What if?

[DJR313]

I think you pose an interesting question, what if? I completely agree with you, there is a lot that indicates a turn-around, but what if it doesn't happen? Last year seemed like a slam dunk 10-11 win season in August, and even moreso after the beatdown on Nevada. The fact is it could get worse, there may be a lot of talent on the field, but the fact is that they are inexperienced. You have a redshirt sophomore that has never started set to protect the blindside of a QB who has only started 3 games. There is a new starting center, the #1 and #2 WR's would be most teams #3 and #4 receivers, the starting TE has caught 1 pass, the defensive line returns, but they were awful, we have a fourth string running back playing weakside linebacker and a 5th year walk-on that has never started on the strongside. Not to mention a first year starting safety and corner.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, but there is some cause for concern. I think the players will rally around Pelini and he will extract the max from them, but what exactly is the max? Is it 6 wins? Is it 8 wins? Is it 12 wins? I dunno, but I am so ready for Saturday to get this thing kicked off.

 

[robsker]

Quoting from DJR:

"You have a redshirt sophomore that has never started set to protect the blindside of a QB who has only started 3 games. There is a new starting center, the #1 and #2 WR's would be most teams #3 and #4 receivers, the starting TE has caught 1 pass, the defensive line returns, but they were awful, we have a fourth string running back playing weakside linebacker and a 5th year walk-on that has never started on the strongside. Not to mention a first year starting safety and corner."

--- Great summary of where the talent at NU resides currently. As to the question of "what if NU NEVER returns"... well, no one can go that far into the future and say anything of value. But... based upon what DJR points out --- the talent that NU has to place on the field now is not sufficient to expect a major turn around short of a miracle. So, while I can not say whether NU will ever return to the status of a major player in the College Football scene, I think it reasonable to say that the team will not return to national recognition this year for certain and even the next year or two after that is somewhat unlikely. NU has a huge, wide and deep hole out of which to climb. It is steep and if the ascent is to be made it will take time. It may (or may not) happen eventually. In the immediate future it is reasonable to assert that progress from the bottom of the pit will be made --- but the top of the hole (where national prominence resides) is a long, long way up. Recruiting will be key. Athletes will be key. Without athletes, the climb up will be tough. So, where Pelini takes the current team is important --- and how well he recruits along with his staff is as well critical. A sobering observation is that recruiting thus far lags behind that for Oklahoma, Texas tech, Texas, Texas A&M, and Missouri and seems perhaps to be at the level of Colorado and Kansas. If these admittedly early recruiting assessments prove accurate (and they may not and the later recruiting might get better --- much can change) --- but if that turns out to be the level of recruiting NU does end up with --- well, such would not bode well for climbing out of the pit.

Never? Can't say. Any time soon? Not at all likely.

 

[junior4949]

I think the better way to ask the question is what if Pelini walks in the shoes of the Stoop brothers because everyone wants to compare him to the legendary defensive minded brothers in particular Bob. On one hand, he could come in here and turn things around like Bob did at OU. On the other hand, he could walk in like Mike and things still look dismal heading into year 5. Unfortunately for Bo, the Big 12 is stacked. Schools like CU who have made coaching changes are a couple of years ahead of him in the rebuilding process. If everyone continues to get better in the Big 12, it's going to be very difficult to catch up. I think we all have to hope and pray that BC left Blake-like talent for Bo.

 

[Dave5]

Here is one for everyone and maybe this has already been covered but I haven't been around lately so I want to know.

What if Pelini and staff fall on their faces and we never recover from what started in Boulder in 01? What if we come out this year and drop a big turd and finish 5-7 or worse? What if Ganz doesn't light it up like he did last year? Will people be calling for Witt? What if 4 years from now we are still sitting in the middle of the pack in the North? Will the people be calling for Pelini's head?

Do I think any of this will happen? Not a chance but at the end of the day not one single person knows what to expect from this team or this staff and I for one hate that feeling. The Big Red homer in me says 14-0 but you never can tell and I just hope that this whole Happy Days Are Here Again feeling that is flying around Husker Nation doesn't come back to bite us in the arse. I like to think we will be like OU and USC and recover nicely from the down years, however there is a chance we spin around in circles like Alabama, FSU as of late, The Domers and Miami.

Hurry up and play the freaking game already so I have something to go off of.

What if we do recover?

No matter what happens, we'll keep trying. I like the new attitude in Lincoln so far though. BC was a joke.

