Do you think this is going to be a staple of the Pelini era?

I dont think it is a trend yet. Bo is only in his 3rd year as a HEAD coach. He is still learning not to mention still working on getting all of his own players fully engrained into his system. Which could take till year 4 or 5. The Callahan mistake backed this program up almost a solid decade and it will take a long while to dig out if ever.

Even though we have lost games we necessarily shouldnt, most of those have been due to poor offensive performances. Our defense seems to always show up, which will keep us in positions to win 9-10 games a year. We just need to find that same edge on the offensive side of the ball. Not calling for offensive coaches heads just yet, but the defensive side has held up their end of the bargain, now its time for the offense to as well.

 
I think leadership on the team is missing. I think I attribute that to the rotating captains.

I think there should be one on each side and rotate the others in. Someone has to be in charge, responsible for the locker room attitude, the game attitude.

Not sure that is it, but I think it would help.

What I am hearing is here is just exactly what the team hears. We are a top 5 team because we were close to this and that and we beat a 24 Arizona team.

We were not a top 5 team, we could not beat the ones ranked above us as we never played them. Moral victories mean nothing.

When we actually beat a top 5, 10, 15, 20 team then we will be at that level. It has been ten years since we did it. We are right along side the legendary program Duke in that.

Close only matters in hand grenades. Put the cards on the table. We have beaten no one with a pulse in many years.

We are an above average team, that plays well at times and terrible at others. We can not close the deal when it is on the line.

The team needs to be challenged to do that, and for some reason they spit the bit every time.

 
skersfan said:
I think leadership on the team is missing. I think I attribute that to the rotating captains.
Click to expand...
I don't like the rotating captains myself, either, but I'm not sure that it is at the root of this problem.

This is still a work in progress, how long did it take Dr. Tom to get his teams to the level of his mid 90's teams, and they still underacheived and lost games that they shouldn't of. How many of TO's losses were close games that were lost due to a bad break, bad bounce, bad call or two? I would say that a good percentage of them were.

We have to realize where this program was just 3 years ago, to even be mentioned as a top 10 team is pretty remarkable. We can still attain all of our goals this year, heck, most of us thought that this team was not a NC contender before the year. But win out, get a few teams in front of us to lose, and we are back in the discussion for a goal most of us thought was not going to happen anyway.

Of couse, it was disappointing to lose to texa$$ the way we did, but if we win out (highly unlikely) it will still be a very successful year.

The more disturbing trends: stupid penalties, fumbles, lack of focus, etc. can all be taken care of.

 
the rotating captains have ZERO to do with it...honestly, captains are those promoted by teammates to deal with referees. You can argue me til your blue in the face, captains don't mean shiz...we have a unity council that means more than game day captains. rotating captains actually does more to bring unity because it elevates guys who are practicing well or deserve recognition on the team.

my problem is what is wrong with the WHOLE offense early in the year:

1.execution

2.preparation

3.time of possesion

4.using OOC games to expand playbooks

5.actually out-scheming defenses in the red zone (simple playaction to TE, fullbacks etc)

6.really growing our youth and chemistry

And finally, and maybe most importantly: the fact that here we are in week 6 for the 4th straight year, challenging our offense to decide what it is going to be going forward. Our defense is once again showing signs that it can be dominant. I mean, we have owned opposing teams so far, all things considered. And yet, here is our offense without a clear leader (has NOTHING to do with who is 'captain'...NOTHING) unable to gain 1st downs (even against KSUcks it was all or nothing) unable to throw the ball when it matters, unable to catch the ball when it matters, no plow-horse gaining tough yards, no lineman dominating to submission, no diversity in plays, etc....which goes to ONE person: shawn watson

i mean, if you were OC last year and your boss basically said, 'shut it down, hold on to it and let our D win it' wouldn't you do something different entering year 6(!)???...it's about to happen again this year, just watch. we can't hit 72 yd touchdowns against conference foes consistantly enough to win games, we just can't. And yet i can count on one hand the amount of drinves we've had that are 10 plays or longer.

to summerize, it is our OFFENSE that holds us back. and who does Bo give the power to run the offense? there is the answer to your question, OP

either bo needs to make a change, take charge, or suffer the consequances...I hope he does one of the first 2.

 
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74Hunter said:
skersfan said:
I think leadership on the team is missing. I think I attribute that to the rotating captains.
Click to expand...
I don't like the rotating captains myself, either, but I'm not sure that it is at the root of this problem.

This is still a work in progress, how long did it take Dr. Tom to get his teams to the level of his mid 90's teams, and they still underacheived and lost games that they shouldn't of. How many of TO's losses were close games that were lost due to a bad break, bad bounce, bad call or two? I would say that a good percentage of them were.

We have to realize where this program was just 3 years ago, to even be mentioned as a top 10 team is pretty remarkable. We can still attain all of our goals this year, heck, most of us thought that this team was not a NC contender before the year. But win out, get a few teams in front of us to lose, and we are back in the discussion for a goal most of us thought was not going to happen anyway.

Of couse, it was disappointing to lose to texa$$ the way we did, but if we win out (highly unlikely) it will still be a very successful year.

