Do We Have the Talent We Need?

junior4949 said:
OK, then what about Smothers?  Are we just completely screwed for the next several years because of the QB position?  
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woulda loved to see him on the field to see what we have but my guess is AM and Luke are simply much further ahead than him practice wise.  Perhaps a standard off season and fall camp might have made smothers a possibility given the piss poor play at QB but im sure Frosty and co viewed that as more of a risk than reward pay out.... specially behind a line that cant snap the damn ball consistently 

 
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All Hail Herbie said:
Without question we have the requisite talent.  This is the standard over-analysis that takes place after yet another inexplicable loss.  Simple game; block, tackle, and avoid turnovers and penalties.  

Case in point, Northwestern.  A program that encounters a significant barrier to recruiting top-shelf talent given the academic requirements in place in Evanston.  Yet, despite those challenges, Coach Fitzgerald somehow produces a consistent winner each and every year with a reliance on fundamentals.  Just imagine if we possessed this caliber of coaching with the talent we recruit every year.  

Poor culture and complete lack of fundamentals are the persistent issues. 

I once thought our downward cycle was something akin to Oklahoma (90's) or USC (90's - 00's), but I am now beginning to believe we are in a trough similar to Arkansas (post-Broyles).  Arkansas is yet to come out of their 40 year downturn.  
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Born N Bled Red said:
Northwestern, year in and out? Really? Don't get me wrong they've had some good seasons, but "consistent winners," they are not. Fitzy gets fired at Nebraska potentially in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, and certainly 2019. 





2006


Pat Fitzgerald


4–8


2–6


T–8th


 


 


 




2007


Pat Fitzgerald


6–6


3–5


T–7th


 


 


 




2008


Pat Fitzgerald


9–4


5–3


T–4th


L Alamo


 


 




2009


Pat Fitzgerald


8–5


5–3


T–4th


L Outback


 


 




2010


Pat Fitzgerald


7–6


3–5


T–6th


L TicketCity


 


 




2011


Pat Fitzgerald


6–7


3–5


5th (Legends)


L Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas


 


 




2012


Pat Fitzgerald


10–3


5–3


3rd (Legends)


W Gator


16


17




2013


Pat Fitzgerald


5–7


1–7


6th (Legends)


 


 


 




2014


Pat Fitzgerald


5–7


3–5


T–5th (West)


 


 


 




2015


Pat Fitzgerald


10–3


6–2


T–2nd (West)


L Outback


22


23




2016


Pat Fitzgerald


7–6


5–4


T–4th (West)


W Pinstripe


 


 




2017


Pat Fitzgerald


10–3


7–2


2nd (West)


W Music City


17


17




2018


Pat Fitzgerald


9–5


8–1


1st (West)


W Holiday


19


21




2019


Pat Fitzgerald


3–9


1–8


7th (West)


 


 
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Was literally going to post their yearly W/L, lol.
 

Granted, their last 6 years look pretty good overall. But the 7 and 3 win years kinda call into question 'consistent winner.' They're a high floor team, and they still went 3-9 last year. He's also had time to recruit and develop a team that matches his vision. I think Frost and co. would make a few different decisions around some the players they brought in early on, and the number of guys who just bailed does say a lot about how different Frost's vision is compared to Riley's. We should be farther along, but it's not like you have to jump through absurd hoops to see reasons for a slower turnaround. 

 
Complimenting an overachieving program (with talent limitations) should not create a sense of defensiveness or inferiority at one of the Top 10 College Football programs in the country.  

I would gladly take 4 bowl appearances and 2 Big Ten Championship appearances in the last 5 years.  We are staring into the abyss right now, 3 wins.  This follows 4 wins, 4 wins, and 5 wins.  

We need to quit fixating on fantasy comparisons to the Ohio State's and Alabama's of the world and take a look in the mirror.

Mr. Fundamental, Pat Fitzgerald, gives us a template from which to build a competitor.  

 
All Hail Herbie said:
Complimenting an overachieving program (with talent limitations) should not create a sense of defensiveness or inferiority at one of the Top 10 College Football programs in the country.  

I would gladly take 4 bowl appearances and 2 Big Ten Championship appearances in the last 5 years.  We are staring into the abyss right now, 3 wins.  This follows 4 wins, 4 wins, and 5 wins.  

We need to quit fixating on fantasy comparisons to the Ohio State's and Alabama's of the world and take a look in the mirror.

Mr. Fundamental, Pat Fitzgerald, gives us a template from which to build a competitor.  
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Eh... I'm not saying you're wrong, but you referred to them as consistent winners. They're not. As much as it pains me to say, Iowa and Wisconsin would much more warrant that description. - Bo Pelini was a consistent winner. 

 
Not even close.  No slight meant to our current guys either.  I do think we definitely have talented guys out there now so our cupboard is not bare.  Still roster wise we're not there yet.

