A few thoughts from a” whiner”

[spartanhusker]

First of all, I like Matt Rhule and I don’t think he’s a horrible coach, in spite of my whining… I DO see some great improvement in lots of areas this year:
* no blowout losses except from the sign stealers
* much better defense generally
* no sense of quit at all
* had a ton of injuries
* AND… and this is big …..we really had chances to do remarkable things late in games… much different.

He seems willing to take responsibility for things. That’s a good sign of leadership .
He appears determined to rebuild state ownership of the Husker brand. He is approachable.

However, it is fair to say , HERE are some things we can do to get better to take the next step.
* our end of game game plans / clock management was atrocious. You can say “ well, the coaches don’t fumble, throw interceptions, false start, etc, but it IS THEIR JOB to teach/ correct/ improve, and our last four games ended badly(almost comically) on their watch.
* our kicking game stinks … our punting was great for one kick today , but often erratic and you saw our field goal efforts.
* I realize injuries played a part but our offensive identity is murky

Anyway, I think we can get back with this regime… it just stinks that we could have taken big steps THIS YEAR.

 

[huskerfan1414]

Theres certainly positives, however there were with the last guy too. People conveniently forget that.

I think we can improve with rhule, but its evident theres a low ceiling.

 

[Yantzeee]

Theres certainly positives, however there were with the last guy too. People conveniently forget that.

I think we can improve with rhule, but its evident theres a low ceiling.

After frosts first season, almost all loved Frost. We finished 4 and 2 in the last 6 games that season. Almost beat tOSU @ the shoe. We had a 15 ranked recruiting class and AM was on a short list for heisman going in to preseason.

We could improve with Rhule but just as likely, we could suck. He has a ton of red flags. It wasn’t just depth that lost us games.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Right now I don’t know what to think anymore about anything. About Rhule, about his staff, about where college football is going and if we can keep up with it, about Trev, … the whole thing. I am just deflated and demoralized right now. A fan old enough to remember the glory years of both Devaney and Osborne who can’t fathom that we have had seven straight losing seasons and 8 out of the last 9 seasons. It all just leaves me numb. I have zero idea if Rhule is a good coach. People say he is. All I know is that his first season here sucked. It was more of the same.

On to next year. Hopefully it will be better.

 

[DirtyJohns97]

If Nebraska plays its cards just right, it could be a low rent version of Iowa. Which is not so bad.

 

[TarheelHuskerFan]

We improved drastically in every aspect of the game except offense where we regressed. But the results remained the same. Plenty of reasons why the offense sucked but even so, it didn’t have to be as bad as it was with better play calling.

I’m still on the Rhule train but I’ll hop off if we don’t have a winning record next year.

On to basketball!

 

[SickOfPractice]

Right now I don’t know what to think anymore about anything. About Rhule, about his staff, about where college football is going and if we can keep up with it, about Trev, … the whole thing. I am just deflated and demoralized right now. A fan old enough to remember the glory years of both Devaney and Osborne who can’t fathom that we have had seven straight losing seasons and 8 out of the last 9 seasons. It all just leaves me numb. I have zero idea if Rhule is a good coach. People say he is. All I know is that his first season here sucked. It was more of the same.

On to next year. Hopefully it will be better.

Same, same & same.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

First of all, I like Matt Rhule and I don’t think he’s a horrible coach, in spite of my whining… I DO see some great improvement in lots of areas this year:
* no blowout losses except from the sign stealers
* much better defense generally
* no sense of quit at all
* had a ton of injuries
* AND… and this is big …..we really had chances to do remarkable things late in games… much different.

He seems willing to take responsibility for things. That’s a good sign of leadership .
He appears determined to rebuild state ownership of the Husker brand. He is approachable.

However, it is fair to say , HERE are some things we can do to get better to take the next step.
* our end of game game plans / clock management was atrocious. You can say “ well, the coaches don’t fumble, throw interceptions, false start, etc, but it IS THEIR JOB to teach/ correct/ improve, and our last four games ended badly(almost comically) on their watch.
* our kicking game stinks … our punting was great for one kick today , but often erratic and you saw our field goal efforts.
* I realize injuries played a part but our offensive identity is murky

Anyway, I think we can get back with this regime… it just stinks that we could have taken big steps THIS YEAR.

I would call our loss to Colorado a blowout loss, but I agree with you other points

A part of me still wonders how truly good our defense was.. was it good because of our schedule, or are we truly that much improved. We’ll be playing better offenses next year, so I hope it’s the latter of the two.

