Captain K

The guys in Auburn's class come from an area where players are more highly rated just because where they are from. If a guy is good in a large school in the Southeast, he will get more stars than a guy from Montana who is lighting it up "because he is playing against weak competition."

Somebody got gigged and it wasn't the Aggies doing it this time.

Speak for yourself, Mr. Nebraska-centric. I've spent time on a LOT of message boards. Lawrence Phillips is still associated with Nebraska by fans old enough to remember his name 14 years after he played for us. Two years after Pedey's departure, nobody even knows who he is. It's not even close out there in the real world. Go hang out on ESPN's boards, Yahoo's comments sections, CBS' boards, or Rivals or anywhere that college football is discussed and you'll see a Lawrence Phillips comment made frequently when a Husker fan is involved in a heated argument. It's still the go-to "slam" people toss out there. Failing to see how that affects this program's image and the damage his association with our school has done is myopic. This is true. Your average fan does not hang out on message boards. You went to the hard-core fans for your example. Only losers and idiots hang out on message boards anyway. Also, you are equating name recognition with damage to the program. You are a smart guy, I don't have to explain to you how that makes no sense whatsoever. So SP didn't cause any harm to the football program because people don't recall his name? Lee Harvey Oswald killed one guy, his name is more recognizable to people than those Columbine kids, but who did more killing? People only bring up LP to make a Nebraska fan feel bad about being associated with the Huskers. How does that hurt anyone? LP did some heinous things and I'm not saying he isn't the worst person to ever be associated with NU, he just isn't hurting our program anymore and that is not being myopic.

I can only find the Callahan Hate Blinders in blue. Does anyone know where I can get a pair in red? The board will be in major disappointment mode if all 3 big names go elsewhere. It is the last minute decommit on top of that that will send us into meltdown. I hope we not only don't have one of those, but pick up a surprise, plus one of the big 3.

Ok, you have five seconds to name a college football player, not from NU, that was thrown off his team for a sex crime, rape, molestation or harassment. I guarantee you had to look it up. I see it happen all of the time and it gets mentioned on ESPN, but I can't remember the schools or the named players. I also believe you still don't hold it against that school, unless they beat us in several bowl games. If you go to the Devaney to B-ball games, how much time do you spend cat-calling Baylor when they are in town? I think we feel people remember the name Lawrence Phillips more than we think. We're Nebraska-centric, sure, we can't forget, but your average college football fan doesn't remember him anymore than you remember the one from their school. As for referring to Pedey as just a bad fit, that is glossing things over a bit. I wonder if Poland referred to Hitler as a bad fit? We were in need of a new coach about as much as Poland wanted a new dictator. It is not like our coach quit and we were forced to hire someone. We went 10-3 and had a coach who would have stayed for years and had given his entire coaching career to NU. SP pulled the plug on him and didn't have anyone else lined up. He had no plan! Just fire this guy and hope it works out. At least LP's act was of a person who was clearly not thinking rationally. LP acted out of rage and probably couldn't think straight if he wanted to at the time, how else do you try to kill 3 kids over a pick up football game? He was as clear headed as that Iowa State rb that leaped off that bridge. SP's acts were premeditated. He is a smart guy who should have known better. Another thing people have used in there LP was worse argument is that now that we are winners again, it will all be forgotten. No one is calling us an elite program again yet and if BP leaves after another year, we will probably have a hard time getting a top flight coach here. It will be another "hit or miss" up and comer. It isn't all about wins and losses, but our entire athletic department and it's success feeds off of what SP's stupidity tried to kill. This whole argument is apples and oranges and can't be won by either side. It is really hard to even define what is a black eye. ABC doesn't fail to televise us nationally because LP dragged a girl down stairs or tried to run over a kid with a car, but if we are 5-6 they do. Bowl games can't even put us in their game with that record. Those things are what pay the bills. People like to see the baseball team make a run at Omaha. We are a crappy football team away from being Iowa State and not fielding a baseball team. If a drunk KSU fan yelling "hey, you got any criminal running backs you can trot out there to run for 200 yards" is more hurtful to you than the possibility of financial trouble to our athletic program, you need to get a thicker skin.

