All Hail Herbie

Great academic institution (Rice) and a wonderful academic opportunity. I think he made the right call.

Before we consider taking him back, will he consider a contract re-structure so that we can limit our salary cap hit for 2021? Sorry, I forgot for a moment that we are in the final year of the "amateur" college football world.

If the transfer portal were a book, it would be entitled Great Expectations. Unfortunately, as many are quickly learning, those expectations routinely go unfulfilled. I recall hearing Jay Williams (former Duke BB Guard) discussing his benching during his Freshman year at Duke. Coach K was trying to teach him how to distribute the ball and get the team into the half-court. Jay mentioned his frustration at the time as he had never been benched in his life. He said that in today's world, he would have merely made the snap judgment to transfer. That he said would have been a terrible decision in retrospect as he was better for the whole situation. Need to consider capping the number of transfers within a calendar year to 1 as you now have a revolving door of players "disrupting" team activities.

I think we are ranked 47th in the ESPN Super Insider Power Analysis Poll....Now everyone, let's celebrate what has already been a successful season with your calculator!

I am saddened by the direction of the collegiate game. Before too long there will be collective bargaining agreements (with unionized student athletes in conferences), luxury taxes for the blue blood programs, and player contracts. I just hope the players negotiate for platinum health insurance, paid sick leave, and pension benefits. I look forward to the ESPN insider special on that; a real entertainment gem! While folks will still enjoy the game of football, there is no doubt that a significant disconnect will emerge between the student athletes and the student body, alumni and fans that support them. Several of the star players will be making more at 18 and 19 than fans and alumni paying the ticket prices!

I wonder if this is even the best question for the huskerboard audience. Better yet would be whether or not this group honestly thought we would be discussing a 0.500 year as "breakthrough" in Year 4. I know many have significantly revised their expectations these past 3 years. I can honestly say, I am very surprised. To me, a Year 4 that falls short of bowl eligibility will set the table for a Make or Break Year 5 for this staff. "Re-building" is not an umbrella for continuous and indefinite shortcomings.

Nor do I. It is direct, unapologetic, and without nuance (my point exactly as yes, he did indeed say this). All traits of a confident and proven winner in 2017. Fast forward 3 years, and perhaps now we can view with greater appreciation the Chinander approach (head down, diligent, and process-oriented). This was my original point, complimentary of deeds, not words.

Fair. So in fairness to my original comment, I was merely complimenting Coach Chinander by contrasting his work with other's talk (whether solicited or unsolicited). Coach Frost may say whatever he wants for $5 million a year. Of course, supporting those comments with wins would help his case...

“I’m hoping the Big Ten has to modify their system for us,” Frost said confidently, resulting in a loud cheer from the group of current and former players and NU administration. Your right, the quote was much more nuanced. I would also be the first one to cheerlead more of these proclamations, if of course we were having some success. Hard to believe, but this quote is now 3 1/2 years old.

Enjoyed the clip. Given this, I will avoid any commentary on jump snaps for today.

Interestingly enough, Coach Chinander is the one staff member that I think is underrated to date in his performance. The expectations were lower, but I have seen steady improvement from his unit. He also does not seem to be one prone to hyperbole like his offensive counterparts. Perhaps someone will correct me with a quote where he said Big Ten offensive's would need to adjust to him. This year should be a good year for him, despite the team's overall record and offensive performance. Yes, I am one that does not see a great leap forward offensively (despite the rosy Spring reports).

We will need at least a 2-2 start to have any hope at a bowl game this season. If that occurs it would mean needed wins against MSU, Northwestern, and Minnesota in the middle stretch and a 1 of 3 final stretch (OSU, Wisconsin, or Iowa). If we are to miss a bowl game again this year, there is no doubt in my mind that this staff faces a make or break 2022. We are exiting the shadow of past staff and personnel failures this year, so any suggestion that our failures now are attributable to the past, is a weak argument at best. The current staff owns the strategic direction, the roster, and the game management responsibilities so let's hold them accountable for the results on the field.

I agree. Having said that, the time is quickly approaching where he needs to demonstrate that talent in game action. Major college football and the NFL are not 7 on 7 passing academies.

