Sporting News: Bo Pelini, Huskers confident 2012 can be their year

[Nobody]

The way you know Spring is in the air is you open your local paper and find about ten pages of fluff. You never see so many people working so hard on keeping the sunshine pump flowing as you do this time of year. Everyone's buying in. We've found the magic again.

Next we get the Spring Game, where the prognosticators will find a future All American at every position based off a good play or two against a walkon defense.

Next we get the offseason where we find out how team led practices and 7 on 7 drills are looking sharper than ever. There's never been more unity in any organization in the history of the world than there is on this team at this moment. If only Jesus could have gotten his disciples more in step.

And when fall camp hits, look out--we're talking one salty football team. Swagger here, swagger there, swagger everywhere. Taylor's throwing mechanics will make Aaron Rodgers sit up and take note. The defense gets it, especially the true freshman linebackers who just learned how to tie their shoes. Surprising. Amazing. Wonderful!

Then the season hits, and the same defense that gave up 38 points to Washington, 48 to Wisconsin, 45 to Michigan, and 30 to South Carolina--that's three crushing losses for anyone who's counting--is going to somehow be better than it was last year with the same cast of characters, minus Crick, Denard, and David, its three best players, and first year defensive coordinator (who's only marginally less experienced than the offensive coordinator whose scheme was also ripped apart in three blowout losses).

But please, do continue. I love cotton candy.

this guy gets it.

How does he get it? Because he just happens to have the same point of view as you? So everyone else is wrong because they happen to think something different?

LOL so i'm not allowed to agree with someone's post?

plus, his logic is hard to argue with.

So we're not allowed to think you're completely wrong?

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

just because i give props to a post that i agree with doesn't mean that i think everyone else is idiots

 

[kchusker_chris]

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

And everyone that feels the opposite of him is basing their opinion on a ton of variables, mostly assuming that there will be improvement, and that it's not going to be the same team we've seen the last 4 years. It completely ignores the fact that we are playing under the same coach, same offensive coordinator, same OL, same struggling QB, same difficult schedule, with a new defensive coordinator and changing style of D minus the 3 best players on the old style of D, and dealing with a DC that was an intern just a few years ago. (not happy JP is the DC)

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

 

[Husker_x]

My comments were more about the news media perception than how good I think the team will be. The hilarious part about this time of year is that no matter what happened the season before--win, lose, or draw--it quite literally doesn't matter at all where the fans are concerned.

If you won the bowl game, you're going into the offseason with momentum. If you lost it, you have something to prove. If a player was injured he's on the mend and hungry. If he's healthy he's in the film room like a madman improving his game, which never seems to raise the question: what the hell was he doing with his time last year? Collecting stamps?

The problem with Spring Practice reporting is the problem with almost all bad thinking. You're hearing what you want to hear based off very limited information. Fans tend to pay attention to the good stories, get an over inflated idea about the team because they want to believe what they're reading in the paper. Unfortunately reality doesn't work this way, and roughly the same defense minus a few NFL talents is going to be taking the field against roughly the same offenses we saw last year, and in a few cases better.

I didn't and don't like the Beck hire, but since it's the road we went down I'm willing to be patient and give the guy a chance to recruit and teach for his system. I'm not a Cotton fan, either, so my thinking on the offensive line is that as long as you accept mediocre coaching you should expect a mediocre product. If anyone wants to argue we've seen anything beyond mediocrity from Cotton at any point in his career, feel free.

That being said, I do have some hope for the offense. They did produce reasonably well for Beck's first season. I would expect given the relative youth last year that understanding and cohesion would be better going into spring. Taylor has cemented himself in a leadership position which, barring injury, he won't leave until his career is over. We have good speed at receiver and talent at TE. We have one of the best running backs in the country, IMO, and a couple of guys with another year in the weight room behind him. It's possible the OL's mediocre play could waste a lot of this potential, but if they can find a way to up their game, the offense has a chance to be really good and carry the defense.

 

[carlfense]

My comments were more about the news media perception than how good I think the team will be. The hilarious part about this time of year is that no matter what happened the season before--win, lose, or draw--it quite literally doesn't matter at all where the fans are concerned.

If you won the bowl game, you're going into the offseason with momentum. If you lost it, you have something to prove. If a player was injured he's on the mend and hungry. If he's healthy he's in the film room like a madman improving his game, which never seems to raise the question: what the hell was he doing with his time last year? Collecting stamps?

The problem with Spring Practice reporting is the problem with almost all bad thinking. You're hearing what you want to hear based off very limited information. Fans tend to pay attention to the good stories, get an over inflated idea about the team because they want to believe what they're reading in the paper. Unfortunately reality doesn't work this way, and roughly the same defense minus a few NFL talents is going to be taking the field against roughly the same offenses we saw last year, and in a few cases better.

