If our Roster is so depleted why no JUCO's

[coachDubs]

I would think we're closer to full agreement than full disagreement. Depending on a JUCOs qualification status, they may have to sit a year anyway. So, a coach is left to look at his crystal ball and try to determine if future needs will be met. And you know all this already.

Ya, I feel the same way. I'm curious though, about "after the 2015 season comment". One can't recruit and sign JUCO's that late in the process unless you're already on them. So it carries over the 2017 class, maybe we should've went after and signed 1?

Going back though, I'm curious to read what spinner has to say about my initial response to him.

 

[NikkiSixx]

Funny to read all this.. I knew this was going to happen, and said as much when MR was hired... Riley should have turned over the roster quickly, brought in a few jucos, transfers what have you, to implement his system right away.

What he did, was try to placate the fanbase, attempt to run the ball that first year, and started recruiting for the long term two year reboot we find ourselves at today. I don't think you can fault Riley for running his system though, because the decision to change the identity of the offense, was made by Eichorst when he hired Riley. They knew then, that the players were recruited to a different philosophy. Yes Eichorst (and this board) in the fall of 2014 felt we had enough talent to win right away. There was a lot of consensus on that, if Riley used the players strengths.

Although he did try, the results weren't that great in 2015. They tried to improve last year, but on the passing front using prior gen players, and for awhile, it worked ok, until people got injured. I still feel they didn't give the running game enough attention last year, and once guys were injured, we could not go back to running the ball again, because it was dependent on the pass.

So what happens late last year? Eichorst blames the talent level, which was a surprise because the real linchpin was injuries and no depth because about half the team was redshirting for the 2017 reboot. Furthermore, the defense is now changed by hiring Diaco, which I hope comes together quickly and doesn't push defensive success further down the recruiting cycle.

At any rate, the length of time before Nebraska is really able and ready to compete with Jr & Sr level, experienced depth developed for Riley's system is still a ways off. We should be thankful for him getting Tanner Lee in, this is one transfer that could make a difference. (pls don't start the heisman talk) but two years in, this is still a major point of frustration because it's like starting over again. It is almost perceived as if there was no real plan to begin with. The defensive changes made already, it's a bit like moving goal posts, and doesn't correlate to the slow steady approach Riley has obviously taken.

We do see other coaches come in and have success pretty quickly, although I am not sure how many of those examples have had identity changes as well. Maybe someone can look into that, but my frustration is that the AD was responsible for the identity change, directly or indirectly knew it was the slow implementation type, then gave conflicting information over the years as he moved the goal posts to cover the fan angst.

If you're going to take a slow methodical approach to doing something, those plans have to be revisited to remind everyone of the plan, not revised every couple of years, because then you really aren't operating on a long term plan at all.

In many ways, I wish they would just start playing Gebbia now.

 

[coachDubs]

Funny to read all this.. I knew this was going to happen, and said as much when MR was hired... Riley should have turned over the roster quickly, brought in a few jucos, transfers what have you, to implement his system right away

Your posts are archived and I sure didn't read any of what you claim.

Matter of fact, quite the opposite...

Coach Riley has an extremely good reputation as a coach and developer of talent, not to mention an honest upstanding guy. Nebraska also on the whole has a very good reputation for doing things the right way on a national level. There is a lot of synergy when you add these things together. Moving to a pro style offense I think is a good thing too. I guess what I am saying is, when you add these things together and start to build some momentum, there is a lot of potential for success for not only the program, but the players as well. Most recruits are not going to be intentionally reckless about their future decision and they will listen to others, parents & coaches alike. Having that type of reputation from both the coach and school, is a pretty compelling argument for a young person making life choices for their future

Doing "the right thing" (good old Nebraska way, right @Archie Graham? ) isn't roster turnover, it's honoring the scholarships. Remember, "Neraska has a very good reputation" and "parents of recruits listen to others"...

