BIGREDIOWAN
Mods
I'm right there with you. We could win 4 games or 12, but I have no idea what to expect.
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Anyone else have no handle on how good or bad the Huskers are going to be?
- Thread starter Dagerow
- Start date
Nebraska won in spite of 408 showing up every week to coach the team, That tells me that even a blind monkey can coach NU to 9 wins. It is the last 3-4 wins that are the hardest to get. With better coaching and better S&C, I think we get to 10 or 11 this year, with that being the norm from here on out.
Do I know absolutely for sure that we will have a better record, nope, but I think we will see a better product at least by the middle of the season.
I like to look at the position groups and think about if we are better or worse than last year in those areas. These are just my opinions
QB - I think TA will be a better quarterback this year for 2 reasons. His maturity and Langsdorf and Riley's coaching. I truly expect him to be better in all aspects of his passing game. If he gets hurt all bets are off.
RB- Worse than last year, you can't lose a back like AA and not take at least a little step back. I think there is a ton of talent at RB and I think they will be fine. I think Newby will step up and play well and I like the other backs in the mix will also show up to play
WR- I would say push. It hurts having DPE out to start but I think Morgan is going to be a good one. I know most will say that losing bell is a big thing, but I just think about all the big games over the last 4 years that he didn't show up for.
O-Line- IMO will be better. I know officially they only return 1 starter, but Kondolo and Reeves have starting experience as well as Sturup. Moving Price to the D-line is very telling IMO. They moved someone that had 5-6 starts last year, because he may not see a lot of time. Last word, take it for what it is worth, but some that have been at practice, have said they heard Cavanaugh say the top 2 units here are better than he ever had at OSU.
D-Line IMO this is the deepest NU has been at tackle since 1999. I know we had Suh and he was great, but on those d-lines there was no depth. There are 5 guys that will get a lot of time this year. I throw Stoltenberg in that group. D-Ends again I think it is a push. IMO Gregory was such a non factor in most games that is not going to be missed that badly. We need some depth, but I think we will be OK.
LB- I think will be better, a little thin, but we were thin last year. I like the way they are going to be used. The key is just staying healthy.
DB's - Worse, but only because of the way they are going to be used. Tons of talent but this is not going to be a pass first defense anymore. They will give up a few more big pass plays.
I think the defense will be better, I think offense may take some time, but will get going.
I like the staff, I like their approach to things, I think they will be calmer and better focused on the sideline,
I think it will be a better product. I don't know if that will mean more wins though. I think it will, I like 10-2.
I like to look at the position groups and think about if we are better or worse than last year in those areas. These are just my opinions
QB - I think TA will be a better quarterback this year for 2 reasons. His maturity and Langsdorf and Riley's coaching. I truly expect him to be better in all aspects of his passing game. If he gets hurt all bets are off.
RB- Worse than last year, you can't lose a back like AA and not take at least a little step back. I think there is a ton of talent at RB and I think they will be fine. I think Newby will step up and play well and I like the other backs in the mix will also show up to play
WR- I would say push. It hurts having DPE out to start but I think Morgan is going to be a good one. I know most will say that losing bell is a big thing, but I just think about all the big games over the last 4 years that he didn't show up for.
O-Line- IMO will be better. I know officially they only return 1 starter, but Kondolo and Reeves have starting experience as well as Sturup. Moving Price to the D-line is very telling IMO. They moved someone that had 5-6 starts last year, because he may not see a lot of time. Last word, take it for what it is worth, but some that have been at practice, have said they heard Cavanaugh say the top 2 units here are better than he ever had at OSU.
D-Line IMO this is the deepest NU has been at tackle since 1999. I know we had Suh and he was great, but on those d-lines there was no depth. There are 5 guys that will get a lot of time this year. I throw Stoltenberg in that group. D-Ends again I think it is a push. IMO Gregory was such a non factor in most games that is not going to be missed that badly. We need some depth, but I think we will be OK.
LB- I think will be better, a little thin, but we were thin last year. I like the way they are going to be used. The key is just staying healthy.
DB's - Worse, but only because of the way they are going to be used. Tons of talent but this is not going to be a pass first defense anymore. They will give up a few more big pass plays.
I think the defense will be better, I think offense may take some time, but will get going.
I like the staff, I like their approach to things, I think they will be calmer and better focused on the sideline,
I think it will be a better product. I don't know if that will mean more wins though. I think it will, I like 10-2.
NUance
Assistant Coach
Yeah, that'd be a rough start for sure. I don't think it will happen, but there is always a chance. Riley and the staff are squarely in the honeymoon phase right now, and haven't really encountered anything negative at all. But at some point they'll encounter a sh#tstorm of negativity. The thing is, most of these guys have been around forever. They'll be able to handle the negative stuff much better than a first time coach, which is mostly what we've had for the past decade and a half.
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DomiNUs
Five-Star Recruit
I have thought and still think the exact same things. Nine wins at NU is what an average coach can attain. MR and company should be an upgrade over the old staff.
