Riley's Biggest Mistake

[CatColumbia]

Riley bringing his golf buddies/assistant coaches was the kiss of death. And Eichorst hiring Riley was the end of his time here and ours as fans.

So unfortunate that we've had to endure this whole debacle. We're so damn soft, just like MR's personality. I like MR and more people on earth need to be nice like him but he does not need to be leading our football program.

Watching programs like Penn St. and Wisconsin doing well and figuring out how it's done is really frustrating.

 

[TruHusker]

We just had a freshman receiver go for 200 yards against osu. If that doesnt show you how good of a coach the wr williams is I dont know what will. We've redshirted and held back talent. It doesnt happen overnight.

As for the db williams... He's a recruiter and our good dbs are young. It takes time and the guy was literally just hired. The guy brings in so much talent the rest is gravy... Or at least is dealable.

Our problem is the front seven on defense. Has been for years. Young dbs get exposed with no pass rush and no run defense. Sound familiar?

Having a freshman go for over 200 yards doesn't make a world beater of a coach. It does mean you threw the ball a lot of times because you were getting slaughtered and your number one receiver couldn't get open.

So, you are telling me we are holding back some really good talent? If that is the case then Riley definitely needs another year or two. He is stock piling the talent for a big run starting next year. Who would be some of this talent by the way that is redshirted and part of the stockpile? We obviously are not a deep team and could use all the help we can find right now.

Our DB's are young? The entire team is young for crying out loud so how is that the excuse? The Davis twins up front are Sophs so what is your point? I could say the entire front seven is young as well so that would be a good reason? We have hardly any seniors on the team overall. How many INT's do our CB's have as a group? There appears to be some good young talent among the DB's but for reason it has not developed. Dismuke, Anderson, Butler, Jackson, and Lee to name a few that have high expectations when they came here.

Certainly, not having a good pass rush puts more pressure on DB's to maintain coverage longer. That doesn't mean the DB takes bad angles, doesn't play physical, gets turned around easily, plays off balance and doesn't maintain good position. Some of it is definitely the laid back D we are playing right now designed to keep everything in front of them. Which further means you are backing up and coming forward when you see the ball.

Recruiting is its own season and wining it is part of the season, now what are you going to do with the players to help them get better? The fact you said Williams is a recruiter and didn't comment on his coaching says something. If a new head coach is hired, they will decide whether to keep any of the current assistant coaches. I would dare say, that will be an interesting time for Husker fans should it happen.

 

[Camcon2016]

Ditto! I mean we don’t just lose games, we loose games! With all these games we loose, it is really causing a looseing mentality around here.

I think the singer Beck said it best: “I’m a looser baby, see why don’t you keel me!”

That's two funny!!!!

 

[Blackshirt30]

Scott Frost would get us a Conference title for the foreseeable future, with a team full of Freshmen walk-ons.

Not true. Frost couldn't coach Nebraska worth a damn lick because he played here. That means he can't be a good coach.

 

[c2o]

Eichorst hired him.
The man has energy vampires in his office.
Or around his office.
I'm not sure.

But one thing we do not need is somebody hiring coaches who has energy vampires in, or around, his office.
Who do you think man will hire?
He'll hire Mike Riley.

Not good if you want to beat people up.
I want to beat people up.

 

[huskerbr12]

Urgency, no freaking urgency.

 

[Jarvis]

Scott Frost would get us a Conference title for the foreseeable future, with a team full of Freshmen walk-ons.

Against Ohio State our defense looked like a squad of Freshman walk-ons.

 

[bomber89]

He was in over his head from the moment he was hired. They gave him the biggest staff of non coaches in the history of Husker football. A former NFL GM, and countless others who bloated the staff and he still couldn't handle roster management.

He has coaches that can recruit but cant coach and coaches that can coach but cant recruit (all be it that list is very small). Doesn't have a single coach on that staff that can do both. He thought he could take his current staff and just come in here and double his wins because of Nebraska's tradition and facilities. He might be a nice guy but he was full of pride and ignorance.

He was hired for one reason and one reason only. He was the total opposite of Bo. There is no other reason to hire a tad over .500 head coach at Nebraska.

He took over a team that won 9 games minimum in the last 4 years before his hire and he has two losing seasons since taking over and people want to cover for him? Seriously? He ranks right up there with Callahan, Pederson, and his former boss of SE as people who have done serious harm to Nebraska.