I'm curious, where did you say what you claim? I'm interested in reading your 2015 thoughts.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

This is what makes the head coaching job at Nebraska so difficult. We are no longer an elite team, with elite athletes, but we have a fan base that still thinks a new coach should get us back to that status within three years on the job. That expectation is diminishing somewhat and more and more fans are content with 9-4 seasons since that is what we are used to now. But overall, the pressure is still on for us to be playing for conference championships and more.

Thus, knowing this, Riley could have come in with a scorched earth policy and shit-canned most of Bo's seniors and Juniors, and then scoured the JUCO ranks to fill in the blanks. But he did not do that and chose instead to build a program over the long term with high school recruits. That shows maturity and patience. That shows a coach who is comfortable with how he does things and confident it will bring success. We were further down the rabbit hole of mediocrity under Bo than people realize. It will take time to dig out.

My only complaint about Riley is he brought in some questionable coaches who he eventually had to fire. Banker and Hughes should never have been brought here.

 

[Toms Wife]

This is what makes the head coaching job at Nebraska so difficult. We are no longer an elite team, with elite athletes, but we have a fan base that still thinks a new coach should get us back to that status within three years on the job. That expectation is diminishing somewhat and more and more fans are content with 9-4 seasons since that is what we are used to now. But overall, the pressure is still on for us to be playing for conference championships and more.

Thus, knowing this, Riley could have come in with a scorched earth policy and shit-canned most of Bo's seniors and Juniors, and then scoured the JUCO ranks to fill in the blanks. But he did not do that and chose instead to build a program over the long term with high school recruits. That shows maturity and patience. That shows a coach who is comfortable with how he does things and confident it will bring success. We were further down the rabbit hole of mediocrity under Bo than people realize. It will take time to dig out.

My only complaint about Riley is he brought in some questionable coaches who he eventually had to fire. Banker and Hughes should never have been brought here.

Lots of hyperbole in this thread. What moves from, "Why didn't we take a few JUCOs and fill some holes and even out the classes" becomes wanting a scorched earth policy where we can most of the juniors and seniors and bring in JUCOs as replacements.

As a woman and mother I like Riley. He's the kind of guy I would want my son to play for. But I really like good football too. If there are things that could have been done better, why such histrionics when they get brought up?

 

[huskerfan1414]

This is what makes the head coaching job at Nebraska so difficult. We are no longer an elite team, with elite athletes, but we have a fan base that still thinks a new coach should get us back to that status within three years on the job. That expectation is diminishing somewhat and more and more fans are content with 9-4 seasons since that is what we are used to now. But overall, the pressure is still on for us to be playing for conference championships and more.

Thus, knowing this, Riley could have come in with a scorched earth policy and shit-canned most of Bo's seniors and Juniors, and then scoured the JUCO ranks to fill in the blanks. But he did not do that and chose instead to build a program over the long term with high school recruits. That shows maturity and patience. That shows a coach who is comfortable with how he does things and confident it will bring success. We were further down the rabbit hole of mediocrity under Bo than people realize. It will take time to dig out.

My only complaint about Riley is he brought in some questionable coaches who he eventually had to fire. Banker and Hughes should never have been brought here.

Since when did expecting us to win against Illinois, Purdue, BYU, not get blown out by Iowa by 30, and not have the 2nd worse loss in school history become expecting elite status in 3 years? Talk about hyperbole.....
This Juco discussion is wierd. Lots of hindsight. Perhaps we should have tried harder at some jucos in some positions, perhaps not considering I dont know any. I do think a program should average about 1 every few years, granted they are studs. Perhaps we just arent looking very attractive to the studs right now and theres no reason to make a reach on a juco.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Almost every post on a message board as some level hyperbole.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Lots of hyperbole in this thread. What moves from, "Why didn't we take a few JUCOs and fill some holes and even out the classes" becomes wanting a scorched earth policy where we can most of the juniors and seniors and bring in JUCOs as replacements.

As a woman and mother I like Riley. He's the kind of guy I would want my son to play for. But I really like good football too. If there are things that could have been done better, why such histrionics when they get brought up?

