Roy CO HSKR

Are any of you attending this? http://www.coloradans4nu.com/CFNRecruitingParty.htm

I was only relying on who the coaches started in the last 2 games.

I put this together, so there may be errors. I didn't include any back-ups on rotation or extra DBs for niclke/dime schemes. Astericks are letters earned (2004). Class rank is for eligibility only. What do you think? 2006 Beginning Roster (End of 2005 minus Ineligibles) TE (Y): 11 Matt Herian***, 6-5, 240, Sr., Pierce, Neb. 81 Josh Mueller*, 6-5, 265, Jr., Columbus, Neb. (instead of Phillips) LT: 54 Chris Patrick, 6-4, 285, Jr., Ithaca, Mich. -or- 76 Lydon Murtha, 6-7, 315, So., Hutchinson, Minn. LG: 65 Greg Austin**, 6-1, 290, Sr., Cypress, Texas C: 50 Kurt Mann*, 6-4, 290, Sr., Grand Island, Neb. RG: 61 Mike Huff, 6-4, 300, So., Ralston, Neb. RT: 70 Matt Slauson, 6-5, 340, So., Colorado Springs, Colo. WR (X): 87 Nate Swift, 6-2, 195, So., Hutchinson, Minn. WR (Z): 83 Terrence Nunn*, 6-0, 185, Jr., Houston, Texas FB: 41 Dane Todd**, 5-10, 235, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. HB/SPLIT BACK: 20 Marlon Lucky, 6-0, 210, So., North Hollywood, Calif. IB: 34 Cody Glenn, 6-0, 230, So., Rusk Texas Note: these 3 backs I anticipate rotating, so that 2 are on the field together, ala USC. QB: 13 Zac Taylor, 6-2, 210, SR., Norman, Okla. DEFENSE OPEN DE: 44 Jay Moore*, 6-4, 270, Sr., Elkhorn, Neb. LT: 54 Ola Dagundaro, 6-2, 290, Sr., Inglewood, Calif. RT: 94 Barry Cryer, 6-2, 275, Sr., Marrero, La. BASE DE: 90 Adam Carriker**, 6-6, 280, Sr., Kennewick, Wash. Note: I anticipate Turner to be added at times as Rush End/Rush LB. in nickle/dime formations. SAM LB: 34 Stewart Bradley**, 6-4, 240, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah MIKE: 13 Corey McKeon, 6-1, 225, Jr., Naperville, Ill. WILL LB: 15 Steve Octavien, 6-0, 235, Sr., Naples, Fla. STRONG CB: 2 Cortney Grixby*, 5-9, 165, Jr., Omaha, Neb.(Brothers/Palmer?) FS: 31 Jackson, Leon, 6-2 210 So. Pasco, Wash. SS: 8 Andrew Shanle**, 6-1, 205, Sr., St. Edward, Neb. WEAK CB: 1 Zackary Bowman, 6-2, 190,Sr.,Anchorage,Alaska SPECIALISTS PK: 29 Jordan Congdon, 5-11, 180, So., San Diego, Calif. P: 97 Dan Titchener, 6-0, 195, So., Cheyenne, Wyo. LSNAP: 92 Lane Kelly**, 6-4, 270, Sr., Omaha, Neb. KOR: 30 Tierre Green*, 6-1, 200, Jr., Omaha, Neb. 20 Marlon Lucky, 6-0, 210, So., North Hollywood, Calif. PR: 2 Cortney Grixby, 5-9, 165, Jr., Omaha, Neb. 83 Terrence Nunn*, 6-0, 185, Jr., Houston, Texas

The following is from another forum of which I am NOT a member; it is a free public access board. From rojo: The two coaches Callahan retained from the old staff got their head coaching jobs and moved on---Gill to Buffalo, Downing to Northern Colorado. Of the coaches Callahan brought in, all have stayed tight. The opportunities to move have been there: 1) Cosgrove declines a move to the Vikings: --"My family and our Nebraska family came first in making my final decision. I am committed to coach Callahan and the Nebraska football program, and helping build toward a championship here." Notice the words: --“our Nebraska family.” --“committed to coach Callahan” --“a championship.” 2) John Blake was approached by Miami: --A year ago Miami probed Blake’s interest in a possible move from Lincoln. His reply: “I am totally committed to the Nebraska football program and helping us build a championship program here….” Again the words: --“committed” --“championship” 3) Bill Busch says "No" to Urban Meyer and Florida. --Busch was Meyer's assistant at Utah. When he took the Florida job, Meyer reportedly approached Busch about moving with him. Busch expressed his loyalty to Nebraska and let it go. 4) Dennis Wagner passes on a head coach opportunity at Utah State. --A year ago, Utah State asked Wagner to interview for the head coach opening. He declined. . Other football programs approaching our coaches? It’s a measure of quality. A measure of what you’ve got. As we continue to catch national attention, there will be more of that. A number of our assistants have overtly said that they want to be head coaches---Cosgrove, Norvell, Blake, Wagner and Shawn Watson. But in the meantime, luckily for us, they are “committed”---to Callahan and to Nebraska. And “championship” figures in there as well. The Bottom Line: My thought: Let's appreciate it. Enjoy the compliment to our staff and program. There are lots of things looking very promising around Husker football these days…. Just some things to think about… _________ In the interest of moving beyond debating the current with the past teams, I thought this is a good start on the FUTURE look and good times ahead! Roy

