Coaches, players or both?

So now that the regular season is over and Rhule's 3rd regular season is in the books I wanted to folks take on our issues. Is it a lack of talent, poor coaching or a combination of both. I didn't want to derail any of the threads by taking away from the context of those..

If it's the coaches, then players really won't matter. They will still lack the ability to develop them, maximize effort, "put them in a position to win" etc....

If it's the players, then we have a shot with the portal and recruiting. Get in guys who can play from the jump or listen to the staff and be developed.

IMHO, I think it is a combination. Using RB as an example. Year 3 and still no definitive RB2. EJ was not RB1 until Dana got here. What did he see that Barthel didn't. BUT Dana also made comments after Minnie that he needed to run EJ more...That was 12 games in (final 5 last year and game 7 this year). Why so long. Ekler is a great example of coaching that's working. ST play is light years ahead of last year. And probably the best since Bo.

Has Dylan improved here? IMHO, still holds the ball too long, still takes a sack vs throwing it away. It's year 2. Is that him or Thomas? TJ has a pulled hamstring and he plays all game. It's like AM with Frost. Is a one legged TJ really better than a 2 legged Davila or Gramstad? Coaching or lack of talent.

Our D got destroyed in the running game. Everyone on this board realizes the 3-3-5 wont work without a block eating NT, but we didn't have that. 2023, Rhule and Co knew we didn't have them on the roster after Ty and Nash graduated, but no one has stepped up.

Rhule won't be fired....Can't fire the entire staff....But should they all return...

I think it’s always a combination of both. We’ve seen some development of players and we’ve seen others who just haven’t been good for years (see Corcoran per example).

Run blocking took a step forward with the help of a back that can see the field with great vision.

Butler needs a new scheme or adjust to college football or get replaced (hopefully replaced). I think @Decked mentioned this but Dana needs to get his scheme fully implemented or find a different coordinator who’s scheme you believe in. I’d rather keep Dana as he and Dylan had something going to build on.

This is an important offseason for Rhule for sure. You can kinda feel the fanbase apathy level moving back down to a low point and right now 2026 season doesn’t look like it will get the base excited again.

Archy1221 said:

I think it’s always a combination of both. We’ve seen some development of players and we’ve seen others who just haven’t been good for years (see Corcoran per example).

Run blocking took a step forward with the help of a back that can see the field with great vision.

Butler needs a new scheme or adjust to college football or get replaced (hopefully replaced). I think @Decked mentioned this but Dana needs to get his scheme fully implemented or find a different coordinator who’s scheme you believe in. I’d rather keep Dana as he and Dylan had something going to build on.

This is an important offseason for Rhule for sure. You can kinda feel the fanbase apathy level moving back down to a low point and right now 2026 season doesn’t look like it will get the base excited again.

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Ref Dana, is there any truth to him using Satt's play book? I had read that before, but unsure. This could be an issue for sure. And why as @Decked mentioned it's not Dana's full scheme.

Butler is not a 3-3-5 guy. He ran a 4-3 and came up under that. Rhule is a fan of the 3-3-5. I think that works/worked great in the Big 12, but the B1G, you've got to stop the run. Only 3 teams run the 3-3-5 base. Us, Wisky and Purdue. We are the only one with a winning record...With 2 wins against Akron and HCU to pad those wins. Need a scheme to bang out wins in November. I think it's hard to run "your D" when the HC wants something and Snow is looking over your shoulder. But year 1 with Butler, I am not sold on him at all.

I honestly felt we were a couple players away from having a much better season. I question play calls at times but I think most fans do no matter where you are at. Turns out it's challenging. I was actually impressed with the Oline development through the season. They definitely got better. Defense felt to me like we were missing difference makers in the front 6 or 7. If i was in Rhule's shoes I don't think I make any staff changes outside of letting Satt's contact expire. Get all focused on landing the necessary players needed to fill gaps and deficiencies.

It is both. We need to bring in more talent. The staff actually has to develop that talent though and they haven't done a great job with that.

coaches recruit. It starts with them. Always easier to win with good players. I have watched them miss on multiple players that had great college careers and some went to the NFL including one of my family members who Iowa saw the potential and started 4 years

It is both IMO. We have the players to be competitive but they lack effort and toughness which some of that can be put on the coaches.

Both, but it starts with coaching. Scheme and development. There is not vast improvement across the board for players in the program 2+ years. Highlighted on the O Line. They seem to get worse. The scheme is awful for the B1G. Especially on defense. Rhule doesn't even seem to have a strong sense of top talent for coaching or players. Jeff Sims? Garret McGuire?!? Satterfield, your $800K TE coach? Donnie Raiola (we know what this is about)?

Now look at these undeveloped, out-of-position, players. They often look slow because of their positioning, they do not seem very twitchy and able to play in space on either side of the ball (save for EJ this year), and overall look like a very ordinary team. Add in you get players like 21 and 37 playing significant minutes on D. Really bad.

Watching Heinrich yesterday epitomized the plight - Staff and player issues. He's trading off for QB snaps. He takes one on a 3rd or 4th and short and needs one yard. He's one on one against a DB. He runs right into the Iowa defender, no moves, no shiftiness, no burst, and gets stoned in the open field. By a guy 30 pounds+ his inferior. It definitely looked like he was short of the 1st down. Later, HH fumbles on the goal line. Why is he running the ball, ever? Why not hand it to EJ who was struggling (sarc)...to get to 230 yards rushing!!? Why is HH on the field? You can't develop Carter?

