So . . . Tim Griffin is still a d@#$)(.

[JTrain]

I didn't mean they had to be loaded, but just that they need a handful of true difference makers (guys that the opposing team has to focus on... All-American types). I think 95% of teams that play in the BCS title game need at least three of these types. Even 2007 LSU had Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz (both first-team all-americans) and Ali Highsmith (second team). Plus, 99% of the time a two-loss team won't get to the national title game, so that was a bizarre year. In all five of Nebraska's national title years, we had at least three legitimate difference makers, if not a lot more in certain years.

Side note: I actually think out 97 team was loaded. Their Blackshirts may have a been a very small step down from 95, and the Mizzou game damaged our rep a bit, but overall they were great. For most of the season they were on track to break the '83 record for rushing YPG, and finished less than 10 YPG behind it. The defense had Wistrom and Peter as seniors, and a young Mike Brown leading the team in tackles. Billingsley ranks that team as the eleventh best of all-time.

While all of that is true, the larger point I'm trying to make is that there are varying degrees of "championship caliber" teams. We can still be a contender without an Owa Odighizuwa as long as we have enough Jared Cricks around. Nobody is going to deny that it would be MUCH easier with a guy like Odighizuwa on the team, or several, but it's not a deal-breaker that we don't have them. It's just harder.

I'm hypothesizing that, without at least three true difference makers, your chance of playing in the national title game is very close to zero. You could make it with three, and you could make it with ten, but with less than three, your chances are really, really slim (think '84 BYU). With a good group of talent and great coaches, you can consistently win 9-10 games and compete for the conference (think Osborne's first decade), but until you get that handful of difference makers, you aren't going to make that final step. It took Rozier, Gill and Fryar to put Osborne in position, and it took LP, Donta Jones and Ed Stewart (plus Frazier in the Orange Bowl) to finally make it happen.

Again, while all of that is true, why should the lack of those players suddenly make us 7th in the conference in recruiting? That's why I'm saying I think we're being judged not on what we have, but on what we don't have, and that's a poor way to judge.

Well I certainly don't think our class was 7th in the conference, and I'm not sure if Griffin does either (neither he nor I am a recruiting evaluator anyhow). You have to remember, he was asked why our class was ranked poorly by his employer, and tried to give the best defense of ESPNU's rankings that he could. Thus, the nature of the question forced him to focus on the ones we lost. If the question was "What did you think of Nebraska's class?" I'm sure Griffin would have talked about some of the good players we landed as well.

 

[carlfense]

Well I certainly don't think our class was 7th in the conference, and I'm not sure if Griffin does either (neither he nor I am a recruiting evaluator anyhow). You have to remember, he was asked why our class was ranked poorly by his employer, and tried to give the best defense of ESPNU's rankings that he could. Thus, the nature of the question forced him to focus on the ones we lost. If the question was "What did you think of Nebraska's class?" I'm sure Griffin would have talked about some of the good players we landed as well.

I wouldn't count on it.

Let's take a look shall we? Which one of these is not like the others?

link

Baylor

"Needs met: The Bears added five defensive linemen after losing starters Jason Lamb and Trey Bryant and having Phil Taylor and Earl Patin enter their senior season. They added five players, including Dixon and Kent, in the secondary where they lost starters Jordan Lake and Jeremy Williams. And they added quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Tyrell Jenkins despite having Robert Griffin apparently for three more seasons."

Colorado

"Needs met: After losing Darrell Scott and Demetrius Sumler, the Buffaloes needed depth at running back and met it with the addition of underrated Tony Jones and sleepers Trea Jones and Justin Torres. Six tight ends or H-backs graduated from the team last year and coach Dan Hawkins addressed the need with three players keyed by three-star recruit Justin Favors, the nation's No. 38 tight end. Hirschman will help at quarterback, but the Buffaloes missed out on Munchie Legaux, a late defection to Cincinnati. "

Iowa State

"Needs met: The Cyclones have added the most talented and largest recruiting class since 2002. The across-the-board talent infusion has been seen. Johnson fills a big need at running back and the Cyclones added one true receiver in Gray and two athletes in T.J. McCullough and Jevoury Wedderburn who could develop into producers."

