The Tell tale sign IMO

[landonhusker]

People all over have varying degrees of like and dislike for Callahan and staff. Everyone, it seems, is waiting to see some change or improvement so that they can make their best judgement.

 

Well........................

 

Here is mine.

 

I think a big sign of Callahan and staff's abilities will come this year by simply seeing who the starting lineup is.

If Callahan does what is necessary you should see returning starters Grixby, Jones, Ruud, as well as players with significant playing time, Swift, Petersen, Nunn all on the bench.

 

If Callahan does not make these changes that will say more to me than any play called or defesive adjustment made.

 

We have significantly more talented players at each spot that the aforementioned players occupy and if Championship Football is what Callahan wants then he has some tough decisions ahead.

 

Personally i dont think he has the stones. I think Ruud and the rest will somehow be on the field every down in which case i will lose all confidence in this staff. These decisions will tell us the direction that Callahan is trying to go. To win the Big games you have to play the best people.

 

Just a know-it-alls ( who knows nothing) opinion

[np_husker]

People all over have varying degrees of like and dislike for Callahan and staff. Everyone, it seems, is waiting to see some change or improvement so that they can make their best judgement.

 

Well........................

 

Here is mine.

 

I think a big sign of Callahan and staff's abilities will come this year by simply seeing who the starting lineup is.

If Callahan does what is necessary you should see returning starters Grixby, Jones, Ruud, as well as players with significant playing time, Swift, Petersen, Nunn all on the bench.

 

If Callahan does not make these changes that will say more to me than any play called or defesive adjustment made.

 

We have significantly more talented players at each spot that the aforementioned players occupy and if Championship Football is what Callahan wants then he has some tough decisions ahead.

 

Personally i dont think he has the stones. I think Ruud and the rest will somehow be on the field every down in which case i will lose all confidence in this staff. These decisions will tell us the direction that Callahan is trying to go. To win the Big games you have to play the best people.

 

Just a know-it-alls ( who knows nothing) opinion

 

I agree. But for the record, I don't know anything either.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

We shall see............

[coyeote]

I too agree you don't know anything. Determining who starts and who plays right now is pretty interesting IMO.

 

For all I know Ruud may come back next year 20 lbs heavier, a step quicker and with an attitude chewing railroad spikes for breakfast and eating buffalo burgers right off the hoof. Heck for all I know Grixby will finally hit puberty and be 6'3" tall and begin shaving.

 

My opinion is that that Callahan and his staff for the most part put the best defensive players on the field they had available. Maybe not the most talented or gifted in some respects but the best players. If they do so again this year, some of the young kids step up, maybe even some new blood step up etc. and they not only play tough in each game but win one or two they they are not expected too or could go either way that will tell me more about the team and staff than anything. The measure of the team is not who plays but whether they walk away with a W or not. But that's just my opinion.

[General Blackshirt]

i agree, maybe part of the problem with our Defense isn't that "coz sucks" as so many people would say, but that we dont have the right players for his style of Defense.....

 

i think our Defense will be allright.....

[DJR313]

People all over have varying degrees of like and dislike for Callahan and staff. Everyone, it seems, is waiting to see some change or improvement so that they can make their best judgement.

 

Well........................

 

Here is mine.

 

I think a big sign of Callahan and staff's abilities will come this year by simply seeing who the starting lineup is.

If Callahan does what is necessary you should see returning starters Grixby, Jones, Ruud, as well as players with significant playing time, Swift, Petersen, Nunn all on the bench.

 

If Callahan does not make these changes that will say more to me than any play called or defesive adjustment made.

 

We have significantly more talented players at each spot that the aforementioned players occupy and if Championship Football is what Callahan wants then he has some tough decisions ahead.

 

Personally i dont think he has the stones. I think Ruud and the rest will somehow be on the field every down in which case i will lose all confidence in this staff. These decisions will tell us the direction that Callahan is trying to go. To win the Big games you have to play the best people.

 

Just a know-it-alls ( who knows nothing) opinion

 

Once again, I disagree with you. How on earth do you know that there are more talented players on the bench? Do you think Thenarse is better than Jones or Grixby? He said he got beat on every play in practice against receivers that you think aren't good enough to play. Who do we have that is better than Ruud? Somebody that has never shown anything in a game? Octavien is hurt almost all the time. Next year, Ruud will get moved to the strongside so that they can be on the field at the same time(provided Octavien stays healthy for more than 1 game). Petersen? That kid gives maximum effort and rarely drops a pass. Same with Swift. I will agree with Nunn, he drops waaaaaaaaaaaay too many passes to be considered a #1 or even # 2 threat. #1 receivers don't drop 6 passes in a Bowl game. Once again, I would like to hear your "logic" on how you assert that there are players so much better(OMG!!1) that are sitting behind these guys that suck. The only player that I believe should take some pine is Nunn. He went straight in the tank after that fumble against Texas.

[MCAT800]

Sometimes you may have better talent on the bench, but with limited or no experience.

I would then take the guy who may be less talented, but with more experience.

In Grixby's case the the trombone player may be a better choice but time will tell.

The fourth year will be a big one but one excuse for BC is that even though he has recruited well he hasn't had the years to fill the depth chart with talent nor the time to replace all of Solich's recruits.

[landonhusker]

its simple logic.

 

If the more experience player is playing well i would agree, but there is no way you can say with a straight face that Thenarse or Culbert could have done any worse than Shanle

 

Thenarse may have been getting beat in practice but has the ability to make one (1) play , Grixby got beat every play and didnt make a single play, there for it couldnt have been any worse only potentially better.

