This Team Is Scared Of Husker Legacy

R

Roundball Shaman

Four-Star Recruit
Among the various problems the Huskers currently have that are being well documented in this forum, there is the... elephant in the room, one too.

What we have now seen for two weeks is that this Husker group is playing soft and scared and disoriented. This is peculiar given the pedigree of who the coach is. They are playing tight. And not tight in the good way but the opposite as in not free and easy and tough. They feel the pressure from Husker fans and the Nebraska and national media observers... many of whom desperately wanting these guys to soon resemble the great Big Red teams from a generation ago.

Yes, talent is an issue. But that’s not the entire answer. You can be talent short and still play with passion and wild (controlled) abandon. And even look like you’re having fun. Are any of these guys having fun? 

What is scaring them? Sure, like any team they don’t want to lose a game. But they feel the off-season hype. They feel the pressure of a (former) Top 25 ranking. They feel the expectations of some picking them to win the West. And get into a good bowl. They are not handling this pressure well.

What is the answer? Quit fighting ghosts. Forget the past. Tune out the hype and expectations. Start fresh, find pride and passion within yourselves. Get better. And HAVE FUN out there. This is still a game, guys. Yes, it’s big business and all that but it’s still a funny-shaped ball and a bunch of big guys piling on top of each other every few seconds with lots of hand-slapping. Not exactly serious Quantum Mechanics research or something like that.

Forget the hype. Tune out the expectations. Play better. Be yourselves. Find your own rhythm. Enjoy the game again. The wins will come if you do these things. Last year, your season was derailed by lightning. This time around, you’ve stepped right into a new storm. Don’t let this turn into a hurricane. Make your own legacy and find the sunlight.
 

 
All things aside, my biggest single player concern is Martinez.  In the post game presser, Frost all but said he didn't even think about throwing in OT.  Martinez is in a funk (play calling/OL play/lack of receiver not named JD) contributing factors, but he's in his own head right now.  Our TE's were supposed to be the strength of the team.  We couldn't have tried a pass or 2 into the endzone?  Just a 50/50 ball with 6-4 TEs.....

Others have alluded on this board and others that our "no fear of failure mantra HC" appears afraid.  I think you could also use worried, concerned/confused/unsure.  I think yesterday was a rock hard landing back to reality.  

We gave up 34 points in a half (3 in OT).  Maybe Frost realizes without a high flying O, his D sucks and that's on his good friend Chin.  Maybe he realizes that Martinez isn't Milton.  Maybe he realizes he believed the hype.  Worried he is in over his head in the pressure cooker B1G.  

Regardless, a completely different offense took the field in the 2nd half. Almost as if they were, as you mentioned, playing scared.  Didn't want to blow the lead, so you short arm passes.  Hold onto the ball to avoid the INT etc...

 
lo country said:
All things aside, my biggest single player concern is Martinez.  In the post game presser, Frost all but said he didn't even think about throwing in OT.  Martinez is in a funk (play calling/OL play/lack of receiver not named JD) contributing factors, but he's in his own head right now.  Our TE's were supposed to be the strength of the team.  We couldn't have tried a pass or 2 into the endzone?  Just a 50/50 ball with 6-4 TEs.....

Others have alluded on this board and others that our "no fear of failure mantra HC" appears afraid.  I think you could also use worried, concerned/confused/unsure.  I think yesterday was a rock hard landing back to reality.  

We gave up 34 points in a half (3 in OT).  Maybe Frost realizes without a high flying O, his D sucks and that's on his good friend Chin.  Maybe he realizes that Martinez isn't Milton.  Maybe he realizes he believed the hype.  Worried he is in over his head in the pressure cooker B1G.  

Regardless, a completely different offense took the field in the 2nd half. Almost as if they were, as you mentioned, playing scared.  Didn't want to blow the lead, so you short arm passes.  Hold onto the ball to avoid the INT etc...
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Martinez started the game going 9 for 9.  Frost didn't appear to fear the passing game in the first half when Martinez was hot and Martinez didn't really run much either which was my only gripe at the time.  The D played really well in the first half too.  Frost lost his nerve at the end of the first half and I'm not sure why.  He hung the D out to dry which is bad, but moreso considering the altitude. 

Frost lost a little of my respect in the post game when he didn't point his thumb.  How do you defeat a delayed blitz?  You leave a back in the backfield to pick it up.  I don't remember seeing that.  I remember seeing Farniok double teaming d-lineman to his left while the blitzer ran past him on his right hand side a lot.  

Frost didn't give us a chance to win in overtime.  The guy who started 9/9 isn't good enough to throw the ball in OT?  Did he get injured?  We still lack talent, no doubt.  But Frost lacked nerve and that's disappointing.  

 
Roundball Shaman said:
Among the various problems the Huskers currently have that are being well documented in this forum, there is the... elephant in the room, one too.

What we have now seen for two weeks is that this Husker group is playing soft and scared and disoriented. This is peculiar given the pedigree of who the coach is. They are playing tight. And not tight in the good way but the opposite as in not free and easy and tough. They feel the pressure from Husker fans and the Nebraska and national media observers... many of whom desperately wanting these guys to soon resemble the great Big Red teams from a generation ago.

Yes, talent is an issue. But that’s not the entire answer. You can be talent short and still play with passion and wild (controlled) abandon. And even look like you’re having fun. Are any of these guys having fun? 

What is scaring them? Sure, like any team they don’t want to lose a game. But they feel the off-season hype. They feel the pressure of a (former) Top 25 ranking. They feel the expectations of some picking them to win the West. And get into a good bowl. They are not handling this pressure well.

