Brutal Honesty

[TheBeav815]

Big bucket of cold water from a guy who knows a bit about being on championship teams.

I agreed with Benning on pretty much all of his "yes/no" answers but what really jumped out at me was when he said at about 2:12, "Now you realize we got some guys that can't play?"

There's no bigger condemnation for somebody who knows playing and coaching than to get hit with that label of "can't play." Like basically they're saying you suck and they wouldn't even want you on the team if they had a choice but they don't.

That said it all to me right there, and we're still staring down the barrel of a couple more years being stuck with guys like that. That's just until we get guys who can do it better if they're not making youthful mistakes because they're still younger than you want a starter to be.

 

[bshirt73]

Geesh Beav, that's downright scary. HCSF has his hands full big-time.

 

[Top_Gun_]

this was news?

more confusing are the people who say we have the players to succeed but Coach Frost is holding them back somehow.

if not for Frost, we may have lost 18 straight

 

[husker2612]

I don't disagree, Im just very confused. All of MR classes were in the 20s. I know we lost some players when Frost was hired. It still amazes me that of all those players almost all were "busts". The odds of that are astronomical. I haven't looked but would be interesting to know of the MR guys who are left what was their ranking coming out of HS.

 

[headcard]

I don't disagree, Im just very confused. All of MR classes were in the 20s. I know we lost some players when Frost was hired. It still amazes me that of all those players almost all were "busts". The odds of that are astronomical. I haven't looked but would be interesting to know of the MR guys who are left what was their ranking coming out of HS.

Players left (a ton of them), players weren’t developed, players cashed out mentally. Recruiting rankings are just a starting spot. They have to fit the system, be developed, have confidence. etc

 

[Huskred01]

this was news?

more confusing are the people who say we have the players to succeed but Coach Frost is holding them back somehow.

if not for Frost, we may have lost 18 straight

Frost deserves plenty of the blame as well. Let’s not let him off the hook. We didn’t let Riley off.

 

[husker2612]

Players left (a ton of them), players weren’t developed, players cashed out mentally. Recruiting rankings are just a starting spot. They have to fit the system, be developed, have confidence. etc

So basically MR recruited good talent but weak from a mental and emotional standpoint? Which is how this team looked the first part of last year and currently. They looked mentally weak, checked out. If that is the case I would have to worry about that attitude/mentality trickling down to the younger players. Its almost like all of MR recruits need to be purged from the system to start fresh with the correct mentality.

 

[jlb321]

Meh - Benning has watched this team and players throughout fall camp and the first 6 games this year.

He predicted we would beat Minnesota.
The only member of big red wrap up to do so.

He’s had plenty of opportunities to be “brutally honest” prior to this game.

In full spin mode to provide cover for his buddy as bowl eligibility may be in question.

 

[headcard]

So basically MR recruited good talent but weak from a mental and emotional standpoint? Which is how this team looked the first part of last year and currently. They looked mentally weak, checked out. If that is the case I would have to worry about that attitude/mentality trickling down to the younger players. Its almost like all of MR recruits need to be purged from the system to start fresh with the correct mentality.

Who knows, there are a lot of reasons kids don’t develop. Some of these kids have been through multiple coaching changes, some might not fit in the new system, some might not have bought into it, some might have forgot where the weight room was for a couple years.

And who are the highest rated MR recruits still around: LJ, Lee, Anderson, McQuitty? LJ is contributing but most of his biggest recruits are gone or buried on the depth chart.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

So basically MR recruited good talent but weak from a mental and emotional standpoint? Which is how this team looked the first part of last year and currently. They looked mentally weak, checked out. If that is the case I would have to worry about that attitude/mentality trickling down to the younger players. Its almost like all of MR recruits need to be purged from the system to start fresh with the correct mentality.

I have a hard time buying that every player recruited to Nebraska under Riley was soft. Many of those players played for hard nosed high school coaches.

He was only here for 3 seasons and several players have left. I would venture to say close to 60% of the players on the current roster were brought in by the current staff.

That excuse is just low hanging fruit and a way to help absolve Frost from responsibility for his team.

if he is playing guys that aren’t tough enough, than replace them with one of the tough guys he brought in.

 

[huskerbaseball13]

Yet, this is the same Damon Benning who predicted a Husker victory on Saturday.

 

[BroskiRed]

I have a hard time buying that every player recruited to Nebraska under Riley was soft. Many of those players played for hard nosed high school coaches.

He was only here for 3 seasons and several players have left. I would venture to say close to 60% of the players on the current roster were brought in by the current staff.