 

[Kleitusbpn]

Having a freshman go for over 200 yards doesn't make a world beater of a coach. It does mean you threw the ball a lot of times because you were getting slaughtered and your number one receiver couldn't get open.

So, you are telling me we are holding back some really good talent? If that is the case then Riley definitely needs another year or two. He is stock piling the talent for a big run starting next year. Who would be some of this talent by the way that is redshirted and part of the stockpile? We obviously are not a deep team and could use all the help we can find right now.

Our DB's are young? The entire team is young for crying out loud so how is that the excuse? The Davis twins up front are Sophs so what is your point? I could say the entire front seven is young as well so that would be a good reason? We have hardly any seniors on the team overall. How many INT's do our CB's have as a group? There appears to be some good young talent among the DB's but for reason it has not developed. Dismuke, Anderson, Butler, Jackson, and Lee to name a few that have high expectations when they came here.

Certainly, not having a good pass rush puts more pressure on DB's to maintain coverage longer. That doesn't mean the DB takes bad angles, doesn't play physical, gets turned around easily, plays off balance and doesn't maintain good position. Some of it is definitely the laid back D we are playing right now designed to keep everything in front of them. Which further means you are backing up and coming forward when you see the ball.

Recruiting is its own season and wining it is part of the season, now what are you going to do with the players to help them get better? The fact you said Williams is a recruiter and didn't comment on his coaching says something. If a new head coach is hired, they will decide whether to keep any of the current assistant coaches. I would dare say, that will be an interesting time for Husker fans should it happen.

... As opposed to running all the time because we had a line then? 200 receiving yards is significantly harder to achieve than 100 rushing yards regardless of circumstances. Especially with no line. If you think coaching has no say in that then I have some oceanfront property in south dakota to sell you because you will believe anything.

I have no problem with a coach hiring his own guys. But considering those two coaches are responsible for the bulk of the class and are still performing? They should be retained. Period.

I wll reiterate -- db williams has not had any time to fix bad habits. Marvin sanders took two years in 2008/9 and well... He was good and expecting better is asinine. Some of it is scheme with diaco but come on... Be realistic with the criticism.

 

[TruHusker]

... As opposed to running all the time because we had a line then? 200 receiving yards is significantly harder to achieve than 100 rushing yards regardless of circumstances. Especially with no line. If you think coaching has no say in that then I have some oceanfront property in south dakota to sell you because you will believe anything.

I have no problem with a coach hiring his own guys. But considering those two coaches are responsible for the bulk of the class and are still performing? They should be retained. Period.

I wll reiterate -- db williams has not had any time to fix bad habits. Marvin sanders took two years in 2008/9 and well... He was good and expecting better is asinine. Some of it is scheme with diaco but come on... Be realistic with the criticism.

Oh I get it, the same O line only has to pass block and not run block. Where did I state that "coaching has no say in that"? I have coached so I know better. Don't just make stuff up. We have had a 100 yard rusher in every game except tOSU when we threw constantly.

And since you don't feel like answering the questions I pose, and desire to rely on emotion, perhaps you can list how many all league players our current WR coach has had. Are you asking a question of making a statement about the "two coaches are responsible for the bulk of the class and are still performing?" ? There is a difference between physical and mental mistakes. D backs have to do the little things to improve and it shows up on the field. You can win the recruiting game all you want but if you don't match that same success on the practice field, tell me what you have accomplished? I hear the disdain with Cav and some other coaches but don't be so naive to fall for the flowery stuff thinking we have world beaters are some positions. Some good play should be showing up more often. I also want to know who the stock piled talent is we are holding back. If I use your logic then we should cut the talk about any coaches and see where we end up in another year or two because we are young and we have stockpiled talent.

 

[Kleitusbpn]

I've said I'm coming from the pov that riley is gone. Too much smoke to be no fire. At that point you pick what to keep. My pov stems from that... I have no idea where you are seeing me saying that keeping other coaches should happen is coming from.

Langs? Nope. Cav? Nope. Etc.

I didnt answer your questions because I felt I already answered them.

Full turnover on the staff likely won't happen and shouldnt. At this point the only ones I would keep are the two williams, maybe parella and maybe diaco. The rest... *shrugs*

Not much more to say.

 

[Kleitusbpn]

... Oh and parella as the single holdover on staff because he played here is not the correct answer. I think he has been a step up over hughes bit that isnt saying much. We have a long ways to go.

