Lee Barfknecht

[timnsun]

For a lady? Like football is far too complicated for ladies to understand? It ain't rocket science.

My oh my, if your parishioners could see you now...

 

[cubsker]

at least this time lee had the stones to write about coaches that are still here. bobo had to leave town before lee would empty his notebook for us.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

key word 'should' was underlined.. I'm saying the narrative we hear is all good, so we should be better on offense, but my gut isn't buying it. My gut is telling me otherwise. Sorry for being a bit unclear.

You weren't unclear. I was just being a bit dim witted. You said "should be better" and I just kind of glossed over that.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Seriously? It's only been posted on here about 100 times how this could happen...

Yes it has and I don't agree with the worst case scenario analysis that was offered. These are predictions, of course, and not guarantees, so all reasonable opinions are valid as predictions. And if you think we will be better this year across the board then I just disagree that that will translate into three fewer wins.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Q


I think you might be drinking a little too much Koolaid. Hope not. Winning is a lot more fun than losing. I hope the defense have a fast transition from a 4-3 defense to 3-4 defense. One of the things you stated is better coaching should help. That is high hopes from a staff who have never proven to be winners on a consistent basis. Riley's staff at Oregon State and his first two years in Lincoln hasn't done anything yet to calm my fears he is not just out for a bigger paycheck. Mike's team flat out quit in the Ohio State, Iowa and Tennessee games last season. You write about a lack of leadership on the team. I think that goes back to the Bo years. I think there was a sharp decline in the leadership and that is on Mike to turn it around. Someone wrote in this thread that we will have stronger leadership under Qb Tanner Lee. I sincerely hope he does great. He seems to be better suited for what Mike wants to do on offense. Until this Saturday I have no idea how he will be and nobody else does either. In another reply to your remarks I read some Husker fan write he wasn't too worried about losing a meaningless bowl game??? Huh? If the Huskers want to end being irrelevant in the college sports world they need to win those games. The thing that really blows my mind the most is another writer of a reply wrote he wasn't too concerned if the Huskers have a 7-5 record this year. Amazing to me that my fellow Husker fans have accepted mediocrity. I guess if all you know is the Solich, Callahan, Pelini and Riley years being ho-hum comes quite naturally. Fortunately for me I was able to enjoy many fine years watching a powerful Husker team play under Bob Devaney and then the great Tom Osborne. GBR

To be clear, I think we will lose 2 or 3 games this year. I think we lose to OSU, PSU and then possibly a third loss to Oregon. So I guess that is koolaid drinking given where we have been lately as a program. But I do think that the pieces are in place for us to beat Wisky, Iowa and Northwestern. All those games are in Lincoln. I reject the thinking that views Wisconsin as some kind of colossus that will probably bludgeon us. We have been a whisker away from beating them the past two years in a row. So I don't think it is koolaid drinking to see us finally knocking them off in Lincoln, especially if it is a night game. Northwestern? We beat them in their place last year, have outrecruited them, and have overall better athletes than they do. Iowa? Two years ago in Lincoln we outplayed them by a country mile but had TA go full "bad Tommy" on them and gift wrap that victory. Last year? A beat up team that gave up. They will play us tough in Lincoln this year, they always do, but it sure isn't koolaid drinking to see us knocking them off. They have QB issues and just really are not the world beaters we made them look like last year.

 

[Dean Pope]

Sometimes I think these writers go out of their way to be negative just to prove they aren't Sipple-like sunshine pumpers.

Lee Barfnecht is the only writer I remember who had the courage to criticize to Steve Peterson before it came out that Smiling Pete was on his way out the door. The criticism of Lee on RSS matched what is being written about him now. But eventually, when Harvey saw the wolves circling outside his own door, he decided to fire his AD during football season and POOF, out came all of the critics!

I'm a Riley supporter and I hope Riley & this staff get another year to recruit standouts to Lincoln. But we have to be realistic. I'm hoping for an 8-4 record myself, but if injuries mount it could be tough sledding.