That excuse is just low hanging fruit and a way to help absolve Frost from responsibility for his team.

if he is playing guys that aren’t tough enough, than replace them with one of the tough guys he brought in.

Exactly. He flipped the roster. The only coach that has any credibility as far as accountability is Coach Fisher during his tenure
Frost has seen the competition in the BIG from afar, and now has had two seasons to prepare for the conference slate of games
It’s alarming that he’s coached himself out of options and his game plan against MIN depended on something that’s been lacking all year: physicality
That’s on him after 2 years
Either adapt and evolve or suffer the consequences. This is an unforgiving conference

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

FWIW I believe Frost will eventually get it done here. But we need to stop with the enabling.

 

[headcard]

I have a hard time buying that every player recruited to Nebraska under Riley was soft. Many of those players played for hard nosed high school coaches.

He was only here for 3 seasons and several players have left. I would venture to say close to 60% of the players on the current roster were brought in by the current staff.

That excuse is just low hanging fruit and a way to help absolve Frost from responsibility for his team.

if he is playing guys that aren’t tough enough, than replace them with one of the tough guys he brought in.

I don’t understand why so many people have such a hard time understanding this isn’t an either/or situation.

Yes it is the staffs job to coach up the players they have and put them in a position to succeed. But the roster issues are also real. Admitting we have huge holes in the roster and a sever lack of talent at some spots isn’t excuse making, it’s reality. It’s the staffs job to overcome and scheme around three issues, but it is silly to pretend they don’t exist.

The truth is we have roster issues that are hindering our performance and that because of them we have a low ceiling as a team. It is also true that our coaches have not got the most out of what we have, to date. We should have been able to beat Colorado and at least be competitive with Minnesota. It’s multiple issues.

 

[uberism1111]

Big bucket of cold water from a guy who knows a bit about being on championship teams.

I agreed with Benning on pretty much all of his "yes/no" answers but what really jumped out at me was when he said at about 2:12, "Now you realize we got some guys that can't play?"

There's no bigger condemnation for somebody who knows playing and coaching than to get hit with that label of "can't play." Like basically they're saying you suck and they wouldn't even want you on the team if they had a choice but they don't.

That said it all to me right there, and we're still staring down the barrel of a couple more years being stuck with guys like that. That's just until we get guys who can do it better if they're not making youthful mistakes because they're still younger than you want a starter to be.

View embedded media

Frost has said plenty of times some units are not there yet. What Benning is saying isn't something earth-shattering or breaking news. All you have to do is watch film to already knew that.

 

[uberism1111]

Exactly. He flipped the roster. The only coach that has any credibility as far as accountability is Coach Fisher during his tenure
Frost has seen the competition in the BIG from afar, and now has had two seasons to prepare for the conference slate of games
It’s alarming that he’s coached himself out of options and his game plan against MIN depended on something that’s been lacking all year: physicality
That’s on him after 2 years
Either adapt and evolve or suffer the consequences. This is an unforgiving conference

The roster flipping is in it's elementary stage still. Frost's first full recruiting class are only freshman and most are redshirting. The filler class is like any other filler class - some hits and mostly nothing. With the early signing period any coaching change basically losses an entire class since it is impossible now with the early signing period to put together a strong filler recruiting class.

You can take as many grad transfers as you want, but they are grad transfers for a reason. If they were elite they would have gone to the NFL.

You can take as many JUCO kids as you want but them you fail at the long-term health of the roster since the JUCO kids are replacing kids from high school that would be on the roster longer and could produce for your time for a much longer period of time.

Most JUCO kids DO NOT make a difference.

It will be two more full recruiting classes before the roster is officially with flipped with high school recruited talent that fits what Frost wants.

 

[c3o]

What I saw on the field vs Minnesota was a bad roster that has been poorly coached. There is a lot to blame here. The offensive line is terrible and looks like a rough draft of a bad sketch. Coaches are to blame. Keep making excuses will make us even worse. Point the thumb not the finger

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

The roster flipping is in it's elementary stage still. Frost's first full recruiting class are only freshman and most are redshirting. The filler class is like any other filler class - some hits and mostly nothing. With the early signing period any coaching change basically losses an entire class since it is impossible now with the early signing period to put together a strong filler recruiting class.

You can take as many grad transfers as you want, but they are grad transfers for a reason. If they were elite they would have gone to the NFL.

You can take as many JUCO kids as you want but them you fail at the long-term health of the roster since the JUCO kids are replacing kids from high school that would be on the roster longer and could produce for your time for a much longer period of time.

Most JUCO kids DO NOT make a difference.

