A Little Venting On Riley Hire

[ajt1970]

My issues with the Riley hire.....

 

 

 

- It has been mentioned repeatedly in the press that Riley did more with less at OSU. That he had little resources but was an overachiever in recruiting, developing talent, etc. But in thinking about it, there are plenty of examples (both years back and also within the last 15 years or so) of less resourceful schools building themselves up to be winners. TCU, Boise State, Baylor, Mississippi, Miss. State, Michigan State, Utah, Minnesota, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado (Mccartney era), and even Bob Devaney , turning around NU in the first year! No excuses, these non-powerhouses-at-one-time schools hired the right people and MADE themselves into winners, even without vast resources. So I cannot buy into the fact that OSU did not, and could not obtain, the resources to win. Especially since Riley was there over a longer period of time, plenty of time to at least get the ball rolling. Does anyone really think TCU had the resources a decade or two ago? I doubt it. They hired the right coach and made no excuses and won, period. Look at Bill Snyder when he first got there....KSU was pathetic! Many a program has been turned around with the right coach. So I am not buying it when it is said Riley could not win championships at OSU due to lack of resources. Winners get it done.

 

 

 

- Honeymoon stage is alive and well in Lincoln. I live in Michigan, about 40 minutes from Ann Arbor. Brady Hoke was a media favorite 4 years ago, a real down-to-earth friendly guy, easy for the media to talk to. Eventually though he didn’t get it done and most couldn’t wait to get rid of that non-headset wearing (don’t get me started on that) hand clapping cheerleader at the end.

 

 

- Riley’s Offense – Right up front, I am power football all the way. I look at NU’s offense in the 80’s and 90’s and can only hope we get back there some day. FB traps, counter treys, speed/dive/G belly options, inside zone, outside stretch, 41/49 pitch, QB draws, etc. Smashmouth, run them over. I look at Wisconsin and Minnesota and see similar ways of running and am completely jealous. Georgia Tech, too. The old days Osborne QBs weren’t prima donnas either. They were expected to not just drop back and gunsling the ball downfield. They ran the ball (and no sliding or running out of bounds). They blocked. They threw an interception they were expected to tackle the defender. They were tough. They had to be. Osborne would not allow anything less. Now these pass happy QBs (think Peyton manning types) think football is dropping back and throwing it all day. Not what football was meant to be. It’s 11-on-11. With a prima donna QB it is 10-on-11. And I have the feeling Riley’s offenses will indeed be run by one of these prima donna don’t-get-your-fingers-dirty-type QBs, which is a sad disappointment.

 

 

 

- Don’t get me wrong, I was in favor of Pelini’s dismissal (the embarrassing losses were the tipping point for me), but I think Eichorst went WAY overboard in his search to find a “nice guy” Bo Pelini-opposite.....and ended up with Riley. Nothing against Riley personally. I can certainly appreciate his personality, reminds me a lot of Osborne. And I know dealing with Riley will make those in the media’s jobs much easier and less of a headache than with Pelini. But I just personally don’t see NU getting to consistent championships, and getting there by doing it the Nebraska way of rolling up your sleeves and grinding it out, 11-on-11 running the ball offenses with Riley. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but I have a feeling in a few years we’ll be having a Brady Hoke ending where the nice guy persona just doesn’t cut it anymore.

 

 

- I was with it all the way with a Scott Frost hire. There ARE 40 year old first time coordinators who were given the keys to a big time program and succeeded, Osborne being one of them. At least Frost, I think, would appreciate the grit and toughness a QB needs because he was indeed one of them. Probably the toughest, in my opinion. And he could RUN an option...the best in NU’s history, I feel.

 

 

 

Anyways, that’s it for now. I just had to get some of these issues and concerns of mine off my chest. I wish NU all the best and hope they can win national championships. I will continue following them either way as I have for the last 30+ years since I was a kid. But I really REALLY hope Riley runs the ball considerably more than he did at OSU. And I think plenty of NU fans would like to see the grind it out smashmouth as well. We’ll see.

 

 

 

[The Dude]

I'm also not sold he will win championships consistently. We might also find we'll be a little more up-and-down than 10-4 or 9-4 every year. With the highs being higher and the lows being lower.

 

Would be interesting to see how the fans react to that. I wouldn't mind the occasional 7-5 season if there were also the occasional playoff berth and/or top ten finish and/or conference title and/or major bowl game to look foward too. I think I mostly just want to see fewer routs against us, and see us not fold so often in the big games. I think he'll definately have us ready for the big games.

