NU Identity: Do we need a Defense Minded or Offense Minded Coach?

[Guy Chamberlin]

Mr. 50% was hired because the unqualified AD got bailed out of Miami by his Wisconsin friend and had zero options to replace Bo. It was similar to the Pederson scramble after everyone turned him down and we ended up with excellent pro line coach/ misfit college coach Callahan.
Let's not do that this time.

This is water under the bridge and we all know how Mike Riley turned out, but at the time the hiring was certainly defensible. Mr. 50% actually had a similar record to Frank Solich at Ohio, coaching at the least desirable University in the Pac 12 where he turned the program around and occasionally outcoached guys like Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. He won a Pac 12 Coach of the Year, and in 2015 had just been voted second most underrated coach in college football by his peers. Over the years Riley had been courted by Alabama and USC. He rarely came up on candidate lists because he'd turned those jobs down to stay in his hometown Corvallis. The recruiting services thought hiring Riley was a coup. Other coaches and former NFL players sent their kids to Nebraska because of Riley. 

Word is Eichorst approached Brett Bielema first, so going with Mr. Nice Guy wasn't the first priority, either. 

If you go back and look at the coaching hires of 2015, you'll find a lot of the coaches you think we wanted no longer with their program, either. 

Given that there are rarely more than three or four no-brainer choices for Head Coach -- and they're already highly compensated elsewhere -- that transformational head coach is a bit of a crapshoot. 

 

[TheSker]

This is water under the bridge and we all know how Mike Riley turned out, but at the time the hiring was certainly defensible. Mr. 50% actually had a similar record to Frank Solich at Ohio, coaching at the least desirable University in the Pac 12 where he turned the program around and occasionally outcoached guys like Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. He won a Pac 12 Coach of the Year, and in 2015 had just been voted second most underrated coach in college football by his peers. Over the years Riley had been courted by Alabama and USC. He rarely came up on candidate lists because he'd turned those jobs down to stay in his hometown Corvallis. The recruiting services thought hiring Riley was a coup. Other coaches and former NFL players sent their kids to Nebraska because of Riley. 

Word is Eichorst approached Brett Bielema first, so going with Mr. Nice Guy wasn't the first priority, either. 

If you go back and look at the coaching hires of 2015, you'll find a lot of the coaches you think we wanted no longer with their program, either. 

Given that there are rarely more than three or four no-brainer choices for Head Coach -- and they're already highly compensated elsewhere -- that transformational head coach is a bit of a crapshoot. 

If you find the Riley hire defensible at the time, then you view the Nebraska football program with approximately the same importance as Harvey Perlman.

 

[hunter49]

This is water under the bridge and we all know how Mike Riley turned out, but at the time the hiring was certainly defensible. Mr. 50% actually had a similar record to Frank Solich at Ohio, coaching at the least desirable University in the Pac 12 where he turned the program around and occasionally outcoached guys like Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. He won a Pac 12 Coach of the Year, and in 2015 had just been voted second most underrated coach in college football by his peers. Over the years Riley had been courted by Alabama and USC. He rarely came up on candidate lists because he'd turned those jobs down to stay in his hometown Corvallis. The recruiting services thought hiring Riley was a coup. Other coaches and former NFL players sent their kids to Nebraska because of Riley. 

Word is Eichorst approached Brett Bielema first, so going with Mr. Nice Guy wasn't the first priority, either. 

If you go back and look at the coaching hires of 2015, you'll find a lot of the coaches you think we wanted no longer with their program, either. 

Given that there are rarely more than three or four no-brainer choices for Head Coach -- and they're already highly compensated elsewhere -- that transformational head coach is a bit of a crapshoot. 

so true, most of the proven coaches are set, back to a crap shoot on a new HC, no one wants a dumpster fire.

 

[Undone]

If you find the Riley hire defensible at the time, then you view the Nebraska football program with approximately the same importance as Harvey Perlman.

It's been a good, long while since I've seen a TheSker/Guy Chamberlin exchange that rivals the old days.

