Husker_x

I liked Shatel's, and he's usually the last one I get to, if there's time.

All of the OWH guys are hitting pretty hard this morning. Sipple is not as direct in saying it, but even he realizes there is no excuse and no explanation for this anymore. It's year seven. Nearly the end of the season––you know, Pelini defenses get better as the season goes along.

I hope no one accuses Dirk of playing dirty. They have every right to print the obvious.

Edit: Sip is at the LJS. Sorry for the confusion.

You can vote with your pocketbook. You can vote with your feet. Or thanks to the design of Huskerboard, you can just plain vote.

Here it is, as simple as I could think to make it.

To the OP:

Ignore sarcastic quips; if they could write what you did, they would have.

The question is whether or not anyone would be responsive to coaching change at this moment. I seriously doubt it. We have one week and then one more short week before an AD would consider making a move. With a chance to finish 10-2 this situation is a lot trickier than Callahan. I'd file it away until then, survey the lay of the land, and hope Eichorst is way ahead of you.

 

 

Took him long enough to get there.

 

LOL.

 

Wasn't he one of the "Don't underestimate Tim Beck" cheerleaders who balked at any skepticism when he was hired?

 

Oh well. Bygones be bygones. For anyone yet to join us in reality, there is no more rope for this staff. If Bo wants another uninspired season in front of a hostile fanbase, at the very least it's housecleaning time on that worthless staff to grant him the privilege. He could have hired a team of fratboys with "How to Coach LittleLeague" pamphlets––which is what this looks like in the offseason as well––and the results could not have been this disastrous.

 

If Bo gets another year based off the W/L record, it's hard to argue the AD made the wrong call. But let's just be real clear about what this means: this team, basically identical, except for Ameer Abdullah.

 

 

 

Problem is we are not representative of the Husker fan base. My FB feed has people "well it was snowing", and "Cant blame Bo, the kids didn't perform". They either cant or wont see a problem, that is a large chunk of Husker Nation.

 

EDIT: A lot of people just dont give a crap any more. once the rout was on how many just turned the channel?

 

I consider this one of the rare times where I'm comforted by the fact that our opinion doesn't really matter. It's the people who pay the big bucks that will pony up or withdraw their generous donations from the university. The only thing the fanbase can do, along with the media, is turn up the heat. And it's time. Pelini has had a long leash and has failed in every stage of coaching from management to hiring to personnel decisions to preparation to in-game adjustments. There's nothing left for him to do any worse than he is doing, and no Ameericling McN. State and drubbing Rutgers does not cancel out getting shellacked every game against even or better talent.

We didn't learn anything. Every issue is recurring.

 

It's incredible how fickle most fans are. Those questioning the program's direction and/or the coaching staff after the Purdue game or the McNeese St. game (or any other game that wasn't a loss) were tarred and feathered. Now everyone jumps over to their side, as if some revelation has occurred. It hasn't. This happens every year, and it will continue to happen. Wins over Minnesota, Iowa and/or some halfway decent team in some meaningless bowl game wouldn't change that, although you can bet many fans would convince themselves it would.

 

For two seasons we looked like a legitimate top 20 program: 2009 and 2010. This was fueled primarily by the huge amount of defensive talent stockpiled by Callahan's staff. (Even then, we failed to lose less than four games or win a conference championship.) Since that dried up, we have been very mediocre, struggling to hit the nine win mark in a bad conference and always embarrassing ourselves at least once on the big stage.

 

2011: L 17-48 vs. Wisconsin and L 17-45 vs. Michigan. The writing was on the wall. But most clung to the excuse that we needed time to adjust to the Big 10 style. Nonsense. We were getting beat in the basics: blocking, tackling, coaching adjustments.

 

2012: L 38-63 vs. Ohio St. and 31-70 vs. Wisconsin. Breaking records of the wrong kind.

 

2013: L 21-41 vs. UCLA and L 17-38 vs. Iowa.

 

2014: L 24-59 vs. Wisconsin.

+1, but hindsight remains 20/20.

Little by little all of the little variables and possible explanations for these performances have been cancelled out. It's not the conference. It's not the quarterback situation. It's not the overall talent or something specific like having Cam Meredith playing DT in the B1G CCG. It's not even really the coordinators, although I think Tim Beck's weak-sauce offensive philosophy plays right into the general fragility of Pelini's defense. All of these things have been given due consideration. I threw around words like "systemic issues" in the past. I thought maybe this year with a different offensive approach and a new quarterback would find our way past a few of them, but it's not to be. It was just more BS from the spin room in Lincoln.

Now there is only one remaining link between all of these avalanche losses: Bo Pelini.

If we fire a coach why is everyone assuming we become worse? Worse case is we don't win championships and have to fire our coach again. Really is that simple. At least we would be trying to become great instead of settling for average.