I didn't and don't like the Beck hire, but since it's the road we went down I'm willing to be patient and give the guy a chance to recruit and teach for his system. I'm not a Cotton fan, either, so my thinking on the offensive line is that as long as you accept mediocre coaching you should expect a mediocre product. If anyone wants to argue we've seen anything beyond mediocrity from Cotton at any point in his career, feel free.

That being said, I do have some hope for the offense. They did produce reasonably well for Beck's first season. I would expect given the relative youth last year that understanding and cohesion would be better going into spring. Taylor has cemented himself in a leadership position which, barring injury, he won't leave until his career is over. We have good speed at receiver and talent at TE. We have one of the best running backs in the country, IMO, and a couple of guys with another year in the weight room behind him. It's possible the OL's mediocre play could waste a lot of this potential, but if they can find a way to up their game, the offense has a chance to be really good and carry the defense.

Great post. +1 and would +1 again if I could.

We are on the same page.

 

[kchusker_chris]

+1

 

[Saunders]

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

And everyone that feels the opposite of him is basing their opinion on a ton of variables, mostly assuming that there will be improvement, and that it's not going to be the same team we've seen the last 4 years. It completely ignores the fact that we are playing under the same coach, same offensive coordinator, same OL, same struggling QB, same difficult schedule, with a new defensive coordinator and changing style of D minus the 3 best players on the old style of D, and dealing with a DC that was an intern just a few years ago. (not happy JP is the DC)

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

Oh hey, you're here to cherry pick comments again. It's funny, because last time you tried to do this (basically called me a Pelini cult fanatic) and paint a picture of me, I proved you completely wrong, and you ignored my response, because you were wrong, and didn't want to admit it.

For the record, I don't think we're going to see a much better team. I agree with everything he said pertaining to the media sunshine pumping that goes on. It was the end paragraph that was flawed, IMO.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Being completely ignorant of the other side shows that you are no better than anyone else.

The team needs to show improvement, they haven't been off-the-wall spectacular in any of Pelini's 4 years here (besides the D in 2009)

That being said, the team also looks like they have the potential to be better than any of Pelini's other 4 teams.

There's a lot to look forward to, and there's a lot to bite your nails about.

 

[Saunders]

Being completely ignorant of the other side shows that you are no better than anyone else.

The team needs to show improvement, they haven't been off-the-wall spectacular in any of Pelini's 4 years here (besides the D in 2009)

That being said, the team also looks like they have the potential to be better than any of Pelini's other 4 teams.

There's a lot to look forward to, and there's a lot to bite your nails about.

Yup.

 

['SkersRule]

Being completely ignorant of the other side shows that you are no better than anyone else.

The team needs to show improvement, they haven't been off-the-wall spectacular in any of Pelini's 4 years here (besides the D in 2009)

That being said, the team also looks like they have the potential to be better than any of Pelini's other 4 teams.

There's a lot to look forward to, and there's a lot to bite your nails about.

Yup.

These two guys get it.

 

[Saunders]

Being completely ignorant of the other side shows that you are no better than anyone else.

The team needs to show improvement, they haven't been off-the-wall spectacular in any of Pelini's 4 years here (besides the D in 2009)

That being said, the team also looks like they have the potential to be better than any of Pelini's other 4 teams.

There's a lot to look forward to, and there's a lot to bite your nails about.

Yup.

These two guys get it.

 

[kchusker_chris]

Being completely ignorant of the other side shows that you are no better than anyone else.

The team needs to show improvement, they haven't been off-the-wall spectacular in any of Pelini's 4 years here (besides the D in 2009)

That being said, the team also looks like they have the potential to be better than any of Pelini's other 4 teams.

There's a lot to look forward to, and there's a lot to bite your nails about.

like that idiot that posted #37 & #38

 

['SkersRule]

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

And everyone that feels the opposite of him is basing their opinion on a ton of variables, mostly assuming that there will be improvement, and that it's not going to be the same team we've seen the last 4 years. It completely ignores the fact that we are playing under the same coach, same offensive coordinator, same OL, same struggling QB, same difficult schedule, with a new defensive coordinator and changing style of D minus the 3 best players on the old style of D, and dealing with a DC that was an intern just a few years ago. (not happy JP is the DC)

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

CFB is not played in a vacuum but I get the feeling that some people post as if they live in a vacuum.

And about the conversation we're having about Barney Cotton as an OL coach I really do not believe he coaches his players to purposefully false start. I think that as Beck and Barney continue to work together things will only get better and we do have the potential to be a damn good football team on both sides of the ball. Will that translate into a 10+ win season? I don't know but since it is spring there's no reason at all to be so overly doom and gloom oriented. Come on Chris, step outside and enjoy the sunshine, even if it's only for a minute.