It will be two more full recruiting classes before the roster is officially with flipped with high school recruited talent that fits what Frost wants.

I get what you are saying but he didn’t have a problem throwing a true Freshman QB into the mix in year one. If the players he has recruited are more talented and a better fit and tougher than what is on the field then he needs to throw them into the fire as well. He has a mile long leash. He had no expectations to win year one. If buy one and toughness were the main issues, and he allowed player that didn’t buy in and weren’t tough enough to play, then that is now his problem and can’t be blamed on past coaches.

 

[shocksker]

Meh - Benning has watched this team and players throughout fall camp and the first 6 games this year.

He predicted we would beat Minnesota.
The only member of big red wrap up to do so.

He’s had plenty of opportunities to be “brutally honest” prior to this game.

In full spin mode to provide cover for his buddy as bowl eligibility may be in question.

Hes not spinning it. Did you watch? These guys were watching as Minnesota was finishing plays. He called out Coach more than twice. Huskers were out toughed period. Its talent yes, its scheme yes, but getting smacked by Minnesota LIKE THAT.....thats toughness. 2017 class after attrition sucked BIG TIME. But this team was soft as pancakes on Saturday.

 

[huskerbaseball13]

The roster flipping is in it's elementary stage still. Frost's first full recruiting class are only freshman and most are redshirting. The filler class is like any other filler class - some hits and mostly nothing. With the early signing period any coaching change basically losses an entire class since it is impossible now with the early signing period to put together a strong filler recruiting class.

You can take as many grad transfers as you want, but they are grad transfers for a reason. If they were elite they would have gone to the NFL.

You can take as many JUCO kids as you want but them you fail at the long-term health of the roster since the JUCO kids are replacing kids from high school that would be on the roster longer and could produce for your time for a much longer period of time.

Most JUCO kids DO NOT make a difference.

It will be two more full recruiting classes before the roster is officially with flipped with high school recruited talent that fits what Frost wants.

Be that as it may....we beat Minnesota by 25 last year. There is zero reason for us to look like we didn’t belong on the field outside of the coaches not having the team ready and the continued lack of development going on within the program.

 

[otismotis08]

I get what you are saying but he didn’t have a problem throwing a true Freshman QB into the mix in year one. If the players he has recruited are more talented and a better fit and tougher than what is on the field then he needs to throw them into the fire as well. He has a mile long leash. He had no expectations to win year one. If buy one and toughness were the main issues, and he allowed player that didn’t buy in and weren’t tough enough to play, then that is now his problem and can’t be blamed on past coaches.

If there is any truth to certain players lacking buy-in, toughness, attitude, etc., there is absolutely no reason for SF to continue wasting time with these guys. Move on and give the younger kids the experience they need. This season is already down the tubes...use the remaining games as scrimmages and prep for next year.

 

[husker2612]

If there is any truth to certain players lacking buy-in, toughness, attitude, etc., there is absolutely no reason for SF to continue wasting time with these guys. Move on and give the younger kids the experience they need. This season is already down the tubes...use the remaining games as scrimmages and prep for next year.

THIS^^^^ If there really are still players not buying in Frost needs to eliminate the from the team.
However here is my thoughts on this. I do wonder if Frost realizes certain players are not giving their all or mentally not tough. I think he wants to get his guys in there as quickly as possible but he also doesn't want to waste their talent on a team filled with mentally weak players. So I wonder if he is willing to keep the MR guys in there to just get buy and fill spots until he can get enough of his talent in there to take over. If this is the case I wish he would have saved Robinson this year.

 

[c3o]

THIS^^^^ If there really are still players not buying in Frost needs to eliminate the from the team.
However here is my thoughts on this. I do wonder if Frost realizes certain players are not giving their all or mentally not tough. I think he wants to get his guys in there as quickly as possible but he also doesn't want to waste their talent on a team filled with mentally weak players. So I wonder if he is willing to keep the MR guys in there to just get buy and fill spots until he can get enough of his talent in there to take over. If this is the case I wish he would have saved Robinson this year.

I believe he wanted to win this year. I think we need to realize that he's still very young as a head coach, and maybe when he hit UCF with a 13-0 record, he had all he needed to do so.

He's had to rebuild here and will continue to have to. There's a lot of emotion playing here, more pressure too - and he'll go head to head against much better coaches.

My take, he's been stubborn to a fault. The things that worked at UCF don't here with the talent, competition, style, etc

It's either adapt or we sit back and wait till he gets exactly the players he needs and hope that works.

I want him to adapt. I watched NW, they are seriously void of talent and banged up. As bad as their record is, they show up to play every week and their coach has a scheme that gives them a chance.