You guys know what to do.

 

[Enhance]

Frankly, I don't think it matters whether Nebraska has an offensive or defensive minded coach.

Frost instilled (or, tried to instill) an identity here at Nebraska. It was a similar one to what he had at UCF. It just didn't work, really at any level of his program. That's why I often get frustrated at complaints about "identity" because it's too often a nebulous talking point people throw around without really understanding what it's supposed to mean. Like, some people will scream that they need a "run the damn ball" identity, but they position it in such a way as if the outcome doesn't really matter. It's almost as if they could average 2 YPC or 6 YPC, and either way it'd be OK because then they'd have an "identity."

Which, I call BS. If NU went back to a power run game, sucked at it and kept losing, then there would still be people hollering that they don't have an identity.

 

[Undone]

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

If you find the Riley hire defensible at the time, then you view the Nebraska football program with approximately the same importance as Harvey Perlman.

You sure are prickly lately.

Only one of us lives in a world where Harvey Perlman still commands brain space. 

 

[Scofrosghost]

 Nebraska will always struggle to pull the same caliber players as the Ohio Sts, Michigans, and Oklahomas of the CFB world. 

I don’t disagree with that per se, but it sure makes you wonder when you hear about the missed opportunity and lack of effort/ urgency in regards to the Dylan Raiola recruitment debacle. How many other great players has this program missed out on due to arrogance and/or laziness….

You are spot on on the lack of development but I would go one step further with a lack of ability spotting talent and potential…(Joe Burrow)

bottom line our HC for the last 4 years was a checkers player that showed up to a chess tournament 

In regards to the poll, I think if NU can actually become a defensive power house again, everything w offense will fall into place as they won’t be trying desperately to score 40+ points every game just to bail the D out.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

If you go back and look at the coaching hires of 2015.....

Thanks. I just did. This ranking is from Athlon's 2015 Head Coaching Hires Report Card.

1) Jim Harbaugh:  The Scott Frost of Michigan coaching hires

2) Gary Andersen: departed or fired from three teams since 2015, now an analyst at Weber State

3) Tom Herman: departed or fired from two teams since 2015, now an analyst for the Chicago Bears

4) Chad Morris: departed or fired from three teams since 2015, now an analyst for South Florida

5) Lance Leipold: now making hay in Kansas. In 2015 he was coming from Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

6) Jim McElwain: since 2015 worked his way from Florida HC to Michigan WR Coach, to HC at Central Michigan. 

7) Pat Narduzzi: still at Pitt. Should we make him an offer?

8) Mike Riley. Athlon rated the hire a B+

9) Paul Chryst: brought a 19-19 HC record to the table in 2015, ranked below Mike Riley

10) Mike Bobo: fills out our HC Top 10. Four jobs since 2015, now an analyst for Georgia. 

 

[TheSker]

You sure are prickly lately.

Only one of us lives in a world where Harvey Perlman still commands brain space. 

.....the other gives more than an ample ratio to Bo Pelini.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

.....the other gives more than an ample ratio to Bo Pelini.

I could care less.

 

[Go Furself]

We can't hire him.  His average recruiting class rank isn't high enough.  It's what I've been reading on here anyway.

Fickell has watched 16 Bearcats earn a selection in the NFL Draft, including a school-record nine draft picks in 2022.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I could care less.

I’m glad you care. 

 

[Hayseed]

Fickell has watched 16 Bearcats earn a selection in the NFL Draft, including a school-record nine draft picks in 2022.

I heard he isn't interested in us, but yeah, Alberts should give it a shot.

 

[huskerfan74]

The right coach should have an excellent balance of both offense and defense and should surround himself with assistant coaches that compliment his strengths and cover any of his weaknesses. While we must have an excellent defense to stay in games, not having an offense that can move the ball up and down the field is not an option. We need both to be competitive and win conference titles and may be championships someday down the near future. Defense alone does not win championships anymore.