Great article...sadly!

[bdubb75]

Just ran across this from Twitter:

 

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130102/HUSKERS/701029909/1002#chatelain-nebraska-has-to-find-a-new-edge

 

Sadly, it's spot on in my opinion.

[funhusker]

I was going to start a new thread, but I'll just post it here. I keep seeing the stat 53.5 points and 595 yards in the 4 losses. This is a sad stat and obviously the reason the Huskers lost those four games. UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Georgia are all games the defense would like to take mulligans.

 

If writers and fans want to label a team as "overated" or in need of "philisophical change" based on four games, they need to also look at the other 10 games. In the 10 wins, NU gave up 17.2 points (under 17 if special team TD's and garbage points against ISU and Minn are taken out) and gave up 266.9 yards a game.

 

This team as problem areas, it has room for improvement. But it is not anything close to a "lost cause".

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

That article is written by Dirk who is a dick who is wildly critical of Bo. I'll consider the source.

[Stickney]

The 10 other games featured some "wildly" impressive offenses. Like IA. Or MN. Or Idaho state.

 

 

Folks, NU won (by luck or by will) 10 games that it SHOULD have won.

 

 

It then lost 4 games in ugly defensive fashion, 2 of which it should have won (WI and UCLA) on paper.

 

 

At the end of the day, for Bo's sake, all these rumored talented youngsters better be as rumored or Bo will be in a bad place come this time next year. (It certainly is possible -- reference Louisville vs Florida last night).

[QMany]

That article is written by Dirk who is a dick who is wildly critical of Bo. I'll consider the source.

 

This.

 

I think I've seen three links this morning pimping this article. I'm over Dirk, his agenda, and his writing.

[funhusker]

The 10 other games featured some "wildly" impressive offenses. Like IA. Or MN. Or Idaho state.

 

 

Folks, NU won (by luck or by will) 10 games that it SHOULD have won.

 

 

It then lost 4 games in ugly defensive fashion, 2 of which it should have won (WI and UCLA) on paper.

 

 

At the end of the day, for Bo's sake, all these rumored talented youngsters better be as rumored or Bo will be in a bad place come this time next year. (It certainly is possible -- reference Louisville vs Florida last night).

And Nebraska did exactly what is was "supposed to" in those ten games. First off, they won. Secondly, they held those "wild" offenses in check.

 

I agree that the 4 losses were ugly. But I don't think NU needs to make changes to the way it does business like Dirk eludes to.

 

NU's defense needs playmakers. And hopefully they were on the sidelines this year.

[Huskerfan1985]

I would say Dirk is somewhat correct on with his assessment. The Nebraska brand is what it is. It's the same reason we will be a top 25 preseason team next year and have been the last couple years. Just because Bo isn't giving Dirk his sales pitch doesn't mean he doesn't have a good one. How are these for example: Every game you plan in will be sold out, you will live like a rockstar because NU football has no other competition (ie. other in state schools / nfl), be a part of storied tradition. these are just a few. I believe that Bo intentionally bit the bullet this year with not using up red shirts. We will be better off in the long run due to this season's sacrifices.

 

Honestly, what was Snider's pitch? we will play clean football every single year and develop unbelievable talent? Don't get me wrong, Snider has done a tremendous job but it isn't something you're going to repeat very often. This article seems more like "fan boy" Dirk than anything else. he makes it seem like Nebraska needs to have some signiture trait because of the "everybody else is doing it" mentality. It just seems like an overreaction to me.

[Jim Hammer]

This is the most important point he makes in my opinion:

 

A staff of assistant coaches that never left, creating an environment not only conducive to great game management, but talent development.

 

Good coaches can build talent. We used to bring in walk-on linemen and mold them into All-Americans by the time they were seniors. But those assistants didn't have aspirations of being head coaches elsewhere. I think the assistants we have now are talented, but they need experience and that takes time. If we keep these coaches, we could be great again, but it;s going to be years down the road.

[junior4949]

I was going to start a new thread, but I'll just post it here. I keep seeing the stat 53.5 points and 595 yards in the 4 losses. This is a sad stat and obviously the reason the Huskers lost those four games. UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Georgia are all games the defense would like to take mulligans.

 

If writers and fans want to label a team as "overated" or in need of "philisophical change" based on four games, they need to also look at the other 10 games. In the 10 wins, NU gave up 17.2 points (under 17 if special team TD's and garbage points against ISU and Minn are taken out) and gave up 266.9 yards a game.

 

This team as problem areas, it has room for improvement. But it is not anything close to a "lost cause".

