Where do you stand with Mike Riley?

[husker2612]

I like polls. It is nice to get an idea of where everybody's head is at. Last spring I posted a poll about how people fell about Mike Riley hire. I would say probably 70 were supportive to some level. Wondering what the majority are thinking now.

Dec when he was hire I was thinking, " What the hell who is Mike Riley, this is the best we could Get"
March/April after hearing all the positives, " Oh wow he might actually be ok "
May/June after spring ball and hearing more, " Yeah I think he will be good and get things on track"
Sept after first loss, " Ok, BYU is tough, it will take a few games to get going this is still good"
Sept after Miami loss, " We played bad but he turn things around, Bo would have been blown out"
Oct after Ill loss, "Umm this isn't going to be good, he probably need to go sooner than later"

That was my thought process on the MR hire. lol

 

[jteten]

Im still fine with the hire, but surprised with some of the gameday mistakes. Whether we like it or not, we have to ride this out for a while and hope to see improvement.

 

[HuskerTimOmaha]

Option 2, 150% support, will judge after two seasons.

 

[planored]

Mine has not changed, will give him ample time to prove one way or the other.

 

[cornhead1]

the clock management vs Illinois was inexcusable, BYU not great either. I get the fact that we are putting a round peg in a square hole right now, but that was hard to accept Saturday. Several injuries, questionable game management and new schemes have us where we are now.

I fall into the category of "keep it simple stupid", Illinois could not really stop the run so why do we stop running the ball?

 

[TheBeav815]

I support him as a person, I just don't think he and this staff will get it done. Love the way they approach the job and the professionalism, but I have serious doubts about the product on the field. I think they're the PERFECT guys Sun - Fri and the wrong guys on Sat.

They are showing me a tendency to make it harder than it has to be out there. The things that are easily controlled are not under control. That's personnel, play selection and penalties.

Through 4 games, the running back is??? You didn't know Newby and Cross weren't good at running zone plays back in August? If not April? First Wilbon plays, then he doesn't. Then it's all Newby. Then it's Newby and Cross. Then it's Janovich and Ozigbo.

They were running wide with Jano a few times. As the kids like to say, "Really bruh?" Love that kid, AWESOME fullback. Tough runner, tough blocker, solid safety valve out of the backfield. He is not a tailback. He is not a "weapon." I'm starting to think they don't have an RB who fits their scheme and rather than call runs for the runners they have, they're playing musical running backs and calling too many pass plays.

You'd better figure out a way to run when the game is on the line, because Tommy has that bit of Jay Cutler in him. He has his days where he's erratic and just doesn't have it, but with his mentality, he's gonna try to fire one in there anyhow because he's a warrior and he ALWAYS thinks he can make the play. You have to take him out of that position. Get creative with the run game.

Where's all this jet sweep we heard so much about? Moore runs it well. I didn't love it as a 3rd down play to the short side, but I love it as a 2nd and 6 play. I love it as a 1st and 10 play. They run so much jet action on PA pass. Like...when it's windy out...is Alonzo Moore still fast or not? When NU couldn't stop it, Wisconsin ran jet over and over and over. Illinois couldn't stop it, and NU wants to use it as ghost action.

The play selection against Southern Miss was just as bad, but they escaped with that game so it was overlooked a bit. When you get into the red zone that many times and settle for FGs that much, you're not getting it done on the ground.

 

[leodisflowers]

I support him as a person, I just don't think he and this staff will get it done. Love the way they approach the job and the professionalism, but I have serious doubts about the product on the field. I think they're the PERFECT guys Sun - Fri and the wrong guys on Sat.

They are showing me a tendency to make it harder than it has to be out there. The things that are easily controlled are not under control. That's personnel, play selection and penalties.

Through 4 games, the running back is??? You didn't know Newby and Cross weren't good at running zone plays back in August? If not April? First Wilbon plays, then he doesn't. Then it's all Newby. Then it's Newby and Cross. Then it's Janovich and Ozigbo.

