Clarifying my Thoughts

[Hedley Lamarr]

Where was the talent last season when we got slapped around by tOSU and Wisky and UGA? We are average in an average conference. Do you see us being one of the top 4 teams in the country with Bo as HC with his current staff?

Okay, so you want Bo fired. Anything else you want to get off your chest?

My favorite color is blue, not a really bright blue or a really dark blue but a blue that is a bit in between the two. Thank you for allowing me to get all of this off my chest

Good. I shouldn't have to see any more posts from you regarding your thoughts on Bo.

But tell me more about this blue color.

when you mix it with red it becomes purple......

 

[EZ-E]

Pretty good post EZ, and I think many share some of those sentiments, and others understand them.

Recently, however, we have began to transition away from zone. We have really started to run power sweep, G toss, Belly G, and straight power much more in the run game. I think that has a lot to do with the OL improvement this season and the fact that negative plays have nearly disappeared. Downhill, as some like to call it. Much less read, cut. Ameer's vision is still awesome in the hole but his cut is now coming at the second level as I'm sure you've noticed. We still run some zone out of shotgun, but the pistol looks are getting more and more away from that.

I'll have to look back at those plays to see what you mean. What I am talking about is when we are in the gun depending on where Ameer lines up tells the defense where the play is designed to go. I think you touched on it in your post.

Ya, I have noticed this trend throughout football. High school level even. Start in a pistol and then shift to the side you want to tip the defense to. One more thing a DC has to worry about, are they tipping me to go that way or a they going to misdirection off of it?

That's what makes it such a great system that Oregon and we run.

1) if Ameer is lined up behind Tommy but TA is at shotgun depth, we are running an inside zone read

2) if Ameer is lined up by his side, it's an outside zone read.

3) when you option off one player, may it be the DT, DE, OLB or whomever, you are creating a numbers advantage on the play side.

Chip Kelly when he was at Oregon wanted other teams to know the first two points about his offense that based on the formations they could tell where the play was designed to go. When teams would over pursue it helped out his OL.

The over pursuit and pre-snap reads the defense would make would open up cutback lanes.

 

[EZ-E]

Where was the talent last season when we got slapped around by tOSU and Wisky and UGA? We are average in an average conference. Do you see us being one of the top 4 teams in the country with Bo as HC with his current staff?

Okay, so you want Bo fired. Anything else you want to get off your chest?

My favorite color is blue, not a really bright blue or a really dark blue but a blue that is a bit in between the two. Thank you for allowing me to get all of this off my chest

Good. I shouldn't have to see any more posts from you regarding your thoughts on Bo.

But tell me more about this blue color.

when you mix it with red it becomes purple......

If your only thoughts are in the first quoted post you have no business in this thread.

 

[melscott62]

I agree. 3 things really holding us back, though that is a "why can't we just seem to fix it?"

.....

Penalties, turnovers, special teams.

We lack in these phases pretty bad.

Special teams just need a re-boot and practice practice practice.

It's the penalties and turnovers that seem to be a psychological barrier that can only be fixed by some REAL accountability and leadership.

Leaders forcing teammates into more focus and accountability. This is what is baffling to me; penalties and turnovers.

But I'm excited for the last 3 games and the next couple years. Losing Martinez sucks a big one, but it may be a blessing for the future with experience if nothing else.

I would add to this our inability to develop depth. I know we've had a lot of injuries in the past years, and I know people say that we simply didn't have the talent and the numbers. But I feel a lot of this was simply due to coachs refusing to play numbers. I've heard Roy Williams speak about this at coaches conferences. I know its different sport but coaching philosophy is coaching philosophy. He has always said that if you want depth you have to play depth. you have to put some young guys in the game even if they're not completely ready. Instead we have a tendency to go with the same guys play after play game after game. then they end up getting injured because they never get a break and we're screwed.

 

[EZ-E]

I agree. 3 things really holding us back, though that is a "why can't we just seem to fix it?"

.....

Penalties, turnovers, special teams.

We lack in these phases pretty bad.

Special teams just need a re-boot and practice practice practice.

It's the penalties and turnovers that seem to be a psychological barrier that can only be fixed by some REAL accountability and leadership.

Leaders forcing teammates into more focus and accountability. This is what is baffling to me; penalties and turnovers.

But I'm excited for the last 3 games and the next couple years. Losing Martinez sucks a big one, but it may be a blessing for the future with experience if nothing else.

I would add to this our inability to develop depth. I know we've had a lot of injuries in the past years, and I know people say that we simply didn't have the talent and the numbers. But I feel a lot of this was simply due to coachs refusing to play numbers. I've heard Roy Williams speak about this at coaches conferences. I know its different sport but coaching philosophy is coaching philosophy. He has always said that if you want depth you have to play depth. you have to put some young guys in the game even if they're not completely ready. Instead we have a tendency to go with the same guys play after play game after game. then they end up getting injured because they never get a break and we're screwed.

We have depth now. Thin at a few places, but our make shift OL just spanked a pretty good DL.

 

[EZ-E]

Great post, EZ. Some responses...

