Zatechka's Take

The direct quote was "I think people expect him to play like Tommie...and Crouch did as they remember them..." I don't remember Tommie or Eric having happy feet, or going through one progression before taking off and running during a passing play, or making the wrong reads constantly on the option at this point in their careers. And yes, I realize that elements of a new offense are being added in. Look at it in a vacuum, and compare the 3 at the same time, and you'll see Martinez is still far behind where Tommie and Eric were at this stage of their careers.
Wow, revisionist history reigns! Tommie had busted plays all the time in his early years - still had them as a Senior, as I recall. He just had the athleticism to make something out of those busts, and a RIDICULOUS offensive line that minimized the damage.

And if you're in any way implying that Crouch was some calm-footed pocket passer, you're talking about a different Eric Crouch than I am. The knock on Crouch was always that he was a run-first, me-first guy.

Martinez is absolutely not, not even close, to "far behind" Crouch and Frazier as Sophomores. That's ridiculous.

 
Everyone keeps saying it's the first game of the year, knocking off the rust, we need to jell etc.etc. It was also Wisconsins first game of the year and they looked polished and efficient. All this with a recent transfer at the helm who is still learning the playbook. They also have a couple of youngsters on their O-line as well as losing alot on the defense.

Say what you will but I don't believe our coaches do their best work during fall camp. I think they tend to let the bulk of the teaching be done on the field in game time.

Now before you jump to conclusions, I think Bo is an excellent coach. I just think his management of his staff leaves alot to be desired. I realize I'm not there during practices etc.

The Wisconsins and the Alabamas of the world look more like the Huskers of old at the beginning of the year. There must be some dynamic that Bo and his staff are missing to not be able to have their sh@@ tighter before the first games. I'm talking about execution game management and so on. Why is it that Nebraska has to wait until the 4th or 5th game to "hit their stride"? While other staffs can come out swinging?
Wisconsin isn't on their 3rd offensive system in 3 years. That's why.

 
knapplc said:
We won by 33 points, a margin of victory that puts this in the top ten in the category of "largest blowout wins under Bo Pelini," and we did it by basically treating this game like a glorified practice...

It should not take perfection to satisfy the fans. Yes, it's not too much to say that a lot of people have "hit the panic button." There's not even a solid explanation of what that means.
No panic here, and I agree w/ everything you said, but I don't want to write it off just yet. I don't like the fact that it "looked" like a glorified practice. I didn't like the 4 fumbles. The inconsistencies. All these are things that creep up a game or two every year that Pelini has been here, and they result in a loss. If the coaches decided to treat it like a practice, and called the game that way fine. If they want to run the same dozen plays over and over - or give reps to half the team that's fine with me. But, the product on the field needed to be more "game-like" (for a lack of a better word). Even my wife commented "they don't look very good" a couple of times throughout the game...and usually the score would be enough for her to think we are firing on all cylinders. It was that obvious.

PS: I was hoping we were done with the "he's just a freshman" crap - now after the first game - a game in which Martinez actually played pretty well we've already pulled out the "he's just a sophomore" line. He'll be a junior next year...can't wait to hear about it.

 
Everyone keeps saying it's the first game of the year, knocking off the rust, we need to jell etc.etc. It was also Wisconsins first game of the year and they looked polished and efficient. All this with a recent transfer at the helm who is still learning the playbook. They also have a couple of youngsters on their O-line as well as losing alot on the defense.

Say what you will but I don't believe our coaches do their best work during fall camp. I think they tend to let the bulk of the teaching be done on the field in game time.

Now before you jump to conclusions, I think Bo is an excellent coach. I just think his management of his staff leaves alot to be desired. I realize I'm not there during practices etc.

The Wisconsins and the Alabamas of the world look more like the Huskers of old at the beginning of the year. There must be some dynamic that Bo and his staff are missing to not be able to have their sh@@ tighter before the first games. I'm talking about execution game management and so on. Why is it that Nebraska has to wait until the 4th or 5th game to "hit their stride"? While other staffs can come out swinging?
Wisconsin isn't on their 3rd offensive system in 3 years. That's why.

Bingo.

