The "We Aren't Playing Our Best Players" Thread...

[Enhance]

The title is evident of what this thread is about. I don't follow our depth charts as closely as I used to, I don't follow the team as closely as I used to and I don't spend that much time diagnosing the finest nuances of our team. Because, quite frankly, the more I try to deduce our team every week, the more frustrated and disappointed I get after we lose. That's no way to be a Husker fan, at least in my eyes.

That said, a lot of you are laboring under the impressions that we don't play the best players at any given position, for one reason or another. Whether they're in Bo's often spoken about "dog house", or indirect accusations that Pelini has no idea how to evaluate or develop talent, people indirectly (or directly) say Bo plays favorites. Am I missing something, or is that about right?

So, help me out here. Who, in your mind, is sitting on the bench but is better than the player starting? In conjunction, what evidence do you have that says player two is better than player one, outside of non-factual opinions?

I don't want to give my opinion on the matter in the OP, as to not taint the discussion yet.

 

[Hunter94]

Jamal Turner.......even if he struggles with the playbook, assuming that may be the issue, i don't see why he doesn't see the field more, a game breaker sitting on the bench, Rex sweep left, Rex sweep right, i think that play is no longer a surprise to defenses.

 

[lo country]

I would like to add former blackshirt and milk carton candidate in Courtney Osborne. You can also throw PJ Smith in the mix. I think that Cassidy has regressed from last year.

RB wise, you can add all three Fresh. NOt saying they are better than Rex, but they have, IMO, been completely misused. The way they (the staff) has played them, you could have saved all 3 until Rex went down. Again, IMO all three with the possibility of AA were wasted.

Cooper is another DB that comes to mind. Highly touted safety, moved to CB and seems to be pulling a Mendoza this year. ie position switch, misssing etc.....

I think that looking at the start of this year and the lack of experience at any skilled position shows a glaring issue with the current staffs inability/decision to develop depth. Some was do to transfers.........

QB- Martinez

WR- Kinnie

RB-Rex

TE- (Cotton to block, Reed to catch

KO- no one

Return- None

Punter/Kicker-none

It is also painfully obvious after the preseason hype that we have/had no real depth (quality) at either D or O line. I know we had the injury bug, but we appear woefully thin there.

If anything, in the blow out wins or losses, IMO, you have got to get the younger kids reps for several reasons:

See how they do in the "real" world of actual game time

Develop depth

Develop experience

Help recruiting by showing that you can play as a true Fresh

Build for the future

Identify recruiting needs prior to the end of season based upon previous kids not panning out

 

[knapplc]

I would like to add former blackshirt and milk carton candidate in Courtney Osborne. You can also throw PJ Smith in the mix. I think that Cassidy has regressed from last year.

RB wise, you can add all three Fresh. NOt saying they are better than Rex, but they have, IMO, been completely misused. The way they (the staff) has played them, you could have saved all 3 until Rex went down. Again, IMO all three with the possibility of AA were wasted.

Cooper is another DB that comes to mind. Highly touted safety, moved to CB and seems to be pulling a Mendoza this year. ie position switch, misssing etc.....

I think that looking at the start of this year and the lack of experience at any skilled position shows a glaring issue with the current staffs inability/decision to develop depth. Some was do to transfers.........

QB- Martinez

WR- Kinnie

RB-Rex

TE- (Cotton to block, Reed to catch

KO- no one

Return- None

Punter/Kicker-none

It is also painfully obvious after the preseason hype that we have/had no real depth (quality) at either D or O line. I know we had the injury bug, but we appear woefully thin there.

If anything, in the blow out wins or losses, IMO, you have got to get the younger kids reps for several reasons:

See how they do in the "real" world of actual game time

Develop depth

Develop experience

Help recruiting by showing that you can play as a true Fresh

Build for the future

Identify recruiting needs prior to the end of season based upon previous kids not panning out

Courtney has been hurt all year. At least, he's the latest guy to either disappear entirely or play like dogass all year, only to find out later that there was an injury. I'd need to borrow a couple more hands to count how many players who have not played/had terrible years, only to discover later he's hurt. And that's just from the last two years.

I don't know about the depth argument on either line. I think at D Line we've shown we have some pretty quality depth - they're just all the same quality. We've had a ton of injuries along the D Line, and no matter who steps in, the results are the same. Those results are just... underwhelming.

