admo

When you glance at both of our posts together, it looks like something out of an Amazon Kindle eReader. Lots of words and paragraphs I never tried to connect the dots per say. I thought the way Solich was given the job was ridiculous back then, without looking at head coaches who could take the program into the 2000's. The only hindsight vision I had was in 2002 that confirmed my foresight when Osborne appointed Solich - - - "Why would Nebraska give the keys of a Lamborghini to drive, to the little fella that changes the brake pads on it and checks the dipstick?" Well, it was because of loyalty and stubborn decision making. And the football program started to suffer ever since then. It doesn't mean I don't love and appreciate Osborne or Solich. It means my foresight was correct, and history proved it with hindsight. After the Pederson / Callahan destruction, the next worse thing Nebraska did was not learn from previous mistakes. They hired a person with no head coaching experience again, for the third time in a row. When that didn't work out and he got fired, we were 15 years in with Nebraska just trying out head coaches and different athletic directors. At that point, it really didn't matter if the next AD hired Mike Riley (who was on the verge of retiring). The problems were already established long before that, and the red flags were already there. And if Riley couldn't get it done, surely Nebraska's own born and bred Scott Frost could save the day. But he made it even 1000% worse. It's not a curse, nor is hindsight. I'm just finally saying what I always thought to myself as it happened when it happened. It was a mistake to hire Solich, and the dominoes fell.

The meddling and doing whatever Osborne says and decides for Nebraska, after he retired as the GOAT HC all-time, is a sweet and short version of what I was trying to say. So fewer words too!