They were running wide with Jano a few times. As the kids like to say, "Really bruh?" Love that kid, AWESOME fullback. Tough runner, tough blocker, solid safety valve out of the backfield. He is not a tailback. He is not a "weapon." I'm starting to think they don't have an RB who fits their scheme and rather than call runs for the runners they have, they're playing musical running backs and calling too many pass plays.

You'd better figure out a way to run when the game is on the line, because Tommy has that bit of Jay Cutler in him. He has his days where he's erratic and just doesn't have it, but with his mentality, he's gonna try to fire one in there anyhow because he's a warrior and he ALWAYS thinks he can make the play. You have to take him out of that position. Get creative with the run game.

Where's all this jet sweep we heard so much about? Moore runs it well. I didn't love it as a 3rd down play to the short side, but I love it as a 2nd and 6 play. I love it as a 1st and 10 play. They run so much jet action on PA pass. Like...when it's windy out...is Alonzo Moore still fast or not? When NU couldn't stop it, Wisconsin ran jet over and over and over. Illinois couldn't stop it, and NU wants to use it as ghost action.

The play selection against Southern Miss was just as bad, but they escaped with that game so it was overlooked a bit. When you get into the red zone that many times and settle for FGs that much, you're not getting it done on the ground.

I agree about the jetsweep. Where the heck is it! We need to incorporate this more as Moore gets chunks on it. Get Jamal Turner involved on it as well.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

Impossible to defend some of the things he's done. I am not nearly as enamored with the hire as I initially was, however, and yes some people are probably tired of me saying this...until we get a real D-1 QB on campus I will reserve judgement for now.

 

[hamneggs53]

Agree with pellllini getting canned. Never really on board with the Riley hire, tho. sigh...

 

[mel mains]

Same as it ever was.

http://nebraska.forums.rivals.com/t...talent-on-the-roster.47321/page-3#post-795662

 

[scottym800]

Option 2, 150% support, will judge after two seasons.

I can't say the two season thing is accurate for me, but absolutely supportive now.

 

[CameronKrazie86]

I am skeptical of the hire but will try to remain optimistic on the future.

My initial reaction to the hire was disappointment and after further research/staff hires even more disappointment. I didn't like the trends of losing early season games to lesser opponents, the penalties and clock management. Unfortunately all have happened in year 1. Those, combined with an unimpressive last 5 years, is why I wasn't sold on the hire.

What really frustrated me was the emphasis on bringing all Oregon St people in. Their last 5 years didn't suggest massive pay raises or frankly such an upgrade in going to Nebraska. I really don't care for Banker, nothing in his track record suggests massive success. With the amount of money Nebraska is paying the special teams coach, it hasn't been a bright spot. I understand DPE has been hurt but the other areas haven't lit the world on fire. Langsdorf at least had some good offenses but wasn't the splash hire I was hoping to see from one of the two coordinator positions.

With all that being said, they do still need time. It is unfair of me to suggest firing any one when they've not even had the opportunity to fill 1 recruiting class. I am willing to be patient but show us some improvements. If it means dismissing the bad influences from the team, do it. This team has lost 2 games because of poor clock management, shore that up the rest of the season. I want this coaching staff to succeed, it's so much more fun in Lincoln when the team is doing well and playing meaningful games. Show improvement, recruit well and skeptics like me will be all on board.

Finally, while I believe a staff should get 4 seasons, that all goes out the window if Chip Kelly becomes available. At that point it becomes offer whatever it takes to bring him here.

 

[Shocker_Fan]

Really need to give him a full 4 year cycle before we can make any judgments. Need to purge all the Pelini players before we know what we got. Riley and staff has had a tough go in year one but I think they realized a 6-6 season was likely going in

 

[StrongArm517]

I still support him because fan support is part of the allure of Nebraska football and we desperately need it.

 

[WuTang_Husker]

I like option #3 myself. Not getting to a bowl game with this schedule is inexcusable even for a first year HC. He needs to turn it around this year and prove he can coach against weaker opponents. Period.

Still totally support the staff, but it's waning and at this point not making a bowl game would probably have me calling MR a "Polished Turd" by seasons end.

