This offense

[Hujan]

yeah but thats just it, without a blazingly fast and full of moxie qb this offense reverts to what it was last year, which was one of the worst offenses in football

Isn't this true of every team?

Not so much the specific speed, but if your starting QB goes down that team is in trouble

No. See, e.g., Oregon. Between 2007 and 2010, they've had three different starting QBs and their offense has consistently produced mega yardage. See also Cincinnati last year. I'm sure there are other examples.

Yes, the offense might slow down if you change QBs, but it shouldn't just fold up like a lawn chair. In the past two seasons, how many TD-less games does Watson have? How many one-TD games does he have? It's just not okay.

 

[3rd and long]

What I don't understand is when our OL is getting driven back off the ball, it tells me that the DL is coming hard off the snap. Why don't we do something to take advantage of that, it seems they would be vulnerable to screens and misdirection.

Maybe some playaction on first down, anything to break up our pattern of zone read on first down. We just seem so precictable.

 

[Enhance]

What I don't understand is when our OL is getting driven back off the ball, it tells me that the DL is coming hard off the snap. Why don't we do something to take advantage of that, it seems they would be vulnerable to screens and misdirection.

Maybe some playaction on first down, anything to break up our pattern of zone read on first down. We just seem so precictable.

I think this comes more down to the fact of the skill level of our linemen.

Brenden Stai said something a couple of weeks ago after a Husker game which I think rings through nicely. He said this team is not near as good as run blocking as the 90's teams were, but he also said that the 90's teams were not near as good at pass-blocking as the teams we have now are.

That said, we should not be getting pushed around this badly considering the fact that we only lost one starter from last year's squad and then another to injury.

 

[SnowBigRed]

yeah but thats just it, without a blazingly fast and full of moxie qb this offense reverts to what it was last year, which was one of the worst offenses in football

Isn't this true of every team?

Not so much the specific speed, but if your starting QB goes down that team is in trouble

No. See, e.g., Oregon. Between 2007 and 2010, they've had three different starting QBs and their offense has consistently produced mega yardage. See also Cincinnati last year. I'm sure there are other examples.

Yes, the offense might slow down if you change QBs, but it shouldn't just fold up like a lawn chair. In the past two seasons, how many TD-less games does Watson have? How many one-TD games does he have? It's just not okay.

I would like to reiterate my previous post saying that these linemen would likely thrive in Oregon's offense just as Oregon's line does with a year (or maybe even a preseason camp) of coaching. Does anyone else believe this to be the case?

 

[blackshirts5115]

Shawn Watson is not the answer. Do we occasionally see offensive production? Yes. When do we have our production? When we hit the big play, and most of them have been running plays. To me, this is more of a testament to the athletes on the field and a little bit of luck due to mispositioned defenders. When do we ever put together a solid scoring drive? We never do. Whenever we put together a drive, it ends up stalling in the red zone for a field goal.

We can look at the offense and dissect it and say "Oh we only need to change this or change that. We only need our receivers to catch the ball or Taylor to throw better passes. Our offensive line just needs to be more physical." I'm tired of these excuses. It's been the same $%*# for years now. I don't care how it is accomplished or what the reasons are for it not being accomplished, but this offense needs to be more consistent. Two touchdowns in our last 6 losses??? That isn't top 10 material. We're better than this and we need to expect better than this. I'm praying that there is some stupid Athletic Director out there that is interested in Shawn as a head coach and hopefully he takes Gilmore with him.

 

[Glendower]

yeah but thats just it, without a blazingly fast and full of moxie qb this offense reverts to what it was last year, which was one of the worst offenses in football

How would you like to change that? Offenses revolve around the QB. If your QB is no threat to run and little threat to pass, what do you think is going to happen? It doesn't help that our talent at WR is mediocre at best, we even had Will Henry out there at one point on a 3rd down. How good do you think the Colts' offense would be without Peyton Manning? Or Auburn's without Cam Newton?