If Callahan gets a pass because SP put him in power and it all falls on SP, then TO needs to be the fall guy not LP. Tom knew that Lawrence had big problems, yet he gave him another chance. LP shouldn't have been here past the girlfriend incident, if at all. TO found the guy, brought him to Lincoln and kept him past his expiration date. To be fair TO should be on the list. Sure his whole body of work still makes him a legend, but he has to take the blame for LP.

I think I'd have to give that title to Braylon Heard . . . #5 RB overall . . . or Jemarcus Hardrick if you are into the big ugly scene. If you're going for "underrated steals" as your offensive gems category... then I'd have to further disagree and say that Enunwa is going to be that underrated steal of this year's class for offense. I was going to say you just read that somewhere, but after watching a film of QE's I would have to say you are right. He is tough and hard to bring down. Someone is going to have to teach him to not jump for every ball higher than his chin. That's what arms are for. He went airborne for 2/3 of the throws in the clip I watched. Can't run or make a move if your feet are in the air.

Clicked on Zach Larson's name and it said, per rivals, that he is a Youngstown St. commit. We lose him?

I don't think we can afford to have this type of attitude. Looks like no qb for this class and what if the Jamal Turner commitment scares off all other qb's for next year and then JL Freemanizes us or we get Gabberted at the 11th hour. Two years without a qb would be deadly IMO.

Well I would hope the answer was "If you earn it, you will see the field" If that call actually took place I would agree that would probably be the response. At WKU he can get playing time early for a 0-12 team. Nebraska is a little different. I think the amount of competition at NU is something that may scare a recruit off. Yard per carry for Carnes and Turner. Carnes- I looked up his Junior year. He had a total of 500 yards rushing. Turner- He had over 2000 yards in his Junior year. What is going to happen once Turner arrives on campus? Carnes would have to compete with him and all the other QB's here. I really thought/think the timing of the Jamal Turner announcement on Thurs could hurt the chances of Brion Carnes committing. Not sure why the staff didn't agree to wait until after the signing day of Feb 3rd to announce this info. It could have an adverse effect on who signs this year. It is easier than saying, "there is no longer a scholarship available to you." Maybe NU coaches would rather get a db or Simek with his schollie now, without having to say as much. I would think we need more qb's than taking none this year, however.

You say that we bounced back quickly. First, I wouldn't say one 10-4 year makes us "back." Second SP fired the coach who led us to a better record than that, causing our tailspin. That is the biggest part of the SP mess. It would be one thing if we completely sucked and Solich's effort (hiring Bo) to improve us missed the mark and we continued to suck, but SP fired a coach who had made the necessary move to improve the D and gave us a chance to continue the greatness. Are you saying it wouldn't be a big deal if TO fired Bo today and hired a guy who would go 27-22 and let KU score 76 on us again or CU 60-something? Frankie, in the three years before he was fired, played for an NC, went 7-7 and then 10-3. Bo has gone 9-5 and 10-4, he needs to go about 11-3 next year to be equal to FS's last three years. If Bo falls short of that, there would be more merit to firing Bo than there was Frank. The only reason we love Bo so much and would think that firing him absurd, is because of Bo's reversing the results put up by PD/BC. You know, the results that made people call us the laughing stock of college football.

Thought the same thing a handful of years ago when Mike Jenkins had it come down to us and South Florida. They were just beginning to be recognized as an up and coming team. I thought if this guy is serious at all about football, he'll be N. Now he's a pro bowl db.

I'm going with nabbing 1. I refuse to be too disappointed on Wednesday. It will either be Owa or Carnes. Anything else is gravy.

While I agree with what you are saying, I still truly believe that the cutting of ties and the whole culture changing was directed by Pud. For some reason or another he was hell bent on making NU his program instead of building on what he been working. The thing that still puzzles me to this day is Stevie P was a Nebraska guy, he was here with Dr Tom, he knew what worked here, he put in his work, but he still felt the need to change it. THIS is the problem. Pedey needed to pick his own guy so out with 9-3 Frankie. Putting the interim coach (Pelini) at the helm wouldn't have directed all of the credit to Pedey either. Who knows, maybe if he could have gotten the right guy we could have been successful, but when the HC search started to move toward the bottom of the barrel, we were in trouble. Regardless of success on the field, the changes around 10th St were not going to be welcome.

