Is honesty not acceptable?

[LarstheRed]

Frost can’t throw the players from the previous regimes under the bus and expect them to “buy in”. It creates division. It’s that simple. Besides, they are his players now and he has now had them for 2 years. If they were not good enough to obtain a winning record and reach a bowl game in 2019, that is the fault of the current coaching staff not the previous one.

What should he do, create a circle around the campfire and sing songs? Those players HAVE to know they haven't met the expectations for a player at the University of Nebraska. The staff has made plenty of mistakes, but this is about the players and their accountability. A coach can call the wrong play, and that's not good, but players are the guys missing blocks, lanes or reads that cause plays to fail more often than not. If Scott called every play perfectly, that's still not going to change players executing at an abysmal level.

There are people who rise to a challenge, and those who shrink, and we seem to think we need to coach solely for the shrinkers on the roster. If there was any mistake in messaging, it was not conveying to the team that they all have the ability to become contributing players (though we know that isn't true). When you see how some made dramatic improvements to the players they were originally, you have to feel that message was understood by at least some of the players. Those that have chosen to feel a victim instead of rising to the challenge might be guys we just aren't going to be rehabilitating, but running off. Remind us again just how well they handled the positive environment of Riley? Did they push themselves? Did they act disappointed in their failures? It seems we have some folks that think we need to continually adapt our program around the whim and moods of the players, which I'm not seeing as having had great success in the past.

 

[Blue Howl]

Sure, honesty is acceptable. But there is a right and a wrong way to communicate and motivate.

If we really want to get at the hard truth, it is that this coaching staff has done a poor job. Frost can start by looking in the mirror if he wants honesty, and he should require every member of his staff to do the same.

 

[ThrowFar60]

I just feel the talent argument is never ending, so not sure why Frost wants to bring it up? Alabama is probably the most talented team in CFB, but I guarantee you that Saban and Co. are out trying to recruit better players than what they currently have.

Hell, I would be more alarmed if a college coach didn’t think he had to get more talent.

The fact of the matter is, every coach wants more talent, but at some point it becomes the head coach and assistants job to say “we need to coach up what we’ve got” and I just haven’t seen a ton of that right now outside of a few individuals.

 

[dallasblackshirt]

Sure, honesty is acceptable. But there is a right and a wrong way to communicate and motivate.

If we really want to get at the hard truth, it is that this coaching staff has done a poor job. Frost can start by looking in the mirror if he wants honesty, and he should require every member of his staff to do the same.

amen. Yes he can improve on communicating but the fundamental issue that bothers most of us with our eyes open is the utter poor execution, bad play calling,game management, and utter repulsive special teams play (you Have to try to be rated 116 th) that resulted in losing 4 winnable games.

for a staff paid $8.5 million this is unacceptable. No excuses should be made or accepted

 

[LarstheRed]

Lars you make some very good points, and valid points. But, in year 3 he has to quit blaming things on Mike Riley. In year 3 this is his team. All the players are his players and it he has to move forward that way. Even if he didn't recruit them they have been with him 3 years in 2020 so they are his players.

He also needs to be able to make tough decisions about staff and personnel when the time comes. I don't think he gets rid of any of his staff this year, but they need to do a lot of self evaluation and maybe change some of the things they are doing.

If someone isn't playing well, you have to be willing to try someone else. He has to be willing to do that.

I know a lot want Chinander's head, but I don't think that is the answer. Maybe he can get his defensive staff to spend a few days with another 3-4 coach that is successful. It does happen. Nebraska studied FSU's 4-3 when they moved to it. Maybe go see Dave Aranda at LSU or Kyle Wittingham at Utah. They both run 3-4 very successfully. Maybe they can glean something from sitting down with other successful coaches.

As I have said before sometimes their is a difference between what you want to do and what you need to to be successful. You saw that in the Iowa game. He wants to be wide open, he wants to throw all the screens, but when they aren't working you have to move to something else. They ran the ball a lot more and a lot more effectively in the second half when they went away from what he wanted to do.

Special teams just have to improve. The special teams directly impacted the outcome of 3 games in a negative way. Giving up a kick off for a touchdown after you score just kills the momentum and nullifies the points you just scored. Against Iowa it was basically the difference in the game.

Scott Frost made a lot of mistakes this year. He needs to learn from them and move on. There is no reason they can't be 7-0 going into the final 5 game gauntlet. At the least they should be 6-1.

Let's wait until we actually get to year 3 and see if his approach to the players is different. I don't ever see Scott backing off the idea that we are continually looking to get more talent.

As dumb as it sounds, those ineffective screens were probably helpful in opening up that running game. Had they actually been successful, that running game would have been even better. Toss in some passes down field to loosen up the secondary, and you have an offense that's a bear to handle. There are so many things that are limiting our ability, it's maddening. If we pull the plug on a large portion of the offense because we are struggling with it, that's going to decrease the success of what is working because it eliminates the defense needing to account for things like screens or deep passes. We aren't set up to be a power run team exclusively. I'm in total agreement with you on the Special Teams, they are in need of a complete overhaul.

