Temp check: 7-5

[Guy Chamberlin]

Yep.

[Redux]

I was in the camp that let myself buy into the immediate success hype. After BYU I lowered my expectations since it was glaringly obvious 2015 was going to be a trasition year.

 

I expect a lot different this year and even better next year. I think that's more than a fair assessment of what ADSE wanted to accomplish with the HCMR hire. And that's simply my opinion, not me reading into what was said after he canned Bo.

[JJ Husker]

Regardless of what ADSE may or may not have said at the time, I think anyone who didn't expect some bumps and transition pains is being unreasonable. Of course no one (or only a very few of the worst naysayers) expected MR's first season to be as rough as it was. Not many are happy with or anticipated a 5-7 regular season or losing how we did so often last year. Rebuild or not, quality players or not, it was to be expected that new coaches, new systems, new offenses, new defenses, etc. was going to entail some learning curve and maybe a few steps back to get re-oriented before taking new strides forward.

 

I want success early and often as much as the next guy but this is why it is important to look at the whole picture and not just the W-L record. Putting a demand for 9 wins or bust on this coming season is not reasonable. I too think 9 wins is a reasonable expectation with our schedule but I am more interested, especially this season, in seeing adjustments and improvement before I start laying out ultimatums for W-L records. I'm not convinced MR is or isn't the guy to get the job done but I sure as hell am going to give him the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt one way or the other. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw on the field last year but they seem to be saying the right things and recruiting seems to be headed in the right direction so I'll remain hopeful that those strides forward start happening this year.

[wanderful]

Anyone who didn't expect a rocky season in 2015 was being naive -- transition years are to be expected in, well, periods of transition. It was worse than most expected, but a lot of the late game anti-miracles involved minor mental errors (both in the players and the coaching) that the team did seem to clean up by the end of the season. Hence the MSU victory and the legitimately good performance (possibly the first of the year) agains UCLA.

 

Here's what I'm confident will happen in 2016, based on win totals:

 

4 wins or fewer - Riley "resigns".

5 or 6 wins - a disappointing year, grumbling abounds but draws a "we'll give him one more year" response from the Powers That Be.

7 or 8 wins - neutral year -- nobody with any real say in the matter is calling for him to be gone, but he must keep improving win totals in 2017

9 or 10 wins - a decent year -- if the losses are close, the narrative of "he's doing better than Bo" will be floated around.

11+ wins - a great year -- contract extensions, and a glut of Nebraska babies born in August/September 2017 named Riley or Mike

[teachercd]

No bowl game and he is canned because SE will be canned. But I just don't see that happening because the schedule is very nice.

[Mavric]

Regardless of what ADSE may or may not have said at the time, I think anyone who didn't expect some bumps and transition pains is being unreasonable. Of course no one (or only a very few of the worst naysayers) expected MR's first season to be as rough as it was. Not many are happy with or anticipated a 5-7 regular season or losing how we did so often last year. Rebuild or not, quality players or not, it was to be expected that new coaches, new systems, new offenses, new defenses, etc. was going to entail some learning curve and maybe a few steps back to get re-oriented before taking new strides forward.

 

I want success early and often as much as the next guy but this is why it is important to look at the whole picture and not just the W-L record. Putting a demand for 9 wins or bust on this coming season is not reasonable. I too think 9 wins is a reasonable expectation with our schedule but I am more interested, especially this season, in seeing adjustments and improvement before I start laying out ultimatums for W-L records. I'm not convinced MR is or isn't the guy to get the job done but I sure as hell am going to give him the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt one way or the other. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw on the field last year but they seem to be saying the right things and recruiting seems to be headed in the right direction so I'll remain hopeful that those strides forward start happening this year.

 

There was plenty of talk of a transition year, but most of that was counter-balanced by the thinking that it was the previous coaching staff holding us back. With a better coaching staff, even if they didn't get up to their full potential the first year would still be a pretty similar W-L record with generally better overall play (no blowouts, etc.).

 

You even put in your vote for 10 wins before the season started so you must not have been seeing that much for bumps in the road. Only two people even voted for "6 or fewer" and one isn't a Husker fan. Over 90% predicted at least 8 wins. Similar result in a similar poll where only 1 out of 72 predicted fewer than 7 wins and over 90% went for at least 8. And half had us winning the west, a far cry from finishing fifth.

 

Even after a 2-2 start and seeing some not very good play from the Huskers, barely 10% saw 5-7 (or worse) and over 70% still thought we'd win at least 7 (regular season).

