Ok all the hand wringing aside. Who's excited to see how this season all plays out?

[dinglefritz]

With all the injuries and depth issues on defense, we are going to struggle at times defensively. There is no way around it and there should be no argument about it. Its going to be fun to see who can step up and help us at linebacker. Can Freedom or Dzursis (sp?) make a difference at DE? Its going to be interesting to see how our defensive staff tries to piece things together. Lastly its going to be fun to see if TA and the WRers we have can put enough points on the board to try to outscore our opponents because let's face it, our WRers are probably the best position group we have. EVERY game from here on out is potentially going to be a dogfight going down to the wire and I for one am looking forward to the gut wrenching ups and downs of what I am sure we are going to see. Watching Riley and his staff try to piece this one together is going to make for some interesting watching and discussion. I'm going to keep a positive outlook and cheer em on because I see brighter days ahead for NU football. We're having to play a BUNCH of young guys and that IMO is going to eventually pay dividends down the road.GBR.

 

[suhnami]

I like winning so, no, not excited.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

We are still more talented than nearly all on our schedule. We will have plenty of wins. Have you watched the West?

 

[dinglefritz]

I like winning so, no, not excited.

I like winning too but seeing kids step up, get coached up, and do things nobody expected is fun too. We're gonna win games. No guarantees on how many, but the ride is going to be fun. IF you don't enjoy the battle, the victory means little. Fill the schedule with patsies if you don't like the battle. Win or lose, I'm not going to let it spoil this season for me. We've got a fresh start with a staff, QB and players that are easy to root for. Get your oar in the water and start pulling man. Gonna be fun.

 

[suhnami]

Have you watched our defense?

 

[dinglefritz]

Have you watched our defense?

Kids are going to have to step up and TA and his boys are going to have to outscore people.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

I don't know how it will play out, but you can bet I will not go into another game day without at least 6 cold friends in the fridge to help get me through it.

 

[dinglefritz]

I don't know how it will play out, but you can bet I will not go into another game day without at least 6 cold friends in the fridge to help get me through it.

Only 6? Getting old?

 

[suhnami]

I like winning too but seeing kids step up, get coached up, and do things nobody expected is fun too. We're gonna win games. No guarantees on how many, but the ride is going to be fun. IF you don't enjoy the battle, the victory means little. Fill the schedule with patsies if you don't like the battle. Win or lose, I'm not going to let it spoil this season for me. We've got a fresh start with a staff, QB and players that are easy to root for. Get your oar in the water and start pulling man. Gonna be fun.

I think you're dangerously close to buying into the moral victory BS and I get if you're reaching for anything to feel good about, but Nebraska is about winning and championships. 1-2 with a defense ranked pretty much last in the country, as a middle of the pack Big10 team at best, is not an enjoyable battle for any fan.

We'll see what happens. Maybe Riley does the best coaching job of his life and Nebraska has a few bounces go their way, but that doesn't look very likely right now 3 games in.

 

[suhnami]

I don't know how it will play out, but you can bet I will not go into another game day without at least 6 cold friends in the fridge to help get me through it.

6 for the 1st quarter right?

 

[dinglefritz]

I think you're dangerously close to buying into the moral victory BS and I get if you're reaching for anything to feel good about, but Nebraska is about winning and championships. 1-2 with a defense ranked pretty much last in the country, as a middle of the pack Big10 team at best, is not an enjoyable battle for any fan.

We'll see what happens. Maybe Riley does the best coaching job of his life and Nebraska has a few bounces go their way, but that doesn't look very likely right now 3 games in.

Moral victory my ass. A loss is a loss. I EXPECTED struggles this year and KNEW that ONE injury at linebacker or DE could be disastrous. Now we've had several there. I am just a REALIST with REALISTIC expectations and am going to enjoy this season no matter how many people try to piss in my Wheaties. IF Riley and this team can somehow win the West IMO it will go down as maybe one of the best coaching jobs we've seen at NU since Tom retired. IF not then so be it. I see lots of things to like for the future of NU football with some of things I am seeing and all the young kids that are having to play.