 

[Landomatic]

I would call our loss to Colorado a blowout loss, but I agree with you other points

A part of me still wonders how truly good our defense was.. was it good because of our schedule, or are we truly that much improved. We’ll be playing better offenses next year, so I hope it’s the latter of the two.

Me too. I cringed every time anyone talked about our defense playing lights out or all world or whatever. Was it? We played 2 teams with an offensive pulse and they hung 81 points on us.

 

[SWIowahawks]

I think Rhule will do good things for you guys if he sticks around. Defense was stout enough for you guys to win 10 games in year one. Alvano has to take a huge step forward or bring in a proven kicker. Purdy was your best QB but didn’t play until game 9, that was peculiar.

Rhule seems like a guy who doesn’t get too high or too low emotionally and I think that’s great leadership. Something we have come to learn with Kirk.

 

[Dean Pope]

However, it is fair to say , HERE are some things we can do to get better to take the next step.
* our end of game game plans / clock management was atrocious. You can say “ well, the coaches don’t fumble, throw interceptions, false start, etc, but it IS THEIR JOB to teach/ correct/ improve, and our last four games ended badly(almost comically) on their watch.
* our kicking game stinks … our punting was great for one kick today , but often erratic and you saw our field goal efforts.
* I realize injuries played a part but our offensive identity is murky

I agree with a lot of what you said. I disagree with your thoughts on the kicking game. We are vastly improved in that area. Yesterday's two blocked FG's and downed punt on the one were huge. The coverage on special teams is pretty solid. Our kicking game was the laughing stock of college football last year.

Rhule's decision making is a concern. Yesterday, the big one to me was the idea that they were going to run a fake a 60 yard field goal attempt into the wind against Iowa. That was bizarre. Fortunately, the kicker wasn't out there. And then they burned a timeout instead of taking a delay of game. But when the punt got downed on the one that seemed to make up for everything.

Offensive identity- Changing to more of a power running scheme was going to take time. But no one counted on the change to more of a clock burning, grind it out attack would be matched by an obscene amount of turnovers by the QBs.

 

[scarletred]

Right now I don’t know what to think anymore about anything. About Rhule, about his staff, about where college football is going and if we can keep up with it, about Trev, … the whole thing. I am just deflated and demoralized right now. A fan old enough to remember the glory years of both Devaney and Osborne who can’t fathom that we have had seven straight losing seasons and 8 out of the last 9 seasons. It all just leaves me numb. I have zero idea if Rhule is a good coach. People say he is. All I know is that his first season here sucked. It was more of the same.

On to next year. Hopefully it will be better.

Ditto for me as well, with all those great season we’ve had with quality football it’s been real hard to fathom the past 9 years this program has endured…

 

[Fed-Up]

The whiners whining about "whiners" always seem to be more dramatic then the whiners!

I have not seen anyone called for Rhule to be fired. After watching this season in person and via television....there are some serious answers to the coaching or lack of coaching that should be addressed. There is not going to be such a soft schedule as this years was. The chance to really show improvement was lost. After the Michigan State loss....I said that the Huskers would not win another game this year.....which unfortunately I was right.

There were many areas that did improve. However, the ones that did not improve (or were worse) totally out did the improved areas. The coaching staff was suspect at best including Matt Rhule. How can there continually be time management issues game after game. The offensive line may have improved a little.....the defense was the one area that was obviously improved.

The loyal fan base...loyal to a fault...has the right to whine when presented with the same crap...different day. The day they stop whining is when they stop caring.

 

[Joedaly]

5-6 wins was what I expected so I shouldn't feel this disappointed. I guess it's the way we lost games that upset me the most. Next season all depends on what they do with the QB position. If they strike out on that position again, it's going to be another long year.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

The whiners whining about "whiners" always seem to be more dramatic then the whiners!

I have not seen anyone called for Rhule to be fired. After watching this season in person and via television....there are some serious answers to the coaching or lack of coaching that should be addressed. There is not going to be such a soft schedule as this years was. The chance to really show improvement was lost. After the Michigan State loss....I said that the Huskers would not win another game this year.....which unfortunately I was right.

There were many areas that did improve. However, the ones that did not improve (or were worse) totally out did the improved areas. The coaching staff was suspect at best including Matt Rhule. How can there continually be time management issues game after game. The offensive line may have improved a little.....the defense was the one area that was obviously improved.

The loyal fan base...loyal to a fault...has the right to whine when presented with the same crap...different day. The day they stop whining is when they stop caring.

Pretty spot on.

 

[Wasker77]

Buschini average almost 41 yards punting. Is that about average? I would guess it is. He did have 4 games where he was less than 36 yards and only one of the four was a win. It came in his lowest average 33.75 yards in the game against Illinois.

