Nebraska 2018

[redfred]

I believe we will find out if we were short on coaching or short on talent or both.

Agreed. Talent is a combination of both imo.

Athletic attributes are important to talent. This can, and does, include; size, eye hand coordination,, strength, speed, mental ability to see and react, extremity length, balance, foot width/hand size, vision...it's a biggie, frame girth....the list goes on.

Training also plays a part in talent imo. It is rare, although not impossible, to see talent fully optimized without development. To get an athlete to show his or her talents, it is usually necessary to teach the athlete how to use said abilities.

Imo it is very possible to have athletes on our roster who appear untalented, who actually are quite physically and mentally gifted and simply don't know how to present these abilities because of coaching.

I agree with Valiant, we will know before the next season is done if our appearance of untalented athletes is because recruits have been misdiagnosed, or underdeveloped.

I'm going to step out on a limb, and say I think we have enough physical and mental abilities on the offensive line that it should have looked much better than it did. We have some highly rated talent there imo. It just wasn't developed (Cav isn't the only one to blame imo). I'm guessing the O-line will be the first major improvement we see initially. At least I hope so.

 

[SCVHusker]

Well, we already know we were short on coaching. The offensive play calling was atrocious. The unbelievable staying with Tanner Lee in spite of all the interceptions was inexcusable. He could have sat a series or two while he regained his senses.

The defense not being prepared to play the first half of games and then playing somewhat lights out in the second half is on the coaches.

Don't know if the player talent is there or not, but I do know the coaching was not.

 

[OhioHusker]

I believe we will find out if we were short on coaching or short on talent or both.

I know throwing the players under the bus is not a cool thing to do, but there are some monster deficiencies on this team.

I'd be shocked if a single LB on this team would start for a B10 team with a winning record. Same goes for the offensive line regardless of Tanner Farmer's awards. The Washington bowl game was perhaps the worst offensive line performance I'd ever seen, until every game this year. I'm 48 with a replaced knee and I could have done as well as some of these guys.

I realize Debatshit was a huge problem, but the defensive backfield was atrocious as well.

Riley was a disaster, but his players weren't much better. We're going to see if the issue was coaching but I'm guessing the talent and desire level on this team were as close to the bottom of the barrel since the 1960's as we could have ever feared.

I hope I'm wrong, but I saw nothing out this team that led me to believe that this squad was a racehorse being held back by terrible coaching. It was a terrible coaching staff leading a mediocre group of largely disinterested players.

I'm not trying to go Jen trashing players here, but I saw what I saw, and the rest of you saw it too - regardless of what you might want to claim.

 

[SUHnami]

I know throwing the players under the bus is not a cool thing to do, but there are some monster deficiencies on this team.

I'd be shocked if a single LB on this team would start for a B10 team with a winning record. Same goes for the offensive line regardless of Tanner Farmer's awards. The Washington bowl game was perhaps the worst offensive line performance I'd ever seen, until every game this year. I'm 48 with a replaced knee and I could have done as well as some of these guys.

I realize Debatshit was a huge problem, but the defensive backfield was atrocious as well.

Riley was a disaster, but his players weren't much better. We're going to see if the issue was coaching but I'm guessing the talent and desire level on this team were as close to the bottom of the barrel since the 1960's as we could have ever feared.

I hope I'm wrong, but I saw nothing out this team that led me to believe that this squad was a racehorse being held back by terrible coaching. It was a terrible coaching staff leading a mediocre group of largely disinterested players.

I'm not trying to go Jen trashing players here, but I saw what I saw, and the rest of you saw it too - regardless of what you might want to claim.

I agree with you on everything except the talent portion of your statement. We have talent on this team. It was poorly coached and they were lazy, disinterested, or desire are all acceptable complaints.

I will say this, any guy on the team that doesn't give 100% of themselves all the time in practice and games won't play very much. Frost wants effort, desire, heart, etc. If that means a walkon starts over a scholarship player that what it means. Best player will play. Period.

 

[redfred]

I'm going to circle this around to my previous statement. I agree talent was not expressed, but I'm still not sure why......ie lack of abilities, or the lack of ability of those coaching to help the player utilize players physical assets.

If someone is too slow there is not a lot anyone can do. A trainer can shave a little off his times, and a coach can help him read situations so he gets a jump on the play, but it is hard to make up for a significant speed differential.

If someone is too weak, there may, or may not, be something one can do. The athlete needs the frame the muscle length and the right fibre makeup to develop strength (and power), but even then he needs to work hard and work smart to develop the strength needed.....put this one on the trainer.

Where coaching comes in imo, is technique (eg leverage, hand/footwork, and body positioning), proper focus, intensity and the ability to react without thinking too much.

Clearly the NFL has not been beating down our doors for players. One would think that if they saw the raw material they would take a chance on it.....they aren't.

On the other hand the NFL isn't a place that creates players. For the most part it plugs players into situations. Players that have certain abilities will find the field (even if they move positions from college to pro). But very few teams want to spend the time or money training an athlete with delayed gratification in mind. They want players that are close.....time is money.