 

So I think you're correct that most were expecting some bumps but I think what we had went well past a few bumps. And I think the talk of lowered expectations after one game is - again - true, but still not nearly to the level that we got.

 

Fans want things to be better than they are. Nothing wrong with that. Even encouraged. But you also need to be honest with yourself at some point (that's a general "you", not specifically you, JJ).

[Husker Psycho]

 

There was plenty of talk of a transition year, but most of that was counter-balanced by the thinking that it was the previous coaching staff holding us back. With a better coaching staff, even if they didn't get up to their full potential the first year would still be a pretty similar W-L record with generally better overall play (no blowouts, etc.).

 

You even put in your vote for 10 wins before the season started so you must not have been seeing that much for bumps in the road. Only two people even voted for "6 or fewer" and one isn't a Husker fan. Over 90% predicted at least 8 wins. Similar result in a similar poll where only 1 out of 72 predicted fewer than 7 wins and over 90% went for at least 8. And half had us winning the west, a far cry from finishing fifth.

 

Even after a 2-2 start and seeing some not very good play from the Huskers, barely 10% saw 5-7 (or worse) and over 70% still thought we'd win at least 7 (regular season).

 

So I think you're correct that most were expecting some bumps but I think what we had went well past a few bumps. And I think the talk of lowered expectations after one game is - again - true, but still not nearly to the level that we got.

 

Fans want things to be better than they are. Nothing wrong with that. Even encouraged. But you also need to be honest with yourself at some point (that's a general "you", not specifically you, JJ).

 

 

 

Finally... someone willing to speak honestly.

 

More... more... more... please.

[JJ Husker]

 

Regardless of what ADSE may or may not have said at the time, I think anyone who didn't expect some bumps and transition pains is being unreasonable. Of course no one (or only a very few of the worst naysayers) expected MR's first season to be as rough as it was. Not many are happy with or anticipated a 5-7 regular season or losing how we did so often last year. Rebuild or not, quality players or not, it was to be expected that new coaches, new systems, new offenses, new defenses, etc. was going to entail some learning curve and maybe a few steps back to get re-oriented before taking new strides forward.

 

I want success early and often as much as the next guy but this is why it is important to look at the whole picture and not just the W-L record. Putting a demand for 9 wins or bust on this coming season is not reasonable. I too think 9 wins is a reasonable expectation with our schedule but I am more interested, especially this season, in seeing adjustments and improvement before I start laying out ultimatums for W-L records. I'm not convinced MR is or isn't the guy to get the job done but I sure as hell am going to give him the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt one way or the other. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw on the field last year but they seem to be saying the right things and recruiting seems to be headed in the right direction so I'll remain hopeful that those strides forward start happening this year.

 

There was plenty of talk of a transition year, but most of that was counter-balanced by the thinking that it was the previous coaching staff holding us back. With a better coaching staff, even if they didn't get up to their full potential the first year would still be a pretty similar W-L record with generally better overall play (no blowouts, etc.).

 

You even put in your vote for 10 wins before the season started so you must not have been seeing that much for bumps in the road. Only two people even voted for "6 or fewer" and one isn't a Husker fan. Over 90% predicted at least 8 wins. Similar result in a similar poll where only 1 out of 72 predicted fewer than 7 wins and over 90% went for at least 8. And half had us winning the west, a far cry from finishing fifth.

 

Even after a 2-2 start and seeing some not very good play from the Huskers, barely 10% saw 5-7 (or worse) and over 70% still thought we'd win at least 7 (regular season).

 

So I think you're correct that most were expecting some bumps but I think what we had went well past a few bumps. And I think the talk of lowered expectations after one game is - again - true, but still not nearly to the level that we got.

 

Fans want things to be better than they are. Nothing wrong with that. Even encouraged. But you also need to be honest with yourself at some point (that's a general "you", not specifically you, JJ).

Well in my defense I almost always get to drinking the Kool-Aid in the off season and my expectations grow higher than is prudent. I had lost that hope with Pelini but felt somewhat renewed with MR but it wasn't really reasonable. I got down on MR and the new staff last year (more than I ever thought I would have). There were far too many of those losses caused directly by the staffs failure to play to the strengths of the players they had and due to their own clock management and play calling incompetence. But there were some glimmers of hope late in the season and there have been many more in recruiting and the things they have said. At this point I am very bipolar on MR and Langsdorf and am pretty darned sure Banker is not what we need on defense. It will only take one loss caused by stupid play calling or bad clock management or trying to have Tommy sling it around like Air Coryell to lose me again this coming season. But the rational part of me realizes that there will still be some transitional pains. I just hate to see people demanding 9 wins or else. There's more to the game and building a winner than that. Hell if that's all I cared about, I'd be upset that Bo is gone but his consistent 9 wins didn't mean jack sh#t to me. Basically I don't know what to think, I desperately wanted the blowout losses to end but I sure didn't want them replaced and exceeded with senseless losses. At this point I am simply hoping that they learned how to win with the players they have and they translate that to the field beginning this year. I will end up being one of the biggest sunshine pumpers or one of the worst bitchers, I really don't see much middle ground possible unless they find a way to win 8.5 games.

