Caliborn72

Like anything, it's probably not worth overreacting about yet. But during camp, all around the country, coaches make statements that require some reading between the lines. I'm not sure that it's an effort issue, it could be any number of things including Gebbia being really, really good. I've now read updates from two different writers stating that POB has struggled in fall camp thus far. POB is still young, but he's been here for two spring camps and is now working in his second fall camp. Definitely don't want to hear that he's regressing or not making progress. Especially when the back-up role is essentially falling into his lap. Something to keep an eye on is all I'd say.

Regardless of what it says about Gebbia (I do find it promising about him), it's definitely a read between the lines situation with POB. Something isn't right there. He should be pushing hard for #1, not struggling to keep the back-up job. Especially because I don't think Gebbia will be ready physically. DL trying to light a fire under POB.

Not all that encouraging but sometimes you just have a bad day in camp. This is the crucial part of camp, where the excitement of the first week or so has worn off and now you're looking at 20 more practices before the season is here. Sometimes guys lose a little fire around this time. It's not a big deal as long as the offense comes out angry and kicks butt tomorrow.

No longer committed to Tennessee although it sounds like they're still one of his favorites along with us and Oregon.

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad your best players are a DE and TE. Those are good tests for us week 1.

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/life-in-the-red/driving-for-nu-secondary-standing-tall-bookie-making-folks-fidgety/article_acca8fdc-7af9-11e7-aec1-7b0aa835e4ab.html Clouse said he thinks Bookie is as solid as he says he is, but that the whole thing seems strange and that there appears to be smoke. I think that's how most people here feel. Strange but hopefully no reason to panic.

Oh I definitely see what you are saying, and I agree. I think it's also likely that the offense might take some time to get in-sync and it might take anywhere from a couple to several weeks before they start firing on all cylinders. Once that happens, watch out. I still think the defense will be vanilla year one. If Diaco can trust his corners, then that might change a little. We will likely see some of those miscommunication errors that result in some big plays, but I expect they'll mostly limit big plays and force the opposing offense not to make mistakes. Which is why I think the staff is so adamant about keeping Kalu at safety. He's probably been a great band-aid for them, covering up any mistakes that happen.

I actually think that under most conditions, you don't want to hear one side is consistently looking better by this point. They should both be getting the better of each other about evenly. With that said, it's not necessarily a cause for concern yet. The defense has potential to be really good this season and I think it's entirely likely that our offense is facing one of the best defenses that they'll face this season. It should make the real games easier.

Yup, and it helps our DBs in camp as well. Those position battles are going to be intense in the coming years.

I think 8-5 with a bowl win included. I have losses to OSU, PSU, Oregon, Wisconsin. And then I think we drop either Minnesota or Iowa late as some depth issues start to arise. Then with some good time to get healthy and prepare, MR gets the team amped up for a promising, state of the program bowl win and then we have a great year in '18.

One of things I've found interesting is that there's some talk of '18 being exciting already. Which I agree with whole-heartedly. I think we will be a top ten team, even with/especially because of the tough schedule. It also makes me think this year won't live up to the early hype but that we will likely be an 8 win team. Which I've always believed was fine as long as the excuses are out the door next year.

This is kind of where I'm at. I'm not freaking out by any means. But if the roles were reversed, I can't tell you how excited I'd be getting that Florida commit Bookie was wearing our gear and took his commitment info off his bio while our other commits were hinting at the possibility of him flipping to Nebraska on twitter. It also doesn't sound like a one time silly moment. I can't confirm it because I don't have either app, but apparently he's wearing Florida gear on his snapchats and Instagram. Which is a silly sentence for an adult to write but I digress.

Man, will the light bulb turn on for Avery Anderson? Getting beat once isn't a big deal or anything but it sounds like he may be several rungs lower on the depth chart than I expected. I want to believe it's a good thing that a walk-on is standing out and looking good. Could absolutely be a good thing. But it also feels like something where we might look back at some point and go, "oh so it wasn't really a good thing."

Yeah, Texas really stuck out to me. I don't get that one.

I read that this guy was a little under the radar because he was mostly a WR prospect. Then he went to a couple camps and different staffs tried him out at TE and he's just blown up ever since. Went from a Fresno State type recruit to a tough battle for his signature.