The more disturbing trends: stupid penalties, fumbles, lack of focus, etc. can all be taken care of.
Click to expand...
Great post, 74Hunter. It's amazing how quickly we forget how far we've come since Bo's been here. Tough to question his ability as a coach because of just one game. Does anyone remember that prior to last Saturday's game, we were 5-0 for the 1st time since 2003? We must be doing something right.

 
I feel like you can predict whether Nebraska will win or lose within the first 5 minutes of any game. If the offense comes out and has some success early, they can win. But if they come out and struggle early, it's all on the defense. The only exception to this rule that comes to mind is the Mizzou game last year. I think this is really really frustrating.

So yeah, ditto on all that blaming it on the offense and lack of leadership stuff.

 
Not the staff leadership the leadership of the players.

We have always had a strong leader it seems, but I do not see one on this team.

Yea you tell Peters he was there to deal with the refs. Trust me the Peters brothers would have had some serious talks with our recievers this week. I do not see that in this team.

Of those fantastic 5 wins, which one should we have lost. We played no one with a pulse, if I remember correctly the idiot before had us 4-0 going into SC. Which one of those 5 wins did you honestly feel we accomplished something. How much pride did the beating of South Dakota bring if you really looked at it.

Something is not here, what it is I have no idea. But this team plays like a light switch, sometimes it is on and others, when talent is lined up, they seem to fold, exception would be Texas last year.

Again we are closer in score, not the same blow outs, but we still can not win the games we need to. 0-20 against top 20 programs. That sucks period. When does it change? What needs to happen to make it change. I have no idea.

Patience is not the answer. It should this weekend, as I do not believe OKie Lite is as good as their ranking. Missouri is the real test as far as I am concerned.

 
No, because I think that Bo Pelini is a work in progress as head coach, just like the rest of his teams. He's good but everyone lives and learns. He knows football. He knows how to get his guys to respond to him. He will figure it out.

 
dubsker said:
No, because I think that Bo Pelini is a work in progress as head coach, just like the rest of his teams. He's good but everyone lives and learns. He knows football. He knows how to get his guys to respond to him. He will figure it out.
Click to expand...

i will help him, can Watson! he looked like a lost puppy when Texas shut down the zone read......if Okie lite does the same what will he do to counter it?

 
ESPY said:
74Hunter said:
skersfan said:
I think leadership on the team is missing. I think I attribute that to the rotating captains.
Click to expand...
I don't like the rotating captains myself, either, but I'm not sure that it is at the root of this problem.

This is still a work in progress, how long did it take Dr. Tom to get his teams to the level of his mid 90's teams, and they still underacheived and lost games that they shouldn't of. How many of TO's losses were close games that were lost due to a bad break, bad bounce, bad call or two? I would say that a good percentage of them were.

We have to realize where this program was just 3 years ago, to even be mentioned as a top 10 team is pretty remarkable. We can still attain all of our goals this year, heck, most of us thought that this team was not a NC contender before the year. But win out, get a few teams in front of us to lose, and we are back in the discussion for a goal most of us thought was not going to happen anyway.

Of couse, it was disappointing to lose to texa$$ the way we did, but if we win out (highly unlikely) it will still be a very successful year.

The more disturbing trends: stupid penalties, fumbles, lack of focus, etc. can all be taken care of.
Click to expand...
Great post, 74Hunter. It's amazing how quickly we forget how far we've come since Bo's been here. Tough to question his ability as a coach because of just one game. Does anyone remember that prior to last Saturday's game, we were 5-0 for the 1st time since 2003? We must be doing something right.
Click to expand...
I agree that something is right, but the cupcake schedule helped more than anything. No v-tech or usc's like we had in the past. Last years team would have been 5-0 in my opinion with this schedule.

 
JTrain said:
There definitely seems to be some sort of motivation and/or focus issue with this staff, especially the first half of the season but occasionally later as well. Hard to say exactly which coaches are to blame. Even though Osborne went through growing pains, it's hard to imagine any of his teams having a game like '09 Texas Tech.
Click to expand...
TO was notorious for his BOWL teams coming in flat for years. He finally figured it out in 95 orange bowl by getting the team to practice earlier and being more business-minded instead of vacation minded. Bo will figure it out eventually. He's a smart guy and analyzes everything.

 
skersfan said:
Not the staff leadership the leadership of the players.

We have always had a strong leader it seems, but I do not see one on this team.

Yea you tell Peters he was there to deal with the refs. Trust me the Peters brothers would have had some serious talks with our recievers this week. I do not see that in this team.

Of those fantastic 5 wins, which one should we have lost. We played no one with a pulse, if I remember correctly the idiot before had us 4-0 going into SC. Which one of those 5 wins did you honestly feel we accomplished something. How much pride did the beating of South Dakota bring if you really looked at it.

Something is not here, what it is I have no idea. But this team plays like a light switch, sometimes it is on and others, when talent is lined up, they seem to fold, exception would be Texas last year.

Again we are closer in score, not the same blow outs, but we still can not win the games we need to. 0-20 against top 20 programs. That sucks period. When does it change? What needs to happen to make it change. I have no idea.

