Billyball

To think a QB going into the NCG is going to say about the number 1 team with the best defensive statistics in the nation: "Oh they are good but I think Nebraska is better" would be totally stupid. There's a reason that bama is number 1. They have a great defense and a very good offense. They played a tougher schedule (the SEC is tougher this year than the B12) and are undefeated. If I were playing Bama in a few days, I would not say anything that was disrespectful at all. They deserve respect as the number 1 team in the nation. They would likely beat us like a red-headed step child. And I would guess they will beat Texas but that's why they go ahead and play the games. After giving the kudos like McCoy did; I would hope to go out there and play our best game and kill them! I'm sure McCoy feels the same way. Our day in the limelight will hopefully come, but to feel slighted when someone that is in the NCG gives kudos to the number one team in the country is silly.

I pretty much agree with you. I don't like their fans, but they have become our biggest rival. If they leave the Big 12 there will be a hole in our conference. The Kansas City and St. Louis markets will go to the big 10. Likely there will be less interest in televising the games of whoever replaces Missouri, so we will have fewer TV appearances as a team and a conference. NO SEC TEAM will come to the Big 12. The reason MIssouri is leaving is for a lot more money and more TV. Arky has a lot more money and a lot more TV in the SEC than they would have in the Texas dominated Big 12. They would be idiots for jumping to the big 12. So it will be a lessor school from a lessor conference that replaces misery. It will hurt us more than help and give Texas that much more control. We are not strong in Basketball so being the only "power" in the North will not give us any influence in the conference. We'd better hope Rutgers is the pick of the Big 10, though I truly think Missouri is the logical choice.

I don't know where or if CC will fit into an offense. He is not yet a WR and is an " athlete". And I think a lot depends on how quickly and how well he developes wide reciever skill in running routes and catching the ball. I think we have the better reciever though most of you wanted CC more. It was telling that Missouri could have had CC rather than Sasser and a couple of D backs, but chose to take Sasser and the d backs over CC. Lucas was a no brainer but the other 3 make me think that we didn't miss too much by CC leaving. Although I hate Misery with a passion, Pickles knows how to recruit QBs and recievers much better in this decade than we do. The fact that he passed on CC tells me that his leaving the Huskers is not too big a deal. I am less convinced about little Gabbert not being a talent at QB but that's another issue that will be worked out over time. The fact hat Misery chose others over CC and LSU was not interested after losing their top WR to Texas tells me that he is a project that may or may not pan out. My guess is that CC is not a top D1 WR. I think we got a better prospect, though we need more and a QB.

Now I hope these are very young Husker fans out of school for vacation who are practicing their creative writing for next semester. Otherwise they are going to make all Husker faithful look like fruits and nuts. We don't need a reason to hate Misery and we don't need to make up crap claiming their coach told a player who they did not have enough schollys to take and is going to TCU to call our commit in California in whom Misery had zero interest and tell him not to commit. How stupid. Now do you really think if Bo told our new RB to tell the kids that were to be his teamates back at VT it would cause them to leave? We are not a program just now that would attract big time recievers. And with the article about being "on the same page", clearly demonstrating that Bo and Wats are not really on the same page, I wouldn't look for any truly top WRs to want to take a chance on us. There is enough to dislike Misery about without making stuff up.

If that were possible it could turn this recruiting class from "above average" to GREAT. And if the kids is as good as I and many think he is he could do the same for our program. I'm guessing Bo could get past the fact he has been committed to OU for months and thus there is some character flaw if he switches in the minds of many Husker faithful. <G>, I think we just might find a way to take him. Come on people we shouldn't act holier than thou. This staff wants the best kids they can find before or after they commit here or somehwere else. Recruiting is a game. We must play it smartly. Getting Bell would be a great start!

Let me understand it then. A kid that commits to Bo and changes his mind and wants to take a visit is a low character individual who we will not stand to have around this program because with Bo there is "no soft" LOL. Yet we will be happy to host kids who have done the exact same thing with other programs and welcome them with open arms claiming the other coach is a "Big Cheating A$$hole" and of course deserves it. Look up Hypocrisy.

