Injuries and Expectations

[tschu]

Friday we took a massive hit on the defense, losing Charles Jackson, LeRoy Alexander, and Michael Rose for the season. We all know this sucks. But let's talk about the elephant in the room, which is - how should this affect our expectations for the season and the way we evaluate the coaching staff after the season is over?

I've already seen a few posts that start to sort of post some opinions without exactly coming to a final conclusion:

If it was one of the DL's or LB's I would be worried. Yes it sucks but to me it happened to the position I don't have as much worry for.

Disagree. Our once somewhat deep and talented secondary just lost 2projected starters. God forbid losing Cooper, or even Gerry. This is really, really bad. An injury to one of them and a freshman is in the game.

Just can't catch a break. We're now once again paper thin in the secondary, yet expectations are that we're supposed to win the conference.

What's next? ?

Wake me up when next season comes around. Sheesh

Big losses the last few days. Particularly Rose and Alexander, who were, in my opinion, key components to the defensive turnaround last season. But those losses absolutely do not need to change the trajectory of the Huskers' season in any significant way. These are the things that test the character of a team. Will we whimper and settle for #9wins once again, or rise to the challenge and overcome these obstacles? That's what separates good teams from great ones. Injuries are part of the deal. By all accounts, Gerry and Banderas should be more than adequate replacements, so their apparent goal of being a top ten defense should still be attainable.

So here is the thing: we can't have it both ways. We can't both say "This is a disaster" and then say "This shouldn't affect our goals." Therefore is it also unfair to evaluate the coaching staff in a negative way if we, say, only win 7 games? How does this rash of injuries change the season's expectations for you, and how will that reflect on your opinion of Bo after the season is over?

 

[Abdullah the Butcher]

September might be like the previous September but then they should be fine.

 

[The Dude]

I sympathize for teams that suffer injuries, i.e., every single football team in the history of the sport. If you're going to let it define what you do as a team, then you don't deserve greatness.

Also, I think we can have it both ways. Different people can have different opinions. To some, hanging your heads and whimpering your way to a mediocre season is perfectly acceptable. Let's just hope the coaching staff and team leaders don't carry this attitude.

 

[tschu]

I really should have added a poll. Mods is this possible to add in after-the-fact?

 

[alwayshusking]

It doesn't change them for me. These were quality players, but if we can't lose these guys and field a good team, then the program just isn't very strong.

The excuses have run out for Bo. Injuries happen to every team but good teams are able to withstand them. If he hasn't recruited enough depth then that's another deficiency.

Bo should have done more in the first 6 years if he wanted the benefit of the doubt. He's all out of mulligans. He needs to field a good team.

 

[tschu]

To some, hanging your heads and whimpering your way to a mediocre season is perfectly acceptable. Let's just hope the coaching staff and team leaders don't carry this attitude.

Are you referring to players, coaches, or fans? Because fans can whimper all we want; it's not going to affect the results on the field. Players and coaches not so much.

 

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

This is college football today. This is why "every" recruiting class is important. This is why the $EC has an advantage with their over signing and trimming of the fat. This is the price we as Nebraska pay by trying to do the right thing all the time. Maybe this turns out to be a great year, say 11-2 or better. Then we look at what we get back next year and really OD on the kool aid. If some people are correct in saying Pelini has continually gotten better at recruiting, then we should see the benefits of that in a scenario like we are in now. I think it should be a free for all in the secondary as far as true freshman. Throw em into the fire I say. This is why we need blow out victorys early in the year like the good ole days. Build depth by getting our guys game experience.

 

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I really should have added a poll. Mods is this possible to add in after-the-fact?

You may be able to edit your initial post

 

[True2tRA]

I need to see who is going to be taking over these spots before I go too far in evaluating how this season will go now. Do I expect a drop off? Yes. Still, should it be such a drop off that we start talking about losing any of our first four or five games? No. So in all reality, no matter who fills in, by the time we get into any sort of real battle, they should be caught up in this system quite a bit. Heck, who knows, we may be more prepared for this than we think. I've heard a lot of good about Cockrell. Banderas battled Rose for the MLB spot all hear last year (although admittedly I was really looking forward to seeing Jackson and Rose out there this season). Then I've also heard about a safety named Kieron Williams that is chomping at the bit to get out there and supposedly has the talent to make an impact.

 

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

Well, we already know we're deep at Linebacker. We'll be OK there...we'd be better if Rose were there but he'll be back next year. In the secondary, we have one unknown entity we lost in Jackson and one known entity lost in Alexander. We're thin there....but Gerry has game experience and will be fine there i believe.

I think the loss that hurts us most due to the thinness behind him is Jackson in my opinion...and it's due to the fact that an already thin position is made thinner. We have good talent and backups in both Safety and Linebacker.

So, there's my 2 cents....and I think we'll be just fine guys honestly. I still think the defense has what it takes to make it a force to be reckoned with.

Having depth is great. Being OK at a position because of depth isn't what sets the world on fire. I want the guy that's the best. So losing your best at a position no matter how deep you are is gonna hurt. Guys are starters for a reason no matter how small the difference between him and the guy second on the depth chart. And having to depend on depth at 3 positions on the same side of the ball takes care of said depth. We are now one injury away at each of those spots from being a hot mess.

 

[tschu]

I really should have added a poll. Mods is this possible to add in after-the-fact?

You may be able to edit your initial post

Indeed! Added.

 

[tschu]

By the way, the season win total o/u took a bit of a hit yesterday; it was sitting juiced to nearly 8.5, but is now sitting exactly at 8. So if you think we can still get to 9 wins, you can get a good price today.

 

[Decked]

TBH, i'm not all that worried about the injuries except at the MIKE spot. Bando looked lost at times. However, he was still only a true freshman. I remember plays where he just flat out chose the wrong hole and left a huge gap. IMO, he just needs to read the offense better and he will be a solid player. Cockrell and Gerry could end up being studs this year. Gerry's potential has me excited with him switching back to his natural position. And Cockrell played well in limited time in spring ball. He has a chance to become a good player.

 

[Jason Sitoke]

I'm very worried about the secondary now. We seem to have a lot of mental mistakes by the DBs when we have our veterans back there, let alone when we plug in new guys. I could be wrong, but I think we're headed for some serious breakdowns in the defensive backfield, at least early in the year.

 

[TheSker]

I think there's less concern because Pelini and staff have seemingly done a better job of recruiting.......which has added a level of comfort to our depth.......and if our defensive line ends up being close to what we think it could be, it helps the back 7.