Kernel Red

I know this is a wild hypothetical, but.... Let's say they make <insert your favorite assistant> the interim HC and he wins at Penn State, beats Iowa and wins a bowl game. Does that guy, at 3-0 with big wins, become a candidate for the head coaching position?

Could it (not firing now) be something as simple as not wanting to make Diaco or Langsdorf the interim head coach? In other words, better the devil you know? I can't imagine there is any way they would go with Diaco. Can you imagine that guy conducting press conferences the next two weeks? As for Langsdorf, he might be an acceptable option as an interim HC, but isn't it clear we need him up in the booth? Sorry, bad joke.

I have been thinking about this (the Dead Man Walking approach) as well. My conclusion was that it might have some merit if coaches interested in the Nebraska job don't know for sure that there is going to be an opening. But let's be honest, everyone that Moos would be interested in hiring already knows the job is going to be open. I also agree that we aren't tricking any recruits. In fact, I find it incredibly strange that some recruits have held on to the belief that this coaching staff might be back. Surely they realize that the same staff with a harder schedule next year would be an even bigger disaster. Making it clear that Riley and staff will be gone next year would certainly put an end to that notion. On the other hand, maybe you want to announce the new coach right after firing the old one just to see if those recruits might want to play for the new guy? I've also wondered whether firing Diaco now might be a good idea and I honestly don't know. Even though I think he is a psychopath, my gut reaction is that tinkering around the edge with two games left is pretty meaningless.

What I Learned From the 54-21 Loss to Minnesota - Football players must be put into a position to succeed by their coaches. The Nebraska coaches don't put their players in a position to succeed. - When a Defensive Coordinator goes to the airwaves and basically says his players aren't yet good enough to win, they won't win. - When a quarterback is repeatedly hit by unblocked defenders, he may suffer an "impact migraine". - When down by 33 points with under a minute to go, offensive linemen don't appreciate it when the head coach takes 3 time outs to prolong the misery. - Despite being surrounded by others that have given up, it is possible for some to remain focused and driven (see also: J.D. Spielman). - Being a huge fan of a team that is closing in on its worst record in 56 years absolutely sucks!

I am completely disgusted with the product we've seen on the field this year and I want it to change now. However, the truth of this horrid situation is that there are almost no good reasons to remove Coach Riley with two losses remaining on the schedule. Stack up the rationale on both sides... Reasons to fire Riley with 2 games left... 1. It will make fans feel like something is being done. Reasons not to fire Riley until after Black Friday... 1. It isn't going to improve the product on the field for the final 2 games. 2. The players get to finish the season with their coach (many of them like and respect the man). 3. It is a show of respect to a coach that is highly respected among his peers. This matters. 4. Finishing with the worst record since 1961 makes it even more clear to other coaches, recruits, current players, and families of players why it had to be done. 5. It will not speed up the process of hiring a new coach or the ability of the new coach to begin recruiting. 6. It doesn't improve our team for the future. I hate that Nebraska is in this position. But no part of the cure will be found in firing a coach with 2 games left. The Nebraska football team is not going to improve in the short term or the long term by firing Mike Riley before he ends his third season (even though it will be spectacularly terrible). Some media members will be encouraging an immediate firing because it gets them more attention (viewers). They may say that it will show the players that the current product (including mood and effort) is entirely unacceptable. Honestly, if the kids don't know that already, they aren't going to learn it in 2 weeks with a new coach. Some will say that donations are going to dry up if a change isn't made now. That's BS. If the big money has been coming in for the last three years with the product that's been placed on the field, it isn't going to stop because the AD waited 13 more days to fire the coach. If the new coaching hire isn't a home run the donations may start drying up, but those that wanted to stop giving $$ because of Riley have already made their move. In the end, this comes down to whether a desperate quick fix is going to make a difference. I'd be the first in line if I thought it would... It won't.