Kansas

"Needs met: Kansas added four potential receivers -- all of whom will provide the “breakaway ability” that coach Turner Gill has deemed so necessary. Junior college transfer quarterback Quinn Mecham is already in school and will push Kale Pick during spring practice. And Bourbon and James Sims should add pop to Kansas’ running game."

Kansas State

"Needs met: Four defensive linemen were added who could potentially challenge for immediate playing time. And with the loss of cornerback Joshua Moore to the NFL draft, any of the four arriving cornerbacks headed by Matthew Pearson and Darious Thomas will be useful for needed help. And underrated prospect Billy Cosh, son of KSU assistant Chris Cosh, will add more competition at the logjam at quarterback."

Missouri

"Needs met: The Tigers added three receivers and a couple of athletes who could help bridge the loss of Danario Alexander and Jared Perry. Running back Greg White would appear to have a shot at eventually breaking into the logjam at the position. And Gary Pinkel appears to have addressed next season’s loss in the secondary with quantity as the Tigers attracted three safeties and three cornerbacks."

Nebraska

"Needs met: With the loss of Ndamukong Suh and Barry Turner to graduation and Pierre Allen entering his senior season, the Cornhuskers filled a gap with six defensive linemen. Corey Cooper and Harvey Jackson should fill the biggest defensive need at safety. But the Cornhuskers still are looking for offensive firepower and added only one wide receiver."

Oklahoma

"Needs met: Chris Brown is gone and DeMarco Murray has one more season of eligibility. But the Sooners added a couple of immediate contenders for playing time in Brennan Clay and Roy Finch. Austin Haywood adds immediate depth at tight end with Jermaine Gresham leaving. And Sam Bradford’s departure is lessened with the arrival of Bell, who appears ticketed to redshirt during 2010."

Oklahoma State

"Needs met: With both starting cornerbacks graduating, the Cowboys needed immediate contributors and appeared to have gotten them with junior college transfer Malcolm Murray, Devin Hedgepeth and three other arriving high school products. All three starting linebackers are leaving, but the added talent at the top of the class should help. And with four departing starters in the offensive line, the Cowboys attacked that need with developing projects like Koenig and Eli Dickerson."

Texas

"Needs met: With Sergio Kindle departing and Eddie Jones and Sam Acho both entering their senior seasons, the Longhorns needed defensive ends. They addressed the deficiency by attracting three of the nation’s top 23 defensive ends. Texas coaches were specific about their offensive line needs and attracted Army All-Americans in center Dominic Espinosa and guard Trey Hopkins. And with Garrett Gilbert seemingly entrenched as the starting quarterback, the Longhorns attracted Case McCoy and Connor Wood to battle for depth at the position. Both graduated from high school early and will begin practice with the Longhorns later this month."

Texas A&M

"Needs met: Von Miller will be around for another season at defensive end, but the Aggies still need some help and got it with four players including projected standouts Nehemiah Hicks and Damontre Moore. Sherman is a stickler for depth in the offensive line so it’s no surprise the Aggies added four tackles and made it a huge priority. The Aggies also prepared for life without Jerrod Johnson by adding Matt Joeckel, Jameill Showers and Clay Honeycutt to battle for the backup job."

Texas Tech

"Needs met: The Red Raiders needed to find some defensive linemen because of the turnover in the roster from four graduating players this year and losingn nose tackle Colby Whitlock after 2010. Seven additions keyed by Richards, Dartwan Bush and Coby Coleman will help. Keeping quarterback recruit Scotty Young was imperative as the Red Raiders will lose graduating seniors Steven Sheffield and Taylor Potts after one more season. Speedy, squat running back Delans Griffin looks like a prototypical Tech back because of his catching and running abilities."