[Hooked on Huskers]

 

[Mavric]

 

 

Regardless of what ADSE may or may not have said at the time, I think anyone who didn't expect some bumps and transition pains is being unreasonable. Of course no one (or only a very few of the worst naysayers) expected MR's first season to be as rough as it was. Not many are happy with or anticipated a 5-7 regular season or losing how we did so often last year. Rebuild or not, quality players or not, it was to be expected that new coaches, new systems, new offenses, new defenses, etc. was going to entail some learning curve and maybe a few steps back to get re-oriented before taking new strides forward.

 

I want success early and often as much as the next guy but this is why it is important to look at the whole picture and not just the W-L record. Putting a demand for 9 wins or bust on this coming season is not reasonable. I too think 9 wins is a reasonable expectation with our schedule but I am more interested, especially this season, in seeing adjustments and improvement before I start laying out ultimatums for W-L records. I'm not convinced MR is or isn't the guy to get the job done but I sure as hell am going to give him the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt one way or the other. I wasn't too impressed with what I saw on the field last year but they seem to be saying the right things and recruiting seems to be headed in the right direction so I'll remain hopeful that those strides forward start happening this year.

There was plenty of talk of a transition year, but most of that was counter-balanced by the thinking that it was the previous coaching staff holding us back. With a better coaching staff, even if they didn't get up to their full potential the first year would still be a pretty similar W-L record with generally better overall play (no blowouts, etc.).

 

You even put in your vote for 10 wins before the season started so you must not have been seeing that much for bumps in the road. Only two people even voted for "6 or fewer" and one isn't a Husker fan. Over 90% predicted at least 8 wins. Similar result in a similar poll where only 1 out of 72 predicted fewer than 7 wins and over 90% went for at least 8. And half had us winning the west, a far cry from finishing fifth.

 

Even after a 2-2 start and seeing some not very good play from the Huskers, barely 10% saw 5-7 (or worse) and over 70% still thought we'd win at least 7 (regular season).

 

So I think you're correct that most were expecting some bumps but I think what we had went well past a few bumps. And I think the talk of lowered expectations after one game is - again - true, but still not nearly to the level that we got.

 

Fans want things to be better than they are. Nothing wrong with that. Even encouraged. But you also need to be honest with yourself at some point (that's a general "you", not specifically you, JJ).

Well in my defense I almost always get to drinking the Kool-Aid in the off season and my expectations grow higher than is prudent. I had lost that hope with Pelini but felt somewhat renewed with MR but it wasn't really reasonable. I got down on MR and the new staff last year (more than I ever thought I would have). There were far too many of those losses caused directly by the staffs failure to play to the strengths of the players they had and due to their own clock management and play calling incompetence. But there were some glimmers of hope late in the season and there have been many more in recruiting and the things they have said. At this point I am very bipolar on MR and Langsdorf and am pretty darned sure Banker is not what we need on defense. It will only take one loss caused by stupid play calling or bad clock management or trying to have Tommy sling it around like Air Coryell to lose me again this coming season. But the rational part of me realizes that there will still be some transitional pains. I just hate to see people demanding 9 wins or else. There's more to the game and building a winner than that. Hell if that's all I cared about, I'd be upset that Bo is gone but his consistent 9 wins didn't mean jack sh#t to me. Basically I don't know what to think, I desperately wanted the blowout losses to end but I sure didn't want them replaced and exceeded with senseless losses. At this point I am simply hoping that they learned how to win with the players they have and they translate that to the field beginning this year. I will end up being one of the biggest sunshine pumpers or one of the worst bitchers, I really don't see much middle ground possible unless they find a way to win 8.5 games.

 

 

+1

 

That's pretty much where I'm at as well.

[teachercd]

I think if there is any combination of two losses that include Fresno State, Wyoming, Illinois, or Purdue, that things will get really ugly.

[Elf]

 

 

 

 

 

The part where the incapable of winning said championship coach gets fired and new coach with very different system is hired.

Pretty sure it was the opposite. We have everything we need to compete for championships except the right coach. We need a new coach to push us to the next level.