 

[kchusker_chris]

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

And everyone that feels the opposite of him is basing their opinion on a ton of variables, mostly assuming that there will be improvement, and that it's not going to be the same team we've seen the last 4 years. It completely ignores the fact that we are playing under the same coach, same offensive coordinator, same OL, same struggling QB, same difficult schedule, with a new defensive coordinator and changing style of D minus the 3 best players on the old style of D, and dealing with a DC that was an intern just a few years ago. (not happy JP is the DC)

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

Oh hey, you're here to cherry pick comments again. It's funny, because last time you tried to do this (basically called me a Pelini cult fanatic) and paint a picture of me, I proved you completely wrong, and you ignored my response, because you were wrong, and didn't want to admit it.

For the record, I don't think we're going to see a much better team. I agree with everything he said pertaining to the media sunshine pumping that goes on. It was the end paragraph that was flawed, IMO.

i must have missed u proving me completely wrong. might have been on a friday afternoon and i don't check on weekend. golf clap 4 you friend. congrats.

I just picked this post because it was funny to me, how you can use the post almost word for word to make the exact opposite argument. Point is no one has a clue what this next season will bring. Those who argue it is going to be better are making all these assumptions about how this area is going to improve or this player is going to be better, etc...and all those that argue we'll have a similar or worse year just say "look at the last 4 years". Neither can be proved wrong in a forum. Playing the season will determine which is correct. You just sometimes choose to after the poster rather than the argument, so I called you out on it when I saw this post which I though was interestingly worded.

 

[Saunders]

And his logic is based on a ton of variables, mostly, assuming that there is no improvement at all on the team, and it's going to be the same team, minus 3 guys. It completely ignores the fact that we were playing in an entirely new conference, changing the style of D we had played for 3 years, and dealing with a DC who was half assing his job (glad CP is gone).

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

And everyone that feels the opposite of him is basing their opinion on a ton of variables, mostly assuming that there will be improvement, and that it's not going to be the same team we've seen the last 4 years. It completely ignores the fact that we are playing under the same coach, same offensive coordinator, same OL, same struggling QB, same difficult schedule, with a new defensive coordinator and changing style of D minus the 3 best players on the old style of D, and dealing with a DC that was an intern just a few years ago. (not happy JP is the DC)

Believe it or not, CFB is not played in a vacuum.

Oh hey, you're here to cherry pick comments again. It's funny, because last time you tried to do this (basically called me a Pelini cult fanatic) and paint a picture of me, I proved you completely wrong, and you ignored my response, because you were wrong, and didn't want to admit it.

For the record, I don't think we're going to see a much better team. I agree with everything he said pertaining to the media sunshine pumping that goes on. It was the end paragraph that was flawed, IMO.

i must have missed u proving me completely wrong. might have been on a friday afternoon and i don't check on weekend. golf clap 4 you friend. congrats.

I just picked this post because it was funny to me, how you can use the post almost word for word to make the exact opposite argument. Point is no one has a clue what this next season will bring. Those who argue it is going to be better are making all these assumptions about how this area is going to improve or this player is going to be better, etc...and all those that argue we'll have a similar or worse year just say "look at the last 4 years". Neither can be proved wrong in a forum. Playing the season will determine which is correct. You just sometimes choose to after the poster rather than the argument, so I called you out on it when I saw this post which I though was interestingly worded.

You accused me of being a blind fanboy, which is completely untrue. Then, you continued to post in the thread after I responded to your accusations, all while completely ignoring my response, and then gave me the "you hear what you want to hear" BS in another thread. Not buying it.

As for the second part, uh.... no freaking duh. That was my point. He took some data (missing a bunch of variables) and stated "obviously X is the only answer." You "called me out on it" even though our point was the same. Nobody knows, and it's all sunshine and BS right now. We could go 2-10 or 10-2, who knows.

Sounds like a case of somebody just hearing what they want to hear.

 

[kchusker_chris]

And about the conversation we're having about Barney Cotton as an OL coach I really do not believe he coaches his players to purposefully false start. I think that as Beck and Barney continue to work together things will only get better and we do have the potential to be a damn good football team on both sides of the ball. Will that translate into a 10+ win season? I don't know but since it is spring there's no reason at all to be so overly doom and gloom oriented. Come on Chris, step outside and enjoy the sunshine, even if it's only for a minute.

haha - sun did finally just come out here. For the record i'm not doom and gloom - or don't mean to be. I see another 9-4ish (maybe 8-5) season ahead. Not exactly a doom & gloom scenario. I'll start pumping sunshine for 2013 about this time next year though so no worries. But I'm bracing myself for 2012...I just don't see it being a spectacular season...and I really hope the fans don't get so hopped up on koolaid this spring/summer that when (if) we do go 9-4 they are asking for Pelini's head with enough numbers that they get it...because 13' is setting up nicely despite us losing a number of key seniors. But 12' - don't get your hopes up. If we get a few lucky bounces we might grab 10 wins...but I still don't think 10 will be enough to get use into the conference championship game - I think Michigan will hold the tie-breaker still.