There was never a Solich curse, a 9-win curse, or Bo curse. That is low hanging fruit that comes up every year. Take a step back from tunnel vision and see what really happened. Be warned though, the realization will upset the loyal fanbase thinking. The troubled history of Nebraska's success has been a combination of 3 things: Evalution, Administration, and Tom Osborne When Osborne retired after winning his 3rd championship, Nebraska football was coveted. They had a choice of a dozen great coaches to take over if they had asked. You could wonder how many experienced head coaches or top coordinators would have been interested in Nebraska as a head coach. Including Bob Stoops (Florida's DC for 3 years - hired by OU as HC in 99; also served under Bill Snyder at KSU) and Nick Saban (MSU HC that went to LSU in 99). But what did Nebraska do? And did they even attempt to put a group of people together to interview coaches? NO. Osborne retired. He promised Solich the job. Solich had no HC experience. Had no OC or DC experience. Osborne said Solich and that's what Nebraska did, and said "Whatever you want Tom". So Nebraska hired Solich. This was strike #1. Osborne should have removed himself from it all, enjoyed going out with a championship as a head football coach. He had no experience interviewing, hiring or evaluating Head Coaching prospects. He should have stayed out of it. And with his stature of success, kept quiet about his opinions and thoughts. Just go fishing or run for office. But stay out of it. Strike #2 was a huge mistake by the new AD Pederson. When he saw Nebraska fans and boosters getting fed up with blowout losses to Iowa State, Penn State, Kansas State, Miami and Colorado, he made a coaching change without a backup plan. It took months for him to court Houston Nutt to come here, and knowing that no other coach was all that interested, the NFL Oakland Raiders fired Bill Callahan and they soon made a deal. Strike #2 was Administration and Evaluation - hiring an NFL Head Coach that had only 2 years of Head Coaching experience, and Zero experience as a Head Coach of a College Football team and running a program. Strike #3 The administration fired Pederson, and brought on Tom Osborne once again to save the day. The first task as the new AD, fire Callahan. So he did. And everybody cheered. Now the next task is to interview as many possible Head Coaches that are interested, and right the ship. But what does Osborne do? He quietly and politely interviews 3 guys for the job. Three! Turner Gill, Bo Pelini, and Jim Grobe. Gill and Pelini had never been head coaches before! Grobe was at Wake Forest and iffy about the job, and declined. So Osborne decides the next Husker head football coach will be between Turner Gill and Bo Pelini. He hires Pelini, and makes the remark that he kinda sorta reminds him of Devaney. Husker fans eat it up. But was this the best decision or the smartest way to go when you have the power to hire anyone? Was there no one else to talk to? No one to help you out and say "Hold on now Tom, I know you like a few guys, but let's find someone who has run a football program before and has some proven success"? Nope. Osborne hired Pelini on a hunch. Strike #4 More decision making by the Administration and Osborne Osborne felt strongly about some financial issues with the Big 12 conference. And he pulled us out of the Big 12 conference, as did Colorado first, plus Missouri and Texas A&M. He got us in the B1G ten, and when the question was asked about who Nebraska would play on Black Friday, Wisconsin said they wanted to, Penn State said they wanted, but Tom declined and personally picked Iowa. So everyone said "Ok Tom".... again. By this point, the former football Coach Osborne has had his hands in on picking Solich, picking Bo, moving the team to a new conference, picking Iowa for Black Friday. I mean, as much as we respect him as a coach, Nebraska was being run by Osborne and his decisions and choices and his way of making those decisions and choices. Just him. Strike #5 More terrible evaluations and Administration stuff. Osborne steps down. There is a lot of heat on Pelini with the cupcake schedules and getting blown out in big games. Osborne doesn't want to be a part of it because he hired him. Pelini wins games, loses ugly, and says some stuff we all know he wishes he didn't say. Plus he challenges Nebraska to fire him. Firey and passionate, but also a smart guy as he knows if they do terminate him he will get paid the rest of his contract while he's gone. The new administration then blows another opportunity. Besides hiring Mike Riley who was being forced out at Oregon State and in his 60's, who else did the Admin interview? In a time that has hiring consultants and tons of younger coaches excited for a chance to coach at Nebraska. This was another failed attempt at firing and hiring the wrong guy with a lack of interest in the process. Now I appreciate yall for taking the time to see my personal POV, and I know it may not agree with the M.O. of Solich curse and 9 wins mantra, but this is just how I have seen it as it happened. And I appreciate Osborne the football coach big time. I could also go on with the hiring of Moos and Frost and Trev Alberts and Mickey Joseph and so on. But honestly, Moos wasn't a bad AD hire, he brought a lot of new coaches to the athletic teams (baseball, hoops, etc). And we all knew it was a temp job he would do for a few years. But most importantly - hire Scott Frost from UCF and not F that up by hiring someone else. I don't believe in Solich curse. I believe bad Evaluations, Administrations, Decisions and Tom Osborne having heavy input on the program's direction has been a combo piece that we have all witnessed nearly 25 years. And I am hopeful Trev and Rhule can build this football program back up with the bigger picture in mind. It's been a long journey, but I am willing to wait it out as I keep getting older with time.

Emmett (RFR) and Ives (FR) should be ready to help with some carries. IIRC, Washington played as true frosh, Ervin played, and the kid who transferred to Miami as well.

Colorado has played 3 games and 2 overtimes. Amazing that they've had one offensive holding penalty all year. How is that possible? All those snaps and passing plays each game. All those QB scrambles from Sanders dodging lineman, going left and right and backwards. Just one holding penalty. They went 1-11 last year. I don't like blaiming officials, but sure feels like Celebrity treatment is on the side of Prime's team. And it really sticks out.

Finish 2nd, but yeah winning would not be impossible. Not with this Division. Michigan State - that's a win Northwestern - that's a win at home Purdue - they are not looking good - that's a win at home Illinois is Friday night after we play Michigan - I am iffy on this game, but Ill doesn't have offense. Crossing fingers here Maryland at home - kind of nervous about this one to be honest. They can be dynamic on offense or crappy. But it's home. Crossing fingers here. Wisconsin - road game, advantage them. But the games been close between us. Iowa - at home. We beat them last year. Should've won with Smothers too. I like our chances. I see 3 wins for sure. Maybe 4 wins. 5 would be great. With 9 games, I just don't see anyone in this division winning it with a record better than 6-3 Reminder of the last 5 Big Ten West Division Winners: Purdue Iowa Northwestern Wisconsin Northwestern

I'd roll with HH. Give Sims one series in the first half and one in the second half. We are playing LaTech at home, and this is a game that is safe enough to give them both some action. We don't necessarily need to play them both all year, but with Michigan looming, followed by a short week at Illinois, it would be good to have them both healthy, and ready to go. I feel like Sims is ready to get hurt again and miss Michigan no matter what. So I sit him entirely or give 2 series vs LaTech. Big Ten teams will have figured out the weaknesses of both QBs. It's best to have them both healthy just in case someone plays awful or gets hurt. We don't want to insert Purdy, even though we all like the kid.

