Making Chimichangas

It definitely is talent and coaching. As others said, against Ohio State it mostly our disparity in talent compared to the Buckeyes. Against Iowa, it was just one of turd games where the Huskers utterly didn't show up. One could make the case that both scenarios point to poor coaching. However, coaching only goes so far. For example, you think LB coach Trent Bray coaches LB Josh Banderas to consistently over-pursue? Or that RBs coach Reggie Davis coaches Terrell Newby to jitter and shake so much at line of scrimmage? Point is, it is the players on the field who have to take what they learn in practice and apply it in games. Which brings me to the real reason Nebraska has stunk it up this season: poor QB play. The simple fact is, we have literally no one to replace Tommy Armstrong and he knows it. So if he plays poorly, or makes a lot of bad decisions, he knows the coaches aren't going to pull him. I like Tommy Armstrong as a young man. He's always been good off the field and he's never done anything to embarrass the university. But as a QB, he's just not capable for the type of offense Mike Riley runs. Now, you put Tommy in Tom Osborne's or Paul Johnson's offense, and he'd flourish. But a west coast passing offense? Nope. On a side note: I believe Armstrong will play in the NFL, just not at QB. I think he could get a few snaps as a wildcat QB but he'll need to make his living at some other position.

Did Nebraska ever get to 7-0 under Pelini? No. I get the impression we got our asses handed to us by Ohio State and Iowa because these certain players (not coincidentally) recruited by Pelini are still most of the starters. The former coach created a toxic environment where once "9 wins" were achieved, he let the players off and didn't care how they performed in games. That poisonous attitude is still infecting this program. However, on the bright side, most of the starters next year should be Riley recruits and we'll have much better depth to weed out the selfish malcontents.

Well, let's count them: 1. Tommy Armstrong (although there he'd be a RB, WR, TE/H-Back, or possibly even a FS/SS). 2. Jordan Westerkamp. 3. Terrell Newby (as a slot receiver). 4. Tanner Farmer. 5. Chris Jones. 6. Josh Kalu. 7. Nate Gerry. Those are 7 players that, in my opinion, would start literally for any other program. So you are saying these players are the best in the country That wasn't the question and you know it. I believe the players I listed are good enough to start at practically any other school. There are other players who are redshirting this year or are redshirt freshman who could land on this list but we don't know about them because they haven't played and are questions as to how good they are.

These arguments are always one-sided - pointing to the time that TA passed on another throw. My argument is that there are other games when we were calling different types of pass plays that didn't have the deep options for TA to choose. There were several games where we almost exclusively had short routes and TA had high completion percentages those games. My point is we did not seem to be calling those same types of plays in other games. That is the play caller's fault. But you can't only have short route patterns or those easy underneath throws won't be there either. 3-4 deep shots a game, at varying down and distance? Absolutely. Bombing it down the field 40 yards every time you're in 3rd and 2? Ludicrous. And Nebraska, particularly Tommy Armstrong, has done way too much of the latter this season. The game against Ohio State was perhaps the best, or worse, example of this half-baked strategy or game plan.

Mike Riley has said on more than one occasion that great football teams are built from the inside out. That you start with great interior lines on both sides of the ball. And we've seen this staff begin aggressively going after more of the top end O and D lineman (or guys they think are top end). The biggest problem is, we're not in the SEC and we can't sign 35 players in each class. #SlightHyperbole

See: "'talent' is relative, subjective, and not easily defined". "Tired topic with much debate" - Yes, Making Chimichangas, your point is valid. But you are trying to equate production and talent, and they are different. 247 published their thoughts on talent levels on each team. I think everyone is well aware that talent is an input to production, not the only input. I am making no such equation. I realize production and talent are different. All the factors I listed go hand in hand. And while it may be obvious to you that all the factors I listed are needed, clearly the people who think getting elite talent alone will cure all is who I am talking to.

No question talent is important. But so are all the other things I mentioned above. Because talent doesn't exist in a vacuum.