What is being lost in this argument is that to assemble a long term winning program that will compete for championships a DRASTIC change had to take place and that simply means going through very tough times to build back up. Comparing what took place in a rebuilding year with what took place earlier is NOT what Pederson is trying to accomplish. Who doesn't want to move on?

sdhusker: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_s...9&u_rnd=1110255

Bush skipping senior season! http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/news...tory?id=2289825

My impression is that Pterno knew he had to do 2 things get the team back on top: new assistants and top recruits. Does anyone know what staff changes he has made?

What we did the best in the Big 12 (12 games for NU): Pass Defense 3rd Pass Efficiency Def 2nd Rush Defense 5th Sacks By 1st Penaliies 4th (lowest) Red Zone Def 1st Opponents 3rd down Conversions 1st (worst %) Punting 1st Punt Returns 2nd Field Goals 1st (%) What we need the most improvement with: Scoring Offense 8th Turnover Margin 9th (worst) Rush Offense 12th Pass Efficiency 7th Sacks Against 11th 3rd down convert 11th It is apparent that last season's success was primarily due to the performance of the overall defense and of the special teams. Most of the improvement needed may be with the offensive line, although the bowl game was a bright spot in that area. The poor offensive #s are not only the result of the efficiency of the offensive line & QB, but also the blocking by TEs, RBs, WRs and the open routes run by the receivers and backs. What do you gals/guys think?

http://www.cfrc.com/Ratings_2005/Wk_17.htm

Attenton Naysayers: My prediction for the 2006 season- BC voted as Coach Of The Year by more than one service!

I copied this from another site of which I'm NOT a member. It is free public access. From rojo: You learn about yourself when you see how others see you. Sometimes you like it. Sometimes it hurts. Gary Barnett has been in the business a long time. His thoughts on football jobs and football schools are of interest. From Shawn Watson: “[barnett’s] words for me were, ‘You want to wake up every morning at a place were football is important, where winning is important, and where they walk the walk…. Nebraska is the place.’” From Barnett: “[Watson is] getting somewhere that he’s fully appreciated…. Where people understand the value of college football. He’s needing that right now, because we weren’t in that type of environment at CU. There’s just a lot you can get as a football coach at Nebraska that you can’t get at CU.” . Attendance is only a part of it, but it reflects the whole. Shawn Watson probably didn’t dwell on too long these numbers in choosing his job. But at least he would have sensed them and knew the message they carried… 2005 Average Attendance: (Tickets sold as reported to the NCAA) --Nebraska: 77,485 (soon to be 83,000+) --California: 60,377 --Colorado: 50,409 --San Diego State: 36,223 Traveling attendance to a bowl? Newspapers reported ~25,000 Nebraska fans at the Alamo Bowl. Cal and Colorado also went to bowls.... (?) This job’s going to be a lot different for Shawn Watson. Just some things to think about….

How much did Gsle Sayers, Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk weigh?

newearthhusker: You've got to come out of your shell!

Can someone explain to me why any qualified coach would want to work for Al Davis. Almost everyone in the last 15 years has been fired or ran away! If the owner doesn't get to you as HC, the premadonna players will. Just ask BC! Davis still owes Shanahan $250K in unpaid comp.

Thanks for the lineup. When the cubboard is bare, the only interim catchup is with JUCOs.

######: You have presented the case most definitively! This presentation illustrates exactly why I was crying for Solich's firing. Watching those blow-outs told me one thing; this would never be a championship team if Solich stayed. I really hope he cleans up his personal act and stays at Ohio U. He, I believe, is a good person and a reasonably good coach. Unfortunately for him, he was in over his head here.

If I had been in Pederson spot, I would have most definitely interviewed Gill and Pelini. What if all other prospects fell through? What would the naysayer crowd said if they weren't. How would those 2 have felt if they weren't at least listened to? It simply doesn't make a difference in whether they should have been interviewed, because that is commonly done, frequently, regardless of the ADs priority list. I can't, for the life of me, understand why people are treating this so much differently than the rest of what the athletic world has commonly done for many years!!! By the way

Former Fan: No, it is not better because keeping the status quo may look good for the short term, but will not enable the program to ever return to the championship caliber and sustain it. To do that, vision is needed and that is what Perlman and Pederson have. They saw the writing on the wall, that short term success can be blinding and would allow the program to degenerate over the long term. The 5-6 season is not unto itself any measure of the future, but rather a necessary rebound result of resurrecting the success of the team. We absolutely had to go through that to achieve success later. This is not new in history. It's the forward looking visionary who truly understands it, however. You will come to understand it, hopefully, in the years to come!