Did you see the difference? Nebraska is apparently the only school that failed to meet its needs. Not to mention that his facts are wrong about only one wide receiver. (In fact . . . the blurb for every other school is almost entirely praise other than the mention of CU losing a recruit to Cincinnati.)

I repeat: Griffin is a TOOL. I'd call him worse but board rules demand otherwise.

 

[jnkyrdoff6]

Yeah, but I've got to admit, from the outside looking in it's a pretty bad recruiting class. I think it's great, and I have total confidence in the Pelinis. I think we're going to see so much wildcat and 2-3 rb sets out of the skers next year that our wrs aren't going to matter nearly as much as how many Burkheads and Heards we have in the backfield and split out.

 

[carlfense]

Yeah, but I've got to admit, from the outside looking in it's a pretty bad recruiting class. I think it's great, and I have total confidence in the Pelinis. I think we're going to see so much wildcat and 2-3 rb sets out of the skers next year that our wrs aren't going to matter nearly as much as how many Burkheads and Heards we have in the backfield and split out.

Bad? Huh. You're the only person I've heard call Nebraska's class bad. It's not flashy in a 20 four star WR sense . . . but bad?? I don't know how to respond to that. :moreinteresting

 

[jnkyrdoff6]

Yeah, but I've got to admit, from the outside looking in it's a pretty bad recruiting class. I think it's great, and I have total confidence in the Pelinis. I think we're going to see so much wildcat and 2-3 rb sets out of the skers next year that our wrs aren't going to matter nearly as much as how many Burkheads and Heards we have in the backfield and split out.

Bad? Huh. You're the only person I've heard call Nebraska's class bad. It's not flashy in a 20 four star WR sense . . . but bad?? I don't know how to respond to that. :moreinteresting

Should've clarified that better. I think it's a great class for us, pry one of the top 10 jobs this year in terms of needs. I voted on another forum that the staff deserved A's for effort and quality. I'm just saying, if I were an analyst who hadn't watched every game and thought about the team all the time, I pry would say it was a let down because it's not a flashy class like a lot of people expected us to get.

 

[ESPY]

I wonder if Tim Griffin has watched tape on Quincy Enunwa.

And I wonder if he's looking at the fact that we offered something like 30 WRs and landed just one.

It just seems to me that he's grading us too much on what we lost rather than what we gained. People made the same mistake about Missouri last year. Yeah, losing Maclin and Daniel and the others hurt - it has to - but they were still a good team without them.

Mizzou good...? I guess they did beat Iowa State.

9/05 vs. Illinois 1-0 (0-0) W 37-9

9/12 Bowling Green 2-0 (0-0) W 27-20

9/19 Furman 3-0 (0-0) W 52-12

9/25 @ Nevada 4-0 (0-0) W 31-21

10/08 No. 21 Nebraska 4-1 (0-1) L 27-12 - Quarterback injured

10/17 @ No. 16 Oklahoma State 4-2 (0-2) L 33-17

10/24 No. 3 Texas 4-3 (0-3) L 41-7

10/31 @ Colorado 5-3 (1-3) W 36-17

11/07 Baylor 5-4 (1-4) L 40-32

11/14 @ Kansas State 6-4 (2-4) W 38-12

11/21 Iowa State 7-4 (3-4) W 34-24

11/28 vs. Kansas 8-4 (4-4) W 41-39

12/31 vs. Navy 8-5 (4-4) L 35-13

Let's not discount the impact of Gabbert's injury on that team.

Aren't injuries part of the game? And if I'm not mistaken we caused that injury because of our spectacular play in the trenches. Say "what if" all you want, but that's the nature of the game. Nebraska rose to the occasion & Missou did not.