 

[jflores]

This guy is. Not a fan of a lot of impatient fans though.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

We will be fine with a couple injuries. A monkey could win nine games with our schedule.

 

[bigboxes]

We will be fine with a couple injuries. A monkey could win nine games with our schedule.

Just stop. You might as well find another board to troll because no one is falling for your act.

 

[bigboxes]

Honestly, I am quite content this season. My expectations are for the long term. I too hate losses, but after we excised that tumor from last season I feel the health of our program is much improved.

 

[mkbrkloster]

We are still more talented than nearly all on our schedule. We will have plenty of wins. Have you watched the West?

Talent at spots is one thing, but when you are missing scholarship-worthy players along the entire depth at certain entire positions, you just can't hide those holes. Even mediocre teams will exploit that. Add to that other positions whose best players are just plain average, and the "we have more talent" argument you keep spouting quickly fades.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Talent at spots is one thing, but when you are missing scholarship-worthy players along the entire depth at certain entire positions, you just can't hide those holes. Even mediocre teams will exploit that. Add to that other positions whose best players are just plain average, and the "we have more talent" argument you keep spouting quickly fades.

What about what Sam says? How about Eichorst? This board has been spouting these views for months...thinking if we get people to believe the no-talent argument nobody will be allowed to discuss criticism of the coaches. For example...notice how few will even mention how we are almost dead last in penalties. Just because you want there to be one narrative doesn't mean it is anywhere near the truth.

 

[BigBL87]

I'm not sure I'm excited to watch, because I'm nervous. But, it will probably be exciting to watch based on our first 3 games.

 

[Hoosker Du]

We are still more talented than nearly all on our schedule. We will have plenty of wins. Have you watched the West?

It's more about having proven talent, and I believe our talent at RB and on the OLine is far from proven. That makes moving the ball on a consistent basis a difficult proposition.

On the defensive side of the ball, we don't have proven talent at DE or at CB. And one of our safety spots isn't exactly proven either.

I'm not trying to be a downer here. I'm just looking objectively at what we are faced with. All of our RBs and 4/5 of our OLine could be considered unproven. That's 5 out of 11 of our starters. That's a substantial percentage.

Of the defensive starters, 3 out of 4 DBs, 1 of our LBs, and both DEs could be considered at least somewhat unproven. That's 6 of 11, which is disconcerting.

And yet, for some reason, I am still optimistic. Someone please explain to me why I am feeling so positive about our team. Is it because of the positive feeling I have about our QB and WRs (sans some drops last week) and their progress from last year, and that's clouding my judgement on the rest of the team? Because typically if you are unnerved about half of your starters on both sides of the ball, you aren't going to feel this positive.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Let me give you help to be optimistic about the oline and backs.

4.6
7.1
5.9

Avg yards per carry by our starting tailback the last three games. Should go even higher with the patsies coming up. If Tommy starts to run the numbers will be even higher.

Optimism.

 

[mkbrkloster]

What about what Sam says? How about Eichorst? This board has been spouting these views for months...thinking if we get people to believe the no-talent argument nobody will be allowed to discuss criticism of the coaches. For example...notice how few will even mention how we are almost dead last in penalties. Just because you want there to be one narrative doesn't mean it is anywhere near the truth.

I don't give a crap what "Sam" says. You mean the Eichorst that admitted that player evaluation weren't his strength during the coaching transition?

Here's the reality:

• We have trouble being consistent in the running game because we have a mediocre line and a stable of mediocre backs. You don't necessarily need both, but one of those groups has to be really good if you want to run the ball consistently.
• We are VERY close to having open tryouts from the flag football team to find some warm bodies to fill in at LB. Even without the injuries, this position was grossly mismanaged over the last several years, leading us to where we are currently.
• The DE position is weak with no depth, to the point where a very recent position change (from the other side of the ball) creates the only pressure on the QB we've seen this year.
• The combination of LB and DE in part means we can't get pressure on the QB, which exploits our DB's, and I'm still not sure of what we have there.