 

I think a lot of it depends on the staff he brings in.

 

I'm excited to see what he can do here. Personally, I've liked the hire from the moment I heard it announced on the radio. I've always liked him as a coach. Had no idea of his Mr. Rogers persona. Now I like him as a person, neighbor.

[Redux]

Well, good thing we will get to see what he does with the program in a mere 9 months.

[NUance]

I think I'll adopt a wait and see approach. Perhaps even be cautiously optimistic. Rather than mope around angry, trotting out theories as to why the guy should fail.

[Redux]

Being a Husker fan in 2014:

 

"That guy who was here for 7 years sucked! Glad we fired him!"

"That new guy we hired is gonna suck! Cant wait til we fire him!"

"The next guy.......GENIUS! I hear its Jon Gruden!"

[HuskerPowerVA]

My issues with the Riley hire.....

 

 

 

- It has been mentioned repeatedly in the press that Riley did more with less at OSU. That he had little resources but was an overachiever in recruiting, developing talent, etc. But in thinking about it, there are plenty of examples (both years back and also within the last 15 years or so) of less resourceful schools building themselves up to be winners. TCU, Boise State, Baylor, Mississippi, Miss. State, Michigan State, Utah, Minnesota, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado (Mccartney era), and even Bob Devaney , turning around NU in the first year! No excuses, these non-powerhouses-at-one-time schools hired the right people and MADE themselves into winners, even without vast resources. So I cannot buy into the fact that OSU did not, and could not obtain, the resources to win. Especially since Riley was there over a longer period of time, plenty of time to at least get the ball rolling. Does anyone really think TCU had the resources a decade or two ago? I doubt it. They hired the right coach and made no excuses and won, period. Look at Bill Snyder when he first got there....KSU was pathetic! Many a program has been turned around with the right coach. So I am not buying it when it is said Riley could not win championships at OSU due to lack of resources. Winners get it done.

 

 

 

- Honeymoon stage is alive and well in Lincoln. I live in Michigan, about 40 minutes from Ann Arbor. Brady Hoke was a media favorite 4 years ago, a real down-to-earth friendly guy, easy for the media to talk to. Eventually though he didn’t get it done and most couldn’t wait to get rid of that non-headset wearing (don’t get me started on that) hand clapping cheerleader at the end.

 

 

- Riley’s Offense – Right up front, I am power football all the way. I look at NU’s offense in the 80’s and 90’s and can only hope we get back there some day. FB traps, counter treys, speed/dive/G belly options, inside zone, outside stretch, 41/49 pitch, QB draws, etc. Smashmouth, run them over. I look at Wisconsin and Minnesota and see similar ways of running and am completely jealous. Georgia Tech, too. The old days Osborne QBs weren’t prima donnas either. They were expected to not just drop back and gunsling the ball downfield. They ran the ball (and no sliding or running out of bounds). They blocked. They threw an interception they were expected to tackle the defender. They were tough. They had to be. Osborne would not allow anything less. Now these pass happy QBs (think Peyton manning types) think football is dropping back and throwing it all day. Not what football was meant to be. It’s 11-on-11. With a prima donna QB it is 10-on-11. And I have the feeling Riley’s offenses will indeed be run by one of these prima donna don’t-get-your-fingers-dirty-type QBs, which is a sad disappointment.

 

 

 

- Don’t get me wrong, I was in favor of Pelini’s dismissal (the embarrassing losses were the tipping point for me), but I think Eichorst went WAY overboard in his search to find a “nice guy” Bo Pelini-opposite.....and ended up with Riley. Nothing against Riley personally. I can certainly appreciate his personality, reminds me a lot of Osborne. And I know dealing with Riley will make those in the media’s jobs much easier and less of a headache than with Pelini. But I just personally don’t see NU getting to consistent championships, and getting there by doing it the Nebraska way of rolling up your sleeves and grinding it out, 11-on-11 running the ball offenses with Riley. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but I have a feeling in a few years we’ll be having a Brady Hoke ending where the nice guy persona just doesn’t cut it anymore.

 

 

- I was with it all the way with a Scott Frost hire. There ARE 40 year old first time coordinators who were given the keys to a big time program and succeeded, Osborne being one of them. At least Frost, I think, would appreciate the grit and toughness a QB needs because he was indeed one of them. Probably the toughest, in my opinion. And he could RUN an option...the best in NU’s history, I feel.