 
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All Hail Herbie said:
Mr. Fundamental, Pat Fitzgerald, gives us a template from which to build a competitor.  
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Which this state and program will never be happy with. Scott is swinging for the fences. Let him, because in our hearts we know that is the only way our program can be proud of what is on the field. 

 
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Husker_Bohunk said:
If we have the talent, why aren't we winning? Why aren't more players being drafted into the NFL? If the talent is there, both of these things should be happening.

I'm tired of the excuse that the players need to be developed, Frost has been here three years and that development should be evident. Is it though? It doesn't seem to evident with our quarterbacks.
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Benhart is a perfect example of this.  He's young and playing tackle in the Big Ten.  That's a tough gig.  On Saturday, his bad play alone blew up a number of plays and directly lead to Martinez's fumble (if I'm remembering the play right).  

He's a guy who has tremendous talent. He's not ready for the NFL so he's not getting drafted and he needs to develop.  I believe he will by the time he leaves.

 
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Husker03 said:
Which this state and program will never be happy with. Scott is swinging for the fences. Let him, because in our hearts we know that is the only way our program can be proud of what is on the field. 
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Swinging for the fences is exactly what happened and it backfired.  I think it's disingenuous for so many of us to think we would have done it differently.  In hindsight, I bet he would make changes, but that's not how it went down.

As sorry as things are now (it's painful to watch), I still think he needs a few more pieces.

 
gobiggergoredder said:
Swinging for the fences is exactly what happened and it backfired.  I think it's disingenuous for so many of us to think we would have done it differently.  In hindsight, I bet he would make changes, but that's not how it went down.

As sorry as things are now (it's painful to watch), I still think he needs a few more pieces.
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I'm not sure it has completely backfired.  He is still up to bat but he is sitting on a 1-2 count.  Hopefully 2021 is that hanging curveball but my guess is he needs another foul tip or two to stay alive.  

 
BigRedBuster said:
Benhart is a perfect example of this.  He's young and playing tackle in the Big Ten.  That's a tough gig.  On Saturday, his bad play alone blew up a number of plays and directly lead to Martinez's fumble (if I'm remembering the play right).  

He's a guy who has tremendous talent. He's not ready for the NFL so he's not getting drafted and he needs to develop.  I believe he will by the time he leaves.
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I'm on the fence on this.  The play was right in his face.  Step up and gain 2 more seconds.  Yeah, the tackle got beat, but he flat out ate it.

 
BigRedBuster said:
We don't have the talent to beat someone like OSU.  We DO have the talent on the team to have three more wins this year if they were more mature and developed.  (Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota)
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And Northwestern... we should have won that game imo.

 
If I could only see the vision, I agree that this fan base would want him to shoot for the stars.  However, Oregon and UCF this is not.

No mistake about it, I think Coach Frost is a good ambassador for Nebraska, and most likely, a good coach at another program.

That said, he started his tenure at Nebraska with a hubris that has failed him.  He suffered from a lack of imagination when he entered this job.  I think he seriously underestimated the league he was entering, the immense task of changing one of the worst losing cultures in FBS (KU may be the worst), and the need to lean on alternative approaches to win games (i.e. kicking game, field position, etc.).  

He looks exhausted and without answers at this stage.

 
gobiggergoredder said:
Swinging for the fences is exactly what happened and it backfired.  I think it's disingenuous for so many of us to think we would have done it differently.  In hindsight, I bet he would make changes, but that's not how it went down.

As sorry as things are now (it's painful to watch), I still think he needs a few more pieces.
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Too soon to dub it a backfire, imo. What he did was focus on bringing in talent. The talent is mostly still in its 1st and 2nd season.  Again, you tell me you have a team of first round draft rookies in the NFL and I'll tell you you are in for a long season, even though they may all be great players, they are young.. That is what we have. A very young team across the board. And it shows. It shows in mistakes, inconsistencies, not being dominate individual battles on the field regularly, etc. It shows in physicality. It shows everywhere. Not fair, imo to say he swung for the fences but then only give him 2 years with those players to dub it failed and ask him to bunt instead. I hope to god he doesn't try to bunt at this point. See it through until 2022. When those boys are seniors and juniors and the fill ins behind them are not missing all over the place, it should start to roll. If it doesn't, sure, we can try to move on being a sac bunt team.

 
gobiggergoredder said:
I'm on the fence on this.  The play was right in his face.  Step up and gain 2 more seconds.  Yeah, the tackle got beat, but he flat out ate it.
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He was just about ready to make the pass (it appeared to me).  QBs all the time get credit for standing in the pocket and delivering the ball knowing they are going to get hit.  He did that.  The defender just go there before he could deliver it. That was because Benhart got beat so badly.  If he even slows down the defender, Martinez may have gotten the ball off.

 
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