What is the answer? Quit fighting ghosts. Forget the past. Tune out the hype and expectations. Start fresh, find pride and passion within yourselves. Get better. And HAVE FUN out there. This is still a game, guys. Yes, it’s big business and all that but it’s still a funny-shaped ball and a bunch of big guys piling on top of each other every few seconds with lots of hand-slapping. Not exactly serious Quantum Mechanics research or something like that.

Forget the hype. Tune out the expectations. Play better. Be yourselves. Find your own rhythm. Enjoy the game again. The wins will come if you do these things. Last year, your season was derailed by lightning. This time around, you’ve stepped right into a new storm. Don’t let this turn into a hurricane. Make your own legacy and find the sunlight.
 
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These kids were sperm when we our guys were dominant.  Those ghosts don't exist for these kids.  Only fans who long for the good ol' days remember them.  

 
southernoregonhusker said:
Martinez started the game going 9 for 9.  Frost didn't appear to fear the passing game in the first half when Martinez was hot and Martinez didn't really run much either which was my only gripe at the time.  The D played really well in the first half too.  Frost lost his nerve at the end of the first half and I'm not sure why.  He hung the D out to dry which is bad, but moreso considering the altitude. 

Frost lost a little of my respect in the post game when he didn't point his thumb.  How do you defeat a delayed blitz?  You leave a back in the backfield to pick it up.  I don't remember seeing that.  I remember seeing Farniok double teaming d-lineman to his left while the blitzer ran past him on his right hand side a lot.  

Frost didn't give us a chance to win in overtime.  The guy who started 9/9 isn't good enough to throw the ball in OT?  Did he get injured?  We still lack talent, no doubt.  But Frost lacked nerve and that's disappointing.  
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The bolded. For me not sure if it was respect, but disappointed.  Step up, own it and move on.  Like Verduzco last week.  "Piss poor performance by me and Martinez".....He owned it like a boss.

As to the passing, their D in the 2nd half changed up and we didn't.  That's what worries me.  The inability to adjust. Is it not in his wheelhouse?  Do we not have the ability to keep a RB in?  Do a trap/draw/counter/pop pass etc......  As noted above we have a 6'8 TE.  Sh!t man, toss it up in the endzone....If he doesn't trust a player, find one you do.  Or work, work, work to get the guy ready.  Help him with the reads or crap can your multiple read routes.  He mentioned in the presser about chunk plays.  Do we have a plan B is we are not getting chunk plays.  A way to get 10 hard yards.....

Bottom line, the team and STAFF have a lot of learning/growing moving forward.

 
lo country said:
The bolded. For me not sure if it was respect, but disappointed.  Step up, own it and move on.  Like Verduzco last week.  "Piss poor performance by me and Martinez".....He owned it like a boss.
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southernoregonhusker said:
Frost lost a little of my respect in the post game when he didn't point his thumb.
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Frost opened his press conference by saying I told the team this one is on me. How much more responsibility can he take than the entire loss? 

 
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lo country said:
The bolded. For me not sure if it was respect, but disappointed.  Step up, own it and move on.  Like Verduzco last week.  "Piss poor performance by me and Martinez".....He owned it like a boss.

As to the passing, their D in the 2nd half changed up and we didn't.  That's what worries me.  The inability to adjust. Is it not in his wheelhouse?  Do we not have the ability to keep a RB in?  Do a trap/draw/counter/pop pass etc......  As noted above we have a 6'8 TE.  Sh!t man, toss it up in the endzone....If he doesn't trust a player, find one you do.  Or work, work, work to get the guy ready.  Help him with the reads or crap can your multiple read routes.  He mentioned in the presser about chunk plays.  Do we have a plan B is we are not getting chunk plays.  A way to get 10 hard yards.....

Bottom line, the team and STAFF have a lot of learning/growing moving forward.
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Couldn't agree more.

 
WyoHusker56 said:
Frost opened his press conference by saying I told the team this one is on me. How much more responsibility can he take than the entire loss? 
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Didn't hear that at the opening on Twitter.  Started with him giving credit to CU for winning.  I liked his comment about we've got to get a killer mentality....

The reality is everyone is picking crap apart as we are all collectively pi$$ed and trying to find a tangible fixable reason we lost...

 
lo country said:
Didn't hear that at the opening on Twitter.  Started with him giving credit to CU for winning.  I liked his comment about we've got to get a killer mentality....

The reality is everyone is picking crap apart as we are all collectively pi$$ed and trying to find a tangible fixable reason we lost...
Click to expand...


It didn't make it in the video, but...


I'm pissed too, but I didn't want people thinking Frost wasn't owning this. He absolutely does. 

 
lo country said:
Didn't hear that at the opening on Twitter.  Started with him giving credit to CU for winning.  I liked his comment about we've got to get a killer mentality....

The reality is everyone is picking crap apart as we are all collectively pi$$ed and trying to find a tangible fixable reason we lost...
Click to expand...
The coaches themselves need to get that killer mentality before they can pass it on to the players, they didn't even come close to helping those kids in the second half by making no adjustments and the Frost openly stating(but not actually stating) he did not trust Martinez.

 
HuskerInLostWages said:
The coaches themselves need to get that killer mentality before they can pass it on to the players, they didn't even come close to helping those kids in the second half by making no adjustments and the Frost openly stating(but not actually stating) he did not trust Martinez.
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Didn't want to risk the INT in OT....What does the staff do moving forward to trust putting the ball in your QB Captain's hands with the game on the line...

 
lo country said:
Didn't want to risk the INT in OT....What does the staff do moving forward to trust putting the ball in your QB Captain's hands with the game on the line...
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How does your QB gain trust in our coach that he is doing whats best for him in that situation as well, everyone heard it for what it was including Adrian.

 
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