Looks about right for everyone, no matter how positive or negative you feel. 4 gimmes, 2 games that don't look so good, and then a bunch of toss-ups where our team is going to have to dig deep and make some plays to decide what kind of season we have. Anywhere from 6 (probably more like 7)wins to hopefully 9 or 10. That's what happens with so many variables changing.

It's also just another wtf in what's become a string of wtfs lately. Even the Riley hating extremists would have to give him credit for being a vastly experienced coach who has not only run his own Power-5 team for many years, but also experienced both big time pressure jobs at USC and in the NFL. This whole ordeal feels like a rookie mistake. I will say though that while it's not as easy to see, it's just as possible that the coaches were equally as exhausted after the Wisconsin game as the team was. It took a lot of willpower to get to that game undefeated and that game was a 12 round fight.

This makes me wonder where Riley was in all of this. I mean, I definitely blame Banker for being incompetent in some areas and losing the respect of a key player. And I know coaches don't like stepping on their coordinators toes but sometimes you have no choice. Two defensive coaches struggling with communication is a really bad look and should have been ironed out in meetings and practices.

Definitely a time of year where some sunshine pumping occurs but I also think the staff knows they have to be careful saying things that could come back to bite them later. Diaco's willingness to make a statement that bold has me pumped up and I think Kalu is about to have a special year.

Good article, thanks for posting this. I agree with it for the most part, Riley needs to prove it on the field otherwise I don't see the top level recruits being sold on hope anymore. We also have to have solid back-up plans which I'm not sure I'm seeing in some spots. But I also think the old saying "recruiters recruit" holds true. The Williams duo are having no issues recruiting while Cav and Davis are mostly crickets. A strong brand also helps obviously which ours has taken some hits. UCLA has had no issues recruiting despite the 4 win season and the inability to win a weaker Pac12 south for years. They underachieve on the field but have a staff of recruiters. Same with TAMU. They're also in hotbeds of talent though.

I agree with everything you say. I look at the OLine and think it could be a strength of the team. I like the players in the first two spots at every position in that group. Although I will admit, I've though the same thing about Gates' arms being skinny that some others have mentioned. What keeps me confused and nervous is, why does Riley keep calling them out? Why have a few former players mentioned concerns about our OLine after watching practices? Our writers are doing it too. It just doesn't make any sense unless they really are underperforming in practice. The only positive-spin explanation I can come up with is that Diaco has the defense miles ahead, which would be fine. If our offense truly is practicing against one of the best defenses they'll face all year, then I'm not worried at all.

Florida fans believe he was "secretly" at their most recent camp, which would make sense I guess given that he seems to have bonded with several of their new commits. I don't know what to think and don't want to speculate or worry for no reason. On a positive note, I haven't seen this many recruits, especially younger recruits, look up to a player before. Bookie is pretty much universally respected by his peers and that's the kind of thing that will help our locker room for years to come.

Ohio State too. I think Domann would have been set to have a huge year for that reason. He could be that sort of hybrid S/LB you see in 3-4s around the country that would help in coverage and against the run. No doubt in my mind that he would have seen a lot of snaps this year.

I'll defend him a little here in that coaches place a ton of value and depend heavily on trust and cohesiveness. It can be difficult to change jobs and have to hire a mostly new staff because it takes time to get everyone on the same page. Much easier to bring your staff with you and make changes and upgrades where and when necessary. That way, you can really hit the ground running in camp because everyone knows the terminology, the plan for recruiting, the gameplanning, etc. I'm curious how Oregon does this season and beyond as they pretty much hired a dream team staff for Taggart haha. But you bring up a fair point and it's where I stand too. If the OLine has another rough year and we struggle because of it, then Cav is gone and we hire a replacement. But then do the excuses start over next season? Those "just wait until next year" comments are getting old and I'm guilty of it too. 2017 is the season I expected to be firing on all cylinders. It would be really frustrating if Diaco does a good enough job with the defense to win a lot of games only for the team to be hindered by the offense and a bad OLine. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

Obviously have to take some reports with a grain of salt but this is a promising list of guys who are turning heads right away.