Sipple: Coaches culpable in Armstrong's struggles

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

This staff needs to take away the option of the deep ball. Teach the receivers to break off routes if TA gets in trouble and to help him by crossing underneath or come back routes on the sideline. He cant keep throwing bombs into triple coverage if theres nobody running that route. Tommy doesn't understand the concept of taking what the defense gives you. He thinks home run all the time. If I had a nickel for everytime I yelled for tommy to take off and run against iowa id have more money for Christmas shopping.

 

[flfmrredfan]

Iowa is 12-0 mainly because they play smart disciplined football.

Nebraska is 5-7 because they do not.

Key word right there. These are still Bo's players, and I have yet to see if any of the players brought in by the new staff have discipline.

I'm probably wasting my time, but, what the heck.

If you were to use some logic, then the obvious questions become:

How in the world did Pelin win 9 games last year with these "undisciplined players?

How in the world did last year's NU team rally from 24-7 down at Iowa last year to beat them in OT?

Coaches instill discipline. Quit blaming the players. As a smart poster here has stated numerous times, "NU has enough talent to win at least 9 games every year", to which I'll add, if, IF, they are coached properly.

That is why Pelini was able to turn a 2007 5-7 team that was blown out several times, into a 9 game winner in his first year.

 

[husker98]

Iowa is 12-0 mainly because they play smart disciplined football.

Nebraska is 5-7 because they do not.

Key word right there. These are still Bo's players, and I have yet to see if any of the players brought in by the new staff have discipline.

Each and every member of Riley's first recruiting class I watched play this year played extremely well. Some did better than the upper classmen. Many of the mistakes they made were due to inexperience.

That being said, if our future recruiting classes perform as well as this group has then we will be fine, if not great in years to come. However this doesn't excuse the inexplicable failures of this staff this past season either.

 

[Sparker]

These aren't black and white issues. Many things affect the outcomes of footballs games and contribute to the record at the end of the year.

Talent (Both physical and mental)

Luck (Bad spots, bad calls, weird bounces and deflections, etc)

Discipline (Team before self, penalties, ball security, etc)

Coaching (Both game management and position coaching)

There are more factors than these that play into a game, and it varies from game to game even from half to half. This is why a team can lose to Purdue and beat a top ten MSU. It is also how you get some amazing comeback wins.

Every break that Pelini got last season went against Riley this season. I'm not saying Riley is our savior, he is likely not, but people's inability to see nuance is baffling.

 

[MichiganDad3]

Iowa is 12-0 mainly because they play smart disciplined football.

Nebraska is 5-7 because they do not.

Key word right there. These are still Bo's players, and I have yet to see if any of the players brought in by the new staff have discipline.

I'm probably wasting my time, but, what the heck.

If you were to use some logic, then the obvious questions become:

How in the world did Pelin win 9 games last year with these "undisciplined players?

How in the world did last year's NU team rally from 24-7 down at Iowa last year to beat them in OT?

Coaches instill discipline. Quit blaming the players. As a smart poster here has stated numerous times, "NU has enough talent to win at least 9 games every year", to which I'll add, if, IF, they are coached properly.

That is why Pelini was able to turn a 2007 5-7 team that was blown out several times, into a 9 game winner in his first year.

Truth

 

[Comish]

It's difficult to establish a strong run game without firm resolve. Daily resolve. In too many instances — such as when Nebraska calls for passes on third-and-3 in four-down territory — a lack of commitment is evident.

This sums it up perfectly. Langsdorf doesn't have this. Not sure if he wants to.

I assume the plays below is the possession Sipple was referring to. Lots of talk about the fourth down call (and rightfully so), but this is more telling to me. Shows trying to blame TA is just trying to pass the buck - not that he doesn't deserve criticism but the coaches aren't managing the situation with any success.

Iowa had just scored to go up 14-7 in the second quarter. Here's what we did:

NEBRASKA drive start at 06:38.
1-10 NEB 25 Newby, Terrell rush up middle for 1 yard to the NEB26 (Bower, Bo).
2-9 NEB 26 Armstrong Jr. pass complete to Reilly, Brandon for 10 yards to the NEB36, 1ST DOWN NEB, out-of-bounds (King, Desmond).
1-10 NEB 36 Armstrong Jr. rush over right end for 3 yards to the NEB39, out-of-bounds.
2-7 NEB 39 Newby, Terrell rush up middle for 12 yards to the IOWA49, 1ST DOWN NEB (Lomax, Jordan).
1-10 Iowa 49 Armstrong Jr. pass complete to Turner, Jamal for 7 yards to the IOWA42 (Jewell, Josey).
2-3 Iowa 42 Armstrong Jr. pass incomplete to Hovey, Lane.
3-3 Iowa 42 Armstrong Jr. pass incomplete, QB hurry by Meier, Nate.
4-3 Iowa 42 Armstrong Jr. pass complete to Newby, Terrell for loss of 1 yard to the IOWA43 (Jewell, Josey).

I told the guy sitting next to me I couldn't believe we threw it twice after having second and three. Then we went for it on fourth down and threw it again.

Langsdorf likes to call pass plays. He's showed this over an over. He doesn't have the resolve to stick with the run game over any significant length of time.