 

So by saying "We want to win championships" and NOT saying "But it will take a rebuild" he was in a round about way saying "We want to win championships and it won't take a rebuild".

Is this what you are getting at?

 

Where is the "want" in his quote? You seem to have added that to fit your narrative.

 

Lol, I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here so you can just be the winner.

 

If by "not sure what you're trying to accomplish" you mean "I don't have an argument against it", then thanks.

 

You didn't have an argument for it either.

[Mavric]

 

 

 

 

 

 

The part where the incapable of winning said championship coach gets fired and new coach with very different system is hired.

Pretty sure it was the opposite. We have everything we need to compete for championships except the right coach. We need a new coach to push us to the next level.

 

So by saying "We want to win championships" and NOT saying "But it will take a rebuild" he was in a round about way saying "We want to win championships and it won't take a rebuild".

Is this what you are getting at?

 

Where is the "want" in his quote? You seem to have added that to fit your narrative.

 

Lol, I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here so you can just be the winner.

 

If by "not sure what you're trying to accomplish" you mean "I don't have an argument against it", then thanks.

 

You didn't have an argument for it either.

 

 

If your default stance is "a rebuild was required unless so-and-so specifically said it was not required" then I think you're in the vast minority. There were a lot of things that weren't said. I could take the opposite stance that "Riley was an abject failure because Eichorst didn't say we wouldn't win a national championship in his first year so he must have been expecting that" but it's beyond ridiculous to assume somebody meant something unless they specifically said they didn't mean it. It's called context and it's pretty handy.

 

Feel free to explain why you think Eichorst was implying a rebuild was needed in the quote I provided or any other quote you'd like to use. I've also provided significant evidence from people on this board that didn't seem to think a "rebuild" was necessary - at least from the standpoint that we had enough tools in place to keep up what we had been doing (from a win/loss/competitive perspective) and go from there. If you'd like to present an argument to the contrary, be my guest.

[Elf]

 

 

Boy have times changed.

 

Riley wasn't brought in to "rebuild" he was brought her to win, win championships.

If he can't mustard the 9 wins, we move on

Who claimed winning and winning championships wouldn't require a rebuild?

 

 

 

Well .... Eichorst for starters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The part where the incapable of winning said championship coach gets fired and new coach with very different system is hired.

Pretty sure it was the opposite. We have everything we need to compete for championships except the right coach. We need a new coach to push us to the next level.

 

So by saying "We want to win championships" and NOT saying "But it will take a rebuild" he was in a round about way saying "We want to win championships and it won't take a rebuild".

Is this what you are getting at?

 

Where is the "want" in his quote? You seem to have added that to fit your narrative.

 

Lol, I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here so you can just be the winner.

 

If by "not sure what you're trying to accomplish" you mean "I don't have an argument against it", then thanks.

 

You didn't have an argument for it either.

 

If your default stance is "a rebuild was required unless so-and-so specifically said it was not required" then I think you're in the vast minority. There were a lot of things that weren't said. I could take the opposite stance that "Riley was an abject failure because Eichorst didn't say we wouldn't win a national championship in his first year so he must have been expecting that" but it's beyond ridiculous to assume somebody meant something unless they specifically said they didn't mean it. It's called context and it's pretty handy.

 

Feel free to explain why you think Eichorst was implying a rebuild was needed in the quote I provided or any other quote you'd like to use. I've also provided significant evidence from people on this board that didn't seem to think a "rebuild" was necessary - at least from the standpoint that we had enough tools in place to keep up what we had been doing (from a win/loss/competitive perspective) and go from there. If you'd like to present an argument to the contrary, be my guest.

 

First, I never tried to explain what Eichorst might have meant, you did. How about instead of over analyzing and applying what we think he might have meant, we just take his words at face value.

 

And you STILL don't have an argument FOR Eichorst saying we didn't need a rebuild and you are the one that said he did, not me or 1995 Redux. Show proof that Eichorst said we needed a rebuild instead of conjecture and speculation.

 

Second, I haven't made any claims so I don't need to prove anything.

[GSG]

Dear Husker Family,

 

Good morning.

 

I want to express my sincere appreciation to every Husker fan who has come to Memorial Stadium this season to cheer on the Big Red; who has traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to proudly wear the red and white in visiting stadiums; and who has passionately supported our student-athletes, our head coach, our assistant coaches and staff. Your support and patience as Mike Riley rebuilds our storied program one brick at a time mean the world to our young men, our staff and our university.

 

 

http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=210466315

 

 

Of course the word "rebuild" wasn't used until after our worst start since 1960