I took his comment at face value. Not even bothered how it all went down, because it's history and nobody really knows but CT. The guy gave his best here. Practice, weight room, playbook, and with classes. He represented the University well. Helped Trey Palmer get drafted with downfield passing. I wish him all the best. I feel bad he got injured (here and at FAU). And even more perspective, like many members here on the board, Casey Thompson is a Nebraska grad. He got his Masters Degree from UNL. So yeah, he's a Husker and will always be a Husker.

2-1 6-3 on the year

I recall back in the day of football, players used to protect themselves with Thigh Pads, Knee Pads, Neck Rolls, Elbow pads, Hip pads, tailbone pads and Shoulder pads. And they wore Cage Masks. These days the pants are above the knee. They protect their hands with gloves. And there is a shoulder pad thing I suppose they wear. I don't know about the knee brace the lineman wear, but.... for the sake of speed and tight uniforms, today's players are less protected for brutal contact and collision hits.

Dang, both guys? And I really like Rahmir and Ervin. However, the QB has led the team in rush attempts in 2 of 3 games. We will likely see more of the same, with the quarterback running 18-20 times. But also, Anthony Grant getting most of the work. Somewhere between 20-25-30 touches if need be. He's more than capable of a heavy load. Could see EJ rotating in.... and Trevin Luben? Maybe some WRs jet sweep and some fullbacks here and there. The biggest thing is that it's a long physical season. So the RB coach has his work cut out to get guys ready to go.

Yep. You always have a good angle @BigRedBuster and that's why I always agree with your school of thought !

All good points @JJ Husker as usual !

Yes, I like it too. Can be good with both. We agree to roll with HH, but give him a few chances also to respond if he poo-poos a few times.... like they did with Sims. And if it's doing okay and not broke again, don't f#&% with it again. If it sputters and getting nowhere, bring on Sims. Personally, I think they should have a few packages for the backup to run a series in first and second half. I mean, it's not like we have Joe Montana running the show.

Yeah. I just hope we have a staff that knows how to handle this. I recall Rhule rotating QBs in a game a few times successfully at Baylor. Although I was irritated, it worked pretty well. One was more of a runner, the other a passer. I also remember the 2AM & McCaffery ordeal. Staff got tired of the turnovers and sat Martinez. McCaffery brought energy and a spark vs NW and Penn State. He brought hope. Then they had him in passing situations 30 times and running & scrambling 30 times against Illinois when the defense couldn't tackle anyone. He soon was put back on the pine in favor of 2AM. Total chaos and a mess. Bottom line, it will be interesting to see if we are really rebuilding something, or just licking our lips and trying to win a game and take the pressure off that comes with it. Because the later would not mean we are rebuilding a program. Eliminate turnovers and reduce penalties was the point of the offseason. So I am sitting back to just watch and see...... By the way - I love the defense. Hope the effort of the Blackshirts doesn't go to waste.

That's because conf games are here on out lol. And it's everybody's guess at that point. I mean, it's not like we follow every single thing like Phil Steele I love the first 3 weeks of the year. Love it. So much fun to lay down more than you would during the rest of the year. The rest of the year is little money. If you are in Vegas, you can wait for those P5 vs FCS matchups early in September and kill it. 3 games at 1000 each and you will cover whatever insane spread. Fordham playing a G5 team and getting +49 ??? Yeah, I'll take the G5 team to cover. And you win covering 8 out of 10 of those games. While playing slots and eating Vegas steaks lol.... You fly home in first class lol. But the fun all ends when conf games begin.

