I am not calling for Watsons head

[husker rob]

so dont get that idea.

 

i think that he is a good OC, but i do believe that he needs to be on the field working with the Offense (players and coaches)

 

with that said,

 

did anyone else see that the Raiders just fired Lane Kiffen?

 

USC had a pretty good offense while he was there. Might be something to look at if Watson chooses to leave.

[Pedro Guerrero]

Kiffen will be a head coach at a D1 school next year if not he will be back at USC because the joker that is there now isn't that good on his own.

 

If Watson is down on the sidelines who do you guys think should be his eye in the sky?

 

Maybe it is just me but I always thought the OC should be upstairs and the DC should be on the sidelines. That may be me though.

[robsker]

so dont get that idea.

 

i think that he is a good OC, but i do believe that he needs to be on the field working with the Offense (players and coaches)

 

with that said,

 

did anyone else see that the Raiders just fired Lane Kiffen?

 

USC had a pretty good offense while he was there. Might be something to look at if Watson chooses to leave.

 

I am with you in that Watson is fine. I have no problems with him at all. that said, I'd trade him in a heartbeat for Lane Kiffen. Who wouldn't?

[billdozer15]

HAD a good offense, i would say it is still pretty darn good. I dont think we need to be pushing Watson out the front door.

[TheKiD]

I like a lot of things Watson is doing.. let's face it we have a GOOD offense; it is not GREAT at this point.. some of that is coaching, some of that is execution. We don't exactly have a bunch of all-conference or all-american players on offense.

 

That said, there are some obvious problems with the offense. We have to get a running game going, we lack the balance and rhythm that it gives a WCO. Play calling seems much better later in the game than earlier, I think he has a tendency to overthink things early in the game, that needs to be corrected.

[Igetbored216]

Watson needs to give this offense a purpose. An identity. They have some good players that are capable of making plays, but they need to get the ball to do that. Right now (could be wrong), it just appears that the offense is trying to do what works at the time. That's not what is needed. You can't try to do a little bit of everything and hope something works. Otherwise the result will be...well, see "Virginia Tech game".

 

Now, I'm no offensive guru (it's probably why I'm not an OC), but here is how I see things.

 

Top Contributors on Offense (possible contributors):

- Swift

- Peterson

- Lucky

- Helu

(Holt)

(Paul)

 

I am well aware that these players aren't break away stars, but they are good, solid players. They need to get the ball in their hands, and I think they need to be on the field at the same time.

 

How to use these contributors:

- Swift - he has great hands. He's a good possession receiver. He has also been pretty successful at running that little quick pass Nebraska has run a fair amount this year. He has also shown me alot as of late. He single handedly got Nebraska back into the game. He wants to make plays. Get him the freakin' ball.

- Peterson - pretty close to the above explanation.

- Lucky - he's not a RB (in my opinion). At least he shouldn't be in the RB position. You can do lots of fun things with him to keep the defense guessing. Put him in the slot. Let him make plays in the open field. Motion him and set up a Ganz/Helu/Lucky slot option. I am well aware Lucky isn't exactly ideal for a receiver, but at the same time, I have seen him make some incredible plays with his hands. He's a playmaker...I just don't think he is in the right position to make those plays.

- Helu - I really like this kid. His dancing aside (I really hope somebody talked to him about that), he is what Nebraska needs at running back. I think with Lucky in the slot and with Helu at RB...well, I think that would be a great combination having both of these playmakers on the field.

 

With Helu at RB, I think the running game would take off. Lucky would add a nice twist to the receiving corp, and Swift/Peterson can do what they have been doing all year long.

[Hunter94]

i would think Watson is looking at all combinations and all his options..

[lilred]

Is anyone else wondering what happened to what we were doing at the end of last year? It seems like Watson wants Ganz to be a drop-back passer.

[TrumanBD]

Not to point out the obvious, but it worked really well for you guys last time you hired someone fired by the Raiders . . .

[DCHusker]

Is anyone else wondering what happened to what we were doing at the end of last year? It seems like Watson wants Ganz to be a drop-back passer.

 

I'd have to watch the games again, but I haven't gotten the impression that Watson is using Ganz's mobility less this year. He ran a couple options in the VT game.

[gotchman]

Just a quick thought for all of you to ponder as you contemplate firing our OC after one loss. Our players have had 4 years of poor coaching, ingraining poor techniques, and poor habits. If any of you have ever been through any sort of intense training, you'd understand that you practice over and over until it becomes muscle memory. Football is a sport where if you need time to think about your technique or your responsibilities, it's too late, you are beat. All these techniques need to be like breathing, they need to just happen.

 

Now, every week you hear Pelini harping on executing during practice and games. Our players have to get to the point where the new techniques take over for the poor, and that's when you'll see marked improvement in the O-line, D-line, LB's and DB's. You just watch, by the mid way point of the season, you'll be seeing vastly improved blocking, better gap responsibility, and more pass deflections and less big plays. It won't be in time for Missouri, but by the time we play OU, I see us being able to run more effectively and playing better defense just because of the extra practice time.

 

I've read on other boards about getting on Watson for not running the ball enough, and that is a perfectly fine gripe, but in order to move the ball, we need balance and some outside the box thinking. I think the running game would vastly improve by adding a FB to the equation. I don't think Lawson or Mackovicka have seen the field yet this year. Throw in some counters and FB dive to the mix, that shakes it up a bit on O and will free up some toss sweeps, options, and draws. Sprinkle in some play action and some deep crossing patterns, and voila, your moving the ball again. (at least in my own theory!)

 

Let me know what you think. I do think we need to give some time for our players to get to the point where they lose these bad habits, hopefully sooner rather then later.

[huskerpilot]

agreed, keep watson

[hskerholic]

Not to point out the obvious, but it worked really well for you guys last time you hired someone fired by the Raiders . . .

 

Thats funny i was thinking get Kiffin here make up a position. But this makes me think about it twice

[lilred]

Is anyone else wondering what happened to what we were doing at the end of last year? It seems like Watson wants Ganz to be a drop-back passer.

 

I'd have to watch the games again, but I haven't gotten the impression that Watson is using Ganz's mobility less this year. He ran a couple options in the VT game.

 

I tend to disagree with that, although my memory may be failing me. I just want to see the Ganz from Colorado last year (fewer interceptions of course)

[captain obvious]

NO MORE FAILED RAIDERS COACHES AT NU.

 

That is all.