 

[headcard]

Riley's staff at Oregon State and his first two years in Lincoln hasn't done anything yet to calm my fears he is not just out for a bigger paycheck.

That's a pretty ridiculous statement. A guy just out for a bigger paycheck doesn't fire a friend of over two decades, to upgrade his staff. I get not being happy with his results, but I think it is clear MR isn't just here for a "bigger paycheck"

 

[JohnRossEwing]

That's a pretty ridiculous statement. A guy just out for a bigger paycheck doesn't fire a friend of over two decades, to upgrade his staff. I get not being happy with his results, but I think it is clear MR isn't just here for a "bigger paycheck"

I think he is here for both, I know I would be. More money and a better chance to win.

 

[inWV]

I reject the thinking that views Wisconsin as some kind of colossus that will probably bludgeon us. We have been a whisker away from beating them the past two years in a row.

This. Bo's last two games were 70-31 and 59-24. I believe Melvin Gordon may still be running loose. Riley lost 23-21 and 23-17 in OT. In 2015, the Badgers ran for 147 and last year 223. In 2012, Ball and Gordon topped 200 and White 100. Gordon ran for 408 in 2014. So in the past 2 years, we held the Badgers to 38 yards less rushing than Gordon had in one game and 48 less than Ball and Gordon in 2012. And their top 2 rushers from last year are no longer on their roster.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

That's a pretty ridiculous statement. A guy just out for a bigger paycheck doesn't fire a friend of over two decades, to upgrade his staff. I get not being happy with his results, but I think it is clear MR isn't just here for a "bigger paycheck"

Shhhh. He has believed this nonsense from the beginning. Let him be miserable.

 

[Mack In Motion]

Kevin Steele was our linebackers coach in 1990 and broke his collarbone in a practice.

4 paragraphs in this article attempt to connect that and the fact that he could play cards and was a good cook to Diaco and the 3-4 but I'm not getting there. Must not be very smart.

 

[inWV]

Kevin Steele was our linebackers coach in 1990 and broke his collarbone in a practice.

4 paragraphs in this article attempt to connect that and the fact that he could play cards and was a good cook to Diaco and the 3-4 but I'm not getting there. Must not be very smart.

Apparently Diaco cooks pretty decent italian food , but whether or not that translates to a 3-4 D that can be stout against the run is another issue, possibly.

 

[dinglefritz]

Holy crap, for a lady you really know your football. Im not sure if my wife knows the difference between a 4-3 and a 3-4 let alone what an Okie front is.

Tom's Wife is no lady......

 

[Harry Caray]

Lee Barfnecht is the only writer I remember who had the courage to criticize to Steve Peterson before it came out that Smiling Pete was on his way out the door. The criticism of Lee on RSS matched what is being written about him now. But eventually, when Harvey saw the wolves circling outside his own door, he decided to fire his AD during football season and POOF, out came all of the critics!

Lee's whole schtick is to criticize the NU Athletic Administration. That's what he's always done. Sometimes that criticism is warranted, but other times he is just grasping for straws.

 

[StrongArm517]

As the only AP voter in the state, Barfy voted for Michigan over Nebraska in 1997. Guy is a tool. Pretty much everyone at the OWH covering Huskers is as well. That's why sites like this and other online media are crushing newspapers.

This says it all. "Tool" is right.

 

[Dean Pope]

Lee's whole schtick is to criticize the NU Athletic Administration. That's what he's always done. Sometimes that criticism is warranted, but other times he is just grasping for straws.

Perhaps you're right. I've seen flaws in the program for so long that I guess I wouldn't notice. SP/BC and Bo eras had it coming. With Riley's latest changes in staff, this could be our best admin/coaching combo in 20 years.

 

[B1G RED RULES]

says we can expect a "bumpy ride" this year. He says he bases this on information he has gotten from various sources that it usually takes a full year to shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. He also was taken aback by how nonchalant the players were about last year's embarrassment in the bowl loss.

I don't have much respect for Barfknecht nor for football journalists in general. But he does at least raise two questions that have been discussed on this board before that deserve more discussion:

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?