Our average recruiting rankings over the last 5 years is something like 28. Miami's is 19. That doesn't even begin to factor in the insane amount of 3-4 star players over the last several years that never did anything and are no longer with the team, for one reason or another. Those were Bo's best classes!

That's the reality. Please quit with your broken record about enough talent when such big, gaping holes at entire positions exist. TA is drastically improved in many areas and is the heart and soul of this team. I like how our WR's play. Since you claim we have so much talent, tell me, what else do we have that is of conference championship quality? Give me specifics.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

I don't give a crap what "Sam" says. You mean the Eichorst that admitted that player evaluation weren't his strength during the coaching transition?

Here's the reality:

• We have trouble in the running game because we have a mediocre line and a stable of mediocre backs. You don't necessarily need both, but one of those groups has to be really good if you want to run the ball consistently.
• We are VERY close to having open tryouts from the flag football team to find some warm bodies to fill in at LB. Even without the injuries, this position was grossly mismanaged over the last several years, leading us to where we are currently.
• The DE position is weak with no depth, to the point where a very recent position change (from the other side of the ball) creates the only pressure on the QB we've seen this year.
• The combination of LB and DE in part means we can't get pressure on the QB, which exploits our DB's, and I'm still not sure of what we have there.

Our average recruiting rankings over the last 5 years is something like 28. Miami's is 19. That doesn't even begin to factor in the insane amount of 3-4 star players over the last several years that never did anything and are no longer with the team, for one reason or another. Those were Bo's best classes!

That's the reality. Please quit with your broken record about enough talent when such big, gaping holes at entire positions exist. TA is drastically improved in many areas and is the heart and soul of this team. I like how our WR's play. Since you claim we have so much talent, tell me, what else do we have that is of conference championship quality? Give me specifics.

Look at stats above. You act like we are getting stuffed all the time.

11.0
3.2
5.8

Ameer Abdullahfirst three games of 2014.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Let me give you help to be optimistic about the oline and backs.

4.6
7.1
5.9

Avg yards per carry by our starting tailback the last three games. Should go even higher with the patsies coming up. If Tommy starts to run the numbers will be even higher.

Optimism.

Sorry, I've seen our RBs and OLine perform, and those numbers aren't helping. We've been stopped on a number of occasions on 3rd and short, and have not been a consistently successful running team.

Maybe I'm used to our RB hitting holes, and accelerating. Our starting RB's vision just isn't to the level that gives me confidence in his ability to quickly adjust to where the hole opens, and then accelerate through that hole. I want to see a more consistent performance from both the OLine and RBs.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

"Our average recruiting rankings over the last 5 years is something like 28"

and that's before a lot of the higher ranked prospects left campus. It's really closer to 40ish now, and guess what? We're actually playing better than a 40th ranked recruiting class right now. Hate the 1-2, but if you're being honest, and can look at more than just the 1-2, no reasonable person can be that surprised.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Sorry, I've seen our RBs and OLine perform, and those numbers aren't helping. We've been stopped on a number of occasions on 3rd and short, and have not been a consistently successful running team.

Maybe I'm used to our RB hitting holes, and accelerating. Our starting RB's vision just isn't to the level that gives me confidence in his ability to quickly adjust to where the hole opens, and then accelerate through that hole. I want to see a more consistent performance from both the OLine and RBs.

More consistent than Ameer? Fine. Ameer was a big play back who increased his average with monster runs. See the 11.0 against FAU. In order to get similar numbers we had to be more consistent. Newby's 5.9 against Miami was pretty stinking good.

P.S. we have played fairly stout competition and Newby's average is better than Ameer over his career and in his best year. Is Newby as good...no. But the idea that we stink at running the ball is a fallacy put out by people who want to say our talent at oline and running back stinks. Even people here in thread are spouting that notion.

P.P.S. Newby is averaging 107.7 ypg.

 

[nebcountry]

We will be fine with a couple injuries. A monkey could win nine games with our schedule.

More consistent than Ameer? Fine. Ameer was a big play back who increased his average with monster runs. See the 11.0 against FAU. In order to get similar numbers we had to be more consistent. Newby's 5.9 against Miami was pretty stinking good.