1) I think it's tough for any of us to predict or analyze the pool of available coaches. So a perceived lack of an obvious candidate isn't a concern.

2) Completely agree on Beck. Everybody's an armchair OC. I think Beck's doing some really nice things here, I like the guy and I hope he stays regardless. However, is it possible for NU to do better at the position? Yeah, I guess so.

3) It's possible the next coach will be better or worse than Bo Pelini. That's a risk that nobody can ever prevent from existing. The presence of that risk isn't a reason to hang onto Bo IF it's been determined that he's not our guy.

4) We've had some bad luck, sure, but that doesn't exculpate the coaches completely. For instance, you talk about safety play. How many years has that been an issue now? A lot. And, like many things, the current status is merely "things are looking up." A lot of things look up, but don't ultimately pan out. Which is probably a good summary of the recent past.

I love Bo's ability to coach defenses, but that's not all he's in charge of here. If we need to make a change, the great unknown is scary, but Bo isn't the only guy in the world who can coach a defense either. Maybe with the current promise he can take the defense from its recent history of embarrassing blowouts back to its 09 heights, or maybe in 2-3 years we'll pointing to that time that guy tweeted and messed up Bo's recruiting again just as he was turning the corner, but Bo's really turning the corner again now and we should give him another 2-3 years because look at all these defensive tackles from the '15 and '16 classes...

You broke down point number one in a long post. Where is the rest?

 

[HuskerShark]

With the talent we've recruited the past 3-4 years I think it would be a mistake to not give Bo a chance with it. If after 2-3 years it hasn't worked out, then I'd be on the side that it's time to move on. But with as much promise as there currently is in this program with as young and talented as we are I think it would be a damn shame if a change is made.

My football IQ probably isn't at the level of yours, but this is where I am at right now as well. Earlier in the year, I was ready to usher Bo out the door because the defense was flat out embarrassing. I knew there would be growing pains, but that group was BAD to start the year.

Now that the defense is finally showing what it could be, and the emergence of Michael Rose as a leader at MLB, we've got a group that could be absolutely terrifying to play in a couple of years. The only problem is that next year, we will be molding new CBs, Nickel, and whoever takes over Cooper's spot, and that could take a while as well. Hopefully we get a good DB class with a JUCO or 2 that will be able to fill the void left by SJB, Ciante, and Coop.

Cooper is a rs junior

I see. I was thinking he was a Sr for some reason. In that case, I feel VERY good about the defense, as long as we get CBs to step up for SJB's and Ciante's spot. And also, hopefully someone with some athleticism to take Josh Mitchell's spot.

Josh is also a junior. With the emergence of Leroy Alexander, my hope is that we move CJAX to nickel. I like CJAX, but fact of the matter is that Leroy is just better than him to this point IMO. CJAX would bring a lot of hard hitting tackling ability and athletic ability. At nickel, he'd be nice and close to the LOS to help in run support.

I knew Mitchell is a Jr. And he has been burned all season long.

 

[EZ-E]

I'm skeptical of JMitch as well. The word out of fall camp was that JRose is a monster but plays too risky for Coach Joseph's liking.

 

[RedDenver]

I'm skeptical of JMitch as well. The word out of fall camp was that JRose is a monster but plays too risky for Coach Joseph's liking.

Maybe with the rest of the D improving, JRose playing risky won't be as disastrous.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

I'm skeptical of JMitch as well. The word out of fall camp was that JRose is a monster but plays too risky for Coach Joseph's liking.

Maybe with the rest of the D improving, JRose playing risky won't be as disastrous.

I hope so, Mitchell just isn't on par with the rest of our CB at this point. Somehow the guy who was called the "best cover guy we have" at the beginning of the year by the coaches is the biggest liability in the secondary. A secondary that includes a converted WR and a Freshman Safety.

 

[RedDenver]

I'm skeptical of JMitch as well. The word out of fall camp was that JRose is a monster but plays too risky for Coach Joseph's liking.

Maybe with the rest of the D improving, JRose playing risky won't be as disastrous.

I hope so, Mitchell just isn't on par with the rest of our CB at this point. Somehow the guy who was called the "best cover guy we have" at the beginning of the year by the coaches is the biggest liability in the secondary. A secondary that includes a converted WR and a Freshman Safety.

I think Mitchell has played fine - good but not great. He's no lockdown corner but neither is SJB.

 

[RedSavage]

I'm skeptical of JMitch as well. The word out of fall camp was that JRose is a monster but plays too risky for Coach Joseph's liking.

Maybe with the rest of the D improving, JRose playing risky won't be as disastrous.

I hope so, Mitchell just isn't on par with the rest of our CB at this point. Somehow the guy who was called the "best cover guy we have" at the beginning of the year by the coaches is the biggest liability in the secondary. A secondary that includes a converted WR and a Freshman Safety.

I think Mitchell has played fine - good but not great. He's no lockdown corner but neither is SJB.

I agree that Mitchell has been good but not great. I think he could be great if he wasn't so undersized, that seems to really be his biggest SHORTcoming (sorry couldn't help myself).