I have trouble with this logic as well. These blowout losses have been happening repeatedly since Bo got here. We play in a weak division of a weak conference. If we were anywhere else––anywhere else––we would likely have pulled the plug on this first-timer HC and his merry band of incompetents. There is no reason to think that this team minus Abdullah and Gregory (who is long gone now if he wasn't already) is going to accomplish something the current team was unable to.

Right now the worse part for me is anticipating the Fluffy Puff Spring season. Staring at graphics like this:

Bo actually got up there on the podium and when asked (first question) what happened, stammered out "uhh... Uhh.... I don't know."

 

I don't feel sorry for him. That's his job. But man it has to suck to go up there and answer for that kind of performance. That was absolutely hot garbage to the point that the announcers were laughing at us again. We're the butt of a national joke... Again.

 

I really question what the hell we do all week leading up to games like this that makes the staff feel we're prepared when we implode like that.

This was the performance we got off a bi-week. Two weeks we "prepared" to have the NCAA single-season record shattered against this defense, and to watch Beck's full-retard offensive "system" completely shut down yet again.

Every season we come to the same place with this coach. I do not believe he has come CLOSE to maximizing the potential of the staff––meaning hires. When given the chance, he takes the easy way out each and every time.

He coaches a mentally weak team. Is there any other explanation besides learned behavior from the example set on the sideline?

Took him long enough to get there.

LOL.

Wasn't he one of the "Don't underestimate Tim Beck" cheerleaders who balked at any skepticism when he was hired?

Oh well. Bygones be bygones. For anyone yet to join us in reality, there is no more rope for this staff. If Bo wants another uninspired season in front of a hostile fanbase, at the very least it's housecleaning time on that worthless staff to grant him the privilege. He could have hired a team of fratboys with "How to Coach LittleLeague" pamphlets––which is what this looks like in the offseason as well––and the results could not have been this disastrous.

If Bo gets another year based off the W/L record, it's hard to argue the AD made the wrong call. But let's just be real clear about what this means: this team, basically identical, except for Ameer Abdullah.

We deserve no respect. None. We are one of the softest teams in the nation. Our coaching staff is a joke––an absolute joke from the head man to grad assistants. In an age where there is no margin for error in college football, we cannot afford to make TV audiences across the nation laugh at our product. In a fair world there would be no contract buyouts. As it is, I cannot imagine what Pelini has left to sell recruits for year 8, or what he would do with them if he were given a chance to coach them.

This was the one thing that COULD NOT HAPPEN this season if this coaching staff wanted to retain an ounce of credibility.

To quote Ameer: "It's not good enough."

pour it on, douchebags

If you want to stop blowouts, bring a defense. Instead we have Pelini and company.

QB stinks? Keep it the same.

 

O-line stinks? Keep it the same.

 

TE play stinks? Keep it the same.

 

Trouble adjusting to speed on the outside when we are on defense? Keep it the same. (Side note: I still cannot believe Bo hasn't adapted to this)

 

QB progression year by year stinks? Keep it the same.

 

At some point, coaches need the humility to admit changes are needed. Status quo doesn't get things done.

Oh, but didn't you read the offseason puff pieces in the LJS and OWH about how they did an exhaustive review of the program and completely retooled everything?

This feels like the end of a long, sad saga.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, I should say) this is a question with a correct and an incorrect answer. It's not even debatable.

Compared to other democracies, the U.S. has a strange penchant for passing laws that suppress voting instead of encourage it. We are one of the few democracies, for example, that requires people to register to vote. Most elsewhere, writes Eric Black for the Minnesota Post:

 

"[G]overnments know the names, ages and addresses of most of its citizens and … provide the appropriate polling place with a list of those qualified to vote. The voter just has to show up."

 

We also hold elections on just one day instead of several and that day is an otherwise normal Tuesday instead of a weekend or a holiday.

Those are just two examples of rules and practices that reduce voting. There are many. It’s called voter suppression and it’s totally a thing. The ACLU has collected voter suppression efforts just since 2013, listing 15 states that have passed such measures.

Link

I like our defense. Put it that way.

 

 

 

 

Man. Sam Brownback held on in Kansas?

 

How's that experiment working out?!

He won . . . so it must be going well?

 

We will see in 2 years when Kansas is broke - they (Koch brothers, the real power behind the throne) will have to raise taxes on themselves (not going to happen) or fire half of the teachers. I'm re-upping my Nebraska teaching certificate.

 

No way . . . tax cuts = prosperity. Everyone knows this.

 

Just wait a little longer.

 

Double down on trickle down!

 

The only thing trickling down is piss down the collective leg of Kansas as it looks to go the way of a third-world country.