I still think many of your are getting way out on the limb on the tree of hypocrisy. Is there anyone who doubts that if A Green makes a verbal committment to Texas in February an calls Bo in December next year and wants to visit and commit to NU, that Bo is going to say. "No son, we don't do that around here. Your word is your bond. You should make up your mind before you commit. That is the time to look around. We don't want your sorry butt up here now". On the other hand if the young man commits to us in the spring and decides next fall he wants to go see Texas for a visit in December and is the top ranked RB in the nation, do you really think Bo will tell him. You go we pull your scholarship, blah blah... Of course not. It is sheer sour grapes. Bo was not stating a policy for the ages. It was at a time when he was on the losing end of kids "looking around". This is a new week and we kiped a kid from VT. That's a good thing. That's the way it works. Bo needs to be a man, quit whining when it goes agaist us and get in their kicking and gouging as long as it is ethical and legal in the eyes of the NCAA and get us some talent. Go steal someone's WRS and a QB.

I think that "my way or the highway" approach would be great and I'm sure works for Texas or USC, Fla etc. In a program that is truly elite you can perhaps intimidate kids into not taking a visit after a commit. For a program like ours, instead of playing hardball, you had better be in there schmoozing and trying to retain recruits or like we are trying to do in other situations, get somebody else's recruts to vist and decommit. Indeed both the kids and the staff know that if we run a 4* kid off with an ultimatum who has orally committed, out of the program that it is likely he will be replaced with a lessor perhaps a 2* player. Therefore both sides know that it is not a policy that is likely well thought out,, but feels good right now. Only when you reach the top will his harda$$ approach be the best way to handle recruitiing. Carter and Gabbert might have been gone anyway and probably would, tut it seems they were the first to hear about this 'no visit' policy. I think persoanlly you saw Bo "being Bo" and having a little public fit in that statement that will be revised when it obviously doesn't fit where we are at in the eyes of recruits these days. When a hat with an N on it is seen on several of the silly games at the All Star HC game. Till then ultimatums will unlikely work and kids certainly will look around.

I could not agree more. It would make absolutely no sense at all to recruit kids like Carnes and Turner to be a drop back passer. It makes no sense if they try to do the same thing with CG. Maybe there will be a hybrid? I can't help but think that Pelini is going to have some say in what stays & goes from Watson's playbook over the off-season. It is my understanding that having a "balanced" or "multiple" offense as Bo has said recently, means taking the best of whatever Watson has in his playbook and perhaps the best of what Dr. Tom has from his old playbook, and making a hybrid out of it? That's just my guess, but what the hell do I know? A camel is a horse built by committee. Bo is not an offensive football coach. TO is not going to be an OC. If they don't want Wats to run the offense get an OC that will install what they think they want and go with it. You are not going to be TT and Alabama on consecutive plays or series. And until we decide it is hard to get O talent here at the skill spots.

I could not agree more. It would make absolutely no sense at all to recruit kids like Carnes and Turner to be a drop back passer. It makes no sense if they try to do the same thing with CG. Maybe there will be a hybrid? I can't help but think that Pelini is going to have some say in what stays & goes from Watson's playbook over the off-season. It is my understanding that having a "balanced" or "multiple" offense as Bo has said recently, means taking the best of whatever Watson has in his playbook and perhaps the best of what Dr. Tom has from his old playbook, and making a hybrid out of it? That's just my guess, but what the hell do I know? A camel is a horse built by committee. Bo is not an offensive football coach. TO is not going to be an OC. If they don't want Wats to run the offense get an OC that will install what they think they want and go with it. You are not going to be TT and Alabama on consecutive plays or series. And until we decide it is hard to get O talent here at the skill spots.

Yeah but we also lost to Iowa State. The jury on our team especially without Suh is still out for next year. My take is that we will have to score quite a lot more points in the post-Suh era. We should be good on defense but without the greatest player in College FB, we won't be able to dominate. We need players. We need skill people on O especially. And it would seem that Bo TO and Wats are going to have to get together and see what they are going to run. Wats still saying the spread and Bo and TO have hinted to a power running game. If we are going to get high caliber recruits out of state--on O they are going to want to know what we are going to run.