I would agree we've wasted - or underutilized - Heard, Green and Turner. This is a sad Freshman year for each.

In several ways I understand why Carnes didn't play early on, with the offense needing to learn the new system. But there is zero excuse for not playing him against Michigan. If I'm grading that, I give it an F-. I'm sure we'll find out sometime this week or a couple of weeks down the road that Brion is injured, too.

I really want to be a sunshine-pumper. I'm a rah-rah kinda guy. But I'm finding next to nothing to pump sunshine about right now. Even Lavonte David isn't making me happy, knowing we only have him for two more games.

 

[TonyStalloni]

In watching other teams play this year I see numerous freshmen play football, some even at key positions. Wyoming started a freshman Qb who did a decent job considering the help he had. Fresno had a freshman Qb who also did well. They seem to be smart talented kids to begin with and look like they know what they are doing on the field. Then I watch our young kids play and they have a deer in the headlights mindset and constantly look confused on anything more than a basic play.

I know coaches tear their hair out with the dilemma of whether to play a talented kid who doesn't practice well. Should everything they have been preaching since fall camp be thrown out the window as to practicing 100%? I don't know the answer but I hope they can figure out how to put a better product on the field next year.

 

[knapplc]

In watching other teams play this year I see numerous freshmen play football, some even at key positions.

Because some Freshmen at some schools play well does not mean that all will play well at all schools. This doesn't support the overall argument you're making that the best players should play (an argument I agree with, BTW).

 

[kchusker_chris]

Turner's lack of playing time has definately been a disapointment - and will go down in history as one of the most bizzarre/mysterious Husker stories to come out of the Pelini era, guarenteed. The kid started out on on fire, and was in a position to get much better. Look at Martinez's transformation over the last 6 games - it's not unreasonable to think Turner would have kept pace. He was a freshman, his improvement was going to be drastic. And the sad thing is, not only has Turner's freshman year been a bust, but it's also going to dramatically impact his sophomore year. Think where he could have been. He'd be sitting at 600+ yards (and that's probably conservative). Yet Bell continues to f-up and he's out there every day. Playbook? BS. Turner's a smart kid - and you can't tell me that almost 4 months into the season he hasn't been able to grasp 20 plays. Does he need to know all 200 make an impact - hell no. He needs to be on the field - find a way Bo. I really feel for the kid. This offseason will test his character. At this point (barring an injury) he's sitting back there starting to believe there is nothing he can do see the field. Those thoughts have to be crossing his mind, he's only a kid.

 

[lo country]

Here is an interesting preseaon list of the Top 15 impact Freshman. Some names are very familiar. Look real close and see if you see a name we all know!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/08/26/15-impact-freshmen/index.html

 

[lo country]

Turner's lack of playing time has definately been a disapointment - and will go down in history as one of the most bizzarre/mysterious Husker stories to come out of the Pelini era, guarenteed. The kid started out on on fire, and was in a position to get much better. Look at Martinez's transformation over the last 6 games - it's not unreasonable to think Turner would have kept pace. He was a freshman, his improvement was going to be drastic. And the sad thing is, not only has Turner's freshman year been a bust, but it's also going to dramatically impact his sophomore year. Think where he could have been. He'd be sitting at 600+ yards (and that's probably conservative). Yet Bell continues to f-up and he's out there every day. Playbook? BS. Turner's a smart kid - and you can't tell me that almost 4 months into the season he hasn't been able to grasp 20 plays. Does he need to know all 200 make an impact - hell no. He needs to be on the field - find a way Bo. I really feel for the kid. This offseason will test his character. At this point (barring an injury) he's sitting back there starting to believe there is nothing he can do see the field. Those thoughts have to be crossing his mind, he's only a kid.

Prime example. Reed can't block. Staff knows it, fans know it and opposing DC's know it, but guess what. He is in there on certain plays that do not require a great deal of blocking. IMO, it hurts the play calling as we telegraph our plays. It also shows that this staff is willing, in certain instances, to go with a limited play book option for some players.

I fear JT might become the Marcus Mendoza of this class. MOved from QB to WR and then lost.

 

[knapplc]

Prime example. Reed can't block. Staff knows it, fans know it and opposing DC's know it, but guess what. He is in there on certain plays that do not require a great deal of blocking. IMO, it hurts the play calling as we telegraph our plays. It also shows that this staff is willing, in certain instances, to go with a limited play book option for some players.