 

[JOHNNY N]

The whiners whining about "whiners" always seem to be more dramatic then the whiners!

I have not seen anyone called for Rhule to be fired. After watching this season in person and via television....there are some serious answers to the coaching or lack of coaching that should be addressed. There is not going to be such a soft schedule as this years was. The chance to really show improvement was lost. After the Michigan State loss....I said that the Huskers would not win another game this year.....which unfortunately I was right.

There were many areas that did improve. However, the ones that did not improve (or were worse) totally out did the improved areas. The coaching staff was suspect at best including Matt Rhule. How can there continually be time management issues game after game. The offensive line may have improved a little.....the defense was the one area that was obviously improved.

The loyal fan base...loyal to a fault...has the right to whine when presented with the same crap...different day. The day they stop whining is when they stop caring.

Lofl, have you seen kongs posts?

 

[goldencohusker]

Right now I don’t know what to think anymore about anything. About Rhule, about his staff, about where college football is going and if we can keep up with it, about Trev, … the whole thing. I am just deflated and demoralized right now. A fan old enough to remember the glory years of both Devaney and Osborne who can’t fathom that we have had seven straight losing seasons and 8 out of the last 9 seasons. It all just leaves me numb. I have zero idea if Rhule is a good coach. People say he is. All I know is that his first season here sucked. It was more of the same.

On to next year. Hopefully it will be better.

Perhaps the most deflating and demoralizing thing about this season is that, once again, we are left wishing and hoping for better days ahead surrounded by a lot of unknowns and not enough tangible evidence that the program is headed in the right direction.

In some ways I am hoping that this is truly a bigger re-build than most of us thought to help rationalize some of what we saw this year. There were obviously disappointments in some of the things we saw on the coaching/game management front that I wasn't expecting from a guy with both P5 and a NFL coaching resume. I thought that is what Colorado would get with the Sanders hire, not us.

I didn't think we had the horsepower to flip the script on W-L this year, but was really gauging the season on seeing to see strong improvement in the culture, confidence, and fundamentals of our program. Unfortunately, the Husker brand of being the team everyone wants to be playing in the 4th quarter only got reinforced this year. Rhule now has the added challenge of having to spin to recruits why they should believe him that things are going to be different moving forward vs pointing towards what was achieved in year 1.

 

[Baxter48]

If Nebraska plays its cards just right, it could be a low rent version of Iowa. Which is not so bad.

If you play your cards right youll find a sheep or goat to screw

 

[JOHNNY N]

have not seen anyone called for Rhule to be fired.

Maybe take a look at the board again.

 

[RedMyMind]

First of all, I like Matt Rhule and I don’t think he’s a horrible coach, in spite of my whining… I DO see some great improvement in lots of areas this year:
* no blowout losses except from the sign stealers
* much better defense generally
* no sense of quit at all
* had a ton of injuries
* AND… and this is big …..we really had chances to do remarkable things late in games… much different.

He seems willing to take responsibility for things. That’s a good sign of leadership .
He appears determined to rebuild state ownership of the Husker brand. He is approachable.

However, it is fair to say , HERE are some things we can do to get better to take the next step.
* our end of game game plans / clock management was atrocious. You can say “ well, the coaches don’t fumble, throw interceptions, false start, etc, but it IS THEIR JOB to teach/ correct/ improve, and our last four games ended badly(almost comically) on their watch.
* our kicking game stinks … our punting was great for one kick today , but often erratic and you saw our field goal efforts.
* I realize injuries played a part but our offensive identity is murky

Anyway, I think we can get back with this regime… it just stinks that we could have taken big steps THIS YEAR.

I don't consider you one of the whiners.

 

[Wasker77]

The Michigan State game was a killer. The Huskers came out flat for a game that was very winnable. I think the loss allowed a lack of confidence to creep back in that negatively impacted the remaining games.

 

[Baxter48]

First of all, I like Matt Rhule and I don’t think he’s a horrible coach, in spite of my whining… I DO see some great improvement in lots of areas this year:
* no blowout losses except from the sign stealers
* much better defense generally
* no sense of quit at all
* had a ton of injuries
* AND… and this is big …..we really had chances to do remarkable things late in games… much different.

He seems willing to take responsibility for things. That’s a good sign of leadership .
He appears determined to rebuild state ownership of the Husker brand. He is approachable.

However, it is fair to say , HERE are some things we can do to get better to take the next step.
* our end of game game plans / clock management was atrocious. You can say “ well, the coaches don’t fumble, throw interceptions, false start, etc, but it IS THEIR JOB to teach/ correct/ improve, and our last four games ended badly(almost comically) on their watch.
* our kicking game stinks … our punting was great for one kick today , but often erratic and you saw our field goal efforts.
* I realize injuries played a part but our offensive identity is murky

Anyway, I think we can get back with this regime… it just stinks that we could have taken big steps THIS YEAR.