For those attempting to forecast the upcoming season or assess progress, I have great news. We are ranked 46th in the ESPN Power Index! Essentially, this ratifies the success of the program. No need to play games or analyze position groups. Power Indices and SP+ are the goal now so we can all celebrate. With this great news, let's ask the 24/7 analysts and reporters to go home. We are a success story that requires no further scrutiny. This was accomplished in only 3 years. Man, woman and child this will put 'em in the aisle!

Great that these guys have hit the weights, worked on their agility drills and practiced their routes at half-speed. Again, the real test of progress will come this Fall. Can these receivers clear press coverage and actually get open? Can they hold on to passes? Can our offensive line pass protect (without holding)? I get the excitement over Spring drills, but I remain very skeptical until I see progress in a game setting.

The only mystery to me is why this program, no matter the coach or philosophy, seems incapable of correcting in-game execution and discipline issues. Penalties and turnovers seem to be our identity anymore. At least our agility drills look good and our SP+ ranking will improve this season. Note to Reporters & "Analysts": Please go home until this thing starts to turn around.

My sentiments exactly. This also illustrates why I discourage fans from watching film of practice sessions and projecting progress. Practice and games are fundamentally different. No pass rush, receivers always get open with single coverage, and base defensive sets that give the QB every advantage. Let's see this on a Saturday when it counts.

If perennial means enduring, than we are either close to, or have already hit that threshold. A simple test will help you answer this question. Do you expect NU to have a winning season this year? All-time winningest programs is true, but it is nearly entirely the result of an era that is long gone.

You recognize that my criticism was directed at the pay-for sports analytics machine and not you, right? There is no need to be defensive and you are free to spend your money however you prefer. Bottom line, I think we all want the same end here, the resurrection of a once successful program.

Statistical models are only as reliable as the variables that are input into the equation. Did SP+ adequately account for a heavily depleted MN roster (due to Covid) when they visited Lincoln this year? How does the model evaluate a team of 2nd String players (MN) who did not see the playing field prior to or following that game? That game in particular was very revealing about where we are as a program. The subscriber services are part of the problem here. Feeding the hype machine in the offseason (recruiting, advanced analytics, etc.). In exchange for your monthly premium, subscribers get exclusive access to analysis and coverage of a perennial bottom-feeder. Subscribers, particularly those with programs that are down, cling to this new "gospel" as a substitute for the real results we used to see. I empathize, as I was one of those 15 years ago. No longer, as the turnaround I was certain would occur then, never materialized.

This is a refrain I hear often; that the game is too complex and that coaching / practice methods of the past will not work. I just disagree. Blocking is about position and leverage, not simply nutrition and S&C. Essentially, without focus on the first, we have great athletes who are consistently out of position and out of sync with their teammates. Coaching is about teaching. This point has been lost. Consider this, Coach Lombardi knew nothing about basketball (never played or coached) prior to being named his High School's basketball coach and yet managed to win a state title in basketball after studying the subject. Teaching. He knew how to teach and how to motivate. In this complicated world of football, I guess the good news is that we at least have 24/7 access to 4 win seasons...

Rather than statistical models, we need this team to venture back to the fundamentals. Father Iggy McPartland (of St. Cecelia) described practices under Coach Lombardi. He would bring out a football on the first day of practice and say, "Men, this is a football and this is the last you will see of it for two weeks." Blocking, tackling, running and most especially, maximum effort. Sounds boring, right? No athletic logos, hype videos, or cutting edge equipment. I have seen 20 years of hype; from reporters, podcasts, and apparel companies. I am ready once again to see on-field results.

Statistical models have a degree of value, but let's not overvalue their importance. Moreover, an objective eye can clearly see that our record under this coaching staff is the result of penalties, turnovers, and undisciplined play. While this may not be advanced statistical modeling, these are time-tested methods of evaluating progress. Wins / Losses are merely the result of these components and not the metric itself.

Coach Klieman clearly parachuted into one of the prime jobs in all of college football, while Coach Frost was left with ruins. Given this, it would probably be a bear for the NU administration to convince Coach Klieman to switch jobs and double his salary. In terms of the "lucky" wins, and if they are indeed nothing more than good fortune, than I think we can agree that we are due for one of those ourselves. Incidentally, I am confident that the SP+ bonus comp is in the mail for Coach Frost. Another season of success.

Following years of poor performance, patience is all that I have. i just want to be certain that we all agree that 5 years is sufficient to assess progress. No caveats, asterisks, or reasoning away. I would think all reasonable minds would agree that we do not need to be absent from bowl season for 7 years before we make a change.