Is 5 games too early to judge the coaches?

[alwayshusking]

No. The product that Riley puts on the field is going to be evaluated by fans. Coaches are judged on their body of work, which is only 5 games in this case. The first 5 games have been less than impressive to say the least and if he keeps going this way he won't be here long.

The good news for Riley is that he gets 7 or more games this year to start putting a quality product on the field. And likely 12 or more next year. Then we'll have a little more to judge.

 

[louisianared]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

 

[GBRedneck]

Could someone please explain the thought process behind some of MR decisions. I mean why in the world don't you call a timeout before that 3rd and 7 play. Tell your offense to not stop the clock whatever happens. Don't throw the ball don't step out of bounds. Why wouldn't you do that? I don't get it. Is there a deeper thought to it that I don't see? And that wasn't the first problem with clock and game management. And the guy is coaching for 4 decades. How can this possibly be an issue? Screw ups happen but it seems like there is no strategy for these situations.

We hire a 62 year old coach and a staff with tons of experience because we do not not a first time head coach learning on the job. And yet we get decisions that are the equivalent of a first year high school coach.

Very few HS coaches would make that same mistake.

 

[74Hunter]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

That whole national championship thing that Saban had in his back pocket gave him a little more cache. Riley has never won a division at this level.

And Saban took over a dumpster fire, Riley did not.

Apples and hard boiled eggs.

 

[GBRedneck]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

He still improved over the prior year at both places.

 

[RADAR]

Need at least 4-5 full seasons to get a good idea.

You have no clue how college football works. Nebraska doesn't have 4-5 years to waste for Riley to get a good idea and have him RETIRE. Then we gotta wait 4-5 more years for the next guy. Ha, I hope you are happy waiting 10 years to be relevant again with your philosophy.

This was a horrible hire from an age standpoint especially for a "Building" situation.

Sure we have 4-5 years, we gave 408 7 years to see if that would work. 4-5 is pretty short.

 

[louisianared]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

That whole national championship thing that Saban had in his back pocket gave him a little more cache. Riley has never won a division at this level.

And Saban took over a dumpster fire, Riley did not.

Apples and hard boiled eggs.

Saban never won a national title before going to LSU. LSU and Alabama also had a ton of talent when Saban got there (more than we have now)

Before going to LSU Saban was 34-24-1 at Michigan State, take out his last year at MSU and Saban was 25-22-1. He was a very average coach at MSU with one good year.

I would argue that Riley took over a Nebraska team that was in a dumpster fire due to Bo's "us against the world" mentality that have permeated the team.

The main point I am making is that even a great coach like Saban struggled in his first year and while there are cause for concerns this year, the sky isn't falling. People need to give Riley more than 5 games before calling for his head.

I'm not saying that Riley is equal to Saban, just that not every coach automatically turns their team around in year 1. Don't forget that Saban lost to a mediocre ULM team at home in his first year at Bama. Give Riley at least a year to get his system in place and also weed out any bad apples that don't buy into that system. If we are regressing/not improving next year (or even toward the end of this year) the notion to make a change will be more valid.

Now is just not the time.

 

[huskerfan92]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

That whole national championship thing that Saban had in his back pocket gave him a little more cache. Riley has never won a division at this level.

And Saban took over a dumpster fire, Riley did not.

Apples and hard boiled eggs.

Saban never won a national title before going to LSU. LSU and Alabama also had a ton of talent when Saban got there (more than we have now)

Before going to LSU Saban was 34-24-1 at Michigan State, take out his last year at MSU and Saban was 25-22-1. He was a very average coach at MSU with one good year.

I would argue that Riley took over a Nebraska team that was in a dumpster fire due to Bo's "us against the world" mentality that have permeated the team.

The main point I am making is that even a great coach like Saban struggled in his first year and while there are cause for concerns this year, the sky isn't falling. People need to give Riley more than 5 games before calling for his head.

I'm not saying that Riley is equal to Saban, just that not every coach automatically turns their team around in year 1. Don't forget that Saban lost to a mediocre ULM team at home in his first year at Bama. Give Riley at least a year to get his system in place and also weed out any bad apples that don't buy into that system. If we are regressing/not improving next year (or even toward the end of this year) the notion to make a change will be more valid.

Now is just not the time.

Comparing Riley to Saban is like comparing Pelini to Saban.....as in they're nothing alike. This mindset needs to stop

 

[74Hunter]

Louisiana, I was referring to Sabans time at Bama.

How good was LSU in the years prior to his time there?

 

[raw1]

It's 5 games at NU and a career of .536 at the collegiate level that Riley brings here. I was not excited about the hire to begin with, but thought he deserved a chance. Get his system, schemes, players etc..... But his scheme,players, system etc still made him a .536 coach at OSU. I also thought that the experienced staff would be an upgrade over Bo. I thought it would equate to 1-2 more wins per season. Unfortunately, I compared that to Bo's 9 win mark. I should have compared that to his basic overall of 6-6 career at OSU.

To date we are dead last in pass defense. We are near the bottom of penalties per game. We have no running game, no definitive starter at RB. We have a team Cpt that twice now has acted like an idiot via social media or his actions. We have seen an inability to manage the clock on several occasions. We threw the ball yesterday with TA going 10-31 IIRC. Riley and Langs are another rendition of Cally and Co. Square peg meet round hole.

I do not think that Riley will be successful here. I do not want to give the guy 4 years to "get his guys" here to see what he can produce. I look to the west and see the results. I look at 5 games and see the results. It's not like he took over some 2-10 team. He took over a 9 win team. He wasn't hired to "lose by less", he was hired to win. After yesterdays debacle, IMO, we are more a 2-10 team now than a team that will be bowl eligible.

We have the talent and athleticism. We just don't have the staff......