Patience is not the answer. It should this weekend, as I do not believe OKie Lite is as good as their ranking. Missouri is the real test as far as I am concerned.
Click to expand...

you dont have to be a captain to be a leader is what i'm saying. rotating captains not the problem. true leaders like the Peters would say something regardless.

 
once we have all an entire team of bo's recruits we'll see what happens. remember, even the best team doesn't always win every game in a season. it takes some luck to go undefeated. we hold our team to a high standard. don't worry, we'll get there. my prediction is we really can contend for a national championship in the 2012 season. we'll be acclimated to the Big Ten. our new offense (if the zone read is still our offense) should be rolling. our young DB's (ciante, mitchel, cooper, jackson, green, middleton, washington, etc.) will be older and more mature.

my only real concern is the 'rift' in the locker room. right now it seems like there is a split, but i think it's a simple explanation. older guys are used to a passing offense, so people like McNeill aren't going to be happy about Martinez starting over Lee. hopefully that works it's way out of the program by next season. otherwise, maybe bo isn't ready to be a head coach.

 
blackshirts5115 said:
once we have all an entire team of bo's recruits we'll see what happens. remember, even the best team doesn't always win every game in a season. it takes some luck to go undefeated. we hold our team to a high standard. don't worry, we'll get there. my prediction is we really can contend for a national championship in the 2012 season. we'll be acclimated to the Big Ten. our new offense (if the zone read is still our offense) should be rolling. our young DB's (ciante, mitchel, cooper, jackson, green, middleton, washington, etc.) will be older and more mature.

my only real concern is the 'rift' in the locker room. right now it seems like there is a split, but i think it's a simple explanation. older guys are used to a passing offense, so people like McNeill aren't going to be happy about Martinez starting over Lee. hopefully that works it's way out of the program by next season. otherwise, maybe bo isn't ready to be a head coach.
Click to expand...
Fan expectations are such that it will be very hard to meet them. The constant mention of a NCG as an expectation, for a team that has been mediocre for most of a decade shows the problem. Like until last week, (some posts immediately after the loss were about our new path to the MNC) most believed the hype and thought our program was the best in the country. I think one special defense led by perhaps the greatest DT in a couple decades in college ball is to blame. Bo's boast that "we'll be five times better on defense next year" without Suh was total hubris.

The future of being competitive in the big 10 is reasonably bright, because the talent level is way below that of the SEC and the big 12/10 south. Quite simply put we have a better chance of winning our division fairly often and the conference on more rare occasions. Our program in the new world of recruiting cannot compete with the elite talent of the Texas and Oklahomas. You line up 2 3 & 4 * s against a roster of 4 & 5 *s and the % of games/championships you win goes way down. Outside of Ohio State, you don't have the top recruits in big numbers in the big 10. It will be unlikely for a very long time for anyone other than OSU to play in a NCG from the big ten. We can have a good program, a winning program, but will not have the pipeline to have an elite team. The media bought into our Big Red is back hype based on the performance (Suh's) in the last two games last season. Our running offense based on TM's speed increased that enthusiasm this year. I am not convinced that the zone read with T Magic is going to be a successful scheme against good teams. No great wide receivers or tight ends will want to come to Lincoln. Once the template to stop it is obvious, we'll have to change the offense. If Martinez can become a Tebow type Qb so that his passing is adequate to keep a defense guessing and get some Percy Havins like receivers, then there is a shot at having an offense that will work. TM and two good, not elite running backs will not get it done. In addition the entire offense being dependent on a qb who has blazing speed but runs upright is dicey. Who takes over that offense if when he goes down.

I think Bo is totally unsure and not committed to an offensive philosophy. That is not a slam of Bo, just an observation. Wats huge playbook is full of passing plays and it was pretty well shelved for the zone read. When we ran into trouble, Lee a sr. Qb was sent in. Though Bo has said he is not sure that was the right thing to do, i would expect if we fall behind either osu or Missouri, you will see a similar switch. So for the team and prospects deciding where they would fit in best...it is a huge question mark. We have no offensive philosophy that the staff and all the players have confidence in, unlike in the defensive side. Until we develop that offense that we are confident in and stick to it and fine tune it, we will not be an elite program IMO.

Though it may seem too pessimistic, there is more to football than a ncg. If your enjoyment is soley focused on the MNC, I truly think you will be much happier becoming a fan of a few programs down south that are much more likely to be in the discussion frequently. The Husker fans can have a great season in the big ten competing for a spot in the ccg and hoping to occasionally win it. Can't wait to travel to a Rose Bowl. For those expecting top 10 ratings and NCGs as a routine, I suspect you will be disappointed.

 
Pretty much agree other than thought that the Big ten is a weaker conference. Our current conference is Texas and Oklahoma, the rest of us are not major players on any level. Aspiring, but not there yet.

Big ten has more top level teams to deal with and it appears the first two years we will see every one of them. My guess is next year our scheduled will be rated the toughest it has ever been.

I do agree that we are not an elite program yet, but I also think we are going to have more problems in the Big Ten due to frequency of playing highly rated teams week after week.

 
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