I don't think we are likely to start recruting anyone at QB at this point that will help our program much. We offered quite a number of QBs and only got one interested enough to sign. With the time left, I think we're better off shoring up the best recruits we can find at other positions. We do need to REALLY upgrade our QB recruting next year. Hopefully we will show some offensive improvement and have a good season and more will be interested. Those that think that a QB is not the most important ingredient to an offense regardless what the type of offense the Huskers decide on are just fooling themselves. Hopefully next year is THE year for QBs. Anyone in state that has a chance to blow up next year?

If they truly did take Misery, I would hope we would go along and maybe ISU or KU. I just don't see ISU having anything the Big 10 wants? TV audience? What would they add? Tradition? Wrestling is not why the Big 10 wold expand. If Misery leaves then the Big 12 would have to get another team, perhaps TCU or CSU to continue the playoffs. Although I wonder if this took place if CU might get offered a deal to go to the Pac 10? WE could be left in quite a mess. It may be a situation where we will be left with a bunch of Texas teams and OU. At any rate it will not be a win for us. I think the Big 10 might be something to consider--either alone or with Missouri and ISU or more likely KU.

I think moving to the big 10 is something we ought to consider carefully. Texas controls this conference, like it or not and that is not changing anytime soon. I think with the flap over M Brown getting 5 mil they said that the net income of Uof T's athletics was over 80 million $. They are national leaders in FB, BB and baseball. They have the largest talent pool by a margin of many times in the Big 12. They are in control and it will likely be so. Any decisions will (I'm not talking about on the field) will favor Texas. What we have that the Big 10 may want is a long tradition of excellence in FB and good academics. Unfortunately we can't point to large media markets, but I think the football tradition may be a trump card. Their logical choices from the Big 12 would be NU, MU and ISU. What would ISU get them? Little of nothing. MU, media markets in KC and ST louis but no tradition of long term FB excellence, better but not great BB than NU. KU--would require jumping states and though the BB team would be top eschelon, the FB program would not be a great draw. So it seems to me that it comes down to MU or NU. If MU were to beat us and leave, I think that leaves us in a diminished position? Who replaces them CSU or TCU? In either case I think it weakens our position and strenghten's UT. If we jump first to the big 10 or as a group of 3--say MU NU and KU--that would give two 7 team divisions east and west in the "Big 10" and leave Texas and OU in trouble. The academic excellence of the Big 10 is hardly in dispute. I think we don't want this train to leave us at the station. jmho.

Sounds good. Though I think that we ought to put a big push on for Sasser. Plays against great competition, it's possible that with Carter and likely Lucas going to Missouri that he would reconsider and be persuaded to take another look at N. Texas took a big time WR from LSU, so it is unlikely they go after Sasser. I think he would be a top Big 12 WR. I think that Terry probably stays put at KU with Gill. But showing Sasser some love with an in home from Bo might be a good idea. Heck, an in home with both might not hurt. We need help at wideout unless we're going to the wishbone!

Grow up men. We are not going to get him. GIve it up. Who is better than CC for a WR left on the board? That is where we need to concentrate. Tell me who is better than C Carter.

Now who knows how this class will do in the next two or three years, but I don't like the fact that we've lost a lot of 4 star high school kids and replaced them with 4* jucos. That's not a good trade normally. Elite teams seldom hit the Juco ranks. Another sore spot is that of offensive recruits most our OL. We are so hurting for playmakers any idiot can see the defecit, yet we get OLs. Our top defensive line recruit was in the top 250 and now has dropped out of it. Must have had a bad season, injured or been overated. This is not going as well as I would like.

There are facts and there are hard feelings after a kid departs. The fact is that the coaches and the rating services, found lil Gabbert to be the best QB we had available this year. It didn't work out. We are not going to get a better QB at this late date. No way Franklin is going to run to us after having been stuck on Missouri and enrolling next semester. The good news is that Missouri has 3 good QBs next year and they can't take them all. Suntrup is one. Coffman whose brother was a QB at K-state and a nother a tight end at Misery and Berk something. Misery has a committment from the Berk guy. Don't know anything about him but I suspect he is who they think is the best but doesn't mean the other two are not better. I just hope we don't do something stupid and go after a JC Qb.