 

 

 

Anyways, that’s it for now. I just had to get some of these issues and concerns of mine off my chest. I wish NU all the best and hope they can win national championships. I will continue following them either way as I have for the last 30+ years since I was a kid. But I really REALLY hope Riley runs the ball considerably more than he did at OSU. And I think plenty of NU fans would like to see the grind it out smashmouth as well. We’ll see.

 

 

 

All fair points and I agree with your assessment and concerns. I am not one who has jumped on the bandwagon quite yet, so color me skeptical (well, Red and skeptical). I was hoping for Cutcliffe from Duke (talk about a hard place to recruit with the SEC next door) who has turned around a program from one of the least football minded campuses in the country. However, that didn't happen so I sit here disappointed, scratching my head and hoping he is much more than he appears. His first job is to rescue and add to the recruiting class, so we will see.

[HuskerPowerVA]

I would love to see smash mouth running as well and one positive is how he used S. Jackson. I am encouraged in that he runs a pro set O.

[I AM FOOT FOOT]

if Frost had played at lets say Georgia in his college days would you want him here to be head coach???? nope. lets see how he does without his hypesman qb for a few years before we crown him the next Bob.i wasn't excited when I heard Riley was given the keys to this program at all.My high hopes for a huge splash hire were smashed.so I did what a lot of husker fans did. grabbed the laptop and researched MR. my findings were he is very well respected among his peers and media. past players love him. they say he does a lot with what little talent he has.hes been to the NFL and has turned down some big name schools.

 

yes others have done better at similar places.but they didn't have the Ducks and all that flash an hour away. Oregon St is a lot like Indiana, or a Kansas in terms football. tuff to recruit to tuff to play at.

Will MR win a lot of games here? a BIG title? playoff games? your guess is as good as mine. his support staff is key. Orgeron wants to be here, Steele has been offered. that's big if it happens and on a few levels. coaching and recruiting. that's what wins games. good players coached up in a good scheme.

In recent years Bo has shown good players still want to be here. we have been winning on talent and subpar coaching. lets see what happens with the same or better caliber players with better coaching before we write Riley off as a bust already.GBR

[r06ue1]

I'm trying to be optimistic but my biggest fear is that he will try to bring in that pass happy crap that Callahan tried when he was here. Considering what he did this season at OSU raises my fears. Hoping he takes the tradition and history into consideration when deciding what type of offensive philosophy to use. Would love to see some smash mouth, physical Nebraska football once again (and bring back the fullback!).

[Timmahawk]

I'll be pleased if Riley lands us a Peyton Manning type "prima donna"

[Hunter94]

one thing for sure, we need coaching, player development.

[teachercd]

I think people were excited for the change and the search, I know I was. That was an exciting week.

I don't think anyone is excited for the hire, they might say they are but they are kind of fooling themselves.

 

That doesn't mean it will be a bad hire...I just don't think anyone is jumping for joy over it.

[Xmas32]

Some fair points here although I disagree with most of them.

 

I completely disagree with the Frost talk. Oregon's offense w/ Mariota at the helm runs itself. If he can prove to be an effective HC over the next couple years, it would be nice to see him take the reigns after Riley calls it quits (or is forced out).

 

Most of the schools you mentioned either had success in lesser divisions (Boise/TCU--although this year has been different--chalking it up to Patterson bringing in Cumbie but whatever) had an off the charts QB (RG3, Prescott, Alex Smith coupled with the Urbs or weaker conferences to deal with. If you've never been to Corvallis it's hard to describe how tough it is to recruit there when you are under Oregon's shadow in addition to butting heads against conference foes who all have programs that have dedicated vastly more resources to football with maybe the exception of Washington State.

 

Oregon State has been throwing the ball a lot more for two reasons. 1) They've had stud WRs, they just put Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton in the NFL (both top 3 round picks) 2) The areas they recruit are filled with pass happy high schools and JuCos. If you can't get elite talent to your school, you have to coach up what's around you.

[TITANIC VS LUSITANIA]

Am I the only one who likes a good passing game?

[suh_fan93]

Definitely not sold either. I think he was hired for his 'personality' more than anything which is one way to address one issue. Obviously Bo wasn't fired just because he 'didn't win the games he was supposed to' as Eichorst said in the press conference. I'll watch but my enthusiasm while maybe slightly more than what it would have been with Bo going into next season isn't much higher. Take Armstrong off the field. That would be a start and get me slightly more excited for next year. He did an interview with the Big10 Network and they asked him 'Why Nebraska, why now?' and after trying he literally couldn't come up with the words to even answer the question. I just shook my head.