admo

If Coach Bray can get this group polished and maxed out to their capable talent level, it'll be great for the defense. I've always thought the Linebackers were the backbone of the defense. So important against run & pass.

LOL well the guy at then end could pass for 16.

Love our big athletic tackles on this team. I think some of their physical gifts were under utilized a bit. Eager to see them coached up in a more aggressive way.

I agree. I thought McMullen came on strong the last few games. So much so that I have been eager to see how he does. I think he will be a pretty good rush end for the blackshirts. I mean, with Collins/Valentine next to him, I think he will have a big year.

Curious to know how they take to Coach Cavanaugh, and vice versa.

Thanks that makes more sense. Seems like a good idea too. Kudos to Langsdorf

OWH This is encouraging to hear about Bush. I also like Riley's detail when he communicates. When you want to know what's going on, it's a lot easier to understand. This is a great example in comparison to "He did some good things".

Thanks Nuance, I will let you know how it goes!

I agree. Two practices might be tough on the coaches but it should help them evaluate the talent from top to bottom. Looks like they are willing to put the work in to teach, absorb and figure it out as much as they can. This should help the players out too. Initially I don't see this as an every year sort of thing. But who knows...

I have an entire closet full of cigars, pipes and pipe tobacco. I keep one humidor on my desk at work. Do you want to keep a humidor in a cooler environment to keep the temp and humidity where you want it? or are the seals on humidors that good that it doesn't matter? To be honest I don't worry about temperature that much. They just stay at the temp of my place. But I keep the humidity right around 70%. The seals on my different humidors/coolerdors vary somewhat. So a couple of them tend to dry out faster, causing me to monitor more carefully. Hey Nuance have you tried Missouri Meerschaum pipes? I'm considering ordering a few this weekend. Seems with pipes you have to be a bit more active with it than cigars, but to me lighting/relighting has always seemed to be the best part of the intake. I like the price of it and pipe tobacco over cigars since I'm not a big smoker. And less hassle dealing with storage/humidity and humidor prices for novelist/newbie. If it goes well I'd like to figure out a pairing when out on the patio during spring/summer (I.E. Favorite whiskey, stout, porter, Michelada, etc). Wish me luck

Was cutting edge at the time, but the Carolina Panthers when they entered the league, had machines that the guys would use that measured muscular imbalances, weak areas etc..... The staff was then able to tailor workouts to prevent the injuries and strengthen the areas. Some similar workouts, but a lot of specific stuff to "fix" guys. The idea of increasing mobility is a great idea. Mobility or lack ther of is a killer. I think of the comments Heard made about getting to UK and fixing his hips. Same with the comments about that "white boy safety being a first rounder if I can fix his hips". Some thing that the new S&C notic d from film and Dobson was oblivious to for 2 years. Just saying It was almost like after moving to the Big Ten, they changed everything and entered a time warp back into the '70's way of doing things. Like never using the high tech center. No doubt. Even in the mentality of bigger slower guys. Ie to play in this division, are guys need to big (slow) and heavier (fat). We have one of if not the top strength complex in FBS (thx SUH) and it was like it was never used. Crazy. I think we all think the offensive line needs to get stronger*. Linebacker a little tougher? Outside of that, not sure we lack speed, athleticism, or power than the other years. Am I wrong? Endurance is needed though. You can never have enough of that. Or a really good depth chart. *Stronger - As in... Not tougher, Not nastier, Not meaner, Not more emotional.......I'm talking about human strength. Physical strength. Actual strength.

Yeah, exactly. Consider: Defense wouldn't have Randy Gregory. Linebacker issues still present. But some of the new recruits! We want to see Bo's staff work with them, right? Offense has lost KB and Ameer. We can't be sure we have a QB. It'd be just another year where 7-9 wins should mean Bo gets another year. Not much different than what Bo supporters had argued for the previous years. Well said. Lots of questions and those are some key losses to deal with. Those three meant so much to this team. KB & AA for 3-4 years worth of knowing what to expect out of them. BYU opener and @Miami is a non-conf schedule that most teams outside the top 15 would be nervous about.