Purdue is another. They have some serious excuses - last week a guy in his 2nd or 3rd start broke records at QB.

We need Frost to evaluate what he's got and scheme us the best chance to win. Not stick to a stubborn scheme that doesn't work

 

[dinglefritz]

Yet, this is the same Damon Benning who predicted a Husker victory on Saturday.

the NUMBER ONE thing I took away from what Benning said is that "You have to be willing to play players who may not be as good". I'm at the point. The stunning lack of execution by some or our players at times makes me say just play somebody who can get to the right spot and is willing to play with attitude. We saw some of that when Frost put in the backups. Granted it was against Minnesota's B team, but for heaven's sake give somebody else a shot if the starters keep making stupid mistakes and penalties. Over running plays and filling an obviously wrong gap isn't coaching, it's just bad football instincts. I KNOW we have a couple of walk on linebackers who would play without regard for their own safety. We HAVE to have some backup O linemen would play with their hair on fire. We've seen Eli Sullivan make some plays by just recognized a play and getting to the right spot. We HAVE to have more players who are football smart AND will go balls to the walls. I saw a whole bunch of quit on Saturday.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

THIS^^^^ If there really are still players not buying in Frost needs to eliminate the from the team.
However here is my thoughts on this. I do wonder if Frost realizes certain players are not giving their all or mentally not tough. I think he wants to get his guys in there as quickly as possible but he also doesn't want to waste their talent on a team filled with mentally weak players. So I wonder if he is willing to keep the MR guys in there to just get buy and fill spots until he can get enough of his talent in there to take over. If this is the case I wish he would have saved Robinson this year.

You can’t do a combo thing like that.

If he wanted to do that, why not keep Gebbia around and name him starter, save a year of eligibility for Martinez by redshirting him.

what you are describing is similar to what is happening at University of Houston. Redshirting starting players in the coach’s first year and hoping that the talent is better in year 2 and those redshirted players don’t transfer.

 

[Dr_Alan_Grant]

Players left (a ton of them), players weren’t developed, players cashed out mentally. Recruiting rankings are just a starting spot. They have to fit the system, be developed, have confidence. etc

Are we saying the culture was so god awful with Riley that most if not all players that were recruited by him that they are broken beyond repair? Serious question.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I believe he wanted to win this year. I think we need to realize that he's still very young as a head coach, and maybe when he hit UCF with a 13-0 record, he had all he needed to do so.

He's had to rebuild here and will continue to have to. There's a lot of emotion playing here, more pressure too - and he'll go head to head against much better coaches.

My take, he's been stubborn to a fault. The things that worked at UCF don't here with the talent, competition, style, etc

It's either adapt or we sit back and wait till he gets exactly the players he needs and hope that works.

I want him to adapt. I watched NW, they are seriously void of talent and banged up. As bad as their record is, they show up to play every week and their coach has a scheme that gives them a chance.

Purdue is another. They have some serious excuses - last week a guy in his 2nd or 3rd start broke records at QB.

We need Frost to evaluate what he's got and scheme us the best chance to win. Not stick to a stubborn scheme that doesn't work

Disagree on scheme. He can run whatever offense he wants. Where Nebraska has to get better is on defense. Plain and simple.

 

[timnsun]

the NUMBER ONE thing I took away from what Benning said is that "You have to be willing to play players who may not be as good". I'm at the point. The stunning lack of execution by some or our players at times makes me say just play somebody who can get to the right spot and is willing to play with attitude. We saw some of that when Frost put in the backups. Granted it was against Minnesota's B team, but for heaven's sake give somebody else a shot if the starters keep making stupid mistakes and penalties. Over running plays and filling an obviously wrong gap isn't coaching, it's just bad football instincts. I KNOW we have a couple of walk on linebackers who would play without regard for their own safety. We HAVE to have some backup O linemen would play with their hair on fire. We've seen Eli Sullivan make some plays by just recognized a play and getting to the right spot. We HAVE to have more players who are football smart AND will go balls to the walls. I saw a whole bunch of quit on Saturday.

With the off week it’ll be interesting to see if they take a hard look at the players, and maybe we see some new faces in quite a few places. If we don’t, I will be surprised and a bit puzzled.

 

[otismotis08]

You can’t do a combo thing like that.

If he wanted to do that, why not keep Gebbia around and name him starter, save a year of eligibility for Martinez by redshirting him.

what you are describing is similar to what is happening at University of Houston. Redshirting starting players in the coach’s first year and hoping that the talent is better in year 2 and those redshirted players don’t transfer.

