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What we will see this fall

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Greatest Fan of All said:
You are a patient man...it won't take that long, we are on our way.
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I love your enthusiasm if not your critical thinking. We still have the same level of talent we had last year and two years ago. Unless there is a huge improvement in the OL and the DL we're not winning the division in the next two years.
 
Greatest Fan of All said:
No, the division is nothing...it won't satisfy anyone. If you set a goal as crappy as a division ribbon, you'll never win anything.
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You're setting yourself up for huge disappointment then. Where did I say that the team shouldn't aim for a B1G title? You can set any goal you want - hell, you could set yourself the goal of winning the World Championship of Poker - but without the necessary skill-set, and a huge amount of luck, you aren't going to win it.

Sorry, pal, we just don't have the talent level or the level of development/experience to even get to the CCG, let alone win it.
 
Greatest Fan of All said:
No, expectations are actually up, and up a lot. It is just SoCal's loser mentality that harbors low expectations...much like your own.
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When Riley fails to deliver up to your expectations you will be among the first to start calling for his firing. It's what you do best.
 



Greatest Fan of All said:
You are a patient man...it won't take that long, we are on our way.
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It will take exactly three years to win the division title (2019), when we'll hopefully have an All-B1G caliber QB, and perhaps a couple of All-B1G OL, not to mention the All-American we will need on defense.
 
SoCalRed said:
It will take exactly three years to win the division title (2019), when we'll hopefully have an All-B1G caliber QB, and perhaps a couple of All-B1G OL, not to mention the All-American we will need on defense.
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That's just dumb, we have the tools to win our division this year(doesn't mean we will), however, if we don't win it before 2019, we probably won't win it until the 2020's come around.
 
Greatest Fan of All said:
Offense:

OL - Improvement across the board. Farmer and Foster finally reach their long talked about potential at the guard spots. An uninjured Gates proved outstanding at LT and the RT spot will be improved with a more experienced Conrad/Knevel or a more talented, but inexperienced, replacement. Center also be improved, most likely by a raw talent like Raridon rather than the more experienced Decker. Wilson/Farniok might be seeing a lot of action somewhere in this lineup as well.

QB - Dramatic improvement as both potential starters possess the skills needed in the MR/DL offense. This will be the most improved position on the team.

RB's - Expect Ozigbo and Bryant to split carries/receptions. Both fit the MR/DL offense and their skills complement each other. This will be a dynamic duo for us this year as there will be far more opportunities for them to catch the ball out of the backfield and the improved pass completion percentage, along with the improved OL, will open up the running game as well.

WR's - Possibly, the most talented group of receivers in NU history. Very young though...but, I'm guessing that this group will, along with the QB (inexperience) candidates, be putting in longer hours (on their own time) than we've seen in the recent past. These guys are talented, know they are the key to the offense and will be competing with each other for playing time and catches. It will be fun to watch as several of the youngsters may well unseat some of the veterans.

Overall, there is no reason to not expect dramatic improvement in our offense. It will be exciting to watch the youngsters grow and flourish. I bet DL feels like he just got the keys to a brand new red Maserati.


Defense:

DL - I expect the shift to the 3/4 to help us maximize the talent and depth we have. I believe Stoltenberg wins the NG job and will excel in that spot. I expect Carlos Davis, in his second year, to become a real force at DT as well. I'd like to see Khalil make a move at the other side but right now it looks like he'll be stuck backing up Mick. We need to find someone to fill the other DT spot...I have little confidence in some of the names I've heard floated, but expect Diaco to find a better than adequate player, perhaps Daishon Neal, Freedom or one of the freshmen can earn the spot.

LB's - We seem to have a lot of talented but inexperienced players. For that reason, I expect the veterans to begin the year in starting roles, only to be overtaken by the youngsters as the year moves forward. Guys like Young, Weber, Gifford and Newby will see a lot of time early but likely will be challenged by Roberts, Barry, Ferguson, Alexander, and Jefferson. By year-end, at least 2 or 3 of the latter will be starting.

DB's - A very strong group. I do not expect many changes in the starters though I think Lamar Jackson will be a starter early, whether at S or CB. He s too talented to sit. Some freshmen and RS freshmen may also make a run at PT.

Overall, I am not sure how Diaco will run his defense, but I am looking forward to witnessing his magic. He has plenty of talent on board to make it work, if he can get the players motivated to learn the defense quickly. I'm hoping that won't be a problem this year.

Special Teams:

Placekicking: - Drew Brown...outstanding.

Punting: - Obviously an area that needs improvement from last year. What few remember were the struggles Sam Foltz had early in his career. I'm hoping for similar improvement from Lightbourne, I believe in his talent.

KO Returns: - Bryant showed flashes of being good KO return man and some of the incoming freshmen (Libdsey, McQuitty) might be very talented in this regard as well. If Bryant is going to carry a greater load at RB, then we might see him give up his KO return duties.

Punt Returns: - It is unlikely that DPE will ever repeat the year he had as a freshman, but I do think 2017 will see him return to the ranks of CFB elite punt returners. He has the skills, the mentality for returns, and should be fully recouped from his injuries.

Coverage teams - I'm not sure why I expect improvement here, but I do. Obviously, MR believed there were problems on ST's when he fired Read...so, it stands to reason that everything ST related will get greater scrutiny this year.

