Until NU gets this fixed, we aren't going anywhere fast

[TheSker]

On offense, two of our recent quarterbacks....Armstrong and Martinez....each turned the ball over too much.

I'm not a fan of Riley's offense. 40+ pass attempts per game is going to lend itself to interceptions.....not to mention the frustrations of incompletions on 3rd and short.

On defense, the Riley pass defense is not going to get many interceptions, so better hope it can cause a fumble or two. Pelini pass defenses could usually be counted on for some interceptions.

I think Pelini had the right idea with Martinez at quarterback.....it's just a shame he was so turnover prone.

Is that really any worse than a run getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short?

Yes

BS.

There are screams coming from virtually every direction.....fans and media......for Riley's offense to establish the running game, especially on short distance 3rd downs.

Why would you want to do the smart thing and run on 3rd or 4th and 1 when you can hurl a 30-40 yd fade route down the field instead?

I just watched Alabama convert a 4th and 2 with a roll out play action pass to the flats. Play calling wasn't the issue vs. Iowa. Tommy had Cethan Carter (TE) wide open on the play. Tommy's lack of vision and ability to check down prevented us from converting on that 4th down. He just made a terrible decision and everyone knows it.

Wait, so you're saying playcalling wasn't a problem (we called a dropback with a fade and TE leak) and used an example of a rollout with a pass to the flat. What?

If you look at that play, Cethan Carter is open in the flat. The difference here is the Alabama QB saw his open man, ours did not. Because the play failed, most people blame the coaches right away. If Tommy dumps the ball off to Carter it goes for a big gain maybe even 6 points. Both plays were 4th and short, were they not?

When you know your QB struggles reading progressions, put him in position to succeed. Give him rollouts with run pass options.You said the Bama play was a PA rollout. That's a designed play to give the QB fewer options. I would have been much happier with that type of call than a fade/leak combo.

I agree with you on the type of play, I believe as a coach you have to put your QB in the best situations for him. A roll out with a run/pass option would have likely given us better odds vs a deep fade pass into the end zone. I'm on the same page as you, Tommy does have problems going through his progressions and it almost seems every pass play is some kind of hot route. Put a Zac Taylor or a Joe Ganz back there and they make that completion to Carter instead, wouldn't you agree?

So, my argument is the play call was there, the execution wasn't. If we had a QB who could go through his options down field quickly, that ball should be thrown to Carter to get the first down in the very least and possibly more. If anything, I suppose this all hearkens back to Tommy's poor decision making. I'm conflicted because at the time, I felt like it was a bad play call by Langsdorf but Damon Benning was quick to point out that the play call was there and showed an animated GIF of a wide open Cethan Carter. I blame both the staff and Tommy for not recognizing the situation -- that it would have been more important getting that 4th down conversion versus going for the homerun. Our OC was "spooked" and that particular play call sort of showed, unfortunately.

Yeah, sure, the playcall was there if you had a QB who was likely to complete it. But, since we all know who Tommy is, it was a bad call. You call a game to your QB's strengths.

Put your players in the best position for them to succeed. Did that happen?

That was my whole point from the start. I think you have to point the finger at both the staff and Tommy for the result. The play was there for the taking but Tommy failed to execute. There's no excuse for not completing a pass to a wide open receiver. That's on Tommy.

Sorry, but that's the Bo Pelini excuse.

"We just didn't execute."

You craft the gameplan and call plays to your guys strengths. It didn't happen.

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down. I still think you have to blame both the staff and the quarterback. Maybe he was coached to go for the end zone? That's just an assumption made by anyone who disagrees with the play call itself. For the most part, the game had some sketchy play calling by Langsdorf but too many mistakes made by Tommy throughout the year were made by Tommy which said mistakes occurred against Iowa as well.

Also, we're not talking about Bo Pelini, FYI

Run the ball

 

[stargazer]

We had the 7th best rush offense in the conference, and it would be better if our opponents had any respect for our passing game. Get a QB who possesses decent mechanics (so tired of hearing that theme through Martinez/Armstrong), can make high percentage passes, and can see more than one receiver downfield!

Watching Michigan State and Iowa play... we are literally a QB away from being at the top of this conference.

 

[RADAR]

On offense, two of our recent quarterbacks....Armstrong and Martinez....each turned the ball over too much.

I'm not a fan of Riley's offense. 40+ pass attempts per game is going to lend itself to interceptions.....not to mention the frustrations of incompletions on 3rd and short.

On defense, the Riley pass defense is not going to get many interceptions, so better hope it can cause a fumble or two. Pelini pass defenses could usually be counted on for some interceptions.

I think Pelini had the right idea with Martinez at quarterback.....it's just a shame he was so turnover prone.

Is that really any worse than a run getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short?

Yes

BS.

There are screams coming from virtually every direction.....fans and media......for Riley's offense to establish the running game, especially on short distance 3rd downs.

Why would you want to do the smart thing and run on 3rd or 4th and 1 when you can hurl a 30-40 yd fade route down the field instead?