The OP was full of hyperbole, everyone else just followed suit.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Lots of hyperbole in this thread. What moves from, "Why didn't we take a few JUCOs and fill some holes and even out the classes" becomes wanting a scorched earth policy where we can most of the juniors and seniors and bring in JUCOs as replacements.

As a woman and mother I like Riley. He's the kind of guy I would want my son to play for. But I really like good football too. If there are things that could have been done better, why such histrionics when they get brought up?

You miss my point. Hyperbole has its purposes in debate. And in pointing out that Riley did not follow a scorched earth policy I was trying to highlight that he was not in panic mode and decided to build a program for the long term. That explains why he only recruits a few JUCOs. It is not a profound point or in any way unique. But it is pertinent to the conversation.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Since when did expecting us to win against Illinois, Purdue, BYU, not get blown out by Iowa by 30, and not have the 2nd worse loss in school history become expecting elite status in 3 years? Talk about hyperbole.....
This Juco discussion is wierd. Lots of hindsight. Perhaps we should have tried harder at some jucos in some positions, perhaps not considering I dont know any. I do think a program should average about 1 every few years, granted they are studs. Perhaps we just arent looking very attractive to the studs right now and theres no reason to make a reach on a juco.

Don't think my post in any way was trying to say that fans are wrong to be disappointed in some of the losses over the past two years. Same way we are not wrong to have been disappointed in Bo's numerous blowout losses.

But let's be honest here... my main point was that Nebraska fans still have very, very lofty expectations for our program. I know I do. And those expectations get fans very impatient after a while with 9-4 seasons. So what year do we expect more? Year three? Year four? We could quibble over that I suppose or just acknowledge the obvious: at some point Riley needs to develop a championship level team or he will be canned. Period. And that pressure could easily have driven a more immature coach to follow a more radical path. But he didn't. I like his strategy of going after high school kids and only focusing on very few Jucos. And that is my point. Call it hyperbole if you want. But I stand by main point which is that NU fans have very, very high expectations and that brings pressure to win fast.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

The internal pressure is also lightened if the AD has told you that you will be given ample time. As @jflores pointed out in one of his posts.

Not to take credit away from Riley's maturity, but if SE had hired a young pro style coach rather than Riley, the young coach, with knowledge he would be allowed time, may have taken the same approach. Conversely a mature coach, who wasn't going to change the offense or defense, may well have hit the JUCOs hard to find the missing links.

I do agree with the basic premise that Riley didn't see the task of evolving this offensive roster to a pro style offense roster was something he could accomplish quickly through the JUCOs. So getting a few JUCOs in years 1 and 2 weren't going to benefit his long term goals as much as HS players.

If he is able to get Nebraska to a point where the difference between west division champ and runner up was 2 players, I could see him hitting the JUCOs hard for those 2 players.

How's that for some hyperbole and speculation.

 

[DukeOfSorrow]

This is what makes the head coaching job at Nebraska so difficult. We are no longer an elite team, with elite athletes, but we have a fan base that still thinks a new coach should get us back to that status within three years on the job. That expectation is diminishing somewhat and more and more fans are content with 9-4 seasons since that is what we are used to now. But overall, the pressure is still on for us to be playing for conference championships and more.

Thus, knowing this, Riley could have come in with a scorched earth policy and shit-canned most of Bo's seniors and Juniors, and then scoured the JUCO ranks to fill in the blanks. But he did not do that and chose instead to build a program over the long term with high school recruits. That shows maturity and patience. That shows a coach who is comfortable with how he does things and confident it will bring success. We were further down the rabbit hole of mediocrity under Bo than people realize. It will take time to dig out.

My only complaint about Riley is he brought in some questionable coaches who he eventually had to fire. Banker and Hughes should never have been brought here.

This is true. Which is why it's frustrating we've never hired a coach known for building or rebuilding a program, which is the direction we really needed each time there was a changeover IMO.

That's not a slap at any former or current staff, it's just the way I felt.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

This is true. Which is why it's frustrating we've never hired a coach known for building or rebuilding a program, which is the direction we really needed each time there was a changeover IMO.