I bet Bo would have helped Wats in his attempt at a head coaching job. Imagine taking a head coaching job, being told (basically this is what happened) that you will keep the incumbent OC, then have that OC cost you games each season as he takes half a season to figure out what offense his players can run. Bo has stuck by his guy, even saying positive things, but what head coach wouldn't want to hand pick the guy to run the offense. It was all done for continuity, but in the end, it has backfired. Bo would drive Watson to Florida himself, even wearing one of those NASA diapers so they don't have to stop much, if it would allow him to get the guy he really wants. If we struggle again this year to move the ball, Watson will be gone.

I remember back in the day when the radio announcers were what you relied on to get the broadcast. Not as many games on tv in those days. While I liked the deliveries of Bremser and Pavelka best, all I really needed was accuracy. Nothing was more disturbing to me than, in a tight game, the announcer saying that the K-State qb's pass was "intercepted by Nebraska" only to change his call to "no, the pass is complete, touchdown KSU." And that happened a lot.

How come nobody ever pins the OJ stuff on SC? The worst of the Phillips and Collins crimes came after they went to school here. I guess it comes down to the fact that they are two different types of black eyes. People will remember the wins and the losses longer than the crimes of two players. What those two (Phillips/Collins) did was more despicable, but the Pedey/Callahan work is more visible.

What the heck is a Sponger anyway? I'd assume someone who collects sponges from the sea. Just a guess. I was going to guess that it's the nurse that gives sponge baths at the hospital but I think yours is better. Your's might be better depending on what this hypothetical nurse looks like. I made a visit to the hospital yesterday and there were a few that I wouldn't mind sponging. Back on topic though: Good to see that high schools are getting excited to see coaches from Nebraska coming to visit. Especially in the talent rich state of Florida. You all mmissed the quote about how MOST OF THE SPONGERS DIDN'T KNOW WHO THE EF BO PELINI IS!!!! really? did i hear/read that correctly??? I'm thinking/hoping it means they didn't know who he was when they saw him. I'd guess that fewer than 50% of high school football players make an effort to see college games on tv.

I claim book rights!

Wow! You remember the last names of the "Saved By the Bell" kids. That's, um, that's, err...a........something.

I like this one.

He seems to have pretty good vision while running with the ball and cuts well. Maybe this makes up for not getting "whatchu talkin bout" Willis Wright from FL. If he really runs 4.4, stands 6'1'' and runs with the ball the way it looks on film, he could contribute. We need to roll the dice on wr recruits more than most places. Let's hope Ezell doesn't come up snakeyes. Might be good out of our wildcat package!

Rangers!

With our problems at QB, I don't care if he is Puerto Rico's all-time passing leader, he needs to be looked at at QB. It would be stupid to just force him to play safety from the get go. He made plays in high school, he needs to prove that he can't at the college level before being dismissed. That kid who plays for Idaho looks really good throwing the ball. Letting him get out out of Nebraska was a mistake. Why take a chance of making a mistake with a kid who is on the team? It won't take long to find out if he has what it takes to run our offense.

since we all appear to be very bored, do you know something about this certain kid? (in a totally none argumentative tone) No. Just wasn't getting the attention he deserves. Was my way of bumping him without just writing bump. Here, allow me. Anyone, not necessarily him, but someone who knows him, could come on and see him sliding down the thread list and relay that we only care about Owa. No reason to believe this kid can't be better than Owa in the end. He is an important piece of the puzzle. Granted Owa is one of the best prospects, but part of the reason we are on pins and needles is, whether people will admit it or not, we are looking at him as a plug-in for Suh. People will claim they are smarter than that, but 38 pages on one guy? No one is a one man defense (ok, Suh was), but I would take two solid starters (say, a Dillard and an Asante) over Owa's commitment.