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"feels like year 1" excuse validity poll
- Thread starter BARNUM is back
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Deleted member 4942
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I think you mean 1968.
1969 we overcame a 2-2 start to tie for the Big Eight Championship with Mizzo and win the Sun Bowl in El Paso with a Rout of Georgia.
I've never seen Riley make excuses for anything the entire time he's been here, I doubt he's starting now.
'zactly.
This has been my problem with Riley all along. He did not have a sound plan for this program when he arrived. Oregon State might allow you to waste 2 years figuring out a plan, but not Nebraska.
Maybe not, but he does have the reputation for losing a lot of football games, for whatever reason that may be.
Wasn't Mike Riley the one who publicly stated he wasn't bring in Bob Diaco to "rebuild" the defense, but rather he expected results from Diaco immediately?
Riley also made sure to point out that our defense was showing improvement up until we faced those two Top 5 teams (who we helped to look Top 5).
So as long as we are facing the likes of Rutgers and Illinois, we're in good hands. Face a ranked team and give up school record 1st downs. Hmmm.
Riley also made sure to point out that our defense was showing improvement up until we faced those two Top 5 teams (who we helped to look Top 5).
So as long as we are facing the likes of Rutgers and Illinois, we're in good hands. Face a ranked team and give up school record 1st downs. Hmmm.
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No doubt... the Big 10 just isn't built for the Riley's of the world. Eichorst did Riley a disservice by selling him on this job.
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The irony that our defense was looking better when we played bad teams but looked worse when we played better teams.
Pretty sure someone else claimed it felt like 1969
https://forum.huskermax.com/index.php?threads/feels-like-1969.94470/
When he made that claim, i think those were the best days of his life.
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no just 69ed.
If he brings up graduation rates, he's for sure outta here!
I voted for 3 ... It is a new defense and because of that they're all learning.
I think Riley is not using the changes as an excuse nor as an argument why he should remain ... but the truth of the matter is that it is new and results are going to vary because of that ... its silly not to expect otherwise.
I will say this ... THE biggest mistake IMO was in year 1 giving Tommy Armstrong the keys to the QB position. He was immensely talented and by far more experienced than anybody but Johnny Stanton or a JUCO transfer would have been a far better option even if they were not as good as TA only because the O-Line, TEs, RBs, Receivers all would have been playing the preferred offense for 3 years now. TA should have been talked into moving to safety or WR simply because he'd be playing in the NFL right now if he had that experience in college. (Same thing is going to happen to Lamar Jackson at Louisville).
I think Riley is not using the changes as an excuse nor as an argument why he should remain ... but the truth of the matter is that it is new and results are going to vary because of that ... its silly not to expect otherwise.
I will say this ... THE biggest mistake IMO was in year 1 giving Tommy Armstrong the keys to the QB position. He was immensely talented and by far more experienced than anybody but Johnny Stanton or a JUCO transfer would have been a far better option even if they were not as good as TA only because the O-Line, TEs, RBs, Receivers all would have been playing the preferred offense for 3 years now. TA should have been talked into moving to safety or WR simply because he'd be playing in the NFL right now if he had that experience in college. (Same thing is going to happen to Lamar Jackson at Louisville).
I'm kind of in the middle here... Granted, I was not high on Riley when he was hired. But, I was pleasantly surprised that Riley has said and done all the right things off the field, but just hasn't produced on the field yet. He represents NU with class, and has put together a system for recruiting at a higher level than his predecessors. I think that the caliber of his assistants has been getting better each season. OK, so that is the good.
But, there are problems. Yes, for whatever reason, Riley brought too many of his assistants with him from OSU, and it has taken him time to realize that some of them weren't up to the challenge of NU. Guys like Bray, Langsdorf, Williams 1 & 2, and Parrella all seem to be high energy and great recruiters. I think it is too early to tell with Diaco. IMHO, though, Davis and Cavanaugh don't seem to be coaching up the talent any more than average, and neither is making waves in recruiting. Guys like Read and Banker were wasting NU's time. Riley has taken too long to make these changes - ie he should have hired these types of guys right off the bat. IMO the OL should be performing better as this is year 3 in this system for them, and there is plenty of experience now. And, not that the OL recruits we have been bringing in are bad - they are on average a pretty solid group. But, if NU wants to improve, then the OL coach needs to recruit at the same level that Williams 1 & 2 are recruiting. Also, NU has had some misses in recruiting without backup plans and that has caused us to take fewer recruits than allowed, which is self-inflicted handicapping. Also, I think that Riley and Langsdorf should have placed a higher priority on getting their program QB in the fold a year earlier, which meant recruiting one in year 1, not waiting until year 2. We have talent coming, and Tanner Lee appears to have needed a few games to shake off the rust. But to finally be starting your program QB in year 3 - well that is just taking too long. With a new coaching staff, you expect the O and the D to be new schemes in year 1, but changing the scheme twice in 3 years is in fact similar to repeating year 1 twice in 3 years. Now, that isn't completely valid - culture should have already set in. OL coaching and scheme and development should have already set in. The coaches should know their team by now.
