A losing season at Nebr is not acceptable. 5-7 is not acceptable. It doesn't matter if the coaches are new or not. They have way too much to work with - talent, facilities, support systems, sold out stadium, road support, etc. - to have losing seasons. There aren't enough excuses to justify going from 9 wins to 5 wins. This season was a disaster. And the buck stops with the head coach. Maybe next year will be better, let's hope so, but this year is strike one on MR.
Unacceptable season
- Thread starter RedSea
- Start date
So glad I read this before starting my "Great Season!" thread... That would have been embarrassing.
This is part of the reason Bo was fired. He created a bad atmosphere and did not bring in talent. Hopefully, we will recover from his damage in a the next couple years.
I'm glad Bo's gone, but blaming every bad thing we experienced this season on him is a little absurd.
Bo only won 5 games this season too. Probably the last guy's fault there as well.
I used to enjoy lurking, never posted much, til about a year ago. In the last year I have probably posted 3/4 of my total in large part because of those who won't give Riley and company a chance. He may bomb his entire career here, or he could turn it around. No one really knows in spite of the geniuses who claim to know all.
What I see on the side of Riley are those who are being cautious (he may not be the guy, but we're gonna give him a chance anyway). On the anti Riley side are pitchforks and daggers with the certainty that What we saw this year is all we'll ever see.
I know it's pointless of me to ask this, but I'm gonna anyway... Who sounds more reasonable here?
And if I see another genius point out where Nebraska is ranked in recruiting in an incomplete recruiting cycle, I'm gonna puke. Yes, this is directed at you, RileyNFriends, welcome to your first day on the board. You're gonna have to convince me you're a husker fan and not a poser from another school stirring the pot. Sorry about that, but that's just how it is in this environment on the board right now. Too many first-timers posting garbage here.
He won't be able to respond timnsun. #recycled
Thanks Kaz, I wondered... Some of his talking points were identical to others I have seen (specifically, that we are ranked 10th in B1G recruiting, even below Oregon State!).
There is plenty of reason and idiocy on both sides of the argument. Even the OP, which would be considered anti-Riley, isn't saying he should be fired this year and is hoping he does better next year. Not exactly pitchforks and torches (or daggers). On the pro-Riley side, I see people blaming Bo for some vague, completely unknowable attitude, roughly one year after his firing. Really? I see players being vilified on a regular basis. The pro-Riley crowd are eager to project whatever they can to avoid Riley from being blamed. It's not reasonable.
For me, I think Riley was probably the wrong hire, but I don't pretend to have expertise in hiring coaches. And I believe anytime you fire a coach you 1) risk doing much worse the next year (which I accepted when we fired Bo); and 2) you are committed for the next 3-4 years unless the wheels absolutely come off (which they haven't.)
Well personally, I was going to continue my day to day living and not worry about it because I have no say about anything the program does. Anybody else got ideas?
Come on kaz, sometimes it's fun to just let a thread like this roll. Posters like this are the gift that keeps on giving.
5-7 is reality, as bad and undesirable as it is. Facts are facts. As such, we have no choice but to accept it. You can't deny it happened. You don't have to like it, but we must accept that record. The question is this: what can be done about it? If it was truly "unacceptable", Riley would have been terminated by now.
My fear is not only is 5-7 not acceptable but now that is being used as the baseline for improvement. So next year we should expect 7-5 and then maybe we can get to 9 wins in year 4 of Rileys tenure
Most of the media focus on the thinking that NU fans are unreasonable, spoiled and do not give their coaches a chance - I on the other hand think for many our expectations are too low. I think this is especially true for the administration
If they truly want to win titles then the hire of Riley does not make sense - I think if you polled all the media they would say the same - Instead they are thinking Riley can win 8 or 9 games while being a nice guy and that is what they can live with
I do not think Perlman nor Eichorst have any burning desire to see a confer title - They would welcome it but they are not managing to that expectation
Most of the media focus on the thinking that NU fans are unreasonable, spoiled and do not give their coaches a chance - I on the other hand think for many our expectations are too low. I think this is especially true for the administration
If they truly want to win titles then the hire of Riley does not make sense - I think if you polled all the media they would say the same - Instead they are thinking Riley can win 8 or 9 games while being a nice guy and that is what they can live with
I do not think Perlman nor Eichorst have any burning desire to see a confer title - They would welcome it but they are not managing to that expectation
snohom, the hire was widely praised by the media, maybe you are referring to a possible double secret ballot I've never heard of, IDK, but overall the media loved the hire.
I tend to agree with Litespeed... There is this idea circulating by those who are opposed to the hire that Mike has done all he has because he is nice. He doesn't get fired because he is nice. 8 or 9 wins a season is acceptable because he's nice. I just don't buy it. If, after enough time has passed, he isn't getting it done, he will either retire or get fired. But I don't think he was brought on board because he was nice and can win a relatively respectable 8 or 9 wins a year. That won't fly in the media, and it won't fly with the fans, in my opinion.