You play the kids who are willing to play the game your way. No bad apples on the field. Forget about the redshirts and saving people for the future. You need to have confidence in your recruiting abilities such that you're not worrying about finding the next kid.

 

[husker2612]

I believe he wanted to win this year. I think we need to realize that he's still very young as a head coach, and maybe when he hit UCF with a 13-0 record, he had all he needed to do so.

He's had to rebuild here and will continue to have to. There's a lot of emotion playing here, more pressure too - and he'll go head to head against much better coaches.

My take, he's been stubborn to a fault. The things that worked at UCF don't here with the talent, competition, style, etc

It's either adapt or we sit back and wait till he gets exactly the players he needs and hope that works.

I want him to adapt. I watched NW, they are seriously void of talent and banged up. As bad as their record is, they show up to play every week and their coach has a scheme that gives them a chance.

Purdue is another. They have some serious excuses - last week a guy in his 2nd or 3rd start broke records at QB.

We need Frost to evaluate what he's got and scheme us the best chance to win. Not stick to a stubborn scheme that doesn't work

Yep, we have heard him say time and time again. "We know this works" I think to myself no you have no idea this works because you or your system have never been here. Every program, recruit, players are different. What works for one program probably won't for the other. So yes I believe he has to adjust.

 

[jlb321]

You play the kids who are willing to play the game your way. No bad apples on the field. Forget about the redshirts and saving people for the future. You need to have confidence in your recruiting abilities such that you're not worrying about finding the next kid.

We are 19 games in ... if some players haven’t bought in it’s because you have failed to get them to buy in.

 

[c3o]

Disagree on scheme. He can run whatever offense he wants. Where Nebraska has to get better is on defense. Plain and simple.

Fair enough,

The defense I saw at the beginning of the year is now gone from an attitude standpoint. They jumped off the ball and played much better. Minney ran a HB dive or read to the HB 70% of the plays it seemed and our defense just got owned. That's attitude and coaching.

 

[phoenix4nu]

Yep, we have heard him say time and time again. "We know this works" I think to myself no you have no idea this works because you or your system have never been here. Every program, recruit, players are different. What works for one program probably won't for the other. So yes I believe he has to adjust.

I seem to remember Pelini saying that his defensive system works. Hopefully Frost won't be as stubborn as Pelini and will be willing to change if his system isn't working.

 

[huskerdude88]

Take the green jersey's off the quarterbacks and have 100 play scrimmages 1vs1 at least once a week from here on out. Will this increase our risk for injuries? Absolutely. Will that deplete our depth? Probably. Will it toughen up our players? Yes. Will it allow give them the opportunity to work out their mistakes? Yes. Will it clearly show who isn't executing? Yes.

Our team is soft. To fix it I think our team needs more live reps. Frost talks about playing how we practice. Well clearly practice isn't working. Toughness can be coached. If we have injuries so be it. We need to establish toughness in the program.

 

[c3o]

Take the green jersey's off the quarterbacks and have 100 play scrimmages 1vs1 at least once a week from here on out. Will this increase our risk for injuries? Absolutely. Will that deplete our depth? Probably. Will it toughen up our players? Yes. Will it allow give them the opportunity to work out their mistakes? Yes. Will it clearly show who isn't executing? Yes.

Our team is soft. To fix it I think our team needs more live reps. Frost talks about playing how we practice. Well clearly practice isn't working. Toughness can be coached. If we have injuries so be it. We need to establish toughness in the program.

I don't really know what goes on in practice but the results on the field this year have shown regression

 

[cubsker]

We are 19 games in ... if some players haven’t bought in it’s because you have failed to get them to buy in.

And if you know they haven't at this point, then send them packing and sure as **** dont waste time giving them playing time.

 

[headcard]

Are we saying the culture was so god awful with Riley that most if not all players that were recruited by him that they are broken beyond repair? Serious question.

That wasn't what I was saying. Just pointing out that the majority of the higher ranked players from that time are gone and most of the other have failed to develop and contribute in a way we need. Probably a lot of factors that go into, including things that have nothing to do with Mike Riley like Frost finding the right fit for them, getting the most out of them and so on.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I seem to remember Pelini saying that his defensive system works. Hopefully Frost won't be as stubborn as Pelini and will be willing to change if his system isn't working.

Pelini’s defense was fine when he had the athletes and personalities to run it.

 

[SalAunese]

Benning is a radio/tv guy. Sure he played but there's a reason why he's not coaching.

 

[Top_Gun_]

Benning is a radio/tv guy. Sure he played but there's a reason why he's not coaching.

believe he recently won back to back state titles as a member of the Omaha North coaching staff