My personal feeling this is one reason that coaches can be good in the pros, but not necessarily in college. It is one thing to recognize talent and quite another to help it manifest itself on the field. In most colleges there needs to have strong developmental factor on the staff. Of course if you always get the pick of the litter (eg Ohio State and Alabama), it is much easier.

I have bumped recruiting the right players with the right raw athleticism ahead developing players recently for the most success, but I still think you need both at this level. If we have an 8+ win season next year I'm going to come down on the side that the recent staff didn't develop well enough. If we don't go bowling, I'm going to believe the staff couldn't recognize, or recruit, the right kind of talent.

 

[Doc Fumble]

It's hard to find a bigger sunshine pumper than yours truly, but I think we need to approach 2018 with extreme caution. Last season, Texas hired that year's "hottest young coach" and predicted an immediate turnaround. Heck, a lot of the national pundits agreed and, low and behold, lowly Texas was ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season. The Longhorns finished 6-6.

I have absolutely no doubt that Scott is going to turn our program around. But given what we saw on the field this season, it will be a minor miracle next season if we finish with a winning record and a bowl game.

 

[redfred]

It's hard to find a bigger sunshine pumper than yours truly, but I think we need to approach 2018 with extreme caution. Last season, Texas hired that year's "hottest young coach" and predicted an immediate turnaround. Heck, a lot of the national pundits agreed and, low and behold, lowly Texas was ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season. The Longhorns finished 6-6.

I have absolutely no doubt that Scott is going to turn our program around. But given what we saw on the field this season, it will be a minor miracle next season if we finish with a winning record and a bowl game.

Even ADMoos said it was a two, or more likely a three, year process. It is one thing to turn around an AAC program, and quite another to turn one around in the BIG imo.

Imo a fast turnaround requires a lot of things....

Abundant talent on the team that was not utilized by the preceding staff, but available immediately

A total buy-in by returning players

A moderately easy schedule

A current staff that implements schemes and styles close to the previous regime

An infectious optimism by the team, the staff and the fans

A staff that has the experience, tenacity and intelligence to fix existing flaws, while teaching its own priorities

....just to name a few

We probably have some, but definitely not all of the above. Do have enough for a FAST turnaround? Imo it depends on your definition of "fast".

 

[Doc Fumble]

Imo a fast turnaround requires a lot of things....

A moderately easy schedule

Instead, the B1G schedule-makers -- in their quest for fairness -- have given us a ballbuster schedule.

We've got road games against Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Iowa. Plus, throw in a home game against Sparty. The real head-scratcher from a conference scheduling stand point is that we play Michigan on the road in 2018 but no home game follow-up against the Wolverines in 2019 or 2020. Nada. How is THAT fair?

 

[redfred]

Instead, the B1G schedule-makers -- in their quest for fairness -- have given us a ballbuster schedule.

We've got road games against Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Iowa. Plus, throw in a home game against Sparty. The real head-scratcher from a conference scheduling stand point is that we play Michigan on the road in 2018 but no home game follow-up against the Wolverines in 2019 or 2020. Nada. How is THAT fair?

Not even close.

The coming schedules are killers.....and yes,I think they will take their toll. As a fan I look at them as a roadblock, but I hope the staff and team look at them as opportunities.

 

[Doc Fumble]

Not even close.

The coming schedules are killers.....and yes,I think they will take their toll. As a fan I look at them as a roadblock, but I hope the staff and team look at them as opportunities.

One of the things I've noticed about our move to the B1G is that the conference schedule has been more physically demanding up front than was the case in the Big XII. As a result, we've seen our fair share of injuries that have weakened our lines and our line play. It will be interesting to see if this plays out the same way under Frost as it has under Riley and Pelini. I'm curious to see whether Scott's practice route and S&C program changes this.

 

[j d]

Imo a fast turnaround requires a lot of things....

Abundant talent on the team that was not utilized by the preceding staff, but available immediately

A total buy-in by returning players

A moderately easy schedule

A current staff that implements schemes and styles close to the previous regime

An infectious optimism by the team, the staff and the fans

A staff that has the experience, tenacity and intelligence to fix existing flaws, while teaching its own priorities

....just to name a few

IMO,
First one, we have.
Second one, I believe we have. Those that don't won't be here.
Third one...uh, maybe not easy, but I think certainly a schedule that we can improve from this year.
Fourth, schemes and styles close to previous regime??? I hope not.
Fifth, check.
Sixth, again, I believe so.

I'll say it again. I think 8-4 is very doable next year, if not better than that.

 

[Huusker]

I just want to watch Nebraska play Ohio State and make a decent game out of it. Within a touchdown or so at halftime, and maybe hang in until the fourth quarter before losing 35-21 or something like that. Baby steps.

Really, really tired of watching hapless blowout losses. If we're 6-6 and the loses are relatively close, that will be a major bit of progress in my book.

It's going to take a while to start from scratch with the lines. That depth won't develop in 1-2 years. I'd say 6-6 or 7-5 next year.