 

[shyndy]

We haven’t won a Conference Title since 99 (how many has OU won in that same time frame?) and have only won the North (ISU even did that) once in that same span and that year we still ended up with 5 losses and unranked. We have only beaten 4 teams (yes that is correct) that were ranked (24th, 23rd, 20th, 24th respectively) since Colorado beat us around. So when did we recover from that drubbing? Was it in 03 when we beat Ranked OSU the 1st game of the year and then didn’t beat anybody worth a crap, plus got embarrassed in our losses and ended the year 18-19th? Was it the “Restore the Order” year had 4 losses and ended up being ranked 24th? Or was it the 9-5 season when granted we lost to 4 teams in the Top 10 and won the North but we still finished unranked. Until we are in the Top 10 back to back years with quality wins and at least 1 Conference crown we haven’t fully recovered. IMO

I kind of liken our current situation to the state of our great nation. All these people are calling for Obama and saying how great it is going to be under his leadership. However there is just as much reason to believe things won’t get better and there is the chance they could get worse (In the case of our FB team I don’t know if it can get worse than last year) and I don't think people want to admit that.

I guess what I’m saying is at the end of the day I hate sitting here with all this grey area and I want Saturday to get here so I can get a feel for what is going on. Even though the true test is Va Tech and that is a freaking month away.

How can we not have recovered? That was seven years ago. None of the same players at this point. I just have a problem with pointing to that one game and thinking that that game was the end of something or whatever. I think we have to worry about recovering from last year, not one game that while we ended up giving alot of points wasn't quite the drubbing it got made out to be, nothing like many of those games last year.

 

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I won't start subscribing to chicken little scenarios until I see them play a few games.

 

[Hunter94]

Here is one for everyone and maybe this has already been covered but I haven't been around lately so I want to know.

What if Pelini and staff fall on their faces and we never recover from what started in Boulder in 01? What if we come out this year and drop a big turd and finish 5-7 or worse? What if Ganz doesn't light it up like he did last year? Will people be calling for Witt? What if 4 years from now we are still sitting in the middle of the pack in the North? Will the people be calling for Pelini's head?

Do I think any of this will happen? Not a chance but at the end of the day not one single person knows what to expect from this team or this staff and I for one hate that feeling. The Big Red homer in me says 14-0 but you never can tell and I just hope that this whole Happy Days Are Here Again feeling that is flying around Husker Nation doesn't come back to bite us in the arse. I like to think we will be like OU and USC and recover nicely from the down years, however there is a chance we spin around in circles like Alabama, FSU as of late, The Domers and Miami.

Hurry up and play the freaking game already so I have something to go off of.

if the dog would not have stopped to take a sh#t, would he have caught the rabbit??

 

[melscott62]

I think you pose an interesting question, what if? I completely agree with you, there is a lot that indicates a turn-around, but what if it doesn't happen? Last year seemed like a slam dunk 10-11 win season in August, and even moreso after the beatdown on Nevada. The fact is it could get worse, there may be a lot of talent on the field, but the fact is that they are inexperienced. You have a redshirt sophomore that has never started set to protect the blindside of a QB who has only started 3 games. There is a new starting center, the #1 and #2 WR's would be most teams #3 and #4 receivers, the starting TE has caught 1 pass, the defensive line returns, but they were awful, we have a fourth string running back playing weakside linebacker and a 5th year walk-on that has never started on the strongside. Not to mention a first year starting safety and corner.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, but there is some cause for concern. I think the players will rally around Pelini and he will extract the max from them, but what exactly is the max? Is it 6 wins? Is it 8 wins? Is it 12 wins? I dunno, but I am so ready for Saturday to get this thing kicked off.

could be said about a lot of successful teams.

 

[DJR313]

I think you pose an interesting question, what if? I completely agree with you, there is a lot that indicates a turn-around, but what if it doesn't happen? Last year seemed like a slam dunk 10-11 win season in August, and even moreso after the beatdown on Nevada. The fact is it could get worse, there may be a lot of talent on the field, but the fact is that they are inexperienced. You have a redshirt sophomore that has never started set to protect the blindside of a QB who has only started 3 games. There is a new starting center, the #1 and #2 WR's would be most teams #3 and #4 receivers, the starting TE has caught 1 pass, the defensive line returns, but they were awful, we have a fourth string running back playing weakside linebacker and a 5th year walk-on that has never started on the strongside. Not to mention a first year starting safety and corner.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, but there is some cause for concern. I think the players will rally around Pelini and he will extract the max from them, but what exactly is the max? Is it 6 wins? Is it 8 wins? Is it 12 wins? I dunno, but I am so ready for Saturday to get this thing kicked off.

could be said about a lot of successful teams.

Yes, can be, but when looking at it objectively, it doesn't necessarily give ya warm fuzzies though, does it?

