This is the time of year that, even before the hiring of Scott Frost, Nebraska fans excessively consume Kool-Aid. This time last year, people were making some pretty bold predictions about how well the season would go, based on the good feelings left over from a reasonably successful 2016 campaign. Expectations were quickly dashed and we fell into the abyss.
People outside of the state have not consumed the Nebraska Springtime Kool-Aid. They aren't affected by the euphoria that exists in the state and all the excitement that came along with what appears to be a great coaching hire. They do see Frost as a great hire and one that will likely result in more success at Nebraska. But they don't expect or predict miracles the way the fan base does.
What the outsiders see is a team who is installing a new offense and doing so with a group of QBs with almost no collegiate experience. Two of the QB's were recruited specifically for their skills in running a different style of offense. They look at last year and see an O-line that was weak and slow. On the other side of the ball, they see a defense that was one of the worst in the nation and that struggled implementing their new 3-4 defense. They really didn't do anything well. They didn't get pressure on opposing QB's, they didn't cover well, and they didn't stop the run well. Now the defense is in year 2 of the 3-4 scheme, but I'm not sure if that means anything given the different approaches of Diaco and Chinander. Then there is next years schedule, especially the away games against top teams.
In short, there are some great challenges going into the first year of the Frost coaching tenure. But we aren't hiring coaching consultants. We are tackling in practice, so I hear. We are getting reports out of Winter conditioning that would suggest that the Winter wasn't wasted. We sold out a glorified practice with 90,000 fans. Excitement is contagious. These are very good signs that the program is moving in the right direction.
But don't expect people outside the state to jump on the band wagon and make bold positive predictions about the future of the team until the team erases the memories of what occurred here in 2017. The only way that can be done starts on the field this fall.
