From just Spring ball? I can’t give that much credence at this point.
It will be interesting how things develop for him, especially since we’ll be playing Oregon the next few years.
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Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously...Time for Rhule to prove them wrong.
- Thread starter The_Real_PJ
- Start date
It will be interesting how things develop for him, especially since we’ll be playing Oregon the next few years.
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The mobility issues for DR might be a problem, but it was exacerbated by our inability to block. If you put him behind a good line and give him good receivers (like he'll have at Oregon), he is going to shine. I would say that there were some decision making issues that will carry over, but I think overall he'll excel moving forward as long as he stays healthy. I don't necessarily think he'll be an NFL Hall of Famer, but he has the tools to be a really good QB.
I do think that there is a significant question about what our ceiling can/should be as a program in this current climate of college football. Pelini-era you were looking at 9-10 wins a year, but a lot has changed in that time. The conference is tougher, recruiting is a money driven arm's race, and we've got a decade of despair dragging behind us. If we could have pulled out that USC game where DR got hurt, we would have been at 8 wins, which felt about right for the talent we had.
I still stand by the assertion that we should be at least as good as Iowa/Wisconsin, but I think we've reached a point where our ceiling is moving further and further away from title contender. 7-10 wins a year feels like the sweet spot for us. Granted, with playoff expansion 10 wins gives you a shot. I just seriously question if another coaching change does much to move the needle. I know people will point to what happened at Indiana, but do we continue to roll the dice on coaches until we strike oil like they did?
There are times that as a QB you need to just get the ball out. Throw the ball in the direction of a receiver and just put it out of bounds to get out of danger. I do think if you are building an offense around DR, you need to build passing concepts with his flaws in mind. Utilize fast developing options where you can get the ball out quickly, if needed. Have check downs where you can dump the ball out in case of trouble.
He's far from a perfect QB, but he's also the best we've had in quite a while.
I think Rhule will get us fighting for upper middle of the Big 10 pack with the likes of PJ Fleck. On a good year we might get to the level of Iowa. It would be nice to be squarely in the top quartile of the Big 10, but I see us fighting for the upper end of the middle group. Wish I had a rosier view. I like Rhule and hope he vastly exceeds my moderate expectations.
I don't think our ceiling has been lowered. If Indiana can win the national championship, then we can too.
Unless we excel at identifying talent, in both the portal and out of HS, we're going to be limited on our ceiling. We can't stand and go blow for blow in recruiting with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon. We don't have the money or resources to pull a five star laden roster.
One edge that schools like Wisconsin and Iowa have had on us is an ability to excel in a specific area. They've been great in certain areas, which allow them to pull guys who would normally be out of their class because those guys know they'll be coached well and have a chance at the pros. When is the last time we truly excelled in any area? Defense under Pelini?
To me, that is the inevitable fix. It's like running a restaurant, if you want to compete with the big dogs, find something and do it incredibly well. Don't try to be the best at pizza, sweet and sour chicken, tacos, hamburgers, and vegan food. Find something you can do well and excel in it. Then once you've got that nailed down, work on the next area. It's a slow and steady approach, but I think it is more likely to succeed.
Like I said in my final sentence of my original post, I don't know how replicable the Indiana thing is. I also question how sustainable it will be in the long term. One of the biggest reasons Indiana was successful right off the bat was that they brought in players that they knew were good. It's like if we had hired Frost and he had brought the 8 or 9 best players from UCF with him.
Clearly the current Indiana staff is good at identifying talent and developing it, which may make it more sustainable moving forward. I just don't know how many Cignetti hires are out there. I think Indiana struck oil with what they've done, but I don't necessarily think that means we need to go digging in our backyard hoping the same will happen to us.
(My internet went crazy and posted the same thing multiple times)
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(My internet went crazy and posted the same thing multiple times)
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(My internet went crazy and posted the same thing multiple times)
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(My internet went crazy and posted the same thing multiple times)
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My thoughts go like this. MR had a certain level of talent and has had winning seasons.
IMO, he has upgraded te coaching staff, and the overall talent level. Normally I would say this is enough to really boost us if we retain recruits and coaches both.
Buts whats not normal is a slow separation in talent we are seeing amongst certain teams and certain conferences overall. How much this effects our increased talent is the unknown, but we are heading in the right direction, no doubt
IMO, he has upgraded te coaching staff, and the overall talent level. Normally I would say this is enough to really boost us if we retain recruits and coaches both.
Buts whats not normal is a slow separation in talent we are seeing amongst certain teams and certain conferences overall. How much this effects our increased talent is the unknown, but we are heading in the right direction, no doubt
Indiana just proved that ceilings like that are a fallacy. You need good coaching and total commitment to building a winner. That includes NIL, but NIL alone is not sufficient.
Nebraska has just as much chance to become a contender again as anyone else. But there are a few steps between where they are and getting there.
With the expanded playoff, making the playoff field is a more realistic goal. Most people are already writing off this season, but they could do it. It wouldn’t be that crazy. The Oline looks poised to take a step forward. Anyway, that’s why they play the games.
Nebraska has taken a step forward in high school recruiting. The talent level is rising. Is the coaching good enough? They need to prove this on the field, but I like the choices at OL and DC. Those look like improvements.
