Again is Sam being overly negative about this team?

[NUinID]

Another example IMO of Sam not being overly optimistic about the 2015 Huskers.

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-new-husker-defensive-coordinator-can-bank-on-taking-some/article_5a440ff8-29b4-5b03-aa06-a4f9bb14c013.html?_dc=691955883521.5867

I don’t know exactly how Riley’s inaugural year at Nebraska shakes out. In Sunday’s giant preview section, we predicted 9-3. That’s what the talent on hand tells me — at least for the Big Ten West. In the SEC West or Pac-12 South, it’d be closer to 6-6.
This is not a top-15 roster of talent. Nebraska’s two best offensive players last season are in the NFL. Their top returning offensive athlete is out for at least the first month of the season. The offensive line is breaking in four new starters.

Didn't we just go toe to toe with USC a PAC 12 South team in a bowl game? He must be seeing something that I am not.

 

[BigRedBuster]

People with the same feelings as Sam point to AA, Bell and Gregory as losses that just won't be replaced. Yes, they are big losses but, it's not like we have recruited horribly the last few years. We have talent on this team.

 

[Redux]

Another example IMO of Sam not being overly optimistic about the 2015 Huskers.

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-new-husker-defensive-coordinator-can-bank-on-taking-some/article_5a440ff8-29b4-5b03-aa06-a4f9bb14c013.html?_dc=691955883521.5867

I don’t know exactly how Riley’s inaugural year at Nebraska shakes out. In Sunday’s giant preview section, we predicted 9-3. That’s what the talent on hand tells me — at least for the Big Ten West. In the SEC West or Pac-12 South, it’d be closer to 6-6.

This is not a top-15 roster of talent. Nebraska’s two best offensive players last season are in the NFL. Their top returning offensive athlete is out for at least the first month of the season. The offensive line is breaking in four new starters.

Didn't we just go toe to toe with USC a PAC 12 South team in a bowl game? He must be seeing something that I am not.

We also had those top 2 Offensive talents on the field for that game. It was also a "there is no tomorrow" type of game so really hard to judge it in the grand scheme.

But yes, he is being a pessemist. He is using the "we aren't very good excuse" before actually knowing what we are.

 

[zoogs]

I think Sam is being abundantly fair. We did not see Top 15 talent last year and it's unrealistic to expect that one year and the loss of our top stars will suddenly vault the team up there.

We simply don't have anybody (apparent) on the roster right now to replace Gregory, or Bell. There's a stable of RBs, but who are these guys -- solid players like Marlon Lucky or the next comings of Helu or Burkhead or Abdullah?

If all goes smoothly, it'll be a crisper team that improves from last year's squad. But I would say we as fans just want to be positive until we see a reason not to (and then, the sky is falling and the coaches should never have been hired).

 

[StPaulHusker]

Another example IMO of Sam not being overly optimistic about the 2015 Huskers.

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-new-husker-defensive-coordinator-can-bank-on-taking-some/article_5a440ff8-29b4-5b03-aa06-a4f9bb14c013.html?_dc=691955883521.5867

I don’t know exactly how Riley’s inaugural year at Nebraska shakes out. In Sunday’s giant preview section, we predicted 9-3. That’s what the talent on hand tells me — at least for the Big Ten West. In the SEC West or Pac-12 South, it’d be closer to 6-6.
This is not a top-15 roster of talent. Nebraska’s two best offensive players last season are in the NFL. Their top returning offensive athlete is out for at least the first month of the season. The offensive line is breaking in four new starters.

Didn't we just go toe to toe with USC a PAC 12 South team in a bowl game? He must be seeing something that I am not.

Going toe to toe and losing to a PAC-12 South bowl team doesn't indicate we would do better than 6-6

 

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

These threads are silly. This is like me creating everytime Sipple writes and article. "is Sipple being too optimistic?"

They are media, not fortune tellers and movers of the earth.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I think Sam is being abundantly fair. We did not see Top 15 talent last year and it's unrealistic to expect that one year and the loss of our top stars will suddenly vault the team up there.

We simply don't have anybody (apparent) on the roster right now to replace Gregory, or Bell. There's a stable of RBs, but who are these guys -- solid players like Marlon Lucky or the next comings of Helu or Burkhead or Abdullah?