I’ll add even though the defense was vastly improved we didn’t create many turnovers and when teams even that’s really important, now the last bitch is officiating I know losers blame the refs, here’s the problem when they have a direct outcome to to game that’s a problem and with Nebraska they either didn’t call something or botched the replay in at least 3 games, I had the feeling just like the Michigan state game and yesterday’s game those officials didn’t want to be there couldn’t wait for the game to be over

 

[TampaBaySkers]

You get what you put up with. Fans and Trev seem ok where we are at as a program. A blue blood would demand major changes to coaching…

 

[BTF69]

Well, if this plays out like how us fans usually do it...

Next year with a bad start the "rumors" will start to come out. Like with Bo and how he was getting kicked out of middle school soccer games for freaking out on the officials. Like with Frost and being super drunk and kicked off a Lincoln golf course.

Or with Riley...well actually nothing with him, he was just a really nice guy.

 

[DirtyJohns97]

If you play your cards right youll find a sheep or goat to screw

Help a brother out, how are you always slaying em?

 

[huskerfan66]

Me too. I cringed every time anyone talked about our defense playing lights out or all world or whatever. Was it? We played 2 teams with an offensive pulse and they hung 81 points on us.

We were dealt (the defense) a tough situation with the turnovers, field position, time of position and still learning the D 2 games in.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

Well, if this plays out like how us fans usually do it...

Next year with a bad start the "rumors" will start to come out. Like with Bo and how he was getting kicked out of middle school soccer games for freaking out on the officials. Like with Frost and being super drunk and kicked off a Lincoln golf course.

Or with Riley...well actually nothing with him, he was just a really nice guy.

rhule is Mike Riley 2.0 (w/out the good season), so I doubt we’ll hear any of those rumors

 

[BTF69]

You get what you put up with. Fans and Trev seem ok where we are at as a program. A blue blood would demand major changes to coaching…

I don't like the idea of the AD forcing the HC to make changes BUT I do think the HC needs to only be loyal to one thing, winning.

The idea of being worried about "changing the verbage" of the offense is dumb. There will probably be 15-20 new players as it is, learning something new is not the end of the world.

 

[WHCSC]

You get what you put up with. Fans and Trev seem ok where we are at as a program. A blue blood would demand major changes to coaching…

Did we not just have major changes to coaching?

 

[TruHusker]

We improved drastically in every aspect of the game except offense where we regressed. But the results remained the same. Plenty of reasons why the offense sucked but even so, it didn’t have to be as bad as it was with better play calling.

I’m still on the Rhule train but I’ll hop off if we don’t have a winning record next year.

On to basketball!

If, after watching this team or any team for that matter and it all comes down to better play calling, then I don't know what to say.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

Did we not just have major changes to coaching?

Rhule hiring his failure of a buddy Satt was not the changes I had in mind. We’ll see how long he wants to hold onto the dead weight

 

[BTF69]

rhule is Mike Riley 2.0 (w/out the good season), so I doubt we’ll hear any of those rumors

Plus we have pretty much used up all the "crazy" rumors.

Until something like "Just heard from a friend, he said he heard from a guy close to the program that Rhule is really a horse, not a human, I guess he has been hiding it for years"

 

[InMotion]

5-6 wins was what I expected so I shouldn't feel this disappointed. I guess it's the way we lost games that upset me the most. Next season all depends on what they do with the QB position. If they strike out on that position again, it's going to be another long year.

Obviously, we are gonna keep Shatthimself. I think it will be a huge mistake by Rhule, but I get it, you can't just fire and hire.. blah, blah, blah.. but.. can we remove the QB coach title from his job description? Because if you don't, I don't know how in the hell you are getting a better QB to come to Nebraska.

 

[dinglefritz]

If, after watching this team or any team for that matter and it all comes down to better play calling, then I don't know what to say.

Our talent level has to get better. All one has to do is watch OSU’s or Oregon’s skill players. We don’t have one guy like those let alone a team full of them. Maybe we can develop Coleman, Doss and Lloyd but they’re not there yet. Johnson is just okay. Our TEs are not great. Maybe Fidone gets better as he gets further removed from the injuries.

Guys like Nouili IMO aren’t talented enough. Boerkircher I love but but he wouldn’t start at many of the B1G programs. HAVE to recruit better athletes and develop them.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

Plus we have pretty much used up all the "crazy" rumors.