Actually I think that is another reason KU fd-up. If Bo is not successful and TGill is the coach I think he can/will be given time, at some point he will be N. If Bo can lead us back to the promised land, it doesn't matter. But I sure would have taken that into consideration if I were Perkins.

Bowl games are crazy. Though I haven't paid any attention to Navy I will enjoy watching the running game they play and how it works against Misery. I am not one that is convinced we can just pull out a running game with this coaching staff in an off season switchover and be effective. I know, nothing can be worse than the offense we had this year, but installing a totally new formation that none of these coaches are familiar with is going to be interesting. I don't think an I formation, power football will get it done. I think it would take an all out committment to the veer AND I'm not sure we have the personnel to run it effectively. Johnson at GT has that offense down pat-but he has been running it for years now and outside of Navy his former home is about the only one running it. The great advantage is that teams used to playing against the spreads only have one week to prepare for entirely different game that requires a totally different D. I am glad we did not have to play GTech even with our great D. I was involved in a triple option offense back when it was very popular. To be great-you have to have a great QB that doesn't get rattled and thrives on getting hit on about EVERY PLAY. That QB has to be reading the D from the time he leaves the huddle and make the right decision. HE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO PUT THE BALL IN A BACK'S GRASP RIDE ALONG AND PULL THE BALL BACK OUT. The whole game is getting someone set up to get outside the DE. The QB has to be not good but GREAT at making the timing of when to pitch. It is much more intricate than it would appear just watching. I'm not sure we have the staff or the players to install it for next year. Green might be good for it, tough and big, but you really don't know until the QB shows he has the skill set and the TOUGHNESS to run the option. Lee would not be on the field or we would be outta luck. How do you defend it? It will get shut down by good defenses that can stop reading and hit all options every time. Easier said than done, but if it becomes popular again, and teams play veer teams two or three times a year, it will be ineffective. For us and the personnel we will have next year, if something is going to be changed I would think Nevada's would be easiest to transition to and be most effective; assuming some of our recievers can be coached up and give us a passing threat. I think our backs and Green could learn and run that offense better than a veer.

I sure hope we get him but the worst news for Huskers was Tejas stopping by the school last week. Unless we are great next year and truly look competitive with Texas over the long haul, which if looking at recruiting lists seems unlikely, Green if he is the back we all think him to be will likely be a Longhorn. I know it's not a popular thought but for a Texas kid to turn down a chance to play for Texas does not happen often. We can hope that this time it's different.

I hope you are correct. However it seems we are quick to believe that we will have the same defense without some of the great players we had this year. I'm sure Bo is a great defensive coach. On the other hand talent plays a huge part. Suh, Turner and Asante had more collective talent than any 6 players leaving any other team. Those losses will be huge. We, I think will be better than average to good on D, but there is zero reason to believe that we will be the top defense in the nation. Everybody gets all twisted in knots thinking that we are permanently bad on offense after one terrible year. In 08 we were one of the better offenses in the league. Our offensive coaches didn't change. We lost players. As a result we sucked on O. Last year our defense was average to good. This year it was GREAT. Next year, we lose a lot on D. IT WILL NOT BE AS GOOD. Deal with it. Bo is a football coach not the creator. I am still concerned that we have not attracted any playmakers so far in this class--ala Curtis Carter or another QB. For all of the fans now wanting to bash Lil Gabbert as some midget with a great arm; after what I've seen this year, I'd take a one legged midget with a great arm. Everybody thinks we can line up and run the ball against the big 12. I have my doubts. Time will tell. Having all the players back on a team that sucked on offense may of itself make us a better team with the experience. Certainly if helu and Burk can stay healthy (big if for Helu) Oh I hate Misery and all it stands for but it is silly for us to act like we now have a patent on soap and winning one North title out of the last 3 makes us a shoo in from here on is silly. They will be our competiton in the next two or three years. We will have to have an average offense and a better than average defense to dominate the North. It will not be easy at all. Our offense has to settle in on a plan and stick to it. Our recruiting has to improve.