I fear JT might become the Marcus Mendoza of this class. MOved from QB to WR and then lost.

Actually, I've noticed on numerous occasions that not only is Reed in there on plays where he needs to block, but he's often on the play-side of the blocking scheme. Often he fails to make a successful block and his man is able to make the play.

 

[Enhance]

I know coaches tear their hair out with the dilemma of whether to play a talented kid who doesn't practice well. Should everything they have been preaching since fall camp be thrown out the window as to practicing 100%? I don't know the answer but I hope they can figure out how to put a better product on the field next year.

This is something I'd like to touch on, as I still haven't quite seen what I'm looking for in this thread.

Many names are being mentioned for guys we want to see play, but that's not what the OP is about. We've stated players we want to see out there, but no evident support as to why they aren't, save for injuries which knapplc touched on.

More or less, for those who think we're not playing who we should be playing, what support gives you that conclusion? Do you play somebody who doesn't practice well? Do you play someone who is just as risky to make a bonehead play as they are a good one at this point in the season, and is that worth the risk to you? Do you know for a fact one player deserves to be out there over another?

The overwhelming question is - do you trust the coaches?

 

[knapplc]

The overwhelming question is - do you trust the coaches?

I am inclined to trust the coaches. They are there at practice every day, after all.

However. That trust is eroding in the face of multiple meltdown games each of the four years Bo's been here. That trust is not guaranteed, nor is it logical to give it to the coaches unconditionally in the face of these results.

 

[kchusker_chris]

The overwhelming question is - do you trust the coaches?

I am inclined to trust the coaches. They are there at practice every day, after all.

However. That trust is eroding in the face of multiple meltdown games each of the four years Bo's been here. That trust is not guaranteed, nor is it logical to give it to the coaches unconditionally in the face of these results.

hell froze over

 

[MJSkers]

I know coaches tear their hair out with the dilemma of whether to play a talented kid who doesn't practice well. Should everything they have been preaching since fall camp be thrown out the window as to practicing 100%? I don't know the answer but I hope they can figure out how to put a better product on the field next year.

This is something I'd like to touch on, as I still haven't quite seen what I'm looking for in this thread.

Many names are being mentioned for guys we want to see play, but that's not what the OP is about. We've stated players we want to see out there, but no evident support as to why they aren't, save for injuries which knapplc touched on.

More or less, for those who think we're not playing who we should be playing, what support gives you that conclusion? Do you play somebody who doesn't practice well? Do you play someone who is just as risky to make a bonehead play as they are a good one at this point in the season, and is that worth the risk to you? Do you know for a fact one player deserves to be out there over another?

The overwhelming question is - do you trust the coaches?

I'd venture to guess that no one has any proof of a player being better than a player on the field. Turner caught balls early, and it's easy to remember those because everyone was so excited about him. I highly doubt anyone can remember anything wrong that he's done on the field....but I guarantee you the coaches know.

We all think we know the best player for the job, ESPECIALLY after a loss. But from you OP, I highly doubt anyone can show any type of proof.

 

[HuskerCarter]

So in other words this is a thread about Turner, Heard, Green and Abdullah?

I could have swore these have been put to rest. Turner doesn't play because he hasn't been practicing well and giving 100% effort. Bo in the past has said it doesn't matter what you did in the past, what matters is what you do every day! If he doesn't give his full effort in practice, he isn't going to see the field. Period! You play someone who doesn't run full speed in practice or drops every ball in practice because he doesn't feel like it, just because he made a few great catches and juked some CB's during the first 5 games, what kind of message are you sending to your other receivers? The type of message that practice doesn't determine who plays on Saturday, favoritism does.

As for the RB situation, this is always going to be attacked not because of the decision not to redshirt any of them, but because of the outcome this late in the season. Because neither Green, Heard or Abdullah have stood out as a clear cut #2 behind Burkhead, folks are challenging the decision not to redshirt one or two of them and give more playing time to the likes of Okafur, Jones and Gilleylen. I don't think it was a bad decision to not redshirt any of them, Jones is a good RB, but sometimes he has a case of fumblitis. I can't say much about Okafur or Gilleylen, cept that Gilleylen has had a problem with holding onto the ball as well. Like i said, i don't think anyone could have predicted this late into the season that neither one of the freshman backs would be a standout performer on the field.