I'd like to believe I'm realistic, as opposed to a crazy sunshine-pumper like our New Northwood, Cigarman-- 
--and seriously, I realize that not all Husker fans are wired the same way, but there needs to be a counterpoint to some of the negativity I'm seeing about this fall.
So here are a few of my reasons for dialing up this fall's 'excitement' meter:
Our Quarterback. With all due respect to the "NFL arms" out there in CFB, the key ingredient for college greatness is a savvy QB with: a) a good arm (NFL-level or not); b) mobility (doesn't have to be Eric Crouch); c) a quick blinker; and d) a true "general on the field." Is Colandrea That Guy? Too early to tell. But, IMO, Dylan Raiola was not That Guy. Who know? Maybe DR will turn into an All American for Oregon someday. But in all honesty, I feel much more optimistic about our offense with Colandrea behind center this fall than if Raiola had stayed.
Our Approach to Defense. Do I think we'll have the great D of all times this fall? No. But it will be better than most fans think. Looking at his D the past two years (White & Butler)--and his reaction to it--tells me Rhule figured out what kind of D he needs to develop to win the B1G. And it wasn't one led by last season's DC. Rhule wanted--and (IMO) now has--a coaching staff geared to developing a high-intensity bunch focused on stopping the run--and most importantly A STRONG TACKLING BUNCH. To do that, he also knows recruiting is A#1, especially secondary studs who will allow teammates in front of them to focus on the run. This is the kind of Blackshirt defense we've always loved in the past.
A Chip on the Shoulder? Much was said about AM2's comments comparing his days as a Husker vs his time at K-State. But Rhule essentially said the same thing when he arrived. He said we've had players who want to succeed for the fans so badly that they've feared screwing up. That's NOT playing with the proverbial 'chip on the shoulder.' The new 'hype-less' Spring we've gone through tells me there's a method to Rhule's madness. Given the mood of the fanbase, this spring-summer-fall--is geared to be the ideal "Chip on the Shoulder" season. Do I know this is what's going on? Nope. But everything Coach has done in his pressers has had a message to his players. So why would our "If We Die, We Die!" Coach change stripes? It's almost as if he's okay with our fans remaining disgruntled. Hmmmmm...
An Offensive Spark. My gut tells me that Colandrea could provide the offensive spark to a Holgerson Offense that I was convinced SHOULD have been able to ratchet up our points-per-game by a couple TDs last season. We had--and still do have--some serious offensive weapons. What the hell happened? Yes, we've had some OL struggles, but you don't have an All-American RB for the first time in ages if it was all on the line. IMHO, the trouble was we had a statue QB who took too damn long to decide what to do with the ball. Granted, he's a good passer; his completion percentage was 70%--that was no small deal. But in CFB, that alone doesn't cut it--ESPECIALLY in a conference where DCs LOVE to play against that kind of QB.
--and seriously, I realize that not all Husker fans are wired the same way, but there needs to be a counterpoint to some of the negativity I'm seeing about this fall.So here are a few of my reasons for dialing up this fall's 'excitement' meter:
Our Quarterback. With all due respect to the "NFL arms" out there in CFB, the key ingredient for college greatness is a savvy QB with: a) a good arm (NFL-level or not); b) mobility (doesn't have to be Eric Crouch); c) a quick blinker; and d) a true "general on the field." Is Colandrea That Guy? Too early to tell. But, IMO, Dylan Raiola was not That Guy. Who know? Maybe DR will turn into an All American for Oregon someday. But in all honesty, I feel much more optimistic about our offense with Colandrea behind center this fall than if Raiola had stayed.
Our Approach to Defense. Do I think we'll have the great D of all times this fall? No. But it will be better than most fans think. Looking at his D the past two years (White & Butler)--and his reaction to it--tells me Rhule figured out what kind of D he needs to develop to win the B1G. And it wasn't one led by last season's DC. Rhule wanted--and (IMO) now has--a coaching staff geared to developing a high-intensity bunch focused on stopping the run--and most importantly A STRONG TACKLING BUNCH. To do that, he also knows recruiting is A#1, especially secondary studs who will allow teammates in front of them to focus on the run. This is the kind of Blackshirt defense we've always loved in the past.
A Chip on the Shoulder? Much was said about AM2's comments comparing his days as a Husker vs his time at K-State. But Rhule essentially said the same thing when he arrived. He said we've had players who want to succeed for the fans so badly that they've feared screwing up. That's NOT playing with the proverbial 'chip on the shoulder.' The new 'hype-less' Spring we've gone through tells me there's a method to Rhule's madness. Given the mood of the fanbase, this spring-summer-fall--is geared to be the ideal "Chip on the Shoulder" season. Do I know this is what's going on? Nope. But everything Coach has done in his pressers has had a message to his players. So why would our "If We Die, We Die!" Coach change stripes? It's almost as if he's okay with our fans remaining disgruntled. Hmmmmm...
An Offensive Spark. My gut tells me that Colandrea could provide the offensive spark to a Holgerson Offense that I was convinced SHOULD have been able to ratchet up our points-per-game by a couple TDs last season. We had--and still do have--some serious offensive weapons. What the hell happened? Yes, we've had some OL struggles, but you don't have an All-American RB for the first time in ages if it was all on the line. IMHO, the trouble was we had a statue QB who took too damn long to decide what to do with the ball. Granted, he's a good passer; his completion percentage was 70%--that was no small deal. But in CFB, that alone doesn't cut it--ESPECIALLY in a conference where DCs LOVE to play against that kind of QB.
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