Riley Shelf Life

[NUance]

Caputo and Mark Pelini we will have to disagree.

I dunno. Both were on the Remington watch list as seniors, and Caputo was 2nd team All-Big Ten. You must have mighty high expectations for our walk-ons.

 

[True2tRA]

Caputo and Mark Pelini we will have to disagree.

I dunno. Both were on the Remington watch list as seniors, and Caputo was 2nd team All-Big Ten. You must have mighty high expectations for our walk-ons.

Remington watch list?

They were on watch lists? Oh......ok. Good for them. Do you get watch list trophies too? Or do they give cookies for that?

Besides the 64 player long watch list of 2014 for the Rimington Award, we'd still be detracting from the actual discussion which wasn't whether I thought Caputo or Pelini should've been on the field (I don't think either should have), but did they improve as players? I watched enough of both to say that I don't think either was a much improved player, but at center it's really hard to tell anyway.

 

[BigRedBuster]

If you are referring to he who shall not be named, it was his first time as a college head coach so really Riley is the first coach in a LONG time to come here with actual college head coaching experience. That should really mean something.

Bo, on the other hand, hadn't been a college HC before. Yet he seemed better at training his players up

I know this may take a minute of your time to think about, but I've always been curious on people's thoughts on this subject. Could you list {b]who[/b] you would put in this category? Who do you feel clearlyimproved from their freshmen to their senior seasons as a player under Bo Pelini and his staff?There's a couple of obvious guys I would list:

Ndamukong Suh

Stanley Jean Baptiste

Prince Amukamara

Those guys were highly talented players to begin with, but I do believe they improved over their time here, especially Suh.

Who else would you say you saw "tangible" improvement throughout their careers?

[maybe this neeeds a thread, maybe not]

There were lots of players who improved from their freshman year on. Fans who claim there wasn't any player development is just grasping at straws for things to complain about with the old staff. Now, was there enough? That's debatable and I might agree with some who don't think so. But, to claim only three players improved from their freshman year is laughable even if you work in the word "tangible".

You know, I get so tired of this, and you seem to be one of the key posters that contributes to this stuf. Where in the hell did I insinuate that I thought there was only three? I was on lunch, I had just a second to glance over some comments here. I like Nuance and I like to hear his opinion so I asked if he wanted to take a minute to give his thoughts on who he thought really improved as a player over their career.
Had I had maybe a few more minutes I would've put a bit more time into the answer too, but those three guys were the very obvious ones to me.

I get f'ing tired of people putting words in my mouth around here. I didn' "work in" the word tangible....it was the word I used to describe what I was asking Nuance to answer.

Stop "grasping at straws" and trying to create arguments. It was a simple question. I can't tell you people enough. I don't know it all, I don't pretend to know it all like the rest of you jmfb's that run around here. I know what I know and when I don't know, I ask.

I am truly very very sorry I have offended you with my post. Yes, you listed three and implied there may be more.

That sounded to me like you were saying there were very few players that developed afrter their freshman year and you wanted a discussion as to the few that did.

My post was saying that to claim only a few did is wrong. There were 20-25 (or more with Walk ons) that come into the program at any given year. I would say that almost all improved from their freshman year unless they quit of transferred.

Now, if I am completely off base by assuming that you think only a few did, then I am very sorry I offended you. But, I have seen comments from fans on here over the years that think there was NO player development and that's just not so.

Have a good evening.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Alfonzo Dennard made vast improvements.

 

[The Dude]

I thought we saw vast improvement when we went from Caputo to Jackson at Center.

 

[Saunders]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

 

[Landlord]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

 

[NUance]

Caputo and Mark Pelini we will have to disagree.

I dunno. Both were on the Remington watch list as seniors, and Caputo was 2nd team All-Big Ten. You must have mighty high expectations for our walk-ons.

Remington watch list?

They were on watch lists? Oh......ok. Good for them. Do you get watch list trophies too? Or do they give cookies for that?