If all goes smoothly, it'll be a crisper team that improves from last year's squad. But I would say we as fans just want to be positive until we see a reason not to (and then, the sky is falling and the coaches should never have been hired).

I can understand all of that. And, I think his prediction of 9-3 for this year is not out of line. However, the feelings that we would be 6-6 if we played in the Pac12 is ridiculous. We all of a sudden would have 3 more losses if we played in a different conference?

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I listened to the McKewon-Nyatawa podcast from last week. The big reason for Sam's concerns on offense relates to the O-line. Other than Alex Lewis there is not much experience in the guys who are projected in starting. Sam said that Ameer made the o-line look pretty good last year, with the runs he was able to make. Ameer was able to make the first guy miss so many times last year, especially when there was penetration in the back field. There simply isn't that type of talent at RB this year, which will make the O-line better. Due to that fact, Sam sees the offense struggling.

 

[Treand3]

Not Top 15 "talent" at the moment, but we don't have a top 15 schedule either. While I understand what he's getting at it has nothing to do with the teams that are actually on the docket.

 

[zoogs]

I can understand all of that. And, I think his prediction of 9-3 for this year is not out of line. However, the feelings that we would be 6-6 if we played in the Pac12 is ridiculous. We all of a sudden would have 3 more losses if we played in a different conference?

Oh, yeah, I dunno about that. Granted, I do hear people talk about how nice our schedule is this year...and the Pac 12 is on the upswing. They have a crowded field of very talented teams. I don't know if that would make 6 the expectation, but it would certainly make it a lot less surprising. Whereas with our schedule, it would be quite shocking to see the Huskers go 6-6 or even 7-5.

It's interesting that one of their concerns is the OL. I should say worrying. I was assuming that OL was going to be one of our strong suites, and all I had going for me to support that was stuff these guys write. For example, I agree that AA was phenomenal and made those guys look better, but they're also not totally chopped liver and this is one area where I'd expect better coaching to start taking hold immediately.

 

[RADAR]

There were questions when we lost Burkhead, remember Ameer was a fumbler, how would we replace our run game. Bell was inconsistent and dropped a lot of balls. What in the world would we do?????????? Guys will step up, I never thought Gregory was ever much of a factor, he flashed a little, but was never a consistent threat.

We will win 10 games and every thing will be on track for the future.

 

[DomiNUs]

He is really down on the B1G West for some reason. It's not a terrible division, but it's not the greatest either. At least it's not the Big 12 North.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I listened to the McKewon-Nyatawa podcast from last week. The big reason for Sam's concerns on offense relates to the O-line. Other than Alex Lewis there is not much experience in the guys who are projected in starting. Sam said that Ameer made the o-line look pretty good last year, with the runs he was able to make. Ameer was able to make the first guy miss so many times last year, especially when there was penetration in the back field. There simply isn't that type of talent at RB this year, which will make the O-line better. Due to that fact, Sam sees the offense struggling.

Ameer also was at the top or near the top in the country in yards before contact.

 

[DomiNUs]

I listened to the McKewon-Nyatawa podcast from last week. The big reason for Sam's concerns on offense relates to the O-line. Other than Alex Lewis there is not much experience in the guys who are projected in starting. Sam said that Ameer made the o-line look pretty good last year, with the runs he was able to make. Ameer was able to make the first guy miss so many times last year, especially when there was penetration in the back field. There simply isn't that type of talent at RB this year, which will make the O-line better. Due to that fact, Sam sees the offense struggling.

Ameer also was at the top or near the top in the country in yards before contact.

I did not know that. Very interesting. Kind of blows that argument away.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I listened to the McKewon-Nyatawa podcast from last week. The big reason for Sam's concerns on offense relates to the O-line. Other than Alex Lewis there is not much experience in the guys who are projected in starting. Sam said that Ameer made the o-line look pretty good last year, with the runs he was able to make. Ameer was able to make the first guy miss so many times last year, especially when there was penetration in the back field. There simply isn't that type of talent at RB this year, which will make the O-line better. Due to that fact, Sam sees the offense struggling.

Ameer also was at the top or near the top in the country in yards before contact.

I did not know that. Very interesting. Kind of blows that argument away.

I understand that Ameer's stats may blow that argument out of the water, but how much of that was due to play call or play design? I'm not trying to discredit the o-line, but it has more to do with the "eye test" of watching the games. In the big games, the o-line struggled mightily.