 

The problem with looking at the 10 wins is the fact that Northwestern is probably the only team we beat that will finish in the top 25. In our losses, Wisconsin will finish the season unranked. It's also quite likely UCLA after being taken to the shed by Baylor finishes the season unranked. I'm not in the camp that we're a lost cause, but I do have problems with how poor our defense was and how many of them are graduating. If one is in the camp that believes Bo kept all of his talent on the bench, then we should be just fine. However if this is the case, then I have a problem with that.

 

If Martinez progesses like he has so far going into next season, we should be in pretty decent shape on offense. The schedule next year looks favorable. Hopefully someone on defense steps up.

[Jmc9583]

Great points lets just drop football. Dumb article

[The Duke]

That article is written by Dirk who is a dick who is wildly critical of Bo. I'll consider the source.

I won't disagree with you about Dirk's personality or how he goes about his business. I especially think more often than not his attitude towards Bo and the program at press conferences tarnishes his trade profession. Two years ago I thought the article that he wrote about Martinez before the Ohio State game was one of the un-classiest pieces of journalism that I had ever read.

 

With that being said, I am one that is willing to look at "both sides of the coin" so to speak, and I will give credit where credit is due. This current article that Dirk has written about Nebraska needing to find its identity again and a new edge was both spot on & fair.

 

Nebraska does need to find an identity that meshes with the culture of this state & it's national fan base. I think a great starting point for the coaches can be summed up in one word: PHYSICAL!

 

I couldn't help but cringe when I watched the Rose Bowl game this year of both the Wisconsin offense & Stanford Offense running power football. Minus the option it was eerily similar to the smash-mouth type of running we used to dish out to opponents week-in & week-out. Some of the zone blocking and pulling guard power-o's and iso plays the other night were a thing of beauty.

 

Am I saying this is what Nebraska needs to get back to? Not necessarily. Do we need to go back to an all old-school offense and continually run the option out of the I-formation? No. I wish we could, but we can't because the speed of the game has changed too much in the last 20 years. It can be apart of our offense, but I don't think it can be THE offense.

 

I think the weapons that Tim Beck has coming back next year on offense can prove to be a really dangerous offense...pertaining they do a better job of holding onto the ball. So if I were the coaching staff I would not change the offense too much next season. I would suggest keeping the hurry-up no huddle, but scale back the number of drop back passes we do each game. Another suggestion would be to keep many of the plays the same, but instead of having 4 or 5 wide receivers spreading the field out, I would take out 2 receivers and replace them with TE's. This would allow the running game to have more of a physical edge, it also gives immediate extra blockers for Taylor when he needs it.

 

The biggest overhaul that Nebraska MUST make is on the defensive side. In your 4 losses when your offense is average at least 30+ points a game, normally that should be good enough to win. When your defense in those 4 losses is giving up an average of 52+ points per game and an average of over 500+ yards that isn't just a defensive problem...it's a catastrophe! Most Husker fans have another word for it: Unacceptable.

 

I completely agree with what Tom Shatel wrote the other day when he said if your scheme is too complicated and has too big of a learning curve in order to get your young talent onto the field, "then get rid of the curve."

 

Defensive scheme should be the #1 focus of this coaching staff this offseason. I know Bo trusts his current scheme, but the numbers speak for themselves. When he doesn't have NFL talent on that side of the ball his above average defensive players struggle, where in another simplified scheme they would more than likely thrive playing at a faster speed and with a higher degree of confidence.

 

If Bo is the "defensive genius" that many tagged him with years ago, then he will keep the things that he likes about his current scheme, but will also simply other parts of the scheme so that his players can play faster and with that higher degree of confidence...not just in the scheme, but with themselves.

 

In closing, I usually have a hard time agreeing with much of what Dirk Chatelain has to write, but this time around I will give credit where credit his due. He is spot on. Nebraska must find it's new edge.

[Hammerhead]

That article is written by Dirk who is a dick who is wildly critical of Bo. I'll consider the source.

 

I don't know if Dirk's a dick or not. I've never met the guy. I don't see why being critical of Bo is such a horrible thing, though. I don't see Dirk constantly calling for his or anybody else's head, I just see him offering his opinion on what's good or bad about the program, which is, y'know, his job. Yeah, a lot of times it involves criticism of Bo, and I know he and Bo haven't exactly established a friendly relationship in press conferences, but again, the guy gets paid a fair amount of money for that. You may not like his opinion, but I don't see how that qualifies him as being a dick.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

That article is written by Dirk who is a dick who is wildly critical of Bo. I'll consider the source.

 

I don't know if Dirk's a dick or not. I've never met the guy. I don't see why being critical of Bo is such a horrible thing, though. I don't see Dirk constantly calling for his or anybody else's head, I just see him offering his opinion on what's good or bad about the program, which is, y'know, his job. Yeah, a lot of times it involves criticism of Bo, and I know he and Bo haven't exactly established a friendly relationship in press conferences, but again, the guy gets paid a fair amount of money for that. You may not like his opinion, but I don't see how that qualifies him as being a dick.