I am willing to keep him but it won't be because he played here.

 

[Nihilist Rodgers]

Allowing us to get into a first year rebuild in his third year is just plain stupid. He clearly doesn't understand our culture and doesn't have the foresight we need from our coach. After graduating 30 seniors he basically scrapped the defense and offense. We now look like it is our first year in D1 football. I have changed my mind on giving him more time since a new coach would only set us back 1 year

his biggest mistake was taking this job.. he had no biz trying to run a machine like Nebraska. He should have taken an FCS job then retired. He has not, nor ever will be an elite coach.

 

[t7w0c1]

He should have cleaned house and got rid of all the Bobots from day one. Instead of babying them, he needed to be tougher and go with a my way or the highway attitude. I also think he should have at least explored some juco options to fill in the holes he had on this team. Sounds like they are at least exploring that option now. May be too late though.

Hiring a 3-4 d-coordinator was absolutely stupid. It just shows MR was on a 10 year Hooters plan. Discos comments about just getting started only reassure that.

 

[Sooner_or_Later]

Allowing us to get into a first year rebuild in his third year is just plain stupid. He clearly doesn't understand our culture and doesn't have the foresight we need from our coach. After graduating 30 seniors he basically scrapped the defense and offense. We now look like it is our first year in D1 football. I have changed my mind on giving him more time since a new coach would only set us back 1 year

disagree. No one knew the damage that had been done to this program by Pelini at the core. No talent left and a team of mentally damaged players. Shame on us for letting the Pelini experiment last past his 3rd season.

 

[NikkiSixx]

Cleaning house would have put us at 3 wins the first two years. Maybe.

Armstrong would never have played another down. The guy couldnt hit the broadside of a barn.

He would never have made year three if he had done that.

Now... If you said he should never have brought banker here and should have hired recruiters at all coaching positions? Yeah... Ok... I'm good with that.

hahahahaha... Banker > Diaco & Armstrong > Lee

 

[Kleitusbpn]

Dont agree on Armstrong for sure. Armstrong was a bit of a poison pill. For all the good he did he still killed you when it counted. Tanner hasnt even had a chance to make anything resembling a difference yet and he has improved as the year has gone on. It isnt like armstrong ever played hero ball pick six or anything.

Oh wait... Every time he played.

Diaco got handed a bad hand... And banker is at fault for a lot of it. Whether or not he can fix it is probably moot unless they step up the last six games. Nobody expected great things this year with a total changeover.

Or at least nobody should have.

Would have liked to see better but well... /shrugs

I truthfully pity whoever comes next ... doesnt matter if they are frost or not. I think the fanbase has reached a point where very few can talk about much rationally because they hurt too much. A lot of the fanbase is more than a bit like an animal that has gone rabid...

 

[cubsker]

disagree. No one knew the damage that had been done to this program by Pelini at the core. No talent left and a team of mentally damaged players. Shame on us for letting the Pelini experiment last past his 3rd season.

we were really good in 2010.

 

[bodybybacon]

NU isn't good enough to bypass the JUCO ranks. More importantly, a school like Nebraska with its smaller population base, is basically putting itself on probation from a recruiting standpoint. Albeit, self-imposed...

 

[RiLLLLLLLLey]

Scott Frost would get us a Conference title for the foreseeable future, with a team full of Freshmen walk-ons.

Problem is, Riley has a verifiable history, decades, of coaching teams to a record not unlike we’ve seen and are currently witnessing. But he beat Oregon and USC once or twice, so there’s that.

 

[meo1960]

... As opposed to running all the time because we had a line then? 200 receiving yards is significantly harder to achieve than 100 rushing yards regardless of circumstances. Especially with no line. If you think coaching has no say in that then I have some oceanfront property in south dakota to sell you because you will believe anything.

I have no problem with a coach hiring his own guys. But considering those two coaches are responsible for the bulk of the class and are still performing? They should be retained. Period.

I wll reiterate -- db williams has not had any time to fix bad habits. Marvin sanders took two years in 2008/9 and well... He was good and expecting better is asinine. Some of it is scheme with diaco but come on... Be realistic with the criticism.