P.S. we have played fairly stout competition and Newby's average is better than Ameer over his career and in his best year. Is Newby as good...no. But the idea that we stink at running the ball is a fallacy put out by people who want to say our talent at online and running back stinks.

It burns. It burns us.

 

[Hoosker Du]

More consistent than Ameer? Fine. Ameer was a big play back who increased his average with monster runs. See the 11.0 against FAU. In order to get similar numbers we had to be more consistent. Newby's 5.9 against Miami was pretty good.

Maybe this is why I said "consistent." Of Newby's 14 carries, only 3 were more than 5 yards. Those 3 carries accounted for close to 60 percent of his yards. Along with all of the 3rd and shorts that we didn't get in earlier games, it just gives me a lack of confidence in our running game.

 

[mkbrkloster]

More consistent than Ameer? Fine. Ameer was a big play back who increased his average with monster runs. See the 11.0 against FAU. In order to get similar numbers we had to be more consistent. Newby's 5.9 against Miami was pretty stinking good.

P.S. we have played fairly stout competition and Newby's average is better than Ameer over his career and in his best year. Is Newby as good...no. But the idea that we stink at running the ball is a fallacy put out by people who want to say our talent at oline and running back stinks. Even people here in thread are spouting that notion.

P.P.S. Newby is averaging 107.7 ypg.

Is that the game we were down multiple scores from pretty much the kickoff? Yeah, generally defenses with big leads play in a way that allows for some runs, protecting against quick TD's through the air. I never said either group stinks, quit trying to put words in my mouth. I did say we've had trouble being consistent running the ball and I do believe neither group is really good. My eyes tell me more than those stats do.

 

[Hoosker Du]

More consistent than Ameer? Fine. Ameer was a big play back who increased his average with monster runs. See the 11.0 against FAU. In order to get similar numbers we had to be more consistent. Newby's 5.9 against Miami was pretty stinking good.

P.S. we have played fairly stout competition and Newby's average is better than Ameer over his career and in his best year. Is Newby as good...no. But the idea that we stink at running the ball is a fallacy put out by people who want to say our talent at oline and running back stinks. Even people here in thread are spouting that notion.

P.P.S. Newby is averaging 107.7 ypg.

Probably because our OLine hasn't looked that good. Tommy was running for his life half the time on Saturday. If he wasn't as mobile as he was, we would be looking at a lot of sacks over the last 3 games. We are very fortunate that we have him, because our two losses could have ended up looking a lot worse. He and the receivers are the definite bright spots of this team, despite the drops on Saturday.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Is that the game we were down multiple scores from pretty much the kickoff? Yeah, generally defenses with big leads play in a way that allows for some runs, protecting against quick TD's through the air. I never said either group stinks, quit trying to put words in my mouth. I did say we've had trouble being consistent running the ball and I do believe neither group is really good. My eyes tell me more than those stats do.

Stop. I will trust stats over your eyes. And it's nonsense if you want us to believe that you thought we ran the ball well against Miami...but only did so becausebof the score.You didn't know that we ran it well because you have a narrative you want to keep going.

This act is getting old.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Is that the game we were down multiple scores from pretty much the kickoff? Yeah, generally defenses with big leads play in a way that allows for some runs, protecting against quick TD's through the air. I never said either group stinks, quit trying to put words in my mouth. I did say we've had trouble being consistent running the ball and I do believe neither group is really good. My eyes tell me more than those stats do.

Precisely. I just don't have the confidence that our OLine and RBs are going to get it done on a regular basis. The eyeball test sometimes carries more weight than numbers.

And Tom, 107 YPG doesn't mean much to me when 200 of those yards came against an undermanned defense.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Stop. I will trust stats over your eyes. And it's nonsense if you want us to believe that you thought we ran the ball well against Miami...but only did so becausebof the score.You didn't know that we ran it well because you have a narrative you want to keep going.

This act is getting old.