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Eichorst is old enough to remember the good old days of NU dominance in football. He understands that at NU you have to have a unique formula to get back to that position. He took a big risk on the hire he thought could do that. Because the move has been a disaster so far doesn't mean he doesn't care. He cares and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that by accepting the AD job at NU your legacy will depend entirely on how the football program does.
You really think if the Riley era turns out to be a disastrous 5-7 wins a year that he will be fine with that? You're crazy if you even entertain that thought.
Eichorst is old enough to remember the good old days of NU dominance in football. He understands that at NU you have to have a unique formula to get back to that position. He took a big risk on the hire he thought could do that. Because the move has been a disaster so far doesn't mean he doesn't care. He cares and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that by accepting the AD job at NU your legacy will depend entirely on how the football program does.
You really think if the Riley era turns out to be a disastrous 5-7 wins a year that he will be fine with that? You're crazy if you even entertain that thought.
That is not what I said - I said they would be happy with 8-9 wins as long the coach presents the right image and yes I believe that.
Eichorst is not a Nebraska guy, if anything he is a Wisconsin guy and he will most likely be going back to Wisconsin to replace Alvarez - I dont think whether NU wins a Big10 conference title drives him - I think being respectable, keeping his job and keeping his boss happy while the WI job becomes available drives his decisions - If Riley can win 7 games next year and then 8 the following year he would consider that a success
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The media loved the hire because they have a lower expectation for Nu than what NU has. They think we should be happy to win 8 games a year because we are not located in a recruiting hotbed - Heck we even had a broadcast crew showing charts of how far recruits come from to justify why we will never be a big dog again - and this happened on national tv during a game - never seen anything like it
In fact I do not believe it is just Riley - I think Perlman and Eichorst would have kept Bo if he didnt embarrass them and had a personality like Riley
I think the expectations of our administration is holding back our program - they make decisions not based on winning titles and that is what I believe
Agreed. Crystal clear to me. It's been this way for a long time.
But Bo never won fewer than 9 games. It was 9 or 10 wins every season. If Bo wasn't an ass I agree, the likelihood of them keeping him was much higher. If the model is TO, he didn't win until his 21st season as coach.
If riley wins 9 or 10 a season I don't see him getting fired. I think the hope is 9 or 10 will lead to the occasional conference title over time, and maybe even playoff. But think about it... Frank was a nice guy who won 75% and still got fired. Nice guys do get fired if they aren't meeting the expectation.
IF you think that the administration doesn't care about titles, you are sadly mistaken. Titles = MONEY. Money is what drives these decisions. Bo had a couple of influential money guys in his corner and THAT is the only reason he lasted as long as he did. In Riley's favor, nice guys generally get along well with boosters. While a nice guy, Frank did not relate all that well to the money.
I think Solich was closer to Bo than to Riley in demeanor - But even so I think expectations are much less today than when Solich was fired
I have no problem being patient but I supported Pelini's firing in the end because it was clear he wasnt going to get any better and I want NU to win something of note.
I have been called every name in the book because I think Riley was the wrong hire. This is exactly the reason I do not see him winning titles here and I think Eichorst and Perlman believe the same thing. They wanted a guy who presented a particular image and could win enough to keep the wolves at bay. I think this approach is the loser approach and show how weak they truly are. I think there are even some people on this board who think the same way - In fact I have seen the comment several times " I would rather win 3-4 games with Riley than 9 wins with BO - for myself I do not care if Riley is nice guy or what image he presents. I place no value in how other people view NU - I simply want to experience the thrill of rooting for a team that actually wins something
IF you think that the administration doesn't care about titles, you are sadly mistaken. Titles = MONEY. Money is what drives these decisions
Who knows what floats Eichorst or Perlmans boat - I suspect with Eichorst its keeping his fat salary To do that he needs a coach to win at a respectable clip but also must be the type of guy that satisfies this fan thinking their coach must be respectable guy the media likes. I wonder how well Eichorst would have done negotiating with Nick Saban - not too well I suspect - Perlman I suspect his triggers have very little to do with Nu football
You get called names because you keep beating the drum that you thought it was a bad hire. He's been here almost a year and you are still beating that drum. Let it go. We ALL know how you felt. Many people are tired of the negativity and some think posters like you actually hurt the program. It will be evident one way or another in about 10-11 months more than likely whether he was the right hire or not but for now he's here and there is nothing you can do about it. Support him and think positive thoughts as best you can. It would be good for you and good for NU.
Right there with you. In fact 100% of my posts follow along those lines.
Keep giving your opinion. Don't let the narrative of many move you to silence. We need rational voices here.
I think you need to let me determine what is best for me and I will let you go your own route in that respect - I will tell you what is good for NU and that is to win football games and to look sharp on the field. I do nothing other than give my opinion on what I see - if it is good I say so and said so after Rutgers for the defense - If its bad I hardly think a recruit lets me make this decision for them.
I will support Riley when the team looks well coached on the field