Overall, I expect improvement at nearly every level in ST's. If this is still an issue in year 3, fans need to hold MR accountable, especially now that there is no ST Coordinator.

Overall:

This team has most of the pieces needed to make a run at the BIG championship. What it lacks is experience, depth in a few spots, and "proven" leadership. Don't expect any answers coming out of Spring ball unless the QB battle is decided by then (I doubt it will be). More than likely, Spring ball will find some "new stars"...guys that rarely see any action in the fall. This is a year for great optimism...if we can avoid dropping a game early (like Oregon) we will be in good shape. Sadly, we have Wisky and Tosu back-to-back but I expect to win at least one of those. We also got saddled with @PSU and Iowa back-to-back as the BIG schedule makers clearly hate us. That will be another tough duo to win both games, but that late in the year...it is quite possible. GBR!
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With this said, what is your predicted record for next season?

Overall I've been very critical of MR, but I'm happy with the moves he made this off-season. They needed to be made for improved coaching and development of future players and depth. Good moves and it took guts to make them. Again, I have to give MR credit for doing so, it wasn't easy for sure.

As for your analysis.........I agree on most of it and you did a good job of covering things. Though I'm personally concerned about QB(inexperience), RB(nothing to get overly excited about and lack of depth), OL(building depth, but need more) and the defensive change the most(this is at the minimum a 2 year process or longer). I personally don't see MR's current moves paying dividends until another 2 years. Personally I hope to see improvement next year, but am cautious the record may not necessarily reflect those improvements immediately.

Hope I am wrong (about NU's record next year)............but we at the very least should start to see some solid improvement in depth and building for the future (2 to 3 years away from being reloading instead of re-coaching). Again, this is why imo this was a gutsy move now by MR to make. BUT, credit due, he saw what many saw.....needed better coaches, schemes and players or he was on his way out without a whimper.
 
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HUSKER HOT SAUCE said:
That's just dumb, we have the tools to win our division this year(doesn't mean we will), however, if we don't win it before 2019, we probably won't win it until the 2020's come around.
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Really? But what estimation? We have so many question marks it's not funny, and fan enthusiasm guarantees nothing. We have yet to show that we can beat Wisconsin, and until we beat both them and Iowa it ain't gonna happen. 6-3 won't win the division.

We do not have the experience necessary to win it this year, even if we had the talent. New QB, new set of receivers, new defense - these things take time to gel. Trip to defending champions PSU, OSU at home, and still have to overcome Wisconsin playing a brand new defense. Got to give Diaco a year to figure out who his players are and Lee or POB a season to figure out who their best receivers are. Unfortunately, in a passing offense, the chemistry between QB and WRs is the ultimate criteria for success. That sort of chemistry takes time to develop. 2018 is perhaps the toughest conference schedule we'll have played 2012.

2019 is the best shot we'll have at winning the division in seven years.
 




SoCalRed said:
Injuries do matter! If Tommy doesn't go down do we get buried by Iowa? Is the loss to Tennessee inevitable? Had we been operating in the old offense we'd have had two other viable options at QB. Without Tommy they were dead in the water.
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That's the rout the coaches chose. Sure, NU would have had a better chance without injury, but it's the hand they were dealt. You've got to overcome obstacles.
 



akweasel said:
With this said, what is your predicted record for next season?

Overall I've been very critical of MR, but I'm happy with the moves he made this off-season. They needed to be made for improved coaching and development of future players and depth. Good moves and it took guts to make them. Again, I have to give MR credit for doing so, it wasn't easy for sure.

As for your analysis.........I agree on most of it and you did a good job of covering things. Though I'm personally concerned about QB(inexperience), RB(nothing to get overly excited about and lack of depth), OL(building depth, but need more) and the defensive change the most(this is at the minimum a 2 year process or longer). I personally don't see MR's current moves paying dividends until another 2 years. Personally I hope to see improvement next year, but am cautious the record may not necessarily reflect those improvements immediately.

Hope I am wrong (about NU's record next year)............but we at the very least should start to see some solid improvement in depth and building for the future (2 to 3 years away from being reloading instead of re-coaching). Again, this is why imo this was a gutsy move now by MR to make. BUT, credit due, he saw what many saw.....needed better coaches, schemes and players or he was on his way out without a whimper.
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I don't think that those of you who doubt MR understand that his first 2 years were crippled offensively by the lousy talent available to run his offense, especially at the key spot of QB. Couple that with the divided house we all lived with for 2 years and it is amazing what was accomplished last year (record wise). The Sam Foltz tragedy unified the divided house for awhile...until the bubble burst at Wisky.

Going forward the players needed to run Riley's offense are getting here (he's had 2 1/2 recruiting classes, each better than the previous). We're are very young this year, so it is hard to predict a BIG championship, but next year it is quite possible despite the brutal schedule. The defense will be turned around quickly by Diaco, we have plenty of young talent there. As far as the record this year, I believe we could be anywhere from unbeaten to 9-3 in regular season, with losses potentially coming against Oregon, Ohio State, & Penn State. We could beat any or all of those three, yet slip up against someone the naysayers call cupcakes...it just happens now and then.
 

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