I haven't done the research, nor will I take the time to do it, but I would like to ask someone to go back to even the KSU, Wash, or OSU games and take out the big TD plays (40-50+ yds) and tell me what the average yds per play are? Watson is too impatient to grind out an entire drive. He wants to get quick hitters like he did against the teams mentioned before, but if those aren't there, we're done. Passing every 3rd down, whether it be 7 or 2 yards? Give me a break. The O-Line isn't coached up well enough to make changes on the fly against D's that switch it up mid-game. Missed assignments, lack of discipline, lack of accountability are all coaching errors. Yes, we do have a decent game here and there, but these days I blame that on Watson and Co. getting lucky with their scheme that particular week. The very next week we lay an egg because the opposing D called Watson's bluff. We've seen it time and time again over Watson's tenure. I don't know who or what is the answer, but something needs to change.

On a side note, no one fears the "Pipeline" anymore. The offensive line is young, and I get that, but they just don't maul people like they should. For a self-proclaimed running team, the offensive line seems soft across the board. They've got the size and strength I think, I just think they lack the fundamentals. Again, that is coaching. You put this same line under Oregon's tutelage for a year or two, and Oregon still puts up huge numbers. I believe there is a real lack of development on the offensive side of the ball (with the exception of possibly Martinez).

7th overall rushing isn't exactly "self-proclaimed."

But besides that, I feel the same way. After some of those early, seemingly easy victories, I was kind of worried because of the dependence on the big plays. Watson's unwillingness to grind out a drive is very frustrating. I mean, the running game is pretty sound-- they can move the ball up the middle very well, but it's those annoying sprints to the sideline for a 30 yard long, 2 yard gain run that are ridiculous. But punch, punch, then on a 3 and 2 pass? Really? It's frustrating.

I've heard the "keep 'em honest" theory, and I do buy it over the course of a game. But if you have a hot RB or if you're just able to reliably get 4, 5, 6 yards on a run, KEEP DOING IT! No, don't be an idiot and keep doing the same thing when it fails, but if you're having success at something, why take THAT time to "keep 'em honest"? Ugh. I don't know what I think about Watson... it just feels like he has to prove something and that he calls those power runs to placate the base and then says, "NOW WATCH THIS!!!" and works in some big bomb of a pass that eats a down.

 

[bshirt]

What I don't understand is when our OL is getting driven back off the ball, it tells me that the DL is coming hard off the snap. Why don't we do something to take advantage of that, it seems they would be vulnerable to screens and misdirection.

Maybe some playaction on first down, anything to break up our pattern of zone read on first down. We just seem so precictable.

I think this comes more down to the fact of the skill level of our linemen.

Brenden Stai said something a couple of weeks ago after a Husker game which I think rings through nicely. He said this team is not near as good as run blocking as the 90's teams were, but he also said that the 90's teams were not near as good at pass-blocking as the teams we have now are.

That said, we should not be getting pushed around this badly considering the fact that we only lost one starter from last year's squad and then another to injury.

Bingo!! Stai is on the money.

We're "multiple".....a jack of all trades and a master of none. SW preaches "multiple" like a Southern Baptist minister and the results directly show it. We simply have zero identity. Nothing to rely on when things get tough. Nothing we excel at.

We lose an outrageously talented qb to injury and......it's 2009 all over again.

 

[ESPY]

I'm not sure if this Chatelain article has been posted on HB yet, but this seems like the perfect thread for it. Btw, I share these exact sentiments.

Chatelain: Mere tweaks won't fix what ails NU offense
By Dirk Chatelain

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Officials. Injuries. Crowd noise.

Missed blocks. Dropped balls. Errant throws.

Why? What's the reason for this offensive recession?

A man could go crazy analyzing it. Save yourself the hassle. Stop searching for answers. Step back from the scrum.

