State of Husker Football

[robsker]

So... as we head into the Big 10 next year there are certain things know from this season..

 

The good part....

 

the Blackshirts will still be very good (especially if Dennard & Crick stay)--- L.David, B. Steinkuhler, C. Meredith, A. Cassidy, C. Osborne, PJ Smith, E. Martin... and add Fisher... so long as Dennard and Crick stay, NU will have one of the top 3 defenses in the B12.

 

The maybe not so good part... Special teams? How will we replace Kunalic and especially Henery? We cannot possibly be as good next year in this realm... but hopefully we'll be ok

 

The bad part...

 

poor offensive coaching and game plan. An embarrassing head coach whose demeanor and lack of professionalism has, and will even more so, continue to degrade the Huskers reputation nationally (the reason being the enhanced exposure we will get next year).Undisciplined team in general... penalties, lack of consistent preparation for games, turnovers, poor offensive line fundamentals, well below average WR'ers, seemingly an unknown at QB. Literally an unknown at QB. Martinez is looking less likely to be the man in the future than ever before (that may change, who knows). Cody Green is not a D1 QB. So... the offense... is likely to be a bottom dweller relative to the rest of the B10 (somewhere around what 8,9,10 or so in the conference. We will miss Helu a great deal --- and if TMart is out of the picture (who knows? that is possible... maybe probable) big play potential will be missing.

 

Overall... things do not look really good or... really bad. I'd guess based on now... and, of course, many things could change before we start next year... but NU looks like a mid-level B10 team (not a top 4 in conference but middle/upper middle of the next 4) going into next year. If things go well, NU could be a fringe top 25 team, perhaps?

 

In any event, next year our record will not be nearly as good as it is this year. I'd think that eight wins next year would be good.

 

We, as Husker fans, need to be realistic... the people on this board, generally, project onto our team what they desire and wish for the team to be. We are... this year... right now ranked at #16... and I think that there are more than 16 teams that are better than us. Does anybody really see NU as a BCS-caliber team? Come now... really?!

 

Lets just root for these guys and hope for the best. The state of NU football is that we are a fringe top 25 program... no more.. no less. The people on this board are manic --- one week NU is invincible the next week NU is horrible. No need to ride the roller-coaster if you see NU for what it is and adjust expectations accordingly. We have a solid program --- not a national contender.. but a solid program. Don't expect more than 8 wins next year... or expect that we win out this year.

I think you're giving way too much credit to the Big Ten. With us joining the Big Ten, we are finally giving them credibility. For the last 5 years, only Ohio State has been 1) relevant and 2)consistent.

 

Yes, it will be difficult to move to a new and navigate the very difficult schedule that we have next year, but 8 wins just seems too low with the returners we have coming back.

I might be giving the B10 too much credit... I admit. What makes me wonder is the reality that you have pointed out ... the top of the B10 has not been overly relevant.

 

However, what makes me give them the credit I do is that while the top has not been awesome in the B10 --- the top-to-bottom overall across-the board competitiveness of most all the teams is very soild. There are 8 B10 teams that range from quite good down to merely good --- essentially no gimmes in that conference. Any week, nearly any B10 team can be a real challenge...

 

Now... we have fed on ISU, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri (historically, though they are good now), Baylor (they too are OK now)... many teams that are --- at times somewhat competitive --- but generally not. NU, in the B12, can take a week or two (or three) off each season and still win. Can't do that in the B10.

 

My concern is how often the Pelini crew comes out flat and unmotivated, w/o fire and unfocused. Yes, at other times they come out on fire. You can never tell which team shows up (though the defense is generally, far more consistently focused than is the offense). Come out flat against Kansas, SDSU, ISU and you still win. Do that even against Illinois, Penn State, Purdue, MSU, Iowa --- the middle of the B10 pack --- even Northwestern ... and we don't win all those.

 

Yes, Indiana and Minnasota are gimmes.. but the rest you can not go to sleep on. and NU goes to sleep way too often to expect not to get thumped by someone they should not lose to.

 

There is, however, a potential good point with this. Since NU tends to play down to their competition... their knowing that anyone in the B10 (generally) is a potential pitfall --- may make NU more ficused and playing better.

[austintxhusker]

I think we improve on the Defensive side of the ball alot next year. I dont think we will have to run this 4-1-6 or 4-2-5 defense every week. We will be able to play a much more sound style of defense..

 

And as long as we keep Bo we will be fine.

 

 

We lose Prince Amukamara --- likely a 1st rounder. Hagg... another NFL cannot miss player. Gomes... another NFL guy. Three in the secondary... all excellent and all gone. It is inconceivable that the secondary will be improved (and unlikely that it is nearly as good) in view of losing 3 guys to the NFL! Now... if Dennard goes pro early... the dropoff with 4 NFL guys leaving the secondary will be staggering.

 

Pierre Allan... a good player, gone. Thenarse, gone. West gone. (Sure Thenars and West had some issues... but both were contributors and both added depth... and they leave too.) And... if Crick leaves... wow... not good.

 

So, my friend... I concede (as stated in my original post) that the Blackshirts will still be good --- a top 3 or so in the B10 --- but better than this year?! Not possible --- you cannot lose that amount of talent and improve.

 

 

How many players did we lose in the secondary last year? Asante,and another saftey that was good, We lost Suh and who else. I think we will be fine. And I dont think Dennard or Crick leave early for the draft.

