talk like a puppet sarcastically:

That one was just uncalled for.

And you aren't kidding about him gettin' after the refs! Here's his "are you freakin kidding me?" act:

I think he was actually ejected from the game after that one.

Seriously. This is some dark sh%t. Are we sure we want to go down this road again?

 

[True2tRA]

Freaking brilliant LOL!^

 

[mnhusker]

I must admit that I have had a false impression that MR was a pushover. A simple google image search has opened my eyes.

Here's one of him handing out some corporal punishment to his grandson:

Shocking.

Here's one of him striking his own player on the sideline ala Woody Hayes:

... and a threatening gesture towards the fans:

Here's him mocking a member of the media by making his hand talk like a puppet sarcastically:

That one was just uncalled for.

And you aren't kidding about him gettin' after the refs! Here's his "are you freakin kidding me?" act:

I think he was actually ejected from the game after that one.

Seriously. This is some dark sh%t. Are we sure we want to go down this road again?

Nice collection, you cracked me up.

 

[Count 'Bility]

True. It takes a coach to i still an attitude of such into his team. Cmon man. You know what i mean. Weve bullshitted about stuff enough before. I know you know better than to take the ruthless ahole thing out of context. I think strigori gets it for the most part.

 

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Who cares, just win football games please.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Nobody gets to the level of coaching he is at without being extremely competitive. The difference is, you can be extremely competitive while still being respectable and a good representative of the University.

 

[True2tRA]

Nobody gets to the level of coaching he is at without being extremely competitive. The difference is, you can be extremely competitive while still being respectable and a good representative of the University.

Exactly.
I can think of some other coaches who could be called "ruthless a-holes" but those are not words I thought I'd ever see attached to Tom Osborne's name.

Sorry Count if I'm misunderstanding you, but if you were trying to say Tom is the ultimate competitor, I don't think there is anyone who would debate that. Calling him a ruthless bad guy was an interesting way of putting it I guess.