All good points, especially that he took over a 9 win team. I do not know Riley, never met him. Didn't have much to say when he was hired except it looked to me like they were trying to find another Tom Osborne and that wasn't going to happen. In retrospect (and hindsight is always 20-20) it seem odd that we take a guy older than me (which is significant) with a .500 record at a Pac 12 school and think he will be the answer at Nebraska. After 5 games I am not seeing a Husker team on the field. I was screaming at the tv mid third quarter to run the ball but they kept trying to pass in that terrible weather. Now I am reading that TA changed the 3rd and 7 play from run to pass and that Freshman Oz said he didn't really hear the play call because of fan noise and I wonder who the hell is in charge of this team.

I don't want to get into the mode of changing coaches every year if it doesn't turn out right but if this team doesn't make a bowl there will be some upset fans. The good news is Wisconsin lost and it is only the first game in conference play. So, a lot of football to be played but there must be a change in attitude and Riley better decide to take charge of this team. They must decide who the running back is and correct some major coaching mistakes, like clock management. The team has to get nasty and stop beating themselves. I am not a huge Tommy Armstrong fan; I think he is looking ahead to the NFL based on the number of times he throws deep. But Fife isn't the answer either. So QB is a problem that may be resolved with recruits. That aint going to solve the defense against the pass issues. I remember back in Osbornes tenure, he had the same problem. Actually asked Bobby Bowden to come to Lincoln one summer to give TO his opinion on what was needed. He told Osborne he must recruit more speed, which he did and we immediately won two National Championships. I have always given Bowden partial credit for that success. It seems like we have stopped looking for speed again. Those guys are just flat getting beat by speedy receivers.

I am just not sure Riley has the fire in his belly it is going to take to bring back the old Cornhuskers. I was looking for a younger mid major guy with some spunk and a track record. Age isn't as important as new ideas and the ability to take charge of 100 18-23 year old kids with egos the size of Texas. Riley took this job as one last fling in the coaching world. This isn't the job for that. I actually had the thought that Frank Solich may be the guy for this team, notwithstanding his age. He has finally gotten out of the 90's with his coaching style and has built a pretty good team at Ohio. I know the reason he left was for things other than coaching but who knows?

 

[GOAT]

Louisiana, I was referring to Sabans time at Bama.

How good was LSU in the years prior to his time there?

They weren't good at all. I live in Baton Rouge. Had Saban stayed in BR, he would continue to be worshipped like a god to this day.

Comparing Riley to Saban is ridiculous. Saban is regarded as one of the truly elite coaches in the business. Riley is regarded as a nice guy.

Bottom line: this staff is hot garbage.

 

[louisianared]

Louisiana, I was referring to Sabans time at Bama.

How good was LSU in the years prior to his time there?

Not good. Tons of talent but also tons of internal issues, many of which were caused by Dinardo (He destroyed what was a loaded QB position). LSU had gone 4-8 and then 2-9 in Dinardo's last two years. Dinardo's coaching the last two years at LSU may be the worst college coaching I've ever seen.

My point wasn't that Riley is the next Saban or even comparable to Saban, they simply aren't near the same level coaching wise (very few are on/near Saban's level). Just that it took Saban's teams more than a year to hit their stride. It took him 4 years at LSU to hit his stride and took him 2 years at Alabama. Realistically it might take Riley over a year to hit his stride/peak.

I'm not happy about the results this season at all. I just think calling for his head after 5 games isn't the way to go either.

Comparing Riley to Saban is like comparing Pelini to Saban.....as in they're nothing alike. This mindset needs to stop

Once again I'm not trying to compare Riley to Saban, just using his record/performance as an example as most are familiar with his body of work. Just showing that it took Saban time to build his programs.

 

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Riley should definitely get more than a year and first years should never be considered a true gauge of what coaches can do

As an example I will use Nick Saban

Alabama

2007: 7-6

2008: 12-2

LSU

2000: 8-4

2001: 10-3

2002: 8-5

2003: 13-1

Saban also had considerable coaching experience (Toledo and Mich St) where he had moderate success. Riley has considerable coaching experience where he accomplished nothing

 

[GBRedneck]

Louisiana, I was referring to Sabans time at Bama.

How good was LSU in the years prior to his time there?

Not good. Tons of talent but also tons of internal issues, many of which were caused by Dinardo (He destroyed what was a loaded QB position). LSU had gone 4-8 and then 2-9 in Dinardo's last two years. Dinardo's coaching the last two years at LSU may be the worst college coaching I've ever seen.

My point wasn't that Riley is the next Saban or even comparable to Saban, they simply aren't near the same level coaching wise (very few are on/near Saban's level). Just that it took Saban's teams more than a year to hit their stride. It took him 4 years at LSU to hit his stride and took him 2 years at Alabama. Realistically it might take Riley over a year to hit his stride/peak.

I'm not happy about the results this season at all. I just think calling for his head after 5 games isn't the way to go either.

Riley is exactly 149-149 lifetime as a HC. He's exactly .500. I guess if he hits his stride, his norm of .500 would be an improvement over his current .400 winning percentage at Nebraska. Just not sure anyone would be excited about Riley hitting his stride. He needs to walk a lot faster than his normal stride if he wants to keep his job.

 

[GBRedneck]

Listen to his press conferences. Watch his bonehead screwups in games. It's obvious that Riley is in way over his head. Sorry if that offends some of you, but it's true. Go listen to his postgame press conference. Here's a link: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/chatelain-pin-this-loss-squarely-on-mike-riley-and-danny/article_899171ee-6a2e-11e5-8f5e-b770878cd57d.html (it's near the bottom of the page).

He sounds totally lost and confused.

There is just no rational reason to believe the lightbulb is suddenly going to come on for him.