But, I remember 2 years ago looking at the fact that TA was going to stay the QB for 2 more years, that the offense was going to change in year 3, regardless of it still being the same plays/system. Throw in a DC change the same year, and yes there is SOME legit reasons to compare this to a year 1. Add in a killer schedule and this year was going to be tough. I didn't think it was going to be this tough, though.
I didn't think that our program QB in his first year would lead the nation in INTs. I really thought that the QB decision making and turnovers would end with TA. It has gotten better lately, though. Yet, Tanner Lee is not completing passes on average any better on the season, so far, than TA. So, when TA left, he took a run game element with him, but the overall passing game didn't improve. I wasn't expecting that. We shouldn't be this thin at WR, but we are... and several factors have contributed to that. Unusual attrition at WR (Grimes), injury, recruiting flips at the last second, weed, along with graduation.
So, in conclusion, I think it is too early to throw in the towel on Riley. Even though this is painful. Diaco needs another year. Maybe Davis and Cavanaugh need the boot. Can this staff not only hold onto a very nice recruiting class but continue to build with the same caliber before signing day, and in the face of adversity. The uncertainty with the AD and the negativity from fans doesn't help, but may be deserved. I would love to see what can develop as better recruits fill the ranks. But, it is going to be tough to get 3 more wins this season to go to a bowl, let alone get to 8 or 9 wins, which is going to make things look like a downward trajectory and may doom this staff by season's end. I will also admit that I have a tendency to stay with the status quo for too long and sometime need a push.
But, there are problems. Yes, for whatever reason, Riley brought too many of his assistants with him from OSU, and it has taken him time to realize that some of them weren't up to the challenge of NU. Guys like Bray, Langsdorf, Williams 1 & 2, and Parrella all seem to be high energy and great recruiters. I think it is too early to tell with Diaco. IMHO, though, Davis and Cavanaugh don't seem to be coaching up the talent any more than average, and neither is making waves in recruiting. Guys like Read and Banker were wasting NU's time. Riley has taken too long to make these changes - ie he should have hired these types of guys right off the bat. IMO the OL should be performing better as this is year 3 in this system for them, and there is plenty of experience now. And, not that the OL recruits we have been bringing in are bad - they are on average a pretty solid group. But, if NU wants to improve, then the OL coach needs to recruit at the same level that Williams 1 & 2 are recruiting. Also, NU has had some misses in recruiting without backup plans and that has caused us to take fewer recruits than allowed, which is self-inflicted handicapping. Also, I think that Riley and Langsdorf should have placed a higher priority on getting their program QB in the fold a year earlier, which meant recruiting one in year 1, not waiting until year 2. We have talent coming, and Tanner Lee appears to have needed a few games to shake off the rust. But to finally be starting your program QB in year 3 - well that is just taking too long. With a new coaching staff, you expect the O and the D to be new schemes in year 1, but changing the scheme twice in 3 years is in fact similar to repeating year 1 twice in 3 years. Now, that isn't completely valid - culture should have already set in. OL coaching and scheme and development should have already set in. The coaches should know their team by now.
But, I remember 2 years ago looking at the fact that TA was going to stay the QB for 2 more years, that the offense was going to change in year 3, regardless of it still being the same plays/system. Throw in a DC change the same year, and yes there is SOME legit reasons to compare this to a year 1. Add in a killer schedule and this year was going to be tough. I didn't think it was going to be this tough, though.
I didn't think that our program QB in his first year would lead the nation in INTs. I really thought that the QB decision making and turnovers would end with TA. It has gotten better lately, though. Yet, Tanner Lee is not completing passes on average any better on the season, so far, than TA. So, when TA left, he took a run game element with him, but the overall passing game didn't improve. I wasn't expecting that. We shouldn't be this thin at WR, but we are... and several factors have contributed to that. Unusual attrition at WR (Grimes), injury, recruiting flips at the last second, weed, along with graduation.
So, in conclusion, I think it is too early to throw in the towel on Riley. Even though this is painful. Diaco needs another year. Maybe Davis and Cavanaugh need the boot. Can this staff not only hold onto a very nice recruiting class but continue to build with the same caliber before signing day, and in the face of adversity. The uncertainty with the AD and the negativity from fans doesn't help, but may be deserved. I would love to see what can develop as better recruits fill the ranks. But, it is going to be tough to get 3 more wins this season to go to a bowl, let alone get to 8 or 9 wins, which is going to make things look like a downward trajectory and may doom this staff by season's end. I will also admit that I have a tendency to stay with the status quo for too long and sometime need a push.
This Nebraska airplane is smoking pretty badly. It's wobbly and starting to do the dead man's roll. If Nebraska loses to Purdue Saturday night, it won't matter what Riley says because that airplane will be going into an unrecoverable nose dive.