@IA State Husker That a good graph. However, looking at that graph, there are some schools ahead of us which have as many, or more, losses as we do, so clearly talent alone is not the answer. While talent wise we're certainly not at Alabama or Ohio State's level, I sincerely doubt we're as far behind as your graph implies. Football is the ultimate team sport. And in this ultimate team sport, individual players heart, drive, and will to win determines how a team does. There are also a myriad of other factors: players staying healthy through a season academics staying on track coaching decisions, in week leading up to a game, and in game lucky versus unlucky bounces of the ball referee calls that go/don't go your team's way girlfriends and family situations which can affect a player's focus schedule, having say Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin in Lincoln versus the Huskers being on the road And these are just other factors I can think off right off the top of my head. My point here: Yes we certainly to need to recruit better, higher end talent. Everyone wants NU to recruit the best talent possible. But talent is simply one ingredient in the winning a championship recipe.

You live and learn right? Mike Riley used a formula he has always used and it didn't work out in the new environment. He learned, fired a position coach each year when it wasn't working. To me, this is encouraging. Would it have been cool if he'd have the foresight to know that Hank Hughes wasn't working out and that he didn't need ST coordinator? Sure. But having him make adjustments is just as good (to me) because it shows that he's ready to grow as a coach and WANTS to get us to championship level. That's important...shows that he wants to improve continually. You have to make mistakes to learn...Riley is making them and then correcting them after he makes em. Exactly. I applaud Mike Riley for seeing things that clearly don't work and being proactive about making a change. We've had three previous coaches who, instead of addressing the obvious deficiencies in their schemes, recruiting, and/or poor coaching by someone on their staff, held the idea that all their problems have to be someone else's fault, particularly the media, and/or the fans.

Well, let's count them: 1. Tommy Armstrong (although there he'd be a RB, WR, TE/H-Back, or possibly even a FS/SS). 2. Jordan Westerkamp. 3. Terrell Newby (as a slot receiver). 4. Tanner Farmer. 5. Chris Jones. 6. Josh Kalu. 7. Nate Gerry. Those are 7 players that, in my opinion, would start literally for any other program.

You do realize that this "2nd or 3rd best recruiter" is just someone's opinion, right? Personally, I think he's #1. So there. you do realize that this "if your ain't first your last" is a quote from a movie right? Personally, my favorite is "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" It's also often used by Navy SEALs. They also use the phrase: "2nd place is just the first loser." Although Navy SEALs know the difference between your and you're. And while such attitudes can foster immense competition, in reality, it simply isn't true especially pertaining to college football recruiting. Is the #1 ranked player at all positions always the truly best player at his position that year? Not. Even. Close. So just like there is a lot of interchangeability between ranked recruits at a given position, there is also that same interchangeability between recruiters. Who's #1 depends on what your metrics are. I understand all of this but the point I was making was the comment was clearly a joke I seemed to have left my sense of humor in bed this morning. Hang on, I'll go get it...

How Nick Saban and Alabama have not been investigated and put on probation by now is a bigger mystery than why people still like the Kardashians.

Too bad Bo Pelini just accepted the HC position at Cincinnati... Remember one of the main reasons why Bo Pelini was hired to Nebraska? It was to fix a defense that was 110th or close to it all the major defensive categories. Plus, I was just trying to be funny. I thought the giggling emoticon was the clue.

You do realize that this "2nd or 3rd best recruiter" is just someone's opinion, right? Personally, I think he's #1. So there. you do realize that this "if your ain't first your last" is a quote from a movie right? Personally, my favorite is "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" It's also often used by Navy SEALs. They also use the phrase: "2nd place is just the first loser." Although Navy SEALs know the difference between your and you're. And while such attitudes can foster immense competition, in reality, it simply isn't true especially pertaining to college football recruiting. Is the #1 ranked player at all positions always the truly best player at his position that year? Not. Even. Close. So just like there is a lot of interchangeability between ranked recruits at a given position, there is also that same interchangeability between recruiters. Who's #1 depends on what your metrics are.

