Benning is all about the effort

[knapplc]

Sometimes I feel that us fans care more about the team and wins/losses than the players do.

 

Definitely. And I'd wager the fans care far more about the losses than the wins. Meaning, we win and it's "ho-hum, we should have won that game." Very little excitement, very little praise. We nitpick wins because they aren't good enough, then quickly move on and forget them.

 

Losses, though. Whoa boy. A loss fuels every conversation for years. We talk more about our losses to Wisconsin than our wins against Michigan. We talk more about our losses to Minnesota than our wins over Northwestern. Losses are the focus. Just look at the post counts skyrocket after a loss.

[cornographic]

 

I dunno. I keep asking who's providing the motivation for the team as it's pretty clear it's not coming from Coach Aw Shucks. I have a very hard time imagining Riley as a motivator. Thoughts?

TO was an aw shucks type guy, but the team respected him to the fullest. This current team does not seem to respect him at all!

 

Well, TO may have appeared to be vanilla on the outside, but the guy was extremely intense and focused and could motivate players. Riley just seems vanilla throughout.

[cornographic]

 

Sometimes I feel that us fans care more about the team and wins/losses than the players do.

 

Definitely. And I'd wager the fans care far more about the losses than the wins. Meaning, we win and it's "ho-hum, we should have won that game." Very little excitement, very little praise. We nitpick wins because they aren't good enough, then quickly move on and forget them.

 

Losses, though. Whoa boy. A loss fuels every conversation for years. We talk more about our losses to Wisconsin than our wins against Michigan. We talk more about our losses to Minnesota than our wins over Northwestern. Losses are the focus. Just look at the post counts skyrocket after a loss.

 

True. But here's the deal, NE is supposed to be beating most of the teams and contending with the Big Boys, at least theoretically. And Riley was supposedly to take us beyond what Bo accomplished, to the next level, so to speak. Instead, we're in the process of achieving epic levels of losing, so of course the fan base is going to be all riled up, so to speak. We do have a standard 'round here.

[HuskerShark]

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

[cm husker]

I'm looking at this still photograph and wondering what Benning is seeing there that's cause for so much consternation... is it that some back ups are sitting on the bench? Does he not believe players should sit on a bench during a game?

 

I rewatched the game. I don't see a lack of effort, especially defensively. This team actually played pretty well defensively on Saturday.

Benning has been a proponent of Riley for a long time, so he's making excuses now and throwing players under the bus as a result. Pretty sad.

[teachercd]

 

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

 

Amen!

[Mavric]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the story - according to many - over the last several years when the team came out flat or played uninspired was the blame was to be placed the blame on the coaches for not having the team ready to play.

[KazLong]

 

 

I dunno. I keep asking who's providing the motivation for the team as it's pretty clear it's not coming from Coach Aw Shucks. I have a very hard time imagining Riley as a motivator. Thoughts?

TO was an aw shucks type guy, but the team respected him to the fullest. This current team does not seem to respect him at all!

 

Well, TO may have appeared to be vanilla on the outside, but the guy was extremely intense and focused and could motivate players. Riley just seems vanilla throughout.

 

Mike Riley is not T.O.

 

 

[KazLong]

 

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

 

The Runza I bought was too hot, and it burned my mouth last game I went to (So. Bama) I think I will write MR an angry letter. Its the small details like this that keep causing us to lose!

[teachercd]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the story - according to many - over the last several years when the team came out flat or played uninspired was the blame was to be placed the blame on the coaches for not having the team ready to play.

Of course it was!

 

Could you imagine if Twitter had been around after TO retired...good lord!

 

Any of you guys ever read Animal Farm...ha..snowball did it!

[teachercd]

 

 

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

 

The Runza I bought was too hot, and it burned my mouth last game I went to (So. Bama) I think I will write MR an angry letter. Its the small details like this that keep causing us to lose!

 

Is a Runza at the game like dollars?

[cm husker]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the story - according to many - over the last several years when the team came out flat or played uninspired was the blame was to be placed the blame on the coaches for not having the team ready to play.

 

 

I don't think you're wrong.

 

I do think fans, and apparently even some ex players, see a lackluster performance and believe that "effort" is the issue. Teams don't "effort" their way to wins (almost ever). It's about execution. And execution is about coaches preparing players during the week and then running their system in a way that leads to a higher probability of success.

 

"Effort" isn't really as big of a factor as many want it to be.

[KazLong]

 

 

 

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

 

The Runza I bought was too hot, and it burned my mouth last game I went to (So. Bama) I think I will write MR an angry letter. Its the small details like this that keep causing us to lose!

 

Is a Runza at the game like dollars?

 

No, one is food other paper currency.

[teachercd]

 

 

 

 

Hell Riley just stands there on the sideline...arms folded...headset on but the mic part pointed up over his head so you know he isn't talking to anyone...He is probably thinking about his next bike ride.

Another example that when a team loses, nothing is off limits for criticism.

 

The Runza I bought was too hot, and it burned my mouth last game I went to (So. Bama) I think I will write MR an angry letter. Its the small details like this that keep causing us to lose!

 

Is a Runza at the game like dollars?

 

No, one is food other paper currency.

 

Ha...Well done!

[Red Five]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the story - according to many - over the last several years when the team came out flat or played uninspired was the blame was to be placed the blame on the coaches for not having the team ready to play.

 

Personally, its a problem of both coaches and players. Coaches can only help so much, but at some point a player has to put on his big boy pants.

 

Also, not sure we can compare yet since the vast majority of the guys on the field are Bo's players and have a history of laying eggs. If Riley is still having this problem when he is 3 or 4 years into his tenure (if he makes it that long), then we can draw more conclusions.