 
Everyone keeps saying it's the first game of the year, knocking off the rust, we need to jell etc.etc. It was also Wisconsins first game of the year and they looked polished and efficient. All this with a recent transfer at the helm who is still learning the playbook. They also have a couple of youngsters on their O-line as well as losing alot on the defense.

Say what you will but I don't believe our coaches do their best work during fall camp. I think they tend to let the bulk of the teaching be done on the field in game time.

Now before you jump to conclusions, I think Bo is an excellent coach. I just think his management of his staff leaves alot to be desired. I realize I'm not there during practices etc.

The Wisconsins and the Alabamas of the world look more like the Huskers of old at the beginning of the year. There must be some dynamic that Bo and his staff are missing to not be able to have their sh@@ tighter before the first games. I'm talking about execution game management and so on. Why is it that Nebraska has to wait until the 4th or 5th game to "hit their stride"? While other staffs can come out swinging?
Wisconsin isn't on their 3rd offensive system in 3 years. That's why.

Bingo.
We're already using this crutch? Little early. Have you written the offense off for the year already, just because it's the 3rd in 3 years?

 
The direct quote was "I think people expect him to play like Tommie...and Crouch did as they remember them..." I don't remember Tommie or Eric having happy feet, or going through one progression before taking off and running during a passing play, or making the wrong reads constantly on the option at this point in their careers. And yes, I realize that elements of a new offense are being added in. Look at it in a vacuum, and compare the 3 at the same time, and you'll see Martinez is still far behind where Tommie and Eric were at this stage of their careers.
That's because you have selective or bad memory. You also assume that Taylor "constantly made the wrong read" which is an outright fabrication. Tommie got knocked out on the first play in game 1 of his sophmore career. In game 2, he was 12 of 28 for 206 yds and a TD.A career high. He also had a 1 yd rushing TD.

 
Everyone keeps saying it's the first game of the year, knocking off the rust, we need to jell etc.etc. It was also Wisconsins first game of the year and they looked polished and efficient. All this with a recent transfer at the helm who is still learning the playbook. They also have a couple of youngsters on their O-line as well as losing alot on the defense.

Say what you will but I don't believe our coaches do their best work during fall camp. I think they tend to let the bulk of the teaching be done on the field in game time.

Now before you jump to conclusions, I think Bo is an excellent coach. I just think his management of his staff leaves alot to be desired. I realize I'm not there during practices etc.

The Wisconsins and the Alabamas of the world look more like the Huskers of old at the beginning of the year. There must be some dynamic that Bo and his staff are missing to not be able to have their sh@@ tighter before the first games. I'm talking about execution game management and so on. Why is it that Nebraska has to wait until the 4th or 5th game to "hit their stride"? While other staffs can come out swinging?
Wisconsin isn't on their 3rd offensive system in 3 years. That's why.

Bingo.
We're already using this crutch? Little early. Have you written the offense off for the year already, just because it's the 3rd in 3 years?

It's reality. I know you and others demand perfection the first nano-second with a new offense, coaches & players. Some of us just know it's not a five minute process.

Who is saying they're writing off the whole year (besides you)?

 
Everyone keeps saying it's the first game of the year, knocking off the rust, we need to jell etc.etc. It was also Wisconsins first game of the year and they looked polished and efficient. All this with a recent transfer at the helm who is still learning the playbook. They also have a couple of youngsters on their O-line as well as losing alot on the defense.

Say what you will but I don't believe our coaches do their best work during fall camp. I think they tend to let the bulk of the teaching be done on the field in game time.

Now before you jump to conclusions, I think Bo is an excellent coach. I just think his management of his staff leaves alot to be desired. I realize I'm not there during practices etc.

The Wisconsins and the Alabamas of the world look more like the Huskers of old at the beginning of the year. There must be some dynamic that Bo and his staff are missing to not be able to have their sh@@ tighter before the first games. I'm talking about execution game management and so on. Why is it that Nebraska has to wait until the 4th or 5th game to "hit their stride"? While other staffs can come out swinging?
Wisconsin isn't on their 3rd offensive system in 3 years. That's why.