...and the losses were blowouts!!!

######: I agree with your assessment of the defense and special team's play this season. Which brings me to the thought about how some other teams have fared. Penn State was down for 4 yrs and now is back. Same coach, new assistants and much recruiting of top plyers over a long period. FSU: They have been below par for 3 yrs and have the same coach and system. OU: After winning the NC, Stoops has struggled below par these last 2 years. But their recruiting is up and they're coming back. Why can't Callahan get a break?

TheKid has the right answer. Winning heals all wounds. Although perhaps a poor analogy, The Broncos' fans were upset when the uniforms were drastically changed (back in maybe '97). I felt then that if the Bronco won the super Bowl, their would be no more clatter. Guess what? If the uniforms were charteuse with bright pink spots and they won the ultimate prize, the fans could almost tolerate it. In 2 years, BC will be everyone's coach and the talk will be about winning the Big 12, not this other garbage. Pederson will be praised for not only turning football around, but other sports,as well. He will be thanked for the grat improvement in facilities and everyone will be happy again. Well, most everyone! My suggestion is that we all stop derdging for the negative stuff and look to constuctively criticize and comment on the program and it's changes, rather than personalities and what could have been.

road rat: When you say that BC should have had a coach in place when he let Solich go then 2 scenarios are at play, possibly: 1) Pederson would have had a coach of his choice already comitted in "secret" by time of the last season game in Boulder, which, of course, wasn't the case. Since almost no coach could have had interviews without press scrutiny, Solich would have known what was coming before he was fired. How cruel would that have been! This scenario is ridiculous!! 2) Pederson would have searched in secret while keeping Solich on through the bowl game and during that recruiting period. This is also silliness, since again the media would know and, therefore, Solich would know. Your assumption is that the impossible could have taken place! I'm still challenging any of you to explain how Pederson could have avoided your many objections to how he so poorly handled the situation. In my subjective personal opinion, Pederson could not have resolved the coaching dilemna in a way that would have satisfied all the fans.

from rojo: I. The Cosgrove-Elmassian partnership is preserved. Elmassian has logged 9 years as a Defensive Coordinator. In fact the reason Elmo left Wisconsin and Cosgrove after 3 years (1997-99) was that Nick Saban hired Elmassian to be LSU’s Defensive Coordinator. Cosgrove wanted Elmassian to be on his staff at Nebraska. Elmo and John Blake were the first assistants that Coz went after to hire. Blake signed on first; Coach E later. Elmassian acts as Coz's eyes upstairs on gameday. A. The Coz-Elmo connection at Wisconsin: A 48-place improvement. --1997: Scoring Defense: #49 in the nation---23 points/game --1998: Scoring Defense: #1---10 pts/game --1999: Scoring Defense: #5---13 pts/game B. Their years at Nebraska: A 46-place improvement. --2004: Scoring Defense: #71---27 points/game --2005: Scoring Defense: #25---21 points/game --2006… Working well with someone is an intangible largely invisible to outsiders like us. Cosgrove and Elmassian apparently believe that they do that. The numbers seem to show it. . II. What Coz did at Nebraska this year despite… --Season-ending injuries to three Linebackers (Octavien, Bradley, Ruud). --Two DB's going early to the NFL (J. Bullocks and Washington). -–Limited depth. The progress in two years: --Total Defense: A 30-place improvement (from #56 to #26) --Scoring Defense: A 46-place improvement (from #71 to #25) --Pass Efficiency Defense: A 38-place improvement (from #48 to #10) --Preventing 3rd Down Conversions: #6 in the nation. --Yards Allowed per Play: An 18-place improvement (from #33 to #15) --Tackles-for-Loss: #1 in the nation --Sacks: #1 in the nation. . The Bottom Line: Callahan and Cosgrove and staff have got a purpose here. Last year Blake declined an opportunity to move to Miami. This year Cosgrove takes himself out of a possible move to NFL coaching. Cally brought in a staff with the up-front purpose of getting Nebraska back to National Championship level. Both Blake and Cosgrove have proved that they bought into that. We’re the benefactors. Perhaps we should do two things: 1) Appreciate what they've done. 2) Enjoy the ride---and feel the momentum build. Just some things to think about… ________ When a program starts showing success, coaches start getting offers. Stability in Huskerland seems to be excellent for '06. This environment established by BC is apparently very good for the coaching staff. Of sourse, coaches want to advance themselves professionally, but it is evident that this staff has something special that they are want to achieve! Roy

I don't think that Pederson was lying about Nutt. He gave Nutt the opportunity to seriously discuss it. Nothing moved. He had to give Peleni and Gill those interviews out of courtesy or it would have been worse. Why would you discuss sensitive queries and discussions with potential candidates wirth the public? No one would ever talk to you if you did, because they have employers and other options. Secret is not only good, but necessary. You still have not answered my questions about specific moves and the timing if you were the AD. I don't believe you can and that's my point.