I just watched Alabama convert a 4th and 2 with a roll out play action pass to the flats. Play calling wasn't the issue vs. Iowa. Tommy had Cethan Carter (TE) wide open on the play. Tommy's lack of vision and ability to check down prevented us from converting on that 4th down. He just made a terrible decision and everyone knows it.

A good offensive coordinator knows how to put an offense in position to succeed. I wonder if ANY play we needed a yard or two if Cross or Jano would have been a more viable option than ANY pass play?

Not with the offensive line we had.

That's because the coaches prefer pass protection. Jerald Foster is our best run blocking O-lineman, and he didn't sniff the field.

No, they prefer well rounded players that can do it all,not just run block. Foster will see the field next fall though.

They prefer guys who are better at pass blocking over run blocking. They also don't rotate because that's their philosophy from their NFL days, not because of any supposed lack of talent.

Uncle Milt didn't rotate either.

He subbed

not anymore than Cav. More players played because we won by bigger margins and the second, third and sometimes the forth string played.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

I thought TM was like 65%...how much higher do you want?

 

[Dansker]

Run the ball

We were averaging 3.6 yards per carry and we were getting next to nothing with outside runs. Almost all of our run plays were in between the tackles but how can we run the ball when our OC was quoted as being spooked? I too find it hard to believe Cross or Jano couldn't grind out 1 freaking yard. So, again -- I blame the staff and Tommy on that 4th and 1. I just think it's foolish to think Tommy gets a free pass for the failed conversion when he had a receiver wide open. My initial reaction was WTH? Why throw a deep fade on 4th and 1? Why not an option play or a roll out run/pass option for Tommy? Then I saw Cethan was wide open on the play and

Everybody is to blame and should be held accountable. What I find silly is Tommy shaking things off as if mistakes are OK and then proceeds with his carelessness of the football. We saw this throughout the entire season. His stats this year are on par with 2013 and 2014, more or less.

 

[Saunders]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

 

[stargazer]

Martinez tried to do it all himself, made way too many mistakes. Contrary to what people around here think, we have a lot of play makers, we just need a QB that can distribute the ball to them.

We haven't had a truly good decision maker at QB since Ganz.

 

[74Hunter]

Recruiting a quality Qb and ball hawking db's will fix most of our problems, its not a fumbling problem, its an interception problem. (and also a take away problem) I hope POB is the answer.

I agree that Nebraska needs to upgrade it's secondary. Perhaps with the bowl practices and off season they can improve however, I'm not willing to go all in on a true freshman. I think you have to redshirt him but I believe this is contingent on whether or not Tommy will work with Danny Langsdorf and Mike Riley during the off season to correct his mechanics. If he could simply improve his footwork, a lot of the interceptions he threw this year don't happen. This opportunity also gives the staff to really hammer home decision making in the pocket because a majority of his INT's came from poor decision making.

The secondary wasn't a huge issue last year, a least not in pass defense.

 

[74Hunter]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

Yeah, this excuse is dumb. If you're throwing the fade, you don't have time to read through progressions. Carter was never an option with the play that was called.

We got Langsahaned bad right there,

 

[Dansker]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

The key to the fade is to fade. By that, the QB needs to get the ball to the corner for the WR and throw it to his inside shoulder if he's outside the coverage. Reilly wasn't really given enough ground to the outside and the throw didn't go over the top and to the outside and Reilly wasn't moving that way either. With the fade you either catch the ball or it's incomplete or wide in a spot where the DB can't get to the football unless he is simply camping there in coverage and if that's the case, you throw it away but since it was 4th down, that option wasn't available. Iowa was using press coverage on that play, Tommy should not have thrown it to Brandon Reilly.

With the fade, you make the throw based off the coverage of the defense and because Tommy saw man coverage, he threw it deep into the end zone he just didn't make a very good throw. You've got to put that ball 15-20 yards between the numbers and the sidelines, Tommy didn't do that. Langsdorf should have told Tommy, "Hey, put the ball up in the air on the sideline so no one can get it." If Tommy executes the fade correctly, the odds of that play working is pretty good. That play is all on Tommy's mechanics, technique, and decision making. When the ball is not thrown over the outside shoulder it is a dangerous throw and plays into the hands of the defense and that's EXACTLY what happened on that 4th down play thrown to Brandon Reilly. Not to mention, Tommy threw it a little late. Cethan Carter appeared to run a simple hitch and go route which could have been called in the huddle or it could have been improvised after the snap based on the coverage Iowa showed. Either way, that throw has to be made to Carter. The fade route has many different check downs that's why you have multiple receivers run multiple routes based on the coverage of the defense.

It would have made more sense to run that fade route to our tallest receiver. Lane Hovey would have probably had a better chance for a jump ball fade into the corner of the end zone. If people say there are no progressions in a fade route, that's ridiculous. What we saw is maybe Tommy was told to go to the end zone and it didn't work. He didn't give the receiver enough space between the numbers and the corner of the end zone to make the catch and did not throw it to his outside shoulder. Bad throw by Tommy, period. Because Iowa showed press coverage, a smart QB would have checked down the fade route.