Respectfully disagree.
Passing is what Nebraska now does because we CANNOT run the ball effectively. Running the ball is what controls the clock and tires out the opposing defense. We pass because it's easier than trying to control the game with an effective rushing attack. Also, passing is more risky. Whats that old saying that 2 out of the 3 things that can happen are bad when you pass the ball? Remember how Wisconsin decided to crank up the running game in the 2nd half and grind our defense into a powder. If your a good running team, you also do it in practice, which toughens up your own defense. It shows on game day that we do not emphasize the run game in our practices. And not only this. I fear that even if we were a running effectively, Langsdorf can't stop himself from dialing up 40+ passes per game.

 

[Kleitusbpn]

Respectfully disagree.
Passing is what Nebraska now does because we CANNOT run the ball effectively. Running the ball is what controls the clock and tires out the opposing defense. We pass because it's easier than trying to control the game with an effective rushing attack. Also, passing is more risky. Whats that old saying that 2 out of the 3 things that can happen are bad when you pass the ball? Remember how Wisconsin decided to crank up the running game in the 2nd half and grind our defense into a powder. If your a good running team, you also do it in practice, which toughens up your own defense. It shows on game day that we do not emphasize the run game in our practices. And not only this. I fear that even if we were a running effectively, Langsdorf can't stop himself from dialing up 40+ passes per game.

I never said which one was better or worse. I said which one was more difficult.

I said coach williams was doing his job and a 200 yard game against a top ten team BY A FRESHMAN was proof.

I compared it to lawrence Phillips going for 100 yards against ucla his freshman year. I said it was harder -- because it is. Spielman going for 200 against osu is an order of magnitude more impressive than Phillips against ucla as a freshman. On several levels.

Yes, we pass more now. Duh. Phillips had an absurdly good line in comparison and a running offense. That makes a difference.

ALL I said was that coach williams (wr) is doing his job. PERIOD. Spielman did all that essentially on his own with no line help. Coaching makes a bloody difference when it is that extreme.

I flat said our lack of a line is killing our offense. I have flat said we need to have a damn attitude and aggressiveness that we do not have right now. Whether we run is partially irrelevant we have to stop rolling over on our lines regardless.

Either way, coach williams is doing his job. PERIOD. And should be retained.

 

[Kleitusbpn]

Oh and the idea that we cant have BOTH a run based offense with good recievers is absurd.. If we hire a run based coach anyway I am not convinced we will.

Irving fryar ring any bells?

So we run 55% of the time... That means we need a good recievers coach 100% of the time.

Sheesh. I know we are bad but you don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

 

[19Football19]

Having a freshman go for over 200 yards doesn't make a world beater of a coach. It does mean you threw the ball a lot of times because you were getting slaughtered and your number one receiver couldn't get open.

So, you are telling me we are holding back some really good talent? If that is the case then Riley definitely needs another year or two. He is stock piling the talent for a big run starting next year. Who would be some of this talent by the way that is redshirted and part of the stockpile? We obviously are not a deep team and could use all the help we can find right now.

Our DB's are young? The entire team is young for crying out loud so how is that the excuse? The Davis twins up front are Sophs so what is your point? I could say the entire front seven is young as well so that would be a good reason? We have hardly any seniors on the team overall. How many INT's do our CB's have as a group? There appears to be some good young talent among the DB's but for reason it has not developed. Dismuke, Anderson, Butler, Jackson, and Lee to name a few that have high expectations when they came here.

Certainly, not having a good pass rush puts more pressure on DB's to maintain coverage longer. That doesn't mean the DB takes bad angles, doesn't play physical, gets turned around easily, plays off balance and doesn't maintain good position. Some of it is definitely the laid back D we are playing right now designed to keep everything in front of them. Which further means you are backing up and coming forward when you see the ball.

Recruiting is its own season and wining it is part of the season, now what are you going to do with the players to help them get better? The fact you said Williams is a recruiter and didn't comment on his coaching says something. If a new head coach is hired, they will decide whether to keep any of the current assistant coaches. I would dare say, that will be an interesting time for Husker fans should it happen.

I keep laughing at the “young” comments. Our schedule is brutal next year and guess what......we lose 8 starters on offense after next year. Rebuilding once again with no talent coming behind.

Defense.....most are 3rd year Sophs. If you haven’t figured it out by year 3 and most are Early entry’s, you’re probably there for the ride. Perspective, OSU loses 3 DBs every year to the NFL draft after 3 years. Usually the first 2 rounds.

Parity has hurt Neb more than any school IMO. Location location location. Sadly, it’s not changing.