Sportingnews Ranks the B1G Coaches

[bshirt]

^ we seem to have switched conferences in the middle of Bo's "process". i'm doing my best to write off last year. but pressure is on.

 

Agreed, and I've given that caveat myself in past conversations. It's legit - but that doesn't mean progress is allowed to stop.

 

We're starting walk-ons while scholarship athletes ride the bench. Again stealing material from Sam's chat yesterday - we've probably offered schollies to several guys who should not have scholarships in the last couple of years. We need bodies, but we need to get better bodies.

 

This time last year we heard all about how much depth we had across both lines. We didn't have depth, we had bodies. They're not terrible players, but they're not Conference Championship players, and we need to get those guys to make the next step up. Even if we'd have stayed in the Big XII we wouldn't have had the horses last year.

 

I think this is what you & Chris are missing is.....we "are" bringing in lots & lots of mean uglies on both sides of the ball the last couple of years. This year is when we'll start seeing them. This year is when we'll actually have some real talent and depth on the Oline (something like 10,000 years ago was the last time).

 

Either this year or next year we'll have that for the DLine too. Or at least it's quite probable.

 

Here's what you two so desperately need.....

 

[True2tRA]

Agmarauder04-

I've thought about the fact that Taylor is the best we can do. If you think about the University of Nebraska overall, it has to be one of the best places for college football in the whole country. Most of the nation gives us that respect. Coaches want to coach here, and for the most part, we can get a look from any of the top athletes out there. The Quarterback position has just never been that way. When we ran the option, we recruited runners, and some damn good ones. We were the cream of the crop if you wanted to go somewhere and run the football. If you look at when Nebraska made that shift away from the option and towards the passing game, we somehow went from getting the best option QB's, to not being able to recruit an elite passer. We had some okay guys, and we had a few JUCO, and tranfer players come and go. We never have nailed that one guy from the top of the QB class in any year. When we got some highly rated kids like Beau Davis, or Harrison Beck, neither one of them was ever developed to anything relevant.

 

You have to look at coaching in that aspect in my opinion. A lot of the lack of offense at Nebraska points to Shawn Watson. More than that though, the absolute lack of QB development is shocking and also points to Watson.

 

The problem Beck could face, is that he is now not looking for an elite runner, or an elite passer, he's looking for the best of both worlds. You don't find those guys very often. When you do find them, there is usually a part of their game that needs some coaching and development. Thus far, this staff has not shown the ability to develop talent, and they certainly haven't done it very quickly. Martinez is supposed to take that "Junior Leap" in his development. We will see, but it sure seems like Nebraska has not had "that guy" back there in a long time.

[True2tRA]

Ndamukong Suh can make any defense look good.

[Excel]

Maybe from the outside looking in Brett is a great coach, I'll tell you that many Wisconsin fans don't view him as some mastermind genius type and he's made some pretty boneheaded clock management and play calling moves but hey it is what it is. He and his staff are extremely good at recruiting kids for the system we run and while in public he can come off as a jerk he's apparently quite a nice guy and does a lot for the community and state. I think, compared to other Big Ten Coaches he's probably third or fourth.

 

Ferentz and Fitz are great coaches given what they have to work with...same with Dantonio who in my opinion is the best coach in the Big Ten. It pains me to say it but I love Michigan State football or at least the way he runs it. Urban is also a killer coach and while he hasn't proven anything in the Big Ten his reputation precedes him, I think he'll be the top dog soon if he isn't already. Honestly I don't know what to think of Bo yet, flashes of brilliance at times but I just don't know...not a bad coach but not elite.

 

The only coach who I have issues with, or issues with the attention they get, is Hoke. I'm not impressed with him in the slightest. The rest aren't worth mentioning....except for Kill and that's only to point out that he sucks...bad.

[cscott2win]

As Bo would say.... It is what it is...

[Danny Bateman]

For me the honeymoon ended last season. The Holiday Bowl was a horrific event in our collective football modern history, but the reality is we were an under motivated team playing some scrubs from the Pac-10 we'd already beaten silly once before. Our limping QB wasn't up to it and yack yack blah. Excuses rain down. My real reason for concern is that there seems to be a downward trend on defense, the one thing I previously thought was going to anchor this team forever. Part of this has to do with shifting conferences, and part of it has to do with the fact that we're so thin at DT, if we'd had a spring game, there would have been guys playing two ways. This is after last year's disastrous defensive showing at all levels. I have no hope--none, nadda, nil--that the defense is going to be any better this year than it was last year. And if anyone has a single good reason to think it might, be prepared to hear the name "Lavonte David" combined with "absent" a lot in my followup response. Pelini is a mediocrity at this point. 9 wins a year is great. I don't think he can sustain that very long with the kind of 'talent' he had in the secondary last year. I'm also utterly underwhelmed with his appointments at both coordinator spots. I see this as a crucial season for Pelini. Not that I think he'll be fired if he has another letdown year like last year, but fan perception is a funny thing. It can shift, and once it starts to shift, it just gets worse and worse.

Who p#ssed in your cheerios boy?

 

[tschu]

It really seems that Nebraska's issues stem from its Offense. Defense seems to continue to do an admirable job of keeping it close, but the offense can't close the deal. I really can't believe there isn't a better QB on campus than Martinez. He just strikes me as incredibly....average.