Lol pretty exciting for an opener isn't it? A lot better than the recent past. Can only imagine the anticipation building up during fall ball.

Well then what kind of result would happen if Bo Pelini & Staff were retained? It would have been a terrible loss. I also think it's less likely due to the simple fact of continuity. Yes it would. But that doesn't win you ball games. Especially if you continue down the same path expecting a different result. I do not think Bo would have better odds with the Huskers to win this game more than Riley. Otherwise we need to make a sticky of how high a climb Riley has in comparison. Riley has spring and fall so I like his chances as much, if not more.

With sports and college football, that's just the nature of the beast. If the Huskers were to win the division and play for a conference championship, the non-conf results will not mean as much in hindsight. Even if they come out 2 and 2. Looking at the schedule I can very well see 2-2 with the previous staff with the same ol' questions. With the new staff, I am more optimistic. There will be new questions.

Reasonable expectations could be formed by what you are known to do, and not to do.

"The development of lineman in the program is huge" I am most worried about the offensive line's success. I feel a bit better after reading this. Still a wait and see with this group.

Well then what kind of result would happen if Bo Pelini & Staff were retained?

He is fun to watch when he runs full steam. Power and elusiveness.

I still like the all-white look (except the times we play at Iowa, at Penn State, at Michigan)

I have no doubt that Langsdorf and Riley will work with him on that. Whether he develops the skills they teach him or not is all on Tommy. It will become the difference between improving or riding the pine.

For me as a fan, I always think of the Husker defense as the Blackshirts. Good or bad, that's just who they are. It's been difficult over the years, because I don't think our previous coach wanted them referred to that until he said so, or proven by performance. And I mean referred by us fans, media, and players. Someone mentioned reward based, and that was not the jist of the tradition. The year before he arrived, the defense got soft mentally and emotionally, remember? So it's possible that it's how this all started by getting the team toughened up and earning the blackshirts. I thought it was ok at first, that first year only. Since then it was handled poorly . It should be similar to how it was handled in the early days. They get the jerseys a few weeks before the season opener, so they can start to build up that group rapport, confidence and mental toughness. The name itself represents the defense. Effort, pride, and success per game does not change it. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other university that has a nickname for a specific unit that is universally known. Which is why I think it's pretty special in that way. When they are national TV, and I hear Fowler, Reece Davis, or Herbstreit refer to the defense as blackshirts, it's usually a slip of the tongue or historical habit and respect. "The Blackshirts need to tighten up here so the offense can get the ball back..." or, "Great pressure by the blackshirts" - which goes way back to the Keith Jackson days. When that happens I think the same thing in my mind. Because good or bad, they are the blackshirts and that's the endearing name we call them. Therefor, it will be refreshing to see them get back to basics with this tradition.

TMart threw 3 quick screens a game, easily. I'll bet he completed 38 out of 40 of them. Maybe 50 out of 55? Just guessing over the course of 14 games played in 2012. That affected his completion percentage in a great way. With Armstrong at QB I don't recall seeing nearly as many. It seemed with him, Beck replaced those lateral passes with more shots downfield. So if Riley does throw a couple bubble screens, his percentage will improve. But by saying this, it just means % is not always represented accurately. Those high completion passes did not always get more than 3 yards, which often got frustrating. From the link that I read, I like the idea of using TE's and vertical passing with some play action and the importance of the QB getting the ball to playmakers. Just make the right reads quickly, get the ball to the playmakers accurately, and manage the game. I'm a little hesitant with TA anymore, but I do think he has the physical tools. Riley & Langsdorf are going to be extremely valuable to these quarterbacks, arguably the best instructors that have been here in a long time. Now is the time to learn, grow and get better. It might take some time, but I will be patient as a fan.

That may be the single most dumbfounding thing of Bo's tenure. To be fair, it only happened once. I nominate the decision to use a backup offensive lineman to run a fake punt against UCLA as a close second. Edit: Never mind. TRUE beat me to it lol

Glad to hear that too. Nothing wrong handling it close to how it once was, which seemed to be OK.