The high ankle was a post-game guesstimate after CU. The staff later said it wasn't a traditional high sprain. He was cleared to practice Wednesday before NIU game. And he took reps. I think when he got hurt in the Colo game he tapped out. He could have gone back in, possibly, but the staff sat him. And probably a smart thing to do for all. After seeing HH make his way through his first college football start ever, and playing pretty good in that regard, he should be the starter against LaTech. I'm sure the staff likes the job he did and the momentum, but prolly needs to see more. Meaning, can HH keep it going, improve, make some throws to add another element to the offense? Or is he going to show mistakes and regress? What about turnovers? I think you give HH the keys to the LaTech game. But also, if we get down by 10-13-16 early on, don't panic. And don't pull him and expect to roll out Sims to suddenly save the day. Have a plan to play both for a series or two. Or stick with one and keep the other holding the clipboard. Short leash theory is the worst thought for competitors, especially QBs, kickers, and pitchers.

Sims is probably our best dual threat QB, with potential for big plays. He has to take care of the football tho. Do that and we will be fine. Everybody should know that. But I would roll with HH next game. I think HH earned another start. Sims can heal up his "ankle thing". And have them both ready for Michigan game (all hands on deck) and moving forward. Louisiana Tech and Michigan will likely have 8-10 guys in the box. Pretty obvious. I'd go with HH against LaTech. Keep the momentum going, the confidence, and build on it or see if there is regressing. Makes sense to me. Would like to see HH make some more passes next week, and how he does with the blitzing. And this offense when the running game is at a halt. I haven't given up on Sims yet. He can make the throws, is good running the ball. Hopefully he will learn to protect the ball better. Nothing wrong having both QBs available now and for the rest of the season. HH vs LaTech is what the staff should do IMHO.

It hasn't quite been 24 hours yet, but there has been plenty of time since the game ended to form some real thoughts about the game. Was very happy to see the Huskers win Was very happy for the team to experience a win Northern Illinois had the least talented, and least athletic offense I have seen since we played Fordham and North Dakota. Their QB was awful, and their receivers were terrible. Their running game was pathetic. Their scheme was flat and played like Fordham and North Dakota. The Blackshirts shut them down pretty much, which is what a good defense does. So that was great to see. We all loved that. The Blackshirts were aggressive and did what they should do to a s#!tty opponent. And I do mean s#!tty. The offense made some plays, and I'm sure everyone was happy to clap for those 3-6 yard QB runs. Haarberg ran hard with the ball. Played physical. So did Ervin and Grant. It was old fashion 2000's style football. And he made some nice throws too. I'm glad when the Huskers can prove they can win these type of games. You know they can, but you want to see it happen to believe it. And it wasn't sloppy either, which is a bonus. One turnover isn't terrible when the offense runs 60-75 plays. Overall, I'd say the Huskers did everything pretty well to beat a s#!tty Northern Illinois team. Will be interesting to see if they can win two in a row. Our goal of getting 6 wins and a bowl game is still alive and on the table. This was a really good dominating win. Now we can look at our schedule for 5 more wins. One at a time, but LaTech, NW, Illinois and Purdue look more winnable now then ever. Just got to take care of business and get it done. The 6th win would be impressive. And finally, Matt Rhule must have been eating salty sunflower seeds and pretzels between plays. WTF was that? And if you are a coach or AD, talk to him about it. And remind him that if the team can change, he can change too and stop the tongue thing too.

Thought the leaders got single digit numbers ? I'm not quite sure who is a leader on offense. Someone to take charge and others follow. On defense I see 2 or three. Definitely Luke Reimer and a few. But they can only speak on behalf of the defense. We are missing something of a leader on offense, and it's obvious after 2 games.

This is the most perfectly said post in the last week.

Contest crib... Some A-HOLE didn't pick Nebraska to win !!!! What a loser! I hope it wasn't admo !

First! Go Big Red !!!

4-2 Washington - 16.5 (at Michigan State) Oregon State - 24.5 (vs SDSU) CAL - 11.5 (vs Idaho)