Sometimes no matter how many times you replace a gasket, it still leaks. Sometimes the dashboard rattles no matter where you stick a piece of cardboard. Sometimes things just don't work.

That's Nebraska's offense.

NU needed one touchdown Saturday night at Kyle Field to beat Texas A&M. Instead, we saw a sequel of last December's Big 12 Championship game. Another night in which a heroic defensive effort got wasted.

And it came after a November clunker (Kansas), which came after an October junker (Texas), which came after a September stinker (South Dakota State).

Would this offense be different with a healthy Taylor Martinez? Yep.

But Oregon's standout quarterback got kicked off the team in June. Auburn faces NCAA investigation and a Southern army of self-appointed private investigators creating Cam Newton conspiracy theories.

The deck is so stacked against Boise State and TCU that one bad half could derail their reputations and national title hopes.

Everybody has excuses. Everybody.

But top-10 teams — that's the standard by which a Nebraska offense should be judged — find a way. They execute almost every Saturday.

Championship teams don't run roughshod over Washington and Kansas State, then score six points against Texas and Texas A&M.

The schedule consists of 12 games. Nebraska's offense can't show up for only half of them.

The Blackshirts will always be there, propelling NU to at least eight or nine wins each year. But the Huskers will never win big with a hot-and-cold offense.

Talent is not the problem. Nor is experience. What they don't have are the little things that hold an offense together, the things that produce consistency.

Precision and poise. Confidence and concentration. Discipline and — let's face it — guts. This offense doesn't have the guts.

It's too soft — emotionally and physically. Leaders are lacking — between the lines and outside them.

Symptoms are everywhere.

Why does every third-and-5 seem to end with a futile slant pass from a quarterback who doesn't throw especially well to a receiver who doesn't catch especially well?

Why does Nebraska insist on running wide when fast defenses are vulnerable between the tackles?

Why is Nebraska slow to adjust when a game plan goes awry? One misstep, one defensive surprise and things unravel. There's no creativity, never an ace up Nebraska's sleeve.

Why is Nebraska 115th nationally in penalty yards per game and dead-last in fumbles? A nice, long drive begins, then gets sabotaged by a goof. If the Huskers can't get a big play, they can't score.

Why is Nebraska's offense slipping toward the middle-to-bottom of the Big 12 rankings again? Sixth in total offense in 2008, 11th in 2009, sixth in 2010.

I'm a junkie for minutiae, but the hunt for a silver bullet is exhausting.

The fixation on small things is exactly why truth is so hard to tackle. The problem here is big. Systematic. So ingrained in this offense that mere tweaks won't fix it.

You will not find the name of a Husker player or coach in this critique. One man is not at fault. Everyone shares blame. But it's time for accountability.

In Nebraska's six losses since the start of 2009, the offense has produced two total touchdowns.

Two!

Three years ago, Nebraska football fell apart under Bill Callahan. And by the end, every stone had been turned, every detail studied, every excuse exhausted.

Did Callahan fail because he trimmed the walk-on program? Or because his team didn't practice in full pads enough? Or because he flooded players with X's and O's? Or because he trusted incompetent assistants? Or because he couldn't motivate?

Didn't matter. The problem was personnel, scheme and culture.

It was nothing. It was everything.

Results spoke for themselves. The scoreboard didn't lie.

It still doesn't.

 

[broganreynik]

yeah but thats just it, without a blazingly fast and full of moxie qb this offense reverts to what it was last year, which was one of the worst offenses in football

How would you like to change that? Offenses revolve around the QB. If your QB is no threat to run and little threat to pass, what do you think is going to happen? It doesn't help that our talent at WR is mediocre at best, we even had Will Henry out there at one point on a 3rd down. How good do you think the Colts' offense would be without Peyton Manning? Or Auburn's without Cam Newton?