I'm not sure Ted Cruz is even an idiot. I'm fairly convinced he's a sociopath.

I wondered to myself last night, what kind of collegiate trophies will Randy Gregory take with him if he leaves this year? Is it something that interest him personally? Is that something that might keep him at Nebraska one more year?

If I had to guess what might possibly keep a guy with this much potential around here for one more season, it would be simple: his boys. Assuming he has any and they're close.

One thing I find interesting about this whole conjecture-fest is that it seems like very little is known about the personality of Gregory. Does anyone know him or what he's like? Ever interacted with him? Why did he come here in the first place, and how does he fit in in the locker room? I never sensed he was a vocal team leader, but he doesn't have to be, and no one appears bent on making him fill that role against his wishes. On the field he just looks like a dude going about his business, not much caring about what's going on around him.

I think some people are too quick to take the human element out of it, possibly because Gregory seems like a loner FU type on the field. However, as much financial sense as it would make to go pro, there is a small––more like microscopic––chance that Gregory just enjoys his life right now, realizes that one year is not that long a wait and that the risks of staying are not that high (or consequential) at his position, and makes a choice based on who he is, not cashing a paycheck. Life is short whether you go to the NFL or not. Not everyone gets another shot to be the central piece of a MONSTER defensive line, deep and talented as they come, at a tradition-rich school.

Probably he goes, but I'm not ready to give away his jersey # just yet.

Our current upperclassmen on the OL aren't anything special. Things would look different with Tyler Moore at OT though. Our starting OL looks like this.

 

LT converted TE

LG 2 star DE

C walk on itty bitty

RG mid level 3 star

RT 4 star from St Cecilia in Hastings, NE

That's all well and good, but high school players often find new positions in D-1 college football and the star system takes into account very little; for instance, it doesn't pair star level with intended offensive system.

This definitely isn't me going to bat for Beck or our system. As a personal preference, I prefer Wisconsin-style power running better than our jack-of-all-trades whatever it is. But yeah, we are due for some upgrades in the next year or two.

One thought that snags me while watching Nebraska play is that although we run the ball an awful lot, it seems like Tim Beck does not really get the value of the run game. It's like in his mind, it takes too long. It's too predictable. The defense can just load the box and stop it because they know what's coming. Oh no, we'll have to punt a few times.

You have to look at it more holistically. We're a defensive team. The run game, executed smartly, is a gift that keeps on giving. It's dependable (unlike our passing game). It offers variety. It bleeds clock––the master of the game––wears down the opposing defense, neutralizes the opposing offense; meanwhile, it lets your defense rest and adjust and if nothing else sets up field position. Between the defense and special teams (which has been winning the field position battle and scoring points all season) you don't have to dial up complicated downfield passing plays, especially when Purdue showed weakness against the option. (Here I recall Osborne saying that in his offense, an option was like a pass play.)

I'm not calling for heads or anything, and I'm more than happy to listen to any explanation of why what Beck is doing is obviously the best thing to do, but I'll leave it at this: I don't understand Tim Beck. I never have. I suspect I never will. I don't understand his system or why he tries to randomly alternate between every conceivable play type when his team can't reliably execute the snap. We all know what Armstrong is and what he's best suited to do. Beck either doesn't see it or won't accept it; he certainly is not game planning to the strengths of his personnel, and as talented as Nebraska is (partial credit to Beck for that), we are not talented enough to play like we did yesterday and roll through the rest of our schedule.

We got 2 blocked punts! How effin' awesome is that?!

Very. I hope we don't stop bringing the pressure. We really have a pick your poison special teams right now––something we haven't had in a long time. Either you kick it to Pierson-El (a heart attack waiting to happen), surrender yardage by trying to kick it out of bounds, or possibly watch your punter get destroyed before he's kicked anything anywhere. We're already really good in the STs department. I hope in the offseason we continue to build and polish a freakish punt blocking unit to go with the best punt returner in the college game.

The O-line is a hard group to judge without the credentials and technical know-how to understand what you're seeing every down. It does seem pretty clear we could use a talent upgrade at center. Until then, settle on one and stop messing with the rotation. The last thing we need to do with an offense that can't reliably execute a snap in Week 10 is keep meddling with the chemistry. This season we are stuck with what we have. This bi-week is our last chance to make any meaningful long-term adjustments to the personnel before we play the last and most important leg of the year.

Looking ahead, our recruiting has been fine. We have a lot of promising talent on the roster and more on the way. Scheme is my biggest concern, which goes to coaching. When you have 4th and Goal from the half-inch line and you're in shotgun, it sort of obviates that whole "people who criticize Beck think they're smarter than Beck" argument, because you don't have to be smart to know THOU SHALT NOT DO THAT.