 

[Pedro Guerrero]

How can we not have recovered? That was seven years ago. None of the same players at this point. I just have a problem with pointing to that one game and thinking that that game was the end of something or whatever. I think we have to worry about recovering from last year, not one game that while we ended up giving alot of points wasn't quite the drubbing it got made out to be, nothing like many of those games last year.

When was the last time we matter on a national level? That year and that game basically was the beginning of the end of us in the National picture. The next game only exposed us even more. I'm sorry but when teh #2 team in the country gives up over 500 yards and 62 points to the #14 team that is a drubbing. There is no other way to look at it. That game is kind of like when Roy Jones Jr got beat the first time people started taking notice that maybe this rough and tough dude wasn't what he was made out to be. Look what has happened since he has been beaten a few more times and has beaten NOBODY of substance. Sounds like us after getting smacked in the face by CU.

I'm sorry but 7-7, 10-3, 5-6, 8-4, 9-5, 5-7 doesn't equal being back. Being ranked in the final rankings twice in that same span doesn't equal recovering from getting smacked in the face.

 

[Pedro Guerrero]

if the dog would not have stopped to take a sh#t, would he have caught the rabbit??

Wow.

What if Hunter made sense? That would be awesome.

 

[Pedro Guerrero]

I won't start subscribing to chicken little scenarios until I see them play a few games.

Who said anything about the sky falling? I said I didn't see us being down forever.

On the flipside of the "chicken little" scenarios there are plenty of people in the Husker Nation that have already placed Pelini next to the Bobfather and TO and he hasn't coached a game. So what do we call those people?

 

[motorboatjonesNU]

How can we not have recovered? That was seven years ago. None of the same players at this point. I just have a problem with pointing to that one game and thinking that that game was the end of something or whatever. I think we have to worry about recovering from last year, not one game that while we ended up giving alot of points wasn't quite the drubbing it got made out to be, nothing like many of those games last year.

When was the last time we matter on a national level? That year and that game basically was the beginning of the end of us in the National picture. The next game only exposed us even more. I'm sorry but when teh #2 team in the country gives up over 500 yards and 62 points to the #14 team that is a drubbing. There is no other way to look at it. That game is kind of like when Roy Jones Jr got beat the first time people started taking notice that maybe this rough and tough dude wasn't what he was made out to be. Look what has happened since he has been beaten a few more times and has beaten NOBODY of substance. Sounds like us after getting smacked in the face by CU.

I'm sorry but 7-7, 10-3, 5-6, 8-4, 9-5, 5-7 doesn't equal being back. Being ranked in the final rankings twice in that same span doesn't equal recovering from getting smacked in the face.

I feel you, newearthhusker... One thing to consider - just as Frank was getting a good staff back together, SP threw a wrench in things. FS wasn't the greatest gameplanner, but he at least seemed to be making some of the right changes. BC, while meaning well in 2004, called plays for future recruits rather than for what would win games. And, he dissed Oz-burn and went psychotic when Watson appeared to be a better play-caller. Basically, it was SP who ran this program into the ground.

We may be in a hole - but the ladder has just been lowered down to us. It won't be too long (probably by '10 or '11) before we're back in the national mix.

There are too many knowledgeable people involved who know how to make it work who will see it through.

 

[Pedro Guerrero]

I agree that Pud killed us with what happened in 03. The band-aids were put over the wounds and he didn't give them long enough to heal.

We will be back on a national level sooner rather then later. Like I said before I just hate the unknown that we sit in right now. 2 more days and we will have a little better handle of what we might be able to expect.

 

[melscott62]

I think you pose an interesting question, what if? I completely agree with you, there is a lot that indicates a turn-around, but what if it doesn't happen? Last year seemed like a slam dunk 10-11 win season in August, and even moreso after the beatdown on Nevada. The fact is it could get worse, there may be a lot of talent on the field, but the fact is that they are inexperienced. You have a redshirt sophomore that has never started set to protect the blindside of a QB who has only started 3 games. There is a new starting center, the #1 and #2 WR's would be most teams #3 and #4 receivers, the starting TE has caught 1 pass, the defensive line returns, but they were awful, we have a fourth string running back playing weakside linebacker and a 5th year walk-on that has never started on the strongside. Not to mention a first year starting safety and corner.

I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, but there is some cause for concern. I think the players will rally around Pelini and he will extract the max from them, but what exactly is the max? Is it 6 wins? Is it 8 wins? Is it 12 wins? I dunno, but I am so ready for Saturday to get this thing kicked off.

could be said about a lot of successful teams.

Yes, can be, but when looking at it objectively, it doesn't necessarily give ya warm fuzzies though, does it?

I guess. I am not super worried about it. last year we looked pretty good on paper, and that didnt turn out so well