Besides the 64 player long watch list of 2014 for the Rimington Award, we'd still be detracting from the actual discussion which wasn't whether I thought Caputo or Pelini should've been on the field (I don't think either should have), but did they improve as players? I watched enough of both to say that I don't think either was a much improved player, but at center it's really hard to tell anyway.

Remington. Ha ha! My bad on the typo.

So you don't think it shows significant improvement for a walk-on to be named to the Rimington watch list? Being on the Rimington watch list is more or less equivalent to being in the top third of the starters in the B1G. Not bad for a walk-on I'd say.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

No doubt. But still....Ameer was always in a crowded roster of running backs being coached by the same coaching staff. He had to go out and earn his separation every season, even his Senior year when people wondered why the physically more imposing Amani Cross wan't getting more carries.

And Abdullah never pulled out the popular trope that "people didn't believe in me....I had to prove the haters wrong." The doubters were actually right...Ameer had to get better. And each year he did.

They say you can't coach speed. I'm not sure you can coach desire, either. But the staff certainly deserves credit for finding Ameer and giving him every chance to succeed.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

No doubt. But still....Ameer was always in a crowded roster of running backs being coached by the same coaching staff. He had to go out and earn his separation every season, even his Senior year when people wondered why the physically more imposing Amani Cross wan't getting more carries.

And Abdullah never pulled out the popular trope that "people didn't believe in me....I had to prove the haters wrong." The doubters were actually right...Ameer had to get better. And each year he did.

They say you can't coach speed. I'm not sure you can coach desire, either. But the staff certainly deserves credit for finding Ameer and giving him every chance to succeed.

Hey, I agree that you can have all the best coaching in the world but if you have a bad attitude or an attitude you don't have to work hard....you aren't going to reach your potential. It takes both.

 

[True2tRA]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

No doubt. But still....Ameer was always in a crowded roster of running backs being coached by the same coaching staff. He had to go out and earn his separation every season, even his Senior year when people wondered why the physically more imposing Amani Cross wan't getting more carries.

And Abdullah never pulled out the popular trope that "people didn't believe in me....I had to prove the haters wrong." The doubters were actually right...Ameer had to get better. And each year he did.

They say you can't coach speed. I'm not sure you can coach desire, either. But the staff certainly deserves credit for finding Ameer and giving him every chance to succeed.

Absolutely. I credit the staff for finding Ameer. I also never said that Ameer didn't improve. He clearly did.

My point was more so that a guy like Ameer would have succeeded no matter where he went in my opinion. Big credit to Ron Brown and anyone else involved in finding Ameer and placing him at RB in Nebraska. In my opinion though, Ameer could've had even more success at schools like the ones I said above. There was no stopping that guy and if he had a better offensive line in front of him, it would have been even more amazing than what he did beind a below average offensive line in his career here. I thought that was a pretty obvious and point blank statement.

 

[Landlord]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

No doubt. But still....Ameer was always in a crowded roster of running backs being coached by the same coaching staff. He had to go out and earn his separation every season, even his Senior year when people wondered why the physically more imposing Amani Cross wan't getting more carries.

And Abdullah never pulled out the popular trope that "people didn't believe in me....I had to prove the haters wrong." The doubters were actually right...Ameer had to get better. And each year he did.

They say you can't coach speed. I'm not sure you can coach desire, either. But the staff certainly deserves credit for finding Ameer and giving him every chance to succeed.

Absolutely. I credit the staff for finding Ameer. I also never said that Ameer didn't improve. He clearly did.

My point was more so that a guy like Ameer would have succeeded no matter where he went in my opinion. Big credit to Ron Brown and anyone else involved in finding Ameer and placing him at RB in Nebraska. In my opinion though, Ameer could've had even more success at schools like the ones I said above. There was no stopping that guy and if he had a better offensive line in front of him, it would have been even more amazing than what he did beind a below average offensive line in his career here. I thought that was a pretty obvious and point blank statement.