That's not a slap at any former or current staff, it's just the way I felt.

Not learning from the mistakes of others.

look at what happens when blue blood programs lose their iconic head coaches. They all tried to hire a guy from the program. Sometimes it worked out for a while but most of the time it was a mistake. Some like USC and Oklahoma tried to get away from the incestuous hires, but chose poorly in Larry Smith and Howard Schnellenburger. So they went back to the incestuous guys, John Blake and John Robinson and Paul Hacket. Only to see them not the level of the original icon.

They finally reached that level when they cut loose of the past ties and went with an outsider. You can still respect tradition without having ties to it.

 

[huskerfan1414]

Almost every post on a message board as some level hyperbole.

I agree, however, most of it is self serving to one side of the argument.
-If someone criticizes the staff, it means they love Bo.
-If someone says we should have gone after Jucos, it means they want to go full KState mode and have a risky roster full of them
-If someone expects our team to be better than it is, it automatically means they think we have talent to be "elite" and contending for titles

 

[huskerfan1414]

Don't think my post in any way was trying to say that fans are wrong to be disappointed in some of the losses over the past two years. Same way we are not wrong to have been disappointed in Bo's numerous blowout losses.

But let's be honest here... my main point was that Nebraska fans still have very, very lofty expectations for our program. I know I do. And those expectations get fans very impatient after a while with 9-4 seasons. So what year do we expect more? Year three? Year four? We could quibble over that I suppose or just acknowledge the obvious: at some point Riley needs to develop a championship level team or he will be canned. Period. And that pressure could easily have driven a more immature coach to follow a more radical path. But he didn't. I like his strategy of going after high school kids and only focusing on very few Jucos. And that is my point. Call it hyperbole if you want. But I stand by main point which is that NU fans have very, very high expectations and that brings pressure to win fast.

When i read this board I have zero feeling that Nebraska fans still have high expectations. People are predicting six or seven wins and are fine with that along with more and more excuses.
I agree with most of what youre saying, but your last post still bothers me. You said fans expect us to be elite within three years on the job, which implies that fans who are at times critical seem illogical and unrealistic. No, I expect us to beat the teams listed and not get ass pounded by a lethargic iowa team. I dont find any of that having elite expectations. If thats elte, then no, husker fans dont have high expectations anymore.
Sure some fans will never be satisfied, I agree, but lets not label the whole group of being unrealistic and expecting elite immediately.

 

[DukeOfSorrow]

I agree, however, most of it is self serving to one side of the argument.
-If someone criticizes the staff, it means they love Bo.
-If someone says we should have gone after Jucos, it means they want to go full KState mode and have a risky roster full of them
-If someone expects our team to be better than it is, it automatically means they think we have talent to be "elite" and contending for titles

Try this:
-If someone supports the staff, it means they hate Bo.
-If someone says we are fine without Jucos, it means they think we shouldn't have ANY.
-If someone says we should have patience, it means they're grasping for excuses on performance.

 

[huskerfan1414]

Try this:
-If someone supports the staff, it means they hate Bo.
-If someone says we are fine without Jucos, it means they think we shouldn't have ANY.
-If someone says we should have patience, it means they're grasping for excuses on performance.

1 and 2 I have never thought.
Number three needs some context. If they are saying patience after any of the games ive mentioned, then yes they are grasping for excuses. If they are saying it within the contxt of competing for big 10 titles, I agree.

 

[DukeOfSorrow]

1 and 2 I have never thought.
Number three needs some context. If they are saying patience after any of the games ive mentioned, then yes they are grasping for excuses. If they are saying it within the contxt of competing for big 10 titles, I agree.

I'm not really on one side or the other. Being a guy who steps out of the whole pro/anti-Riley thing, I see these things go both way. Both sides have good points. Both sides have misguided points. Both sides are hypocritical at times. Like most arguments, I guess.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I think you're missing the fact that there is history. People who supported Pelini were the most vocal about Riley being a bad hire, and the folks that were ready for a change and spent the better part of 2 years hating Pelini have embraced the change a little more readily. It's not like we all started over Dec 5 2014 with a fresh perspective.