Now see, there's your problem. By trusting numbers over what you see, you missed the fact that roughly 60% of Newby's yardage came on 3 out of his 14 carries. He had enough 1, 2, and 3 yard carries that I'm still not confident in his and the OLine's ability to carry this team if Tommy isn't on his game.

You're right, YOUR act is getting old. I don't give a crap about proving anyone right or wrong here. I'm simply stating what I see. I either see a guy that takes too long getting through the holes, or I see an OLine that doesn't open up big enough holes, that cause our RB to hesitate too much getting through the hole. I've also seen an OLine that on many occasions couldn't get us a yard or two to secure a first down.

 

[mkbrkloster]

Stop. I will trust stats over your eyes. And it's nonsense if you want us to believe that you thought we ran the ball well against Miami...but only did so because of the score.You didn't know that we ran it well because you have a narrative you want to keep going.

This act is getting old.

Great, you keep your stat then, I'll watch the game. I don't have an on-going narrative. I have said very little on here about things I see this year.

Of Newby's 14 carries, only 3 were more than 5 yards. Those 3 carries accounted for close to 60 percent of his yards. Along with all of the 3rd and shorts that we didn't get in earlier games, it just gives me a lack of confidence in our running game.

Funny what happens when you do a little digging into your stat.

 

[Hoosker Du]

BTW, I'm not saying our RBs and OLIne "stink" either. I'm just saying that they are pretty average, and don't give me a lot of confidence that they could win a game for us if our passing game wasn't 'on.'

It's actually been quite a surprise to me, because I had heard good things about Cavanaugh. I'm still holding out hope that they come together and become a strong OLine.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Great, you keep your stat then, I'll watch the game. I don't have an on-going narrative. I have said very little on here about things I see this year.



Funny what happens when you do a little digging into your stat.

71% of Ameers yards last year against Miami were on runs of more than five yards. It works that way for most.

These are the diversions that often happen. Instead of saying,"Maybe we aren't as bad as I thought we find ways to run down our talent.

 

[z28craz]

Haven't read the thread but I'm excited. BYU is proving to have been a pretty salty opponent. And I think once this year plays out Miami will be a legit ACC South contender. I think we're better than what our record suggests and I think the early losses to decent teams will provide a lot of valuable experience once conference starts. I am concerned about injuries and feel that could completely derail us, but all things considered I'm excited to see the season play out.

What's really interesting to me, and I find it neither positive or negative, but other than Tom Dinert's power rankings each week, there seems to be very little either positive or negative coming from BTN. That makes me think their guys are equally intrigued by the fact that we could completely spiral out of control, or be a force in the west this year. Will certainly be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[suhnami]

Look, Newby is not making as many plays as he should or we would like. He's very fast, but he's not breaking very many tackles at all. Wilbon was much more elusive, but apparently he's not hitting the right holes in practice is what I heard. Seemed to do alright in the game when he got in.

 

[jeans15]

I'm hoping the season ends up better after a slow start.

As opposed to the season starting off good then being a beating at the end, because of the drama from an embarrassing loss at the end of the season.

 

[huskerj12]

Absolutely. I said it in another thread but I'll say it again - This might be a rough year because of the injuries and bad luck and bad depth, but these guys, led by Tommy, are a bunch of fighters who are going to give their all. It's just gonna be one of those "Ragtag Bunch" type of years. We have enough talent to make things interesting, that's for sure. I'm ready to ride the roller coaster and hope to see some improvement and fun along the way.

NU 2015 =

 

[mkbrkloster]

71% of Ameers yards last year against Miami were on runs of more than five yards. It works that way for most.

Did you just make that up? For someone that loves stats, you quote stats that are just simply not true (I say this even though your made up stat would have made my point for me). Ameer had right around 50% of his carries last year for 5 yards or more against Miami. For comparison sake, Newby and this years OL were at 20% against Miami. You still strengthened my point for me, so thanks.

My point from the beginning is not that they are worthless, but rather inconsistent so far. You've done nothing to change my mind.

I asked you earlier to be specific about position groups (including our D which you try to ignore) that were conference championship caliber (from a talent perspective, since that's what we're talking about). (Un)surprisingly, you never answered. Feel free to now.