Offenses revolve around the position, not a player. Those two offenses wouldn't be as good without their starting quarterbacks, but there wouldn't be the dropoff we see. The coaching staff's job is to have players prepared to play. Watson has never had good performances out of his team against quality defenses while he's been here, going back to the days with Callahan, and as long as we retain him, it's going to stay that way. Gilmore, Watson and Cotton have got to go.

 

[SnowBigRed]

yeah but thats just it, without a blazingly fast and full of moxie qb this offense reverts to what it was last year, which was one of the worst offenses in football

How would you like to change that? Offenses revolve around the QB. If your QB is no threat to run and little threat to pass, what do you think is going to happen? It doesn't help that our talent at WR is mediocre at best, we even had Will Henry out there at one point on a 3rd down. How good do you think the Colts' offense would be without Peyton Manning? Or Auburn's without Cam Newton?

I haven't done the research, nor will I take the time to do it, but I would like to ask someone to go back to even the KSU, Wash, or OSU games and take out the big TD plays (40-50+ yds) and tell me what the average yds per play are? Watson is too impatient to grind out an entire drive. He wants to get quick hitters like he did against the teams mentioned before, but if those aren't there, we're done. Passing every 3rd down, whether it be 7 or 2 yards? Give me a break. The O-Line isn't coached up well enough to make changes on the fly against D's that switch it up mid-game. Missed assignments, lack of discipline, lack of accountability are all coaching errors. Yes, we do have a decent game here and there, but these days I blame that on Watson and Co. getting lucky with their scheme that particular week. The very next week we lay an egg because the opposing D called Watson's bluff. We've seen it time and time again over Watson's tenure. I don't know who or what is the answer, but something needs to change.

On a side note, no one fears the "Pipeline" anymore. The offensive line is young, and I get that, but they just don't maul people like they should. For a self-proclaimed running team, the offensive line seems soft across the board. They've got the size and strength I think, I just think they lack the fundamentals. Again, that is coaching. You put this same line under Oregon's tutelage for a year or two, and Oregon still puts up huge numbers. I believe there is a real lack of development on the offensive side of the ball (with the exception of possibly Martinez).

7th overall rushing isn't exactly "self-proclaimed."

But besides that, I feel the same way. After some of those early, seemingly easy victories, I was kind of worried because of the dependence on the big plays. Watson's unwillingness to grind out a drive is very frustrating. I mean, the running game is pretty sound-- they can move the ball up the middle very well, but it's those annoying sprints to the sideline for a 30 yard long, 2 yard gain run that are ridiculous. But punch, punch, then on a 3 and 2 pass? Really? It's frustrating.

I've heard the "keep 'em honest" theory, and I do buy it over the course of a game. But if you have a hot RB or if you're just able to reliably get 4, 5, 6 yards on a run, KEEP DOING IT! No, don't be an idiot and keep doing the same thing when it fails, but if you're having success at something, why take THAT time to "keep 'em honest"? Ugh. I don't know what I think about Watson... it just feels like he has to prove something and that he calls those power runs to placate the base and then says, "NOW WATCH THIS!!!" and works in some big bomb of a pass that eats a down.

Yeah, maybe self-proclaimed wasn't the best choice for words.

 

[junior4949]

I miss the plug'n play offense. I realize that some/a lot of posters on here don't desire to go back to the offense we ran a decade or so again. However, the offense back then didn't revolve around the QB. In 1994, Frazier goes down to injury. We don't miss a beat with Berringer. Berringer goes down, we really don't miss a beat with a third string walkon. The same can be said about the RB position. Lawrence Phillips goes poastal, yet we don't miss a beat without him. I really don't have much faith in winning the CU game if Cody Green is the QB. In the end, maybe we're just being a little too critical. OU's definitely has some consistency problems this year. Alabama has had them as well. While I never really did buy into the thought we were a championship team, when we play our best we could be. Hopefully, Bo has the glue to keep this team together and finish out. The goals are still intact.

 

[wetookitupthe...]