And this is where Langsdorf is most culpable.

When he was actually quoted as saying that after the stuff on 3rd and one; he was scared of another running play (even with Janko and Imani both in the backfield); that tells us all we need to know.

When he prefers a fade pass into the end zone in arctic conditions by an undisciplined QB having one of his worst days (a play, by the way, that PROFESSIONAL QB'S throwing to PROFESSIONAL receivers struggle to complete consistently)...............it changes the format on his thinking from puzzling to mind-blowing. In his own way, Langsdorf is as stubborn in his approach as Tommie is in his penchant for reverting to gunslinging playground mode.

 

[eightlaces]

The fade wasn't preferred. In fact, it wasn't the correct throw. Today's piece outlines that.

 

[VectorVictor]

The fade wasn't preferred. In fact, it wasn't the correct throw. Today's piece outlines that.

Right, but if you RTFA, it also calls into question whether or not the play should have been called when you know you have a QB under center that has a penchant for overlooking routes in favor of the deep/home run/low percentage throw.

That, and it was a single yard--we should have been able to pick that up on the ground, and that we haven't tried to do so is an incitement of Langsdorf and his ability as a coach and play caller.

 

[Mavric]

The fade wasn't preferred. In fact, it wasn't the correct throw. Today's piece outlines that.

But it was an option. On a called pass play. On 4th and 1. That's the point.

As I said earlier, pointing out that TA COULD have made a different choice is deflecting from the larger point. Langsdorf should know by now that TA will go for the home run if given an option. People tried to let Langsdorf off the hook for the two pass plays against Michigan State from first and goal at the four by saying the first play was a run/pass option and TA threw. Those calls could easily have cost us that game. But he obviously hasn't learned that lesson yet. I don't think he wants to because he likes to throw as much or more than TA. There is nothing he's done this year to show otherwise.

In our last three losses we've thrown the ball 47 times per game. In our last three wins we've thrown the ball 26 times per game. It's not that hard to figure out which makes more sense.

 

[billdozer15]

There certainly have been some head scratching play calls and clock management issues with this staff. One would think with 30+ years of experience these would be avoidable at this point. Unfortunately, given this staffs previous history none of this is suprising. #apathyhassetin

 

[TheSker]

I'm probably wasting my time, but, what the heck.

If you were to use some logic, then the obvious questions become:

How in the world did Pelin win 9 games last year with these "undisciplined players?

How in the world did last year's NU team rally from 24-7 down at Iowa last year to beat them in OT?

Coaches instill discipline. Quit blaming the players. As a smart poster here has stated numerous times, "NU has enough talent to win at least 9 games every year", to which I'll add, if, IF, they are coached properly.

That is why Pelini was able to turn a 2007 5-7 team that was blown out several times, into a 9 game winner in his first year.

I agree. If people want to knock Pelini's behavior they can go for it. But he did something for 7 seasons that Riley showed this season, and in his career, that he can't do.

 

[cm husker]

The fade wasn't preferred. In fact, it wasn't the correct throw. Today's piece outlines that.

Right, but if you RTFA, it also calls into question whether or not the play should have been called when you know you have a QB under center that has a penchant for overlooking routes in favor of the deep/home run/low percentage throw.

That, and it was a single yard--we should have been able to pick that up on the ground, and that we haven't tried to do so is an incitement of Langsdorf and his ability as a coach and play caller.

While I agree with your sentiment, I have a real problem with people saying that TA "overlooked a route." In actually, TA did exactly what the presnap coverage dicated. That's the fundamental flaw in the system. He never got to the TE route to overlook it, because the presnap read would indicate that player would be covered while the SE would be open in 1 on 1 press coverage. Essentially, you can make a "correct read' but "wrong decision."

I agree 100% that they should have dialed up a run for TA. Has he ever been stopped short on a designed run when a yard was needed?

 

[VectorVictor]

The fade wasn't preferred. In fact, it wasn't the correct throw. Today's piece outlines that.

Right, but if you RTFA, it also calls into question whether or not the play should have been called when you know you have a QB under center that has a penchant for overlooking routes in favor of the deep/home run/low percentage throw.

That, and it was a single yard--we should have been able to pick that up on the ground, and that we haven't tried to do so is an incitement of Langsdorf and his ability as a coach and play caller.

While I agree with your sentiment, I have a real problem with people saying that TA "overlooked a route." In actually, TA did exactly what the presnap coverage dicated. That's the fundamental flaw in the system. He never got to the TE route to overlook it, because the presnap read would indicate that player would be covered while the SE would be open in 1 on 1 press coverage. Essentially, you can make a "correct read' but "wrong decision."

I agree 100% that they should have dialed up a run for TA. Has he ever been stopped short on a designed run when a yard was needed?

Or hell, for that matter, where was Imani for most of the game? Kid could fall forward and get you two yards and inadvertently crush an opposing LBer.

 

[StPaulHusker]

They need to teach TA to throw the ball away when the play isn't there. How many INT's would have been eliminated by that one coachable aspect?

 

[VectorVictor]

They need to teach TA to throw the ball away when the play isn't there. How many INT's would have been eliminated by that one coachable aspect?

You would think that would be one of the first things covered when you're coaching a QB that's prone to INTs...right?...