 

[ESPY]

IMHO we play better when we have a chip on our shoulder. If nothing else Griffin's apparent bash on our recruiting should provide some extra motivation to prove everyone wrong. As a fan, I think it's more fun when our guys rise to the occasion to do what everyone else thinks we can't. It makes me even more proud to be a Husker fan, so I'm looking forward to how we respond. ower

 

[JTrain]

Nebraska

"Needs met: With the loss of Ndamukong Suh and Barry Turner to graduation and Pierre Allen entering his senior season, the Cornhuskers filled a gap with six defensive linemen. Corey Cooper and Harvey Jackson should fill the biggest defensive need at safety. But the Cornhuskers still are looking for offensive firepower and added only one wide receiver."

Did you see the difference? Nebraska is apparently the only school that failed to meet its needs. Not to mention that his facts are wrong about only one wide receiver. (In fact . . . the blurb for every other school is almost entirely praise other than the mention of CU losing a recruit to Cincinnati.)[/b]

I repeat: Griffin is a TOOL. I'd call him worse but board rules demand otherwise.

He clearly says we met needs at DL and safety.

 

[carlfense]

Nebraska

"Needs met: With the loss of Ndamukong Suh and Barry Turner to graduation and Pierre Allen entering his senior season, the Cornhuskers filled a gap with six defensive linemen. Corey Cooper and Harvey Jackson should fill the biggest defensive need at safety. But the Cornhuskers still are looking for offensive firepower and added only one wide receiver."

Did you see the difference? Nebraska is apparently the only school that failed to meet its needs. Not to mention that his facts are wrong about only one wide receiver. (In fact . . . the blurb for every other school is almost entirely praise other than the mention of CU losing a recruit to Cincinnati.)[/b]

I repeat: Griffin is a TOOL. I'd call him worse but board rules demand otherwise.

He clearly says we met needs at DL and safety.

And said we're still looking for offensive firepower and added only one wide receiver. Did you see him say anything similar about any other school? Nope . . . apparently they filled every need.

 

[T_O_Bull]

I wonder if Tim Griffin has watched tape on Quincy Enunwa.

And I wonder if he's looking at the fact that we offered something like 30 WRs and landed just one.

It just seems to me that he's grading us too much on what we lost rather than what we gained. People made the same mistake about Missouri last year. Yeah, losing Maclin and Daniel and the others hurt - it has to - but they were still a good team without them.

Mizzou good...? I guess they did beat Iowa State.

9/05 vs. Illinois 1-0 (0-0) W 37-9

9/12 Bowling Green 2-0 (0-0) W 27-20

9/19 Furman 3-0 (0-0) W 52-12

9/25 @ Nevada 4-0 (0-0) W 31-21

10/08 No. 21 Nebraska 4-1 (0-1) L 27-12 - Quarterback injured

10/17 @ No. 16 Oklahoma State 4-2 (0-2) L 33-17

10/24 No. 3 Texas 4-3 (0-3) L 41-7

10/31 @ Colorado 5-3 (1-3) W 36-17

11/07 Baylor 5-4 (1-4) L 40-32

11/14 @ Kansas State 6-4 (2-4) W 38-12

11/21 Iowa State 7-4 (3-4) W 34-24

11/28 vs. Kansas 8-4 (4-4) W 41-39

12/31 vs. Navy 8-5 (4-4) L 35-13

Let's not discount the impact of Gabbert's injury on that team.

I hear you, I just think Mizzou is overrated. I never have or will respect them until they have proven themselves. They beat Nebraska a couple times...you can not kick a dog while it's down and get respect. Even when Mizzou was considered good they still could not compete with Texas or Oklahoma. Gabbert might have been injured but we won a National Championship with Tommie "blood clot" Frazier. Sorry, just dislike Mizzou is all.

Three different QB's started that season (1994). (Frazier (4), Berringer (7), and Turman (1))

By 1995, Frazier's condition cleared up.

The blood clotting problem did, however, return when he tried pro ball in Canada. This essentially ended his football playing career.

T_O_B

 

[walksalone]

Yeah, but I've got to admit, from the outside looking in it's a pretty bad recruiting class. I think it's great, and I have total confidence in the Pelinis. I think we're going to see so much wildcat and 2-3 rb sets out of the skers next year that our wrs aren't going to matter nearly as much as how many Burkheads and Heards we have in the backfield and split out.