Watson does not have the ability to change during the game. If we plan on Martinez and lose him, we are screwed. If we don't plan on him we come up with a different plan that works, although not as well. Watson, given two weeks, can come up with great game plans, but given two minutes he can't adapt. He has to go at the end of the year. With a proper offensive coordinator, Martinez will be great(er).

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

My .25 cents,

1) When the offense worked this year, it was stunning. It was the talk of college football.

2) Taylor Martinez was a revelation.

3) When dared to pass, Martinez threw for 350 yards and 5 TDs.

4) When they keyed on Martinez running, Roy Helu ran for 300 yards.

5) Some real faulty memories, here. The Huskers had several sustained drives, including long Martinez-less drives that protected the Mizzou win and got us back in the Iowa State game. A game the defense actually let slip away.

6) Take away the big plays (although why would you?) and the Husker offense still have a good per play average.

7) Zac Lee is out. Martinez is hobbled. Cody Green simply hasn't developed. That's not exactly a bump in the road you can run over.

8) Our defense has had some awesome games, just like our offense. That same defense also let a lumbering substandard Texas quarteback run all over them, let Oklahoma State hang 41 on them in a game where the offense bailed them out, and let a lower tier Iowa State back in the game after Cody Green got them a 24 - 10 lead. Had that two point conversion worked - and it should have - would we be saying it's time for Carl Pelini to leave?

9 A red-hot Texas A&M couldn't manage a touchdown against Nebraska at home in its biggest game of the year. Should the Aggies be wondering what the hell is wrong with its offense?

10) Break down the schemes all you want, but when Nebraska has looked bad this year, it's been a matter of poise and execution, not strategy. Poise comes from the preparation before the game and the sideline during the game. Shawn Watson's up in the press box. Bo Pelini's on the field. Throw Watson under the bus because he reminds you of Bill Callahan, but Bo Pelini is on the hook for the attitude this team carries on the field and the ability to stay cool when things aren't working out so well.

 

[SnowBigRed]

I miss the plug'n play offense. I realize that some/a lot of posters on here don't desire to go back to the offense we ran a decade or so again. However, the offense back then didn't revolve around the QB. In 1994, Frazier goes down to injury. We don't miss a beat with Berringer. Berringer goes down, we really don't miss a beat with a third string walkon. The same can be said about the RB position. Lawrence Phillips goes poastal, yet we don't miss a beat without him. I really don't have much faith in winning the CU game if Cody Green is the QB. In the end, maybe we're just being a little too critical. OU's definitely has some consistency problems this year. Alabama has had them as well. While I never really did buy into the thought we were a championship team, when we play our best we could be. Hopefully, Bo has the glue to keep this team together and finish out. The goals are still intact.

Might have to do something with the line. 5-7 of the biggest bad*sses a coach could put on the field. Well coached, disciplined, and just wanting to pound dudes's faces in the dirt.

 

[Hunter94]

Shawn Watson is not the answer. Do we occasionally see offensive production? Yes. When do we have our production? When we hit the big play, and most of them have been running plays. To me, this is more of a testament to the athletes on the field and a little bit of luck due to mispositioned defenders. When do we ever put together a solid scoring drive? We never do. Whenever we put together a drive, it ends up stalling in the red zone for a field goal.

We can look at the offense and dissect it and say "Oh we only need to change this or change that. We only need our receivers to catch the ball or Taylor to throw better passes. Our offensive line just needs to be more physical." I'm tired of these excuses. It's been the same $%*# for years now. I don't care how it is accomplished or what the reasons are for it not being accomplished, but this offense needs to be more consistent. Two touchdowns in our last 6 losses??? That isn't top 10 material. We're better than this and we need to expect better than this. I'm praying that there is some stupid Athletic Director out there that is interested in Shawn as a head coach and hopefully he takes Gilmore with him.

i said it at the beginning of the season and at the end of last year....Watson sucks, he just plain sucks.