 

Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I think we improve on the Defensive side of the ball alot next year. I dont think we will have to run this 4-1-6 or 4-2-5 defense every week. We will be able to play a much more sound style of defense..

 

And as long as we keep Bo we will be fine.

 

 

We lose Prince Amukamara --- likely a 1st rounder. Hagg... another NFL cannot miss player. Gomes... another NFL guy. Three in the secondary... all excellent and all gone. It is inconceivable that the secondary will be improved (and unlikely that it is nearly as good) in view of losing 3 guys to the NFL! Now... if Dennard goes pro early... the dropoff with 4 NFL guys leaving the secondary will be staggering.

 

Pierre Allan... a good player, gone. Thenarse, gone. West gone. (Sure Thenars and West had some issues... but both were contributors and both added depth... and they leave too.) And... if Crick leaves... wow... not good.

 

So, my friend... I concede (as stated in my original post) that the Blackshirts will still be good --- a top 3 or so in the B10 --- but better than this year?! Not possible --- you cannot lose that amount of talent and improve.

 

 

How many players did we lose in the secondary last year? Asante,and another saftey that was good, We lost Suh and who else. I think we will be fine. And I dont think Dennard or Crick leave early for the draft.

 

Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard

Lets not forget O'Hanlon either.

[robsker]

I think we improve on the Defensive side of the ball alot next year. I dont think we will have to run this 4-1-6 or 4-2-5 defense every week. We will be able to play a much more sound style of defense..

 

And as long as we keep Bo we will be fine.

 

 

We lose Prince Amukamara --- likely a 1st rounder. Hagg... another NFL cannot miss player. Gomes... another NFL guy. Three in the secondary... all excellent and all gone. It is inconceivable that the secondary will be improved (and unlikely that it is nearly as good) in view of losing 3 guys to the NFL! Now... if Dennard goes pro early... the dropoff with 4 NFL guys leaving the secondary will be staggering.

 

Pierre Allan... a good player, gone. Thenarse, gone. West gone. (Sure Thenars and West had some issues... but both were contributors and both added depth... and they leave too.) And... if Crick leaves... wow... not good.

 

So, my friend... I concede (as stated in my original post) that the Blackshirts will still be good --- a top 3 or so in the B10 --- but better than this year?! Not possible --- you cannot lose that amount of talent and improve.

 

 

How many players did we lose in the secondary last year? Asante,and another saftey that was good, We lost Suh and who else. I think we will be fine. And I dont think Dennard or Crick leave early for the draft.

 

Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard

Lets not forget O'Hanlon either.

 

Last year we did lose O'Hanlon, Turner, Dillard, Suh, and Asante. And... last years defense was better than this years defense. NU is still a great defense this year... but last years D was better.

 

This year, arguably... the loss of Amukamara, Hagg, Gomes, Allan are as big --- if not bigger a loss than what we lost last year. But the real issue is who remains to take their place. We'll still be a very good defense next year. But last year was better than this year and next will be a modest step down again (from 2009 the best defense -- to 2010 a top 5-7 defense to 2011 maybe a top 10-12 defense). A top 10-12 defense is still quite good. Again, if Dennard and Crick both leave... well then the D is another step down --- or if only one leaves we drop just a little more.

 

In any event the D will be by far our best unit next year -- as it has been for some time now.

[irafreak]

I think we improve on the Defensive side of the ball alot next year. I dont think we will have to run this 4-1-6 or 4-2-5 defense every week. We will be able to play a much more sound style of defense..

 

And as long as we keep Bo we will be fine.

 

 

We lose Prince Amukamara --- likely a 1st rounder. Hagg... another NFL cannot miss player. Gomes... another NFL guy. Three in the secondary... all excellent and all gone. It is inconceivable that the secondary will be improved (and unlikely that it is nearly as good) in view of losing 3 guys to the NFL! Now... if Dennard goes pro early... the dropoff with 4 NFL guys leaving the secondary will be staggering.

 

Pierre Allan... a good player, gone. Thenarse, gone. West gone. (Sure Thenars and West had some issues... but both were contributors and both added depth... and they leave too.) And... if Crick leaves... wow... not good.

 

So, my friend... I concede (as stated in my original post) that the Blackshirts will still be good --- a top 3 or so in the B10 --- but better than this year?! Not possible --- you cannot lose that amount of talent and improve.

We also lost Suh our 2 safeties our top linebacker and was it Pierre Allen on the Dline last year and our D is starting to thrive again. We'll be fine next year defensively. Offensively we are offensive. We've had trouble executing for 2 years now. That's not a player issue. Apparently the system isn't working for these kids (at least not without Taylor hitting big plays).

[ESPY]

Espy. I understand what you mean about the staff. However, a situation must be created where the offensive staff is accountable to the coordinator. That the coordinator has some power and sway. If that situation doesn't exist, it should be brought into existence. Then, because of the coordinator's guidance of the offensive unit, he would be held rightly accountable for on the field performance. Maybe this trouble on offense comes right down to those weird titles we gave people at the beginning of all this. Are there position coaches who are getting in the way of Wats imposing the discipline necessary to clean up the mistakes that have plagued us? What is Cotton, the associate head coach or something like that? Bust these guys down to position coaches. Give Wats the authority and therefor the accountability. Then, if it doesn't improve, excuses won't be necessary. We will just kick Wats out and bring in somebody else to do the job.

Excellent points. Agree 100%. There has to be accountability. Everyone must be held to standards. And when those standards are not met, we need a head coach who is willing to cut ties when things aren't working.