You look at some of the other first year HC hires and they are out there beating ranked teams, yet our coach can't manage a W against Illinois? That's downright laughable, if it wasn't so sad.

 

[jay-cheese]

If we don't laugh, we'll explode!!!!!

GBR

 

[leodisflowers]

I like option #3 myself. Not getting to a bowl game with this schedule is inexcusable even for a first year HC. He needs to turn it around this year and prove he can coach against weaker opponents. Period.

Still totally support the staff, but it's waning and at this point not making a bowl game would probably have me calling MR a "Polished Turd" by seasons end.

You look at some of the other first year HC hires and they are out there beating ranked teams, yet our coach can't manage a W against Illinois? That's downright laughable, if it wasn't so sad.

Yep this schedule is ridiculous.

 

[bigboxes]

I don't think it is as bad as many think it is. I hate losses. That being said, there is so much to like about Mike Riley and the way he runs a program to be patient with the on field product. I say it's mostly personnel at this point. I want players that are here to play for NU more so than the coach. I'd like to say it's Pelini's fault for our lack of depth and horrid recruiting. At this point it really doesn't matter. We have real issues with lack of depth and injuries. It is what it is. Instead of beating ourselves up and calling for tar and feathers we should not be so shocked when we keep getting beat due to those deficiencies. Again, I hate losses, but as more buy into the system and MR & company restock the shelves I expect to see a gradual improvement. I'm so glad that Pelini is gone and will give the MR the time I would give any head coach to right the ship.

 

[chicolby]

When Solich was hired, I was nervous, but stood by him. When Callahan was hired, I cringed, but stood by him (briefly.) When Pelini was hired, I was excited, but wore thin after 4 seasons.

I am 100% N on Riley. I've said it on other posts, the staff could certainly do some things better, but I firmly believe they are building a sustainable foundation. While the early returns haven't come in as we had hoped, I am impressed with his football IQ and his demeanor. I believe those things are necessary for long-term performance. Yes, the short term hurts, but my optimism is still as high as it was before the first game.

It does no good to question the hire at this point or to wish he wasn't here. He is our man and we best get behind him, the entire staff and the team. We are all in this together and the team needs our support, not our sarcasm.

 

[SnohomishRed]

I still have sliver of hope - However it will depend on how smart he actually is : If he looks at things and says we need to change or this will get ugly and actually changes things to imporve them then he buys some time to show his stuff. If however he does not take action to fix the numerous issues there are he deserves his fate and and I hope the plug is pulled early

**** This is not Oregon State**** losing seasons even in transition are not acceptable especially considering we have a weak schedule this year

 

[SEMO_yogi]

When Solich was hired, I was nervous, but stood by him. When Callahan was hired, I cringed, but stood by him (briefly.) When Pelini was hired, I was excited, but wore thin after 4 seasons.

I am 100% N on Riley. I've said it on other posts, the staff could certainly do some things better, but I firmly believe they are building a sustainable foundation. While the early returns haven't come in as we had hoped, I am impressed with his football IQ and his demeanor. I believe those things are necessary for long-term performance. Yes, the short term hurts, but my optimism is still as high as it was before the first game.

It does no good to question the hire at this point or to wish he wasn't here. He is our man and we best get behind him, the entire staff and the team. We are all in this together and the team needs our support, not our sarcasm.

Your irrational exuberance is amazing! This man is nothing more than a mediocre football lifer...period. Nothing in his past would indicate that he is up to the task of building a championship program here...nothing! As for being impressed by his football IQ, you are kidding, right? He's repeatedly shown poor clock management, horrible play calling, a porous defense, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the culture of Nebraska football. That really sounds like a Rx for longterm greatness.

 

[huskerbux]

Have to say its wavering. Penalties improved, so if he can finish off a couple games and string some together coming up, I'll be back on board 100%.

Clock management and penalties can't be blamed on depth or the old regime. Those things have to improve immediately.