Until something like "Just heard from a friend, he said he heard from a guy close to the program that Rhule is really a horse, not a human, I guess he has been hiding it for years"

The way he licks his lips I would think a lizard person.. not a horse

 

[jteten]

Spot on Spartan. Nice to see at least one balanced thought regarding this season and the path forward.

 

[Husker.Wed.]

After seeing eight games in person with good seats to see the whole field, I'm not as down on "playcalling" as many here are.

1. To the run the damn ball crowd. NU runs more than all but five other D1 teams and before yesterday led the B1G in rushing. Obviously, some good running plays are being called, and the passes that turned into QB runs were possible because the play design cleared the middle.

2. Time after time beginning with Minnesota a great pass play was called and the QB waited too long, flat out missed the receiver by a mile, or threw a pick. I haven't watched the tape yet but yesterday there was a receiver wide open over the middle with room to turn up field. I think it may have been Fleeks. Purdy waited forever to toss him the ball and when he got it he was pushed out of bounds for a two yard gain. If you add up six missed perfectly-called pass plays a game, they add up. What the hell is Satterfield supposed to do if his QBs can't make even rudimentary throws?

3. The young receivers have trouble getting open, as does Kemp. In modern football a team HAS TO PASS once in awhile and completions are hard if the receivers are playing pattycake with the DBs.

4. The punt return team has done the offense NO FAVORS. They have routinely had to start around our 10.

5. The turnovers have been ridiculous.

6. The injuries have been ridiculous.

While our OC doesn't exactly inspire me when he speaks, in my humble opinion he has called games good enough for us to win them, he just does not have D1 players to execute his plan.

If NU can find a real quarterback, develop/get receivers who can get open and catch, shore up the punt return team, and continue to improve on the O-line, next year CAN be better. I know it is hard to think about waiting another year when we are all angry and feeling hopeless today, but things can be much better next year.

 

[HuskersNC]

After seeing eight games in person with good seats to see the whole field, I'm not as down on "playcalling" as many here are.

1. To the run the damn ball crowd. NU runs more than all but five other D1 teams and before yesterday led the B1G in rushing. Obviously, some good running plays are being called, and the passes that turned into QB runs were possible because the play design cleared the middle.

2. Time after time beginning with Minnesota a great pass play was called and the QB waited too long, flat out missed the receiver by a mile, or threw a pick. I haven't watched the tape yet but yesterday there was a receiver wide open over the middle with room to turn up field. I think it may have been Fleeks. Purdy waited forever to toss him the ball and when he got it he was pushed out of bounds for a two yard gain. If you add up six missed perfectly-called pass plays a game, they add up. What the hell is Satterfield supposed to do if his QBs can't make even rudimentary throws?

3. The young receivers have trouble getting open, as does Kemp. In modern football a team HAS TO PASS once in awhile and completions are hard if the receivers are playing pattycake with the DBs.

4. The punt return team has done the offense NO FAVORS. They have routinely had to start around our 10.

5. The turnovers have been ridiculous.

6. The injuries have been ridiculous.

While our OC doesn't exactly inspire me when he speaks, in my humble opinion he has called games good enough for us to win them, he just does not have D1 players to execute his plan.

If NU can find a real quarterback, develop/get receivers who can get open and catch, shore up the punt return team, and continue to improve on the O-line, next year CAN be better. I know it is hard to think about waiting another year when we are all angry and feeling hopeless today, but things can be much better next year.

Anybody who listened to the radio instead of just watching on TV knows how many times Damon Benning was borderline weeping into his headset because a wide receiver, even the freshmen, were standing completely uncovered, practically flapping their arms like a gotdang 'tard trying to get the QB's attention only to be ignored. This has to stop. Matt Davison did the same thing for years with Adrian Martinez. "HE'S GOT A GUY(S) WIDE OPEN!" I'm not sure if the answer to that problem leans more towards coaching or recruiting. But the vicious hatred of Satterfield is at best half-right. We need a QB coach that can, at least, evaluate recruits and find guys that don't crap their pants.

The last play against Iowa had 3 guys with pretty large cushions, even Bullock, the intended target, was open, but Purdy needed to get it over the defender, pump fake or something, but instead just didn't see him and gave him a freebie. So dumb, but the OC dialed up a perfectly reasonable play that should have gained at worst 15 yards.

 

[ATX Husker]

We improved drastically in every aspect of the game except offense where we regressed. But the results remained the same. Plenty of reasons why the offense sucked but even so, it didn’t have to be as bad as it was with better play calling.

I’m still on the Rhule train but I’ll hop off if we don’t have a winning record next year.

On to basketball!

Agree with this totally, you almost always know in the second year if it is gonna happen or not.