 

[74Hunter]

On offense, two of our recent quarterbacks....Armstrong and Martinez....each turned the ball over too much.

I'm not a fan of Riley's offense. 40+ pass attempts per game is going to lend itself to interceptions.....not to mention the frustrations of incompletions on 3rd and short.

On defense, the Riley pass defense is not going to get many interceptions, so better hope it can cause a fumble or two. Pelini pass defenses could usually be counted on for some interceptions.

I think Pelini had the right idea with Martinez at quarterback.....it's just a shame he was so turnover prone.

Is that really any worse than a run getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short?

Yes

BS.

There are screams coming from virtually every direction.....fans and media......for Riley's offense to establish the running game, especially on short distance 3rd downs.

Why would you want to do the smart thing and run on 3rd or 4th and 1 when you can hurl a 30-40 yd fade route down the field instead?

I just watched Alabama convert a 4th and 2 with a roll out play action pass to the flats. Play calling wasn't the issue vs. Iowa. Tommy had Cethan Carter (TE) wide open on the play. Tommy's lack of vision and ability to check down prevented us from converting on that 4th down. He just made a terrible decision and everyone knows it.

A good offensive coordinator knows how to put an offense in position to succeed. I wonder if ANY play we needed a yard or two if Cross or Jano would have been a more viable option than ANY pass play?

Not with the offensive line we had.

That's because the coaches prefer pass protection. Jerald Foster is our best run blocking O-lineman, and he didn't sniff the field.

No, they prefer well rounded players that can do it all,not just run block. Foster will see the field next fall though.

They prefer guys who are better at pass blocking over run blocking. They also don't rotate because that's their philosophy from their NFL days, not because of any supposed lack of talent.

Uncle Milt didn't rotate either.

He subbed

All Husker fans know this.

Aaron Taylor agrees.

 

[Stumpy1]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

That's the first time I have heard that. I will call BS on it also. Watch Moore and Westy on the other and see what they do to free up Carter. Armstrong already had his mind made up before he took the snap.

 

[huskerfan74]

Sadly, our team will not be successful unless these things happen:

(1) Reduce the number of turnovers per game

(2) Reduce the number of killer penalties per game

(3) Improve on special teams and not just the punting. I mean working on having some real special teams like going after punts and returning some punts and kick offs rather than simply fair catching the ball (ALL THE TIME).

(4) Improve our secondary

(5) Utilize the strengths of our team and not just focusing on one aspect even though it is not working. Of course, that is 200% coaching. Our coaches seem to devise game plans that are not suited for the talent we have and the results are more than obvious.

(6) Get some real coaches who actually care about husker football

Unfortunately, the coaches we have right now are not the right fit for our program and this was evident this year as none of the above were fixed. We are among the worst nationally in turnover margin and penalties. I look around at all the other teams and the bold moves they have made this past week to be able to be competitive next year and here we are stuck with Eichorst's dumbest experiment of all times to go with a coach that clearly does not have a winning tradition. I am sure that we will have to endure another very bad season next year before the powers that be decide to pull the plug on this doomed experiment.

I love my huskers and I wish them all the best and success and will always bleed husker red no matter what the outcome may be. I pray to God that my assessment of these coaches is wrong but what I have seen this season is characteristic of what these coaches have produced for a long time at Oregon State so the chances of them turning things around are the same as our chances of winning a national championship next year.

Finally, I am left to wonder what did Alabama and Oklahoma do to deserve their coaches? Has Husker nation not suffered enough since 2001. When is our time to rise again? Has the sun set on husker football and the best we can do now is hope that we get selected to play in the toilet bowl against Texas, where we will probably have to endure yet another defeat because our coaches are ignorant? Food for thought.

 

[TheSker]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

That's the first time I have heard that. I will call BS on it also. Watch Moore and Westy on the other and see what they do to free up Carter. Armstrong already had his mind made up before he took the snap.

Instead of being concerned about who was doing what, who was open, what the read was........simply have Armstrong hand the rock to Jano for a yard (or probably more).

 

[Stumpy1]

Lol he had Cethan Carter wide open. Nobody was covering him and Tommy had plenty of time in the pocket to complete it to him if he had simply checked down.

From everything I've read/heard, the pre-snap coverage dictated he had 1 on 1 coverage for Reilly, and he was supposed to go to that matchup. Was it smart? No. But that's the way they teach this offense.

That's the first time I have heard that. I will call BS on it also. Watch Moore and Westy on the other and see what they do to free up Carter. Armstrong already had his mind made up before he took the snap.

Instead of being concerned about who was doing what, who was open, what the read was........simply have Armstrong hand the rock to Jano for a yard (or probably more).

Do you not think Iowa wouldn't be ready for it. They had 9 guys within 3 yards of the LOS. It was a good play call, just poorly executed by our QB. I would have rather kicked the FG to be honest.