 

[cubsker]

he needs to get his shit together. Be revolutionary and hire someone solely devoted to game management. I've been saying for years that every team should do this. It would be so cheap to hire a nerd with a computer for 75k to run scenarios beforehand and be able to quickly provide very simple data to a coach during the game to avoid shit like we saw on Saturday.

 

[jay-cheese]

You just need to have a brain and understand the situation. It's really not that hard (and I'm being nice). There are forgivable lapses, like going for the first down by pass with 5 minutes + to go and then unforgivable lapses, like throwing the ball with less than a minute to go when the other team has no timeouts...

I'm glad some of you are willing to overlook but outside of illegal things....this is as BAD as it gets in terms of coaching no no's...

GBR

 

[nebcountry]

Barring catastrophe, he's got 3 or 4 years (maybe even longer) to prove that he should be here to stay. If you would have had that as one of your polling options, I would have picked it.

 

[cornhead1]

not if he puts up a couple 4-8's

 

[Gimmered]

With all of his experience he took a team with superior talent to Illinois and went head to head against an interim head coach that got fired from Western Michigan and got schooled. How much worse can it get?

 

[goskers07]

Anyone who says anything less than 2 years is a friggin potato.

 

[redwine65]

things seem to stand at 2-3 right now with riley, I hope they improve.
not sure what to think, will things come together or fall apart?
it's looking like it could do either.
as a person I like how riley represents himself and the university.
my only problem with riley, is I think Nebraska's best chance is running the ball.
I think running the ball, and the program like DR.Tom did is the key for NU.
and thats not what riley was hired to do.he was hired to air it out.

 

[bigbadjim990]

None. He will have to prove it with wins. He's good at losing games he should win. So far he sucks.

 

[regionsdoc]

You just need to have a brain and understand the situation. It's really not that hard (and I'm being nice). There are forgivable lapses, like going for the first down by pass with 5 minutes + to go and then unforgivable lapses, like throwing the ball with less than a minute to go when the other team has no timeouts...

I'm glad some of you are willing to overlook but outside of illegal things....this is as BAD as it gets in terms of coaching no no's...

GBR

This.....what happened Saturday at the end of the game is inexcusable, period. Add in BYU and hope is quickly gone.

 

[chipotlehusker]

When Solich was hired, I was nervous, but stood by him. When Callahan was hired, I cringed, but stood by him (briefly.) When Pelini was hired, I was excited, but wore thin after 4 seasons.

I am 100% N on Riley. I've said it on other posts, the staff could certainly do some things better, but I firmly believe they are building a sustainable foundation. While the early returns haven't come in as we had hoped, I am impressed with his football IQ and his demeanor. I believe those things are necessary for long-term performance. Yes, the short term hurts, but my optimism is still as high as it was before the first game.

It does no good to question the hire at this point or to wish he wasn't here. He is our man and we best get behind him, the entire staff and the team. We are all in this together and the team needs our support, not our sarcasm.

football "I.Q." might be in doubt with all of the various decisions made thus far.....

 

[HuskerDana]

Listen...this is not a guy that just had a couple of Kenny Bell twitter moments. This is a guy that was on (or at least should have been) thin ice when he arrived here.

I coached a kid with a load of talent, albeit Jr high ball, that thought he was the smartest guy on the field. He was smarter than all of his coaches...arrogant and defiant to his coaches and teammates. After all, we couldn't win without his talents, right?

I sat him because of a few incidents of "rogue" behavior. I discussed what was expected of him both on and off of the field, with his parents. This kid learned from it and became a better person and damn near made it EASY for me to coach that team the rest of the way out. He learned very quickly that is was my way or the highway.

He became a leader in the team.....a leader that I needed him to be, but he knew who was in charge and actually helped in making sure that ALL of the players on the team were unified in the direction I needed them to be. THAT is what a captain is.

We do not need captains like Alex Lewis. To suggest that the team and the team captains, at least in our current cultutecultute, should be making those kinds of decisions, is usurping authority to to many of the young men with attitudes similar to AL that we are trying to purge from the program.

HCMR has missed the boat on this one, IMHO.