 

[huskernut]

I read so many comments on here that seem very focused on how Scott made the point we need to get better; talent, strength, culture, it all had to improve, and it was somehow cruel, harsh or counterproductive. He pointed our teams being physically pushed around, and said that had to stop. Oddly, that’s EXACTLY what nearly all we fans and the media have said numerous times over the last 20 years. We’ve even heard people use the dreaded word, talent, in describing our getting rolled by certain schools, and how we lacked it. Why was all of that normal, but a new coach walking in and assessing the obvious, can’t say it?
...

Coaches can say players need to get better till the cows come home, about the things those players can control, like conditioning, and skill. But to say it about talent, which they don't control, more than just a few times at the outset and in generalities, is counter-productive. Scott does that a lot. I think because he feels like we fans deserve an explanation. Well we don't need it. And not only is he insulting the players who don't have enough talent, he's shooting himself in the foot by de-motivating them.

It's a lot like how he keeps giving other teams bulletin board material. It just makes it harder to win. And it's completely unnecessary. There's not benefit to any of it. I hope he figures that out. Good coaches like all good managers have to maximize every single thing to maximize results.

 

[goodnterribles]

You’re so positive.

You should do kids parties.

Actually you should be worried about yourself that you actually understood that post.

 

[CrabHusker]

Actually you should be worried about yourself that you actually understood that post.

I am, but I have experience reading groups of words with little to no punctuation and determining what, if anything, the intent was.

Kind of a savant there.

 

[Bigger Ed]

You’re so positive.

You should do kids parties.

 

[BigRedAvenger]

What should he do, create a circle around the campfire and sing songs? Those players HAVE to know they haven't met the expectations for a player at the University of Nebraska. The staff has made plenty of mistakes, but this is about the players and their accountability. A coach can call the wrong play, and that's not good, but players are the guys missing blocks, lanes or reads that cause plays to fail more often than not. If Scott called every play perfectly, that's still not going to change players executing at an abysmal level.

There are people who rise to a challenge, and those who shrink, and we seem to think we need to coach solely for the shrinkers on the roster. If there was any mistake in messaging, it was not conveying to the team that they all have the ability to become contributing players (though we know that isn't true). When you see how some made dramatic improvements to the players they were originally, you have to feel that message was understood by at least some of the players. Those that have chosen to feel a victim instead of rising to the challenge might be guys we just aren't going to be rehabilitating, but running off. Remind us again just how well they handled the positive environment of Riley? Did they push themselves? Did they act disappointed in their failures? It seems we have some folks that think we need to continually adapt our program around the whim and moods of the players, which I'm not seeing as having had great success in the past.

You can sit a player down, show him the tape, and say "you are not good enough, but you are talented and we as coaches will show you how to get there". You can't however stand in front of the entire sports world after a loss and tell them that those players just are not good enough and you need to find better ones. That is not an effective way to earn the buy in that gets thrown around so often after these losses.

 

[Bigger Ed]

I am, but I have experience reading groups of words with little to no punctuation and determining what, if anything, the intent was.

Kind of a savant there.

The Grammar Whisperer?

 

[CrabHusker]

The Grammar Whisperer?

Coach Rata Loca taught me everything I know.

 

[LarstheRed]

amen. Yes he can improve on communicating but the fundamental issue that bothers most of us with our eyes open is the utter poor execution, bad play calling,game management, and utter repulsive special teams play (you Have to try to be rated 116 th) that resulted in losing 4 winnable games.

for a staff paid $8.5 million this is unacceptable. No excuses should be made or accepted

How is it that we have poor play calling? If a play fails, is it a poor play? I have a hard time blaming the play calling when I see a play that looks like a great gainer, only to be stopped for a loss or no gain by a player missing a block, or QB missing an open receiver, or a RB not running the lane the blocking is set up for. This is an odd notion that just because we don't try to smashmouth every play in the redzone makes the play calling wrong. How many times do other teams get walk in scores running those exact type of play on our defense? Watch the replays, because they continually show just how easy a score would have been with those 'cute' plays if guys actually do what they are supposed to.

 

[Bigger Ed]

Coaches can say players need to get better till the cows come home, about the things those players can control, like conditioning, and skill. But to say it about talent, which they don't control, more than just a few times at the outset and in generalities, is counter-productive. Scott does that a lot. I think because he feels like we fans deserve an explanation. Well we don't need it. And not only is he insulting the players who don't have enough talent, he's shooting himself in the foot by de-motivating them.

It's a lot like how he keeps giving other teams bulletin board material. It just makes it harder to win. And it's completely unnecessary. There's not benefit to any of it. I hope he figures that out. Good coaches like all good managers have to maximize every single thing to maximize results.

IMO, the most important self-improvement Frost needs to make is tempering what he says to the press.

 

[CrabHusker]

IMO, the most important self-improvement Frost needs to make is tempering what he says to the press.

And how what he says is perceived by the kids on the roster and kids and parents being courted to come to Lincoln.

I’m all for accountability and if he’s OK with running off half the guys he brings in, he’ll have to deal with the consequences. Including potentially not coaching the length of his contract.