Too bad Bo Pelini just accepted the HC position at Cincinnati...

Hopefully any of the DE we signed can come in and play well. We need a playmaker. Unless Freedom really improves over the off season he isn't the answer and obviously if nobody could beat out Ross Dzuris the guys we have on the team now are not very good. I agree Mcquitty will get on the field. Hoping one of the lbs can break the lineup but I feel like these coaches play favorites or are playing to the interest of the fan base and play senior walk ons. Marcus Newby will be a senior so I feel like he will have the olb spot opposite Young so unless any of these incoming freshman play mike I don't see them starting. I think you're throwing Dzuris under the bus here. Could he start for Alabama or Ohio State? Probably not. But he is a solid player and as 5th year senior, that gives him a big edge physically over practically any true freshman coming in or redshirt freshman. Like it or not, playing in the interior O and D lines at this level still usually requires a redshirt year at minimum. Most guys truly aren't ready to play physically until they are true or redshirt sophomores.

Would Bohl even want to come back here to coach? Me thinks not...

You do realize that this "2nd or 3rd best recruiter" is just someone's opinion, right? Personally, I think he's #1. So there.

ESPN I can see that prediction happening. My only question is: Can we actually score 28? If Vanderbilt's 108th ranked offense can score 45 points...I'm pretty sure we can score 28. But hey, keep facepalming without actually looking how bad UT's defense is. You're fundamentally misunderstanding the reason for my facepalm. If Nebraska comes to this game focused, ready to play, and puts forth the kind of performance I know they can, they could score 45+ points on Tennessee's defense. However, aside from getting a 10th win, what do these players have to play for? I am questioning the current players motivations, not their skills.

We need this win, badly. I'm not sure the Huskers will have the necessary motivation to win, but there's always hope.

Okay, this flowchart is good. LOL. And yeah, DO NOT tweet @ high school recruits...for any reason. I don't even think it's appropriate to tweet @ current Husker players.

I dunno, the Nebraska program is pretty relevant to me. Part of me thinks that Mike Riley has been hamstrung the first two years. Let's face it, our depth across the roster was not where it needed to be. Mike Riley and these coaches then opted to redshirt as many freshman as possible these last 2 seasons. For example, when Mike Riley got here, Nebraska literally had (if memory serves correctly) three scholarship LBs. So, through recruiting, we had to fill those holes at the LB spot, but also not recruit too many which would cause a class imbalance and prevent the staff from addressing the lack of depth at many other positions. So while I am not happy with the way we got rolled by Ohio State and Iowa, things aren't that bad. And if we close the deal on some of these upper tier, elite players we're currently after, this recruiting class should be very, very good.

I'm guessing none of them like you. And?

I have no definitive knowledge on where we are talent wise in the Big 10. I tend to take the boringly pragmatic approach: we're not as far away as the pessimists think and we're not as close as the optimists think either. I am sold on Mike Riley. I think he's a very good coach and as he has shown with terminating Hank Hughes last season and Bruce Read (a long time friend no less) this season, he is committed to winning and he definitely wants to win at an elite level. He wants to end his coaching career on top. The problem with Nebraska is that there is no single element we can point to and say, this is what's wrong. We have roster issues still affecting this team because of the former coach's inability or rather unwillingness to recruit. We have no viable back-up at QB this season. The depth along the OL is shaky. We're still pretty thin at DT, and DE. We have an offensive coordinator whose abilities to call plays is extremely questionable. Can anyone say for sure that all the 40+ yard passes we've seen on 3rd and 2-3 were the OC calling that or the QB making the decision to bomb it downfield and purposefully not even look at the guy wide open 7-9 yards downfield? Then there's the defense. I think our CBs mostly play too far off. And we're still building depth at LB. And, I have heard rumors that the effort this team gives is questionable. Certainly the lame duck performance put forth in Iowa City two Saturdays ago didn't quell those rumors. So in essence, where Nebraska is in terms of talent is largely in the eye of the beholder.

ESPN I can see that prediction happening. My only question is: Can we actually score 28?