Comish

Great post Comish... i could not agree more. Question; do you think TO showed with Mike Anderson that he is more willing to cut-em-loose than we all think? (I'm really starting to scream loudly for a new coach to go with the shiny new facilities - in MY dwindling group of season ticket holders.) The money doesn't mean beans - TO could have it in an afternoon. Good analogy with MIke Anderson. The difference might be that Anderson had experienced success before (although some would argue it was with Van Horn's players), and then the program declined; and that he was already benefiting from superior facilities, whereas Doc has not yet had the benefit of new facilities completed. Still, T.O. did show he was willing to cut a coach loose. However, he did just renew Doc last year, which would, in retrospect, look bad for T.O. if he cuts him now. I should be clear. I am NOT one of those guys who thinks we should always be firing people on a whim and believing the next GREAT COACH is just waiting for us to uncover him. Actually, I like Doc and wish he would succeed and have been defending him for the past few years. But, I've come to the conclusion that he is too stubborn to change and I see (like you) too many folks giving up their tickets. I'd love to be wrong, but I think postponing the inevitable is just going to make it that much harder to get fannies in the seats at the new arena. (of course, like a masochist, I'll be there tomorrow assuming we will play better against Sparty...................and probably end up later being just as frustrated)

Terrance Badgett is probably the last local kid who was D-1 and choose to come to the University. I obviously agree with your last point on style as well.............. It is not an exaggeration to say that there used to be about of a dozen of us in my social circle who were loyal season ticket holders. Sitting through the root canal styles of Collier and Doc have diminished that group to just 2 (and we get hazed about it constantly for hanging in there). I really believe an entertaining style would at least mitigate some of the ship jumpers.

Agree he is snakebit with injuries..................but the amount of lower body injuries that his teams seem to annually suffer ought to be worth at least a look at the training methods..................can it ALL be coincidence...?? And, even acknowledging the injuries.......................are you satisfied with his recruiting results......??

Most of us bought into Doc's assertion that we now have more talent than at any time since he's been here. Then we watch the reality of Tuesday night.....................and the chasm is night and day between what we can put on the floor and what our opponents can.......... This is not a thread about Doc's substitution puzzles (such as sitting Toney immediately after scoring 5 of our first 7 points..??) or his use of time-outs, game strategies or mind-numbing style of play -------------those are all topics that deserve their own thread) This is just a question about his recruiting strategy and successes/failures. (We all know the built in excuses of small state, few Div 1 players, no tradition, etc), but even acknowledging the limitations, how has he done recruiting? Seems to me that we can summarize his efforts as globally scouring the world for marginal players with foot issues. I called it the 'ole' strategy..............one - legged - euros. T.O. gives him an extension so that he can promise recruits he will be here and "supposedly" that would enable him to lure the few in-state kids to campus. Well, it didn't even work with Gessel. (I could see him going to Stanford.............but IOWA......??) With the best practice facility in the country (no exaggeration) and a brand new arena................how can he NOT recruit better? I suggest it's because kids don't want to come play a dull, uninspired, boring, losing offense that is no fun to watch and no fun to play. The inextricable link between sports and entertainment has evidently not crossed the synapses in Doc's brain. And, judging from his post game comments the other night (we lost because we weren't PATIENT enough ??), it's not likely to occur in our lifetimes. IF kids can be lured to MANHATTAN figgin KANSAS to play ball under a combustible Frank Martin, well.......................nuff said !

Very well crafted response......................bravo...........

The only reason Obama got and electoral college vote is because Nebraska split its votes with Obama caring metro vote. If we did it like most other states, he would have not. Which is why I respect how Nebraska divides its electoral college votes (I think Maine and another state do this too?). The process would be more representative of the actual vote if all states were required to proportionally split their electoral college votes based on percentage of ballots. At the least, it would help with getting rid of the idiotic red/blue state designation and force campaigns to address states not commonly visited by campaigns (read: Nebraska). Or just do away with the electoral college entirely. That would be my choice. I've seen studies in the past that elections via a pure popular vote actually work against what cures they are intended to produce. (can't remember the specifics, but for sure it would lessen the impact of states like Nebraska because huge urban areas can cancel us out quickly)

Wasn't that a B!G tourney game last year ??.................33-31 or something close to that...............YIKES........................

Agreed. Bruning is one of the few politicians that would cause me to cast a vote for Nelson. If you think Nelson is sleazy . . . well . . . just wait until you see Bruning. I wish Deb Fischer would get more support. I certainly don't always agree with her positions but I respect her. Surprising that she doesn't ...........................kind of an updated Virginia Smith...........................

A residual parting gift from Beebe for the Sooners...........

Exactly, he actually said in his initial comments that fans would get sore necks (like at a tennis match) watching the rapid back and forth on the court....................and now it's clear he has no clue or desire to implement a style that might be remotely watchable...............

Good riddance to Nelson. Disliked that guy from the first time I met him. Agree with that ^^^^^^ Although most pols say one thing when back in the hustings and vote another once they get leaned on by the whip in D.C., Nelson always seemed particularly sleazy doing it............