 

Ruud, if you honestly think Ruud is good there may be no help for you, hell against Mizzou we played Culbert at a hybrid spot and he played better than Ruud ever did. He is fundamentally sound fine but if you are in the right place all the time but cant get off of blocks and make plays what the hell is the point.

 

Petersen and swift are nice players, but if we are recruiting like we are supposed to have been then Henry, Holt, Paul, Purify, and another athlete should be ahead of them. catching the ball and getting open are nice but not if it takes twice as long to get open. also you cannot stretch the field with them.

 

You act as though i dislike the player personally, i DONT, they just shouldnt play.

 

If Terrell Farley's playing time was judged by whether he was fundamentally sound and in the right place HE WOULD HAVE NEVER PLAYED.

 

Do me a favor, watch tapes of the good Defenses out there and find me one LB that arm tackles only, find me one player that Ruud would play in front of from USC, Ohio st, Michigan, LSU, Auburn, Florida,Miami, if you can ill eat my hat YOU CANT! MEDIOCRITY ENSCONCHED AROUND NICE GUYS (LEGACIES) IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. RUUD IS A GOOD KID GET OVER IT, HE IS NOT TALENTED ENOUGH TO PLAY AND IF HE IS THEN WELL IT SAYS ALOT ABOUT OUR RECRUITING.

[HANC]

Now I am speaking as a coach, so forgive me if I get a little critical.......We as fans have NO IDEA who is better or not.... We are basing all of our info. on publicity, opinion, or some recruiting guru..... until we as fans go to every practice, every meeting, WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE CRITICAL of who the coaches put on the field....

 

Even at the high school level, I get sick of fans who "wonder" why this kid isn't playing or this kid.... and if I don't play him, I don't have the guts to "bench" a starter..... Wow, it may be because I see these kids daily, for hours upon hours, and I may have an idea who I "trust" on the field....

 

Sorry.... I hope I didn't offend anyone, because I know the purpose of this board is to have the freedom to express opinions, and everyone is entitled, and YES, I TOO , become critical at times....but rarely of personnel decisions....

[landonhusker]

NO OFFENSE TAKEN

 

I may not know a lot, but (and i hate name dropping) a former LB for us works for me. We have this discussion every day. He is on my page. He thinks Ruud is awful, 2 of his good friends who played here whom ive had the good fortune of getting to know think Ruud is awful.

 

now while i may know nothing i take their word for it do to the fact they do know good from bad.

[gamecocks]

NO OFFENSE TAKEN

 

I may not know a lot, but (and i hate name dropping) a former LB for us works for me. We have this discussion every day. He is on my page. He thinks Ruud is awful, 2 of his good friends who played here whom ive had the good fortune of getting to know think Ruud is awful.

 

now while i may know nothing i take their word for it do to the fact they do know good from bad.

 

I don't know if the fact that they were personally good at football means that they know if a player is good or bad or not. Lets use Micheal Jordan as an example. I think we all can agree that he was a good basketball player, yes? However, he made some very bad personal decisions when he was the GM of the Wizards.

[HANC]

I too agree that Ruud has a lot too be desired....and I too would take a former/current player's opinion with some stock.....while I was at NU, my roommate was the starting left OT opposite Will Shields, and he too had very valuable opinions....

 

My point was that we can't determine "how talented" the reserves or recruits are until we see them....

Thenarse is a primary example....many of us, including me, wondered why he didn't see the field much, especially with our CB problems..... then, it was publicly written that he continually got torched in practice by lesser WR....late in the season..

 

By the way Landon...... I don't know crap either , but it is fun to act like it once in a while

[Hunter94]

gee guys, i think we can at least trust the coaches to put the best athletes on the field, don't you think? we may not like the ability of some of these kids, but damn, i sure hope/think we don't let talent/experience sit on the bench? the other thing that i hope is happening, is we are (at least on the D side of the ball) tayloring the schemes to fit the ability of the specific position players, otherwise we are trying to put the square peg in the round hole........thoughts?

[MCAT800]

Well of course I can't say anything regarding how players will or will not produce.

I'm not at there practice, meetings, film study.

But from a HS coach perspective I would say that if Shanle, Ruud, or Grixby is on the field then there must be a reason that we don't know about.

Every season we have one or two undercalssmen that really shine in drills, study, and in scrimmage and then in the game they have those "wide eyes" but their development has started, that is the one thing that I would like to see done better at NU, get some young guys in the game and allow them to develop.

[huskers1]

I am sick of hearing people say why would we bench this player? He gives maximum effort every play, or he plays sooo hard every play. If it was only about effort there would have never been a "Rudy" because he would have been playing all the time sucking and he would be remembered as a terrible player instead of a legend. The best player should play no matter what. If two players are equal then I say the player with the most heart and determination should get the nod. I dont care how long youve been somewhere, if a freshman is better than a senior the freshman should play, no questions asked. I have had questions about this in the past, but I think they will come through next year and play the clear cut best people. I think that will be Purify, Nunn (yes I said it), Holt, Brooks, and Hardy in certain plays (hes too damn fast to keep him off the field, swing plays or something like that). I think Octavian, Mceon, and Dillard at SLB will be the LB's. I think the secondary will be Green, Asante, Bowmann, Murillo, and Jones, Grixby and Thenarse also getting playing time. The post above me was just before mine, I totally agree with it by the way.