Personally I think our offensive line over the last 4 years was only below average in pass protection. I think they were pretty damn good as run blockers, better than average, by the actual definition.

 

[True2tRA]

Abdullah was a stud. Nobody was going to stop that guy. He would've won the Heisman if he'd gone to Georgia, Alabama, or even Auburn who also runs the zone read, but is truly committed to thier offensive line.

That's a huge hypothetical, especially considering none of those schools wanted him as a RB. Ameer vastly improved from his freshman to senior year. His soph-junior fumble problems were gone his senior year as well. I'd say he became a hell of a lot better of a football player by his senior year.

A lot of that credit could probably rightfully go to Ron Brown, but a ton to Ameer himself. He essentially willed himself to be great with his work ethic.

It is extremely rare that any player in college gets as good as Ameer did without good coaching. Ron Brown was a major part of why he became the player he did.

No doubt. But still....Ameer was always in a crowded roster of running backs being coached by the same coaching staff. He had to go out and earn his separation every season, even his Senior year when people wondered why the physically more imposing Amani Cross wan't getting more carries.

And Abdullah never pulled out the popular trope that "people didn't believe in me....I had to prove the haters wrong." The doubters were actually right...Ameer had to get better. And each year he did.

They say you can't coach speed. I'm not sure you can coach desire, either. But the staff certainly deserves credit for finding Ameer and giving him every chance to succeed.

Absolutely. I credit the staff for finding Ameer. I also never said that Ameer didn't improve. He clearly did.My point was more so that a guy like Ameer would have succeeded no matter where he went in my opinion. Big credit to Ron Brown and anyone else involved in finding Ameer and placing him at RB in Nebraska. In my opinion though, Ameer could've had even more success at schools like the ones I said above. There was no stopping that guy and if he had a better offensive line in front of him, it would have been even more amazing than what he did beind a below average offensive line in his career here. I thought that was a pretty obvious and point blank statement.

Personally I think our offensive line over the last 4 years was only below average in pass protection. I think they were pretty damn good as run blockers, better than average, by the actual definition.

That's fine, we disagree.
We're talking about a group that couldn't seem to quit the false starts at some of the worst times.

We're talking about an offensive line that couldn't even get the snap of the ball right for part of the season last year.

Aside from being physically dominated by the better opponents we faced, there was a constant display of confusion and missed assignments.

We even had a guy fall over on himself.

You call it whatever you want, but I call the offensive line below average. If it wasn't for the All-American running behind them, I think it wouldn't even be debatable.

I give Ameer a ton of credit. He fought for nearly every yard. Rarely did he streak up the field untouched.

Much like Bo Pelini, the offensive line has a resume' mostly built upon dominating lesser foes.

(by the way, I don't entirely blame the players. Aside from what I think was a lack of commitment in the weight room, which is their own fault, I blame the rest on a lack of focus on technical aspects of the position, and a confusing, poorly coached zone blocking scheme. Considering Garrison and Cotton's coaching and playing history, I wouldn't think that style would be in their wheel house.)

 

[Enhance]

^^

Nebraska's offensive line play could probably be characterized as average at best during the Pelini tenure. How that could be argued otherwise is somewhat surprising in my opinion. I think you hit the nail on the head True2tRA.

The one thing I will add is, no matter how good your offensive line is, they're likely going to struggle against better opponents. That's just sports. But, the offensive line that showed up against Miami last year and the offensive line that showed up against some other teams we played is almost a night and day difference.

Don't some of you remember Abdullah getting the ball and already having a defender or two in his grill before even getting to the LOS? I sure do, and it happened way more often than it should've. His ability is what made up for the lack there of on the offensive line.

That's why this year, in my opinion, may end up telling us a lot about the talent around the team. AA is not going to be here to save our butts again. If the line isn't up to snuff, the QB play can't hang and if a guy like Newby can't live up to his potential, we could be in for a long season on the offensive side of the ball.