Actually this is the first class that I can remember where I would even consider trading Misery's class for ours. Unless somebody "Missouri's" their committments they will have the best class on paper in the north and probably the best they have ever had. If they get all or most of those recievers that seem to be favoring Misery, Lucas, Hunt, Sasser, AWOL Carter to go with trader Gabbert and the Texas kid, Franklin at QB, some big offensive tackles and the Ealy guy, they have a better class than I like seeing down there. They will be able to find somebody to run routes and catch like Maclin or Alexander out of that bunch. Don't know anything about the D Bs I see on their list. I wish we had some of those skill players they will likely get. I think Bo needs to shore up both the offense and the recruiting, in many ways one and the same. A good philosophy and sell the kids on it. A one time fluke is one thing, but if we allow Misery to out recruit us next year, it will be tough in 12 and 13.

If we are honest, this recruiting class if OO doesn't sign will be a big disappointment. We need talented skill people on offense and I'm not sure we get anything close. Got what should be a great offensive tackle and two possible really good DTs, but comparing our haul to that of other Big 12 teams isn't pretty. I just looked at the top 250 of Rivals. Oklahoma and Texas and even TT have or are in on to the end some great players. We of course knew that. The bad thing is that Misery has a number of those top 250s along with now Gabbert and CC that wasn't on the list and lead for sasser that we could really use. . Why are they leading with Marcus Lucas with all the wide recievers they have? Why dont' we get a M Lucus to at least visit? Because nobody knows if we are going to throw the ball. They have it would appear Franklin and Gabbert. Why wouldn't franklin be interested in Nebraska? Our offense is unsettled and we just haven't committed to a philosphy. Damien and Ealy will be studs. With Turner graduating we should have made a huge play for Ealy. In spite of the fact that Bo is likely a defensive genius we cannot stay ahead of Misery if they get the top players and we don't. This year had better be a fluke or we will need more than a genius to stay on top. great to fill holes with great jucos but its not a program builder. our recruiting needs a whole new approach. It may be that the game day experience is way too early and the staff doesn't have the recruits as a high priority. Also if we lose, it is hard to not be down. Then if that is their official, they have weeks and weeks before they visit other schools and we can't have them for another official. Having officials to seal the deal now might make more sense. Anyway what we are doing this year.....ain't working.

I've been saying for some time that the big problem was that the staff apparently doesn't know what they want to do with the offense going forward. The Texas game did us likely more harm in recruiting offensive players than it helped in getting defensive studs here. We looked worse than awful and with Bo yelling at the QB on the sidelines we looked totally clueless and dysfunctional. Other tirades at offensive coaches and players in other televised games in which our offense played poorly didn't do much to bring kids to be a part of the "Husker family" , I would guess. No kid who is highly recruited and not from Nebraska and in love with Huskerball is going to go somewhere in chaos. Rumors abound that the offensive coaches will be or should be fired. The ultra conservative play of late, likely by necessity, will be judged by many potential recruits as the way we want to go. It may be the case depending on what Watson's comments to Gabbert quoted mean. At any rate, before we get top quality and possible game breakers on offense, we have to settle on an offensive philosophy and explain it to the kids and get them to buy into it. Being invited to be a Husker doesn't mean what it used to in these out of state kids. We are simply one of many teams below the elites of college football struggling to get better. We need the staff to settle down. We need less public displays of rants. We need an offensive scheme that we are going to play and stick with and the coaches that believe in it. If Bo ain't happy with it- it's like Momma not being happy--it just won't work. If he wants a power running attack or an option game that throws the ball very seldom, get the staff that buys into that and recruit the kids to make it go. We are in danger of having a very poor recruiting year. So far Bo has done well with Callahan's talent. That means nothing if he can't get an offense and recruit!! Don't blame the kids when it's our lack of focus on offense that has fans shaking their heads, coaches saying different things and recruits saying "No thank you".