 

[SnohomishRed]

When i read this board I have zero feeling that Nebraska fans still have high expectations. People are predicting six or seven wins and are fine with that along with more and more excuses.
I agree with most of what youre saying, but your last post still bothers me. You said fans expect us to be elite within three years on the job, which implies that fans who are at times critical seem illogical and unrealistic. No, I expect us to beat the teams listed and not get ass pounded by a lethargic iowa team. I dont find any of that having elite expectations. If thats elte, then no, husker fans dont have high expectations anymore.
Sure some fans will never be satisfied, I agree, but lets not label the whole group of being unrealistic and expecting elite immediately.

I think fan expectations in many ways are to low. heck even this year most would be happy to have a winning record and no blow outs. We are in one of the weakest divisions around and we do not have an expectation of winning that. This against teams that recruit below us. In fact for myself I would settle if one day we can come up to Wisconsin's level ( BTW they are the team that signed the DE out of IWCC)

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I think people confuse long term expectations with short term expectations or predictions.


Every season will be different. Wisconsin has a much easier conference schedule than Nebraska does. Nebraska could beat Wisconsin and still lose the division to the Badgers. My prediction is that Wisconsin will win the division this year but that doesn't change my long term expectation of the Nebraska program to compete for and win conference titles.

 

[DukeOfSorrow]

I think fan expectations in many ways are to low. heck even this year most would be happy to have a winning record and no blow outs. We are in one of the weakest divisions around and we do not have an expectation of winning that. This against teams that recruit below us. In fact for myself I would settle if one day we can come up to Wisconsin's level ( BTW they are the team that signed the DE out of IWCC)

Not running your HC out of town and being happy are 2 different things. You seem to be confusing that part.

 

[jflores]

The internal pressure is also lightened if the AD has told you that you will be given ample time. As @jflores pointed out in one of his posts.

Not to take credit away from Riley's maturity, but if SE had hired a young pro style coach rather than Riley, the young coach, with knowledge he would be allowed time, may have taken the same approach. Conversely a mature coach, who wasn't going to change the offense or defense, may well have hit the JUCOs hard to find the missing links.

I do agree with the basic premise that Riley didn't see the task of evolving this offensive roster to a pro style offense roster was something he could accomplish quickly through the JUCOs. So getting a few JUCOs in years 1 and 2 weren't going to benefit his long term goals as much as HS players.

If he is able to get Nebraska to a point where the difference between west division champ and runner up was 2 players, I could see him hitting the JUCOs hard for those 2 players.

How's that for some hyperbole and speculation.

People have to keep in mind as well, a sense of perspective. Even if you totally and completely disliked the Riley hire, and were at 180 degree odds with the personnel maintenance/acquisition decisions he's made....

his path was valid. He was 20 yards from a West division championship in Year 2 with a less than ideal situation at QB and OL.

We could play revisionist history and try and insert a JUCO here or there or a transfer here or there that might have been a better option, but the thing with the universe is that a butterfly will beat its wings somewhere and perhaps a different key player is injured or redshirts or leaves or what you and it doesn't matter anyway.

There are disturbances to the model, no matter which path you choose. And he doesn't seem to be out in left field here. We really were that close. I thought we were seeing divine intervention when that Wisky kicker missed the PAT.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Beat that drum for the iwcc kid.

Do you have some inside knowledge that says he was going to come here and we didn't pursue him? Do you know for sure that Bray didn't make trips to Council Bluffs. Do you think that when he committed to Wisconsin that he we were playing a 4-3 and he thought he was a better fit as a 3-4 OLB. Is the fact that by the time Banker was fired and Diaco was hired He was already enrolled and taking classes at Wisconsin?

 

[jflores]

Yah Wisconsin has the inside track to the West this year. We'll have beat OSU or PSU to probably take it (that's assuming we have to beat Iowa and Wisky in the division to be in the discussion).