Dirk has been critical of Bo since day one. I agree with The Duke that the team needs to find its identity but to be critical of the program from day one is going a little over board IMO

[NUpolo8]

This article is laughable.

 

Nebraska has lost two straight, given up a ton of yards and points in them, and everyone is feeling pretty crappy about it. So, I guess if Dirk and the World-Herald wants to then publish the easiest article ever to write; a "Nebraska ain't what it used to be article" in Nebraska, it is totally their perogative, but at least have the decency to write an article that would have gotten a passing grade in J-school.....

 

Look around college football today. Look especially at the nationally relevant northern schools. All have established an advantage. All have an identity. Something that defines them. Something that separates them.

 

OMG! He's right! Humans can recognize good teams and their talents! AND NOW HE"S SAYING NEBRASKA DOESN"T HAVE AN IDENTITY ANYMORE? That's serious, I've heard about this happening! The University better cancel its credit cards.

 

Oregon is the epitome of cool. Uniforms. Nike gear. And the sexiest offense in the land. Chip Kelly can attract elite prospects because of his tempo. And when he gets pieces, he knows how to use them

 

So magic uniforms and a brand switch made Oregon good after literal decades of being cored out in the Pac 10? Or maybe it was the out and out recruiting rule breaking that it's about to get punished for. I'm choosing the latter. And Mike Bellotti made Oregon, not Kelly. And of freaking course Kelly knows how to use his "pieces". Bo doesn't? Its not like he had Suh throwing slant routes to Lavonte David for God's sake. Or left Amukamaura to languish as the 4th string running back.

 

Kansas State has none of those things.

 

Hey KSU fans! Dirk hates your uniforms!

 

There are two ways to win. Avoid mistakes or overcome them. Most teams overcome. K-State has found a way to avoid them. Play clean football.

 

Yes every team out there practically takes a crap on the football for four quarters, only to luckily escape with a W. But not our genius ugly shirted K-State wildcats! They've cracked the Davinci Code of football that lay in mystery for all these years......fumbling is bad.

 

(mind......BLOWN)

 

Who out here honestly thinks of Kansas State football being error free outside of this year?

 

Notre Dame, after all these years, doesn't need wrinkles.

 

Precisely why year in and year out, they're in top 5.....wait what?

 

It is still the most prestigious brand in the country, thanks to NBC and its Catholic roots.

 

Yep, you never see those heathen Protestants raising the crystal football.

 

Virginia Tech, when it was rolling, had the best special teams in the country.

 

OK, right here, -right here-, is where he just negates his whole article. Virginia Tech barely made a bowl game this year, and Dirk is holding up the frigging Hokies as a model of what we should be striving to be. Yes, VT had great special teams when it was good. You know what Nebraska had in the glory days? Great defenses and NFL talent. What doesn't Nebraska at the moment? A great defense with a lot of NFL talent. Who follows Nebraska and needs a newspaper article to tell them that? "Aw man I just can't figure out what NU needs to do. They keep getting scored on. What's this? This COLLEGE GRADUATE says in the paper that the defense might be bad!" I can't wait for Dirks scathing expose about the basketball teams struggles because they can't get the ball into that hole 10 feet off the ground.

 

For years, Nebraska had distinguishable traits, too. More than any program in college football, in fact.

 

Uh-oh, Dirk's become self-aware

 

On top of all that, there was no ESPN2 or Big Ten Network. Hardly any games were on TV. Osborne could tell kids, “There aren't 10 programs in the country who will be watched as much as you.” Nebraska became a national brand. Success bred success.

 

Fire Bo Pelini! He invented ESPN and the Big Ten Channel! No wonder we can't pull kids!

 

Without significant changes, it's hard to see how Pelini rebuilds the defense to an elite level — I'm not talking about leading the Big Ten, I'm talking about matching Alabama and LSU.

 

Nothing some cool uniforms, Bill Snyder anti-fumble cream and a conversion to Catholisism can't fix according to you.

 

I don't know the specific answers.

 

Good thing you wrote the article then

 

 

But it's time to ask the big questions.

 

Is Taylor willing to visit the Pope?

 

 

 

I guess I shouldn't be too stunned. Dirk has been honing the "Contrarian Husker Fan" voice since he was scribbling out garbage like this for the DN. It;'s just sad he's not a better writer yet.

[Ed Helms]

Usually I'm not a fan of Dirk's articles, mainly because of the reasons stated above, but I gotta say I don't disagree with anything he said in this one. Good article by Dirk IMO.