Bingo.
We're already using this crutch? Little early. Have you written the offense off for the year already, just because it's the 3rd in 3 years?
I'm not writing it off at all. I'm explaining (crazy that I have to) the difference between continuity and constant change. The reason Wisconsin can plug guys in like they do, is because they've been using the same system for a decade. We keep changing to find something we'll like. If we actually use the same offense next year, I think we'll be markedly better in game 1 next year, than game 1 this year.

 
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It's reality. I know you and others demand perfection the first nano-second with a new offense, coaches & players. Some of us just know it's not a five minute process.

Who is saying they're writing off the whole year (besides you)?
If by perfection you mean some resemblance of competency and/or progress...guilty as charged for losing my grasp on reality. But, your nano-second was a less than encouraging 60 minute game (practice/scrimage). It's the same duration you will use to declare we are "back" in the coming weeks if there is some dramatically positive change in the offense. That same 60 minutes of gametime will be more than adequate then I'm sure. The 5 minute process you speak of has been in the works for 9 months now (if not longer), though large portions looked to only have been implemented last week...with our most reliable offensive weapon (rex) running around like he was lost - not once but multiple times throughout the game.

I guess you saw a very different game than I did...or you saw the same game and will continue to find excuses for the better part of the season. It's unfortunately what Husker fans have begun to do very well over the last 9 years. Lets see, already we have the "sophomore", "Beck's a 1st year coordinator" and "1st year of this offense" excuses being thrown around. We'll call it Huskerboard Poker. If I can get a "OL injury" or "playing down to competition" and a "freshman running backs" excuse in there I'd have 2 pair. (2, youth excuses / 2, 1st year offense excuses). To hit the royal flush I'd need a "ref's screwed us" excuse - in combination with some that I have yet to think up - but can count on many here to devise as the season progresses I'm sure...

just admit it - it was rough to watch. no one's hitting panic, but not all of us are ignoring the reality that the performance was very discouraging.

 
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I am almost positive that we have spent more time analyzing UTC than the Husker coaching staff did. It was a nothing game against a nothing opponent. This game was over-analyzed on HuskerBoard by Sunday morning, and we're still talking about it because football, unlike baseball, is a once-per-week game. If only it was possible to play twice a week, this conversation would be ancient history.

Bring on the Bulldogs!

 
zoogies said:
The option is a complicated play to block for. These are young olineman with a new blocking scheme.
Isn't the advantage of our new offense that it isn't so complicated, and doesn't take so long for players to learn, compared to the old one?

Callawatts had three years to attempt success. Beck doesn't even get one game.
I don't know who callawatts is but if your talking about Shawn Watson, if I remember correctly, the fan base did not want him to come back, so no, he did not have three years in our eyes, he had a bullseye on his back from day 1. The only reason he came back is because TO recommended to Bo that he stay on the staff. If TO wouldn't have done that, he would have been gone.

 
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I am almost positive that we have spent more time analyzing UTC than the Husker coaching staff did. It was a nothing game against a nothing opponent. This game was over-analyzed on HuskerBoard by Sunday morning, and we're still talking about it because football, unlike baseball, is a once-per-week game. If only it was possible to play twice a week, this conversation would be ancient history.

Bring on the Bulldogs!
Then why put it on our schedule?

And I sure hope Bo does not think this way because if he does, I can see why our players play down to their competition level.

"Attitude reflects leadership, captain."

 
Then why put it on our schedule?
You know why - money. We need seven home games to meet our budget. Scheduling top ten opponents cuts the odds of having a winning season, and there're always D2 opponents willing to get smooshed for a payday game.

And I sure hope Bo does not think this way because if he does, I can see why our players play down to their competition level.
"Attitude reflects leadership, captain."
There could be evidence available that would show this is exactly how Bo looks at these games. I also hope that's not true. It's possible.

 
Then why put it on our schedule?
You know why - money. We need seven home games to meet our budget. Scheduling top ten opponents cuts the odds of having a winning season, and there're always D2 opponents willing to get smooshed for a payday game.

And I sure hope Bo does not think this way because if he does, I can see why our players play down to their competition level.
"Attitude reflects leadership, captain."
There could be evidence available that would show this is exactly how Bo looks at these games. I also hope that's not true. It's possible.
this game was more valuable as a practice (or a glorified scrimmage, as i like to call it) than a game where we bring it as if it was wiscy. we learned a lot more by playing them as we did.

 
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