My view is that most of what was holding our defense back last year was lackluster coaching. I think we see a more immediate turnaround than Barfy suggests due to a better staff. The weak link is OLB. I say we will surprise at that position and be better than people think. The key will be pass coverage by the OLB. We will soon see.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?

I have no clue here and that is important. There might be a small handful of people on this board who have the pulse of the locker room and can validly advance an opinion about this. Barfy suggests that last year this was an issue. Is he right about that? If he is, what was the source of the apathy? Is it still there?

As an outsider you cannot form an opinion on this issue based on articles in the papers. They are mostly inflated, feel-good, bullshit. And in my opinion our season will rise or fall based on this issue. We do have decent talent. And we have a good coaching staff in place. But what will the attitude of the team be at the first sign of adversity?

Like it or not, this team quit last year against Iowa and Tennessee. Especially on defense. And don't give me the crap about injuries to our QB. In 94 I watched Nebraska beat a very good K State team in Manhattan with Turman as QB. Yes, yes, we do not have the overall talent of that 94 team. But I stand by my assertion that last year's team quit. Iowa had a very, very average offense last year. And they pounded it down our throats like they were playing Rice. Tennessee had more offensive talent than Iowa, but they were not world beaters by any means. And yet they looked like the most well oiled offensive machine in America against us.

I say this year will be different due to the new staff. Koolaid drinking? I don't know. We will see

I'm sure glad this biased a**hole is eating crow after tonight's performance.

 

[Broadway O]

says we can expect a "bumpy ride" this year. He says he bases this on information he has gotten from various sources that it usually takes a full year to shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. He also was taken aback by how nonchalant the players were about last year's embarrassment in the bowl loss.

I don't have much respect for Barfknecht nor for football journalists in general. But he does at least raise two questions that have been discussed on this board before that deserve more discussion:

1. How successful will Diaco be in the first year of the 3-4?

My view is that most of what was holding our defense back last year was lackluster coaching. I think we see a more immediate turnaround than Barfy suggests due to a better staff. The weak link is OLB. I say we will surprise at that position and be better than people think. The key will be pass coverage by the OLB. We will soon see.

2. Do we have true leaders on this team and do most players on this team truly buy into a culture of excellence?

I have no clue here and that is important. There might be a small handful of people on this board who have the pulse of the locker room and can validly advance an opinion about this. Barfy suggests that last year this was an issue. Is he right about that? If he is, what was the source of the apathy? Is it still there?

As an outsider you cannot form an opinion on this issue based on articles in the papers. They are mostly inflated, feel-good, bullshit. And in my opinion our season will rise or fall based on this issue. We do have decent talent. And we have a good coaching staff in place. But what will the attitude of the team be at the first sign of adversity?

Like it or not, this team quit last year against Iowa and Tennessee. Especially on defense. And don't give me the crap about injuries to our QB. In 94 I watched Nebraska beat a very good K State team in Manhattan with Turman as QB. Yes, yes, we do not have the overall talent of that 94 team. But I stand by my assertion that last year's team quit. Iowa had a very, very average offense last year. And they pounded it down our throats like they were playing Rice. Tennessee had more offensive talent than Iowa, but they were not world beaters by any means. And yet they looked like the most well oiled offensive machine in America against us.

I say this year will be different due to the new staff. Koolaid drinking? I don't know. We will see

Why don't you go back and look at Lee's articles over say the last 10 years and then report back if he was usually right or usually wrong...let me know what you find.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Why don't you go back and look at Lee's articles over say the last 10 years and then report back if he was usually right or usually wrong...let me know what you find.

He was mostly right. But only because of the happy coincidence of our turn to mediocrity as a program with his general negative attitude. I still think he is an asshole who thinks too highly of himself. Kind of like me.

 

[TheBeav815]

I would describe last night's game as a bumpy ride. Chalk one in the W column, but did I tell you they still have no pass rush?

68 attempts, 1 sack. Bleh.

 

[Redblood23]

We literally don't have the personnel to run the 3-4 effectively. No true nose tackle or 5 techs and OLBs. It will take time no doubt.