I'm not defending Callahan, but you also have to look at the total lack of talent that we had in 2004. Joe Daily was our only scholarship QB. (because Frank put all of his eggs into the Carl Crawford basket and didn't have a fall back option when he chose baseball) The thought of him running the option is laughable. Corry Ross was our best RB and he was a 3rd down back at best. Our only play maker on offense was Matt Herrian and that doesn't do you any good if the QB can't throw the ball. Throw in a very average at best OL and you will have a bad offense, no matter what kind you try to run. We did have some talent at LB and the secondary, but we only had three DL on the team. So no matter what kind of defense that you ran, we were not going to get pressure in the second half as our DL were beyond tired. As you noticed in the TTU game where it was actually a close game at the half. This is where Frank's lazy recruiting killed the program, he's not a bad coach, but he never took recruiting seriously enough to replace what Tom left him. It may not have been laziness either, it could have very easily been arrogance. We were on the top of the world and very relevant at the time and just by walking into the school with the "N" on your shirt was thought to be good enough. For whatever the reason, he didn't get the athlete's needed to compete at the level that NU is accustomed too. I think you make some fairly cogent arguments with some of your postings although I don't agree with all of it. The paragraph I highlighted in red above is an example. It was neither laziness or arrogance that led to recruiting shortfalls for Frank. He was somewhat hamstrung by T.O. strongly wanting him to maintain the current staff and much of that staff was aging, with considerable less energy. Some actually had trouble flying because of bad knees, etc. I'm not saying Frank doesn't have to shoulder some of the blame, but I totally disagree it was because he was lazy or arrogant.

Correct. It looked fuller because it was much fuller than usual, but a long way from approaching the 16,000 we will need in the new arena. I was totally wrong about my the game last night. I really thought we could hang in there better than we did. It was an embarrassment. I am also p*ssed about the way the administration is treating the fans. After BEGGING people to come out and support the team, I brought along a middle schooler who was dying to see the Huskers in person (I have season tickets). In previous games, you could get an elementary and/or middle school child in for 5 bucks and they could go set in the upper reaches. Last night, they wouldn't let anyone in for less than $20 and if you wanted the child to sit down on the floor where the absent student body usually sits, it was $25. So, we ponied up the 25 and got there well over a hour before tip-off and the section was already full. Yeah, our brilliant marketeers oversold the seats and so individual kids were sent to the rafters. Totally classless by our administrators. I have had season tickets for 20 years and have watched some WOEFUL basketball and yet Doc (who I like and wish could succeed) is so stubborn he crowed on the post game show that the reason we weren't competitive is because we shot it too quickly !!! Yeah, Doc's brilliant plan is to work it around until we scramble for a hail Mary as the clock winds down. It's not just me. Most of the folks sitting around me are grumbling big time and are all about to jettison their season tickets. I will continue to support them this year, starting Saturday vs. Sparty, but I'm thinking that if Doc is back next year, I doubt I will be.

You make some valid points but I would argue that you are incorrect about him having no other offers. Immediately after Pedey struck, Army came calling and I do believe that would have been a very good fit for Frank and for his personality. BUT, it happened so soon and he wasn't ready to commit right away because he took that next year off to visit programs and think things through. There have been some other feelers since then I believe, but irafreak is probably right when he mentions his age and his comfort level at Ohio. So, I guess he is probably settled in there. I would also suggest the reason there weren't more suitors immediately after NU was because he was seen as a one school guy who had never played the resume hop-scotch game all over the country. Just my two cents.

http://collegefootba...owl-appearance/

I've laid out a hopelessly optimistic rationale on how we might actually win tonight in another thread................. 40% shot......................

I know that (comparatively), there is a paucity of traffic on the basketball forum. And, I read on these pages how bad we are and how seriously we are going to get trounced in the BIG (with 7 of our first 8 against ranked teams) and how Doc is inexplicably enigmatic with his substitution patterns, time outs, and end-of-game strategy. ALL DEFENDABLY TRUE. I also know that we are playing Wisconsin who leads the nation in scoring defense at 44.7 points a game, is 2nd in field goal defense (33.8), 3rd in 3 point defense (23.7). and 1ST in fewest turnovers (8.3) I also recognize that they are ranked 11th in the country and we have struggled to look very organized in the first 11 games. Oh, and our center (Diaz) is out, our best shooter (Talley) is out and our best offensive rebounder (Walker) is also probably out. It is at home although the Devaney often lives up to it’s nickname as the Library because it’s so quiet, students are gone and a lot of the fans are at, or on their way to Orlando. AGAIN, ALL TRUE. BUT, there are a few things in our favor. We do have more talent then we’ve shown thus far and it may be time for it to show up. Wisconsin is not a team to run up the points like a Kansas or Texas, so our offense does not have to do much more than usual in terms of total points, just be more efficient (and get to the line). We don’t face a huge deficit in size or quickness. I maintain this will be a close game. IF, we shoot the ball well and out-scrap them; IF we have a vocal and impressive crowd, I think we have a decent shot. I’ll say 40% The one factor we can count on is that Doc is an aggressive defensive coach and any game that only goes to 50 or so, he is going to have us competitive. I just don’t see this as a blowout. I’ll be leaving after while for the BOB to see if any of this has a prayer of coming to fruition.

Keep the faith.........

I think we'll have that next year in Marrow already.....................

Never took it as a slight.................just having some fun.......................(what kind of egomaniac has to beg for his own inclusion................. ) Appreciate all the efforts by all the mods............ Merry Christmas ...................

And Comish.......................

While you make some valid points.................and I would have loved to seem him on the field, from a team perspective, how do you allow him some packages and reps if you have told the entire team your playing time is earned on the practice field.....and then there are exceptions?? Seems to me the whole chemistry is affected if 1 is allowed to dog it and is rewarded with PT, and others are held to a differing standard. By the way, the article I thought was more than just a PR piece. It does answer some questions most of us had about WHY he wasn't seeing the field. Love his attitude now and hope it translates quickly ............maybe as soon as Jan 2........!

Most observers have, over time, given the nod to the '71 Huskers, including the Sporting News just this year. I am torn between '71 and '95, but '71 wins statistically. Just be glad we have 2 of the 4 or 5 teams always listed in this conversation. Says a lot about our longevity among the elites.................

This........^^^^^^^ Have to be careful not to fall victim to the Peter Principle...................