Clearly you haven't seen Brion Carnes or Ron Kellogg play.

[tschu]

I think that Bo will be gone if he doesn't win a CCG within 4-5-6 years. If he doesn't leave on his own by then.

 

I really like Bo too, so this makes me sad.

[Moiraine]

I don't know much about Ferentz, and this is just one minor thing, but I never got around to writing about it when I meant to so I will now.

 

I watched three Iowa games last year. In each one, Iowa had a fourth down and less than two yards to go, and they rushed up to the line and snapped it instantly to try to catch the other team off guard. They tried this four times in the three games I watched (ours was one of them). Every single time they tried it, they were penalized for not getting set first and the drive was killed. So I would put him at 12th place for 4th down and short situations

[NUance]

Just like always...programs are built on recruiting and player development. Without it, programs will fail...or at the very least, plateau. I'm not convinced Nebrska is there yet.

This may be the least insightful motherhood statement I've ever read in my life. Do you know anything about geography? Or for that matter, college football?

 

Considering the scarcity of D1 recruits in the state of Nebraska, NU does a pretty fair job of pulling in recruits. Do you realize that we only get two or three recruits per year from the state of Nebraska? Then consider the vast wealth of D1 recruits in the state of Texas. And try to explain to me good sir why aTm has such a long history of fielding mediocre football teams. Year after year, decade after decade, coach after coach, Texas A&M can't seem to field a football that's worth a crap. Even though you have a ton of top notch recruits dropped into your lap every year. I am perplexed by aTm's incompetence.

[Treand3]

Just like always...programs are built on recruiting and player development. Without it, programs will fail...or at the very least, plateau. I'm not convinced Nebrska is there yet.

This may be the least insightful motherhood statement I've ever read in my life. Do you know anything about geography? Or for that matter, college football?

 

Considering the scarcity of D1 recruits in the state of Nebraska, NU does a pretty fair job of pulling in recruits. Do you realize that we only get two or three recruits per year from the state of Nebraska? Then consider the vast wealth of D1 recruits in the state of Texas. And try to explain to me good sir why aTm has such a long history of fielding mediocre football teams. Year after year, decade after decade, coach after coach, Texas A&M can't seem to field a football that's worth a crap. Even though you have a ton of top notch recruits dropped into your lap every year. I am perplexed by aTm's incompetence.

 

I'll give Ag a little credit in that he's right about player development and recruiting, in our case player development is crucial. However, NU's situation is not like most, as you stated NUance. I'm not knocking him because many outside of our fanbase don't fully understand.

 

 

[Warrior]

Why is there this universal infatuation with Ferentz?

Every year he is listed as a hot candidate for every pro and college opening.

Just what has he accomplished to warrant such idolizing and positive press?

 

I don't see it.

+1

 

Also Fitz does an amazing job at Northwestern He's a top 5 guy anytime IMO!

[Saunders]

I agree with most of what's been said in here. I was bored yesterday (sitting at the hospice with my granfather) so I did this. Take it FWIW.

 

Top 25 from 2012

 

Top 25 from 2012 - Sorted by winning percentage (minimum 4 years, Bo's tenure)

[Green and White]

Maybe from the outside looking in Brett is a great coach, I'll tell you that many Wisconsin fans don't view him as some mastermind genius type and he's made some pretty boneheaded clock management and play calling moves but hey it is what it is. He and his staff are extremely good at recruiting kids for the system we run and while in public he can come off as a jerk he's apparently quite a nice guy and does a lot for the community and state. I think, compared to other Big Ten Coaches he's probably third or fourth.

 

Ferentz and Fitz are great coaches given what they have to work with...same with Dantonio who in my opinion is the best coach in the Big Ten. It pains me to say it but I love Michigan State football or at least the way he runs it. Urban is also a killer coach and while he hasn't proven anything in the Big Ten his reputation precedes him, I think he'll be the top dog soon if he isn't already. Honestly I don't know what to think of Bo yet, flashes of brilliance at times but I just don't know...not a bad coach but not elite.

 

The only coach who I have issues with, or issues with the attention they get, is Hoke. I'm not impressed with him in the slightest. The rest aren't worth mentioning....except for Kill and that's only to point out that he sucks...bad.

 

Bucky - this is going to be an interesting year for Sparty... As you know we graduated a significant portion of our production on offense (QB, WR's and TE's)... Sparty returns with a truly 'killer' Defense, but we may have BIG questions on offense with inexperience (QB, WR's and TE's). Coach Dantonio (and his staff) will certainly have their work cut out for them on the offensive side of the ball.this season. Mark is a coach that bleeds Grn N Wht and the players believe completely in his philosophy. Sparty will probably never compete with an OSU recruiting level, but we do the best we can in developing our players to the fullest extent... We'll have to wait and see if his OC's can bring things together quickly this season.

 

One thing is this certainly is goin' to be another very interesting year in the B1G!

 

 

Ps. Saunder45 - God Bless your Grandfather... it's great to see you with him during this time... I have had both my parents in hospice and it is not easy for the family at all. Your Grandfather is in our prayers...

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

I agree with most of what's been said in here. I was bored yesterday (sitting at the hospice with my granfather) so I did this. Take it FWIW.

 

Top 25 from 2012

 

Top 25 from 2012 - Sorted by winning percentage (minimum 4 years, Bo's tenure)

good stuff