ScottyIce
Banned
2 NFL Types?
Collins
Fultz (seriously you said it, lol)
VV (although I'm not in the same boat yet as others)
Gerry (Will be an All-Pro Safety)
Lewis (Will get chances in the NFL, maybe not drafted)
DPE (if he continues on this path, will at least get a chance to be a PR in NFL)
Westerkamp ( I think he is a guy that will have opportunities to catch on)
Rose-Ivey (Possible if he has a couple good seasons)
RB (One of our RB's on the current roster will go on to have an NFL career)
MichiganDad3
All-American
I have the same thoughts as the OP. I do not know what to expect. We could win a National Championship with some luck, or we could have a 500 record with some bad luck. I just hope we beat BYU. I do not want to start of with a loss and have to lower my expectations right away. I also do not want to spend four more years on this board speculating on when the coaching staff will be replaced whil trying to see the positive in 9 win seasons and Gator bowls invites.
BigRedBuster
International Man of Mystery
No clue. That's why I'm going into the season just wanting to watch some football and have fun doing it. This season is a starting point for this staff. Barring total disaster, I'm going to just relax and enjoy the season.
SuperBigFan69
Head Coach
Honestly...I think all of us think this. I just have a feeling some fans are worried about admitting it because in reality it sets a very clear bar.
For me I just have a real hard time with the "Transitions are always painful" school of thought. No, they are not always painful. Sometimes they are breath of fresh air. To me Mike Riley and his staff is a breath of fresh air. There is no reason that he can't have a very successful first season if his players truly buy into what he is saying.
Too many compare his offensive approach to what BC did, I think this is the national media's view of things. From a structural stand point they are somewhat similar, but from a implementation and philosophical point of view they are light years different.
Mike Riley understands he is here to win football games, period end of story He is not trying to change the culture, in fact he is embracing the culture of Nebraska football. I just feel really good about this team. I think they are going to be better than most think. I may be completely wrong but that is how I see it.
SuperBigFan69
Head Coach
The Dude
Heisman Trophy Winner
I feel better about the BYU, Wisconsin, and Minnesota games than I would if Bo was still here.
Taysom Hill would have a career game against the Bofense, Wisconsin would stomp our asses as usual, and Minnesota's coaches would continue to run laps around ours.
With the coaching change there's a possibility all those things might not happen.
Sure, there's still a possibility they might all happen, but at least now there's at least a sliver of hope they won't.
I'm also fairly certain the instances of 15-yard personal fouls on our head coach will be reduced considerably.
Taysom Hill would have a career game against the Bofense, Wisconsin would stomp our asses as usual, and Minnesota's coaches would continue to run laps around ours.
With the coaching change there's a possibility all those things might not happen.
Sure, there's still a possibility they might all happen, but at least now there's at least a sliver of hope they won't.
I'm also fairly certain the instances of 15-yard personal fouls on our head coach will be reduced considerably.
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kchusker_chris
All-American
such a difference from the last few years where we knew EXACTLY how things were going to go.
junior4949
All-American
I have no idea how the W's and L's will look come season's end, but I all but guarantee you we will see better football being played. At season's end, we will be better than we are going to be at the beginning of the season. We will clean up several areas including turnovers and penalties. We will beat a team where we're picked to lose.
It seems the kids take their emotional cues from the coaches. With Bo, it seemed that the more the spit flew the smaller our chances at a win in tough games. His nerves rubbed off on the team, if you will, making THEM nervous or out of sorts. Sort of like when you were a child and if Dad was having a bad day, then dammit, EVERYONE would have to have a bad day. Not the best analogy, I know.
Back in the TO years, it was a bit of the opposite. The tougher the opponent, the calmer Tom seemed. He was a reassuring legend/father stalking the sidelines to just make sure everyone was performing at their highest ability. He was never a spit-spraying, cussing machine that grabbed player's helmets and chewed them a new a$$. But if the player/team was NOT performing to the level expected (and this was usually some game where we were already up by 50 over Kansas or ISU) you'd see Tom express as much emotion as he was capable of. This seemed mostly driven by seeing the players slack off once they knew they had it in the bag. Bad discipline, in other words.
That is one of the many things I loved about Tom, that I think Riley shows similarity to.
As far as the games, I just hope we play to our fullest potential each and every game. If the game is lost, let it be lost because the other team was actually better, not because we didn't perform our best. Let no question hang over the game about our discipline.
I hope we exceed 9 or 10, but if it's less I'm cool with that, so long as we actually play as well as the team is capable of in each game.
Back in the TO years, it was a bit of the opposite. The tougher the opponent, the calmer Tom seemed. He was a reassuring legend/father stalking the sidelines to just make sure everyone was performing at their highest ability. He was never a spit-spraying, cussing machine that grabbed player's helmets and chewed them a new a$$. But if the player/team was NOT performing to the level expected (and this was usually some game where we were already up by 50 over Kansas or ISU) you'd see Tom express as much emotion as he was capable of. This seemed mostly driven by seeing the players slack off once they knew they had it in the bag. Bad discipline, in other words.
That is one of the many things I loved about Tom, that I think Riley shows similarity to.
As far as the games, I just hope we play to our fullest potential each and every game. If the game is lost, let it be lost because the other team was actually better, not because we didn't perform our best. Let no question hang over the game about our discipline.
I hope we exceed 9 or 10, but if it's less I'm cool with that, so long as we actually play as well as the team is capable of in each game.
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