 

[jflores]

Beat that drum for the iwcc kid.

Do you have some inside knowledge that says he was going to come here and we didn't pursue him? Do you know for sure that Bray didn't make trips to Council Bluffs. Do you think that when he committed to Wisconsin that he we were playing a 4-3 and he thought he was a better fit as a 3-4 OLB. Is the fact that by the time Banker was fired and Diaco was hired He was already enrolled and taking classes at Wisconsin?

The thing that helped get Wisky Van Ginkle is probably going to be our only hope of getting Parsons.

If OSU played a base 3-4, we wouldn't even be in the conversation with Parsons.

 

[huskerfan1414]

I think people confuse long term expectations with short term expectations or predictions.


Every season will be different. Wisconsin has a much easier conference schedule than Nebraska does. Nebraska could beat Wisconsin and still lose the division to the Badgers. My prediction is that Wisconsin will win the division this year but that doesn't change my long term expectation of the Nebraska program to compete for and win conference titles.

I see what you mean, but I think who says it matters.
If Cornicator says six wins, i take it as a prediction, not an expectation of the program that he would be okay with.
Some other posters who say 6-7 are just fine with it, even make excuses for it, and dont think anything better should be expected.
As for me, im on board with you. If we win 10 games and lose the west we are still making good progress. If we win 9, it kind of depends on who we lose to and how bad and how we play.
I expect better than 8 wins no doubt, but alao do not expect more than 10 or a conference title at this point.

 

[oldjar07]

I'll try to equate a real life story that, at least, relates to this JUCO influx thing.

A few years ago I took over the sales area of a company that was moderately successful. The sales staff depended mostly on return customers. Those longtime return customers had smaller orders but they were enough to sustain the current sales levels. When I came in, I wanted to make a push on getting new sales. The problem is the staff had grown complacent, they had reliable income and didn't want to willingly step out and sort of pushed back a little. So I decided to spend a lot of time working with them to increase the number of new clients, the first year or so was slow but sales increased they were making money and the return customers didn't leave. We grew steadily after that.

I could have replaced the sales staff from the outside, and my new sales would probably have increased at a higher rate in year 1 but I would have lost some of the older clients.

By the time I moved on I am not sure either path would have resulted in better results than the other. I do know that I had no guarantee the new staff would automatically out perform what I had and I knew that I would lose long time clients if I did replace staff.

Like or don't like. I don't care but the microwave quick fix isn't always best.

Your anecdote doesn't relate to the topic at all. Of course if you get new customers, your sales are going to grow. That's pretty obvious. That has nothing to do with the decision to recruit juco's or not.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

It relates for me. I could have brought in short time guys that had no ties to the company and increased my new sales, or I could go with what I had.

It's not a perfect analogy and you can poke holes if you want. If it makes you feel better about yourself.

 

[oldjar07]

If the holes were so great, why would one not go hard after JUCOs? If the classes three years down the road from when Riley was hired were going to be such a problem, why not go after JUCOs in the first couple years? It's not like the talent level of the #31, #24, and #20 classes involving all freshmen was so much better than some players at the JUCO ranks.

One answer MIGHT be that Eichorst was right in saying we already had players who could compete for championships. Even Bo out-recruited the others in our division.

Exactly, many on here said our talent level was horrible. If our level of talent was that bad, why did we redshirt so many freshmen during Riley's first couple years and why did we not recruit juco's to fill in the gaps?

Maybe Riley overestimated the talent level when he got here and that's on him. That's certainly forgivable if we continue to improve. Also, the talent level wasn't near as bad as people made it out to be. We've had some very good walk-ons the last few years and a few of them started over the scholarship players. I don't see how that's a bad thing, though many made it out to be.

 

[timnsun]

Exactly, many on here said our talent level was horrible. If our level of talent was that bad, why did we redshirt so many freshmen during Riley's first couple years and why did we not recruit juco's to fill in the gaps?