I don't think Rhule is in the details. I don't think he is a very good coach at this level. I picture Cignetti barking at his team for being one step out of line. Eye discipline. "Not good enough. Again!" Repetition. Repetition. Then you get close to perfect. Games become easier than practice. Rhule is yapping it up with podcasters while other coaches are scheming with their Staff.

The schedule next year is...unfavorable. I see a four or five win season. We're going to need major Staff changes and an influx of players. Which puts you at year 1-1.5 again, against teams that are like conveyor belts of talent and output. Not to mention the one who makes these decisions (Rhule) has a history of making really bad choices.

It's the coaches job to get the most out of the players on the roster, to have them prepared, and to have them energized (or at least help in developing leaders on the team who handle that/hold others accountable). I will never place more blame on 19 year olds than the adults making 500k - millions of dollars. We simply should be better than we are right now, and that is Rhule's fault.

It's also Rhule's job to do whatever it takes to adjust, fire coaches, bring in new portal players, change schemes, whatever it takes. I am of the opinion that we have seen all the data in 3 years to make a decision, and Rhule isn't capable of being a top tier big ten coach as it currently stands. He looks lost, the coordinators look lost and if there are zero changes on the staff, then expect at best a battle for a bowl birth next season.

We ask this all the time, how many coaches magically figure it out after 3 years of middling performance? 3 losing seasons in conference, a couple good losses but 3 really bad ones also. Lost to anyone with a pulse in conference. Tell yourself it can get better, but often when you have to try hard to convince yourself of something, it's not the right answer.

This team needs dawgs with both the players and the coaches. EJ has it as a player. Ekeler has it as a coach. We are a soft team. I agree with a lot of the comments being made but don’t think I have seen anyone mention strength and conditioning.

I’m mixed on Butler. He seems to have been pretty good with the secondary. But running this 3-3-5 is not working. Is it him or that we don’t have the players upfront? I lean on that we don’t have the players up front. I’d get a serious DL coach in here, promote Ekeler to also coach LBs.

It’s the same story on offense, weakness in the trenches. This is a tricky one with Donnie. But the bottom line here is we have to improve the OL. Remove Satterfield as we need some more help on the OL. And let Dana do what he needs to with the offense.

If we can fix the lines and that shows up next year I think that will be a very positive thing for Rhule. If the lines continue to play poorly then it will be over for Rhule.

I think we are looking at like 3 coaches being removed. But then Rhule absolutely needs to hit a HR in the portal. Literally put his money where his mouth is. We HAVE to win NIL battles. This recruiting class is small and I keep trying not to be disappointed because I am telling myself that it is small because we are going big on the portal. We need massive upgrades from portal players.

It's both. The coaches aren't optimizing the playbook and adjusting to put the team in the best position to win games. We should have had a QB2, RB2, etc ready to play if injury occurs. Why did run blocking improve when we lost 2 starters on the oline?

Players today are soft. They like flash, tic toks, podcasts, and will leave in a heartbeat for money, playing time if they are graded down to their actual output, or if their feelings are hurt. Look at how many spend time celebrating their play when they are getting stomped as a team. Cut out the showboating and play better as a team.

I'd rather skip out on all the flashy skill players and spend all the big money on nasty linemen. They pick up 2-3 wins this year with a deep bench of mean linemen, even with podcasts and questionable coaching decisions a couple times a game.

Watching the A&M/Texas game yesterday and our players aren't on the same level, especially in the trenches. We have some players, just not enough.

Losing to Minn and Iowa stinks, but our lines are rated at their level now. We need to shoot much higher or we'll someday be happy being those teams that likely end the season with the same basic record. Iowa had a nice year of close loss moral victories just like our last decade.

runningblind said:

It's the coaches job to get the most out of the players on the roster, to have them prepared, and to have them energized (or at least help in developing leaders on the team who handle that/hold others accountable). I will never place more blame on 19 year olds than the adults making 500k - millions of dollars. We simply should be better than we are right now, and that is Rhule's fault.

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I don’t believe anyone is putting more “blame” on 19 year olds than the coaches. Obviously it all starts with coaching and the head coach at that as he is both Head Coach AND General Manager of personnel at the college level. He has final say so of every player on the roster unlike at the NFL level.

However, we also gotta acknowledge that the football team has 20, 21, 22, 23, and even 24 year olds grown men on the roster with some making more than the position coaches. So it’s more than just the “19 year olds” that weren’t getting paid like the old days. The players do deserve some criticism when coaches finally put them in position to make a play and the players can’t make a sack or whiff a block or miss an open receiver or drop a TD etc.

I think everyone so has agreed it’s a combination of both…starting with the coaching staff

It's hard to figure out. We've seen this same game over five different coaching regimes. The same players have good games over the season, even pushing more talented teams in close losses, but when they lose big they all lose together -- offense, defense, special teams seem to forget what they do well, make uncharacteristic mistakes and then surrender. That's about preparation, game day focus, and in-game adjustments, all of which go to coaching.

We don't even get the feelgood one off game every other team seems to get: the game where everything clicks and you score the upset. Last one I can remember is upsetting #6 Michigan State in Mike Riley's first year. Nebraska was actually ranked higher than Miami when we beat them in Pelini's last season, but that was a rare feelgood game, too.

That being said........two better defensive linemen and one more legitimate WR could have made a difference this season. Who knows.

How is it anything but blame the coach? If players don’t produce, bounce them. No need to badmouth them, just find need ones that will produce.

Definitely both. But currently I place more blame on coaching because they are underperforming the talent that they do have and that falls squarely on the coaches.