Bad? Huh. You're the only person I've heard call Nebraska's class bad. It's not flashy in a 20 four star WR sense . . . but bad?? I don't know how to respond to that. :moreinteresting

Should've clarified that better. I think it's a great class for us, pry one of the top 10 jobs this year in terms of needs. I voted on another forum that the staff deserved A's for effort and quality. I'm just saying, if I were an analyst who hadn't watched every game and thought about the team all the time, I pry would say it was a let down because it's not a flashy class like a lot of people expected us to get.

The fact you got the bunny w/ the pancake on it's head, that's not good.

Think we should reference the recruiting vs game planning thread...

 

[krc1995]

How does anyone who will be a difference maker when they haven't even reached campus yet?

Have there been any 5 star busts? I'm betting Yes.

Sure, there is an upper echeleon of guys that possess mad skills, but any kid that get a scholy has potential that can be developed into the "difference maker" category. But who knows" It's a duckshoot, unless you have guys that consistantly know how to develope playmakers and we do. My point is- who cares what this guy thinks.

Has it been brought up that maybe Owa went to UCLA because Huskers fans can, at times, be a bit overwhelming and crazy? Maybe that was a turnoff, not the coaches. You can argue that if we scared Owa off, that he didn't belong here anyway. But come on- if your 17 or 18 and people are hacking into your facebook and all the other crazy things that went on- and your going to a small city in cold, beachless American, you might run too. Compare the Owa situation with having an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend that calls way to often and follows you where ever you go. Made you want to run- didn't it?

5 :star busts we recruited and eventually lost - Simi Kuli

Owa went to UCLA, because his Mom wanted to see him play. If he plays in the Pac 10, she will be able to travel to most of the games around the Portland area (Oregon St., Oregon, Washington, Washington St.) whereas if he played for us, she would maybe get to see him play 1-2 games in-person per year.

Owa's decision had nothing to do with Husker fans, Ducks fans, or any other fans.

Has Owa actually stated that this was the reason? Maybe he has and I missed it. But I didn't read it.

 

[HuskerGBR]

Tim really likes Texas...his biased opinions cloud everything he says. Yeah he is a d@#%^). I haven't read his column in a long time, because he is pretty much wrong 76% of the time. If he was wrong only 75% of the time I could let it slide...haha no I couldn't. He is a pudgy little weasel.

 

[jnkyrdoff6]

Yeah, but I've got to admit, from the outside looking in it's a pretty bad recruiting class. I think it's great, and I have total confidence in the Pelinis. I think we're going to see so much wildcat and 2-3 rb sets out of the skers next year that our wrs aren't going to matter nearly as much as how many Burkheads and Heards we have in the backfield and split out.

Bad? Huh. You're the only person I've heard call Nebraska's class bad. It's not flashy in a 20 four star WR sense . . . but bad?? I don't know how to respond to that. :moreinteresting

Should've clarified that better. I think it's a great class for us, pry one of the top 10 jobs this year in terms of needs. I voted on another forum that the staff deserved A's for effort and quality. I'm just saying, if I were an analyst who hadn't watched every game and thought about the team all the time, I pry would say it was a let down because it's not a flashy class like a lot of people expected us to get.

The fact you got the bunny w/ the pancake on it's head, that's not good.

Think we should reference the recruiting vs game planning thread...

Okay, okay, but to reference you "These so called "talent evaluators" like Senor Douchebag Griffin, are no better than your local weatherman. He's trying to tell you what kinda storm is happening on the pacific coast, before it gets to Lincoln...(walksalone)"

That's how I feel, they're worthless most of the time. With that said, I'm not surprised Griffin wrote what he did. It is funny though that we're the only team he didn't have only praise for.

 

[Ohio Pete]

To be fair, it's not like Tim Griffin is telling us something new:

Steven M. Sipple: Huskers need difference-makers at WR

Where is the LJS Sux emoticon? :sarcasm