Maybe Riley overestimated the talent level when he got here and that's on him. That's certainly forgivable if we continue to improve. Also, the talent level wasn't near as bad as people made it out to be. We've had some very good walk-ons the last few years and a few of them started over the scholarship players. I don't see how that's a bad thing, though many made it out to be.

At the risk of upsetting Husker1414, I will ask again, who was drafted the first two years of Riley's tenure here? Those were not Riley's players, and only 3 were drafted. First time in Husker history we only had one draft pick. Husker1414 will say that maybe Riley didn't coach them up. That could be true. Or, maybe the reason walk ons started over scholarship players is because the talent level wasn't where it needed to be.

Either way, for us to contend moving forward we will need more talent than we have had, in my opinion.

Please don't fly off the handle and flip out on me, Husker1414, these are just opinions of mine, not gospel. I could easily be wrong.

 

[oldjar07]

At the risk of upsetting Husker1414, I will ask again, who was drafted the first two years of Riley's tenure here? Those were not Riley's players, and only 3 were drafted. First time in Husker history we only had one draft pick. Husker1414 will say that maybe Riley didn't coach them up. That could be true. Or, maybe the reason walk ons started over scholarship players is because the talent level wasn't where it needed to be.

Either way, for us to contend moving forward we will need more talent than we have had, in my opinion.

Please don't fly off the handle and flip out on me, Husker1414, these are just opinions of mine, not gospel. I could easily be wrong.

Yes they were Riley's players because they played for him. It's just as much Riley's fault that we only had 3 players drafted during that time because he chose not to recruit juco players and build things slowly when it was supposedly well known we had talent issues. Pelini was able to recruit some very good jucos who played with us for a year or two, then went to the NFL. Riley didn't do that. That's exactly what we're saying in this thread is if the talent level was so bad, why did we not recruit juco players who better fit Riley's system and could play right away?

 

[timnsun]

Yes they were Riley's players because they played for him. It's just as much Riley's fault that we only had 3 players drafted during that time because he chose not to recruit juco players and build things slowly when it was supposedly well known we had talent issues. Pelini was able to recruit some very good jucos who played with us for a year or two, then went to the NFL. Riley didn't do that. That's exactly what we're saying in this thread is if the talent level was so bad, why did we not recruit juco players who better fit Riley's system and could play right away?

You are right, in that had we brought in the right players, maybe we have one or two more drafted, who knows? But don't assume the coaches didn't try to bring in JUCOs... It is well documented that they did go after JUCOs... None of them came. This isn't a draft, after all. You go after them, but they get to choose where they play.

 

[PeliniTheCrutch]

So since it's clearly not okay to expect just going to the conference championship this year or the next, when is is okay to have such lofty expectations? That's all I ask.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

So since it's clearly not okay to expect just going to the conference championship this year or the next, when is is okay to have such lofty expectations? That's all I ask.

You can have all the short term expectations you want. If you want to expect it this year, expect away. Don't think you need anyone's approval.

 

[huskerfan1414]

I think you're missing the fact that there is history. People who supported Pelini were the most vocal about Riley being a bad hire, and the folks that were ready for a change and spent the better part of 2 years hating Pelini have embraced the change a little more readily. It's not like we all started over Dec 5 2014 with a fresh perspective.

I didnt like Pelini for two years and am waiting for Mike to show me. Not everyone fits the stereotype.

 

[PeliniTheCrutch]

You can have all the short term expectations you want. If you want to expect it this year, expect away. Don't think you need anyone's approval.

What year?

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

You are right, in that had we brought in the right players, maybe we have one or two more drafted, who knows? But don't assume the coaches didn't try to bring in JUCOs... It is well documented that they did go after JUCOs... None of them came. This isn't a draft, after all. You go after them, but they get to choose where they play.

I keep missing memos. Best I can tell some of you believe that you just have to say JUCO come to Nebraska the player no longer has a choice.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I didnt like Pelini for two years and am waiting for Mike to show me. Not everyone fits the stereotype.

clearly there are varying degrees. I hope I didn't insinuate everyone fits neatly in a specific category.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

What year?

Your expectations, you choose the year.