Wistrom says selfishness of players "makes me sick"

[True2tRA]

Just get better is all I saying. Improve. Make progress on some of the issues. First it was the offense that couldn't produce. Then the defense failed in record fashion. Then the special teams looked like one of the biggest jokes I've seen to be honest with you. Horrendous. When do we start to see the turnover issue begin to get resolved? When do the stories of entitlement and players not giving complete effort end? Maybe instead of four losses, lose 3. How about winning one of those conference championships instead of blowing the lead against Oklahoma, or the embarrassment that was the Wisconsin game.

PROGRESS.

Honest question - Does progress only count if it is progress in every area all at once? And over how long of a course of time?

There's been tons of progress or no progress depending on your perspective and how far zoomed in you are.

Absolutely not. I just listed the areas I feel we need to see progress in. Turnovers would be a great start. Would be beneficial to the team a great deal. This team knows what the problems are. Damn it all if I don't think it's too much to ask to see them out their heads down, focus in, and fix some things. It would benefit them a lot more than Tweeter does.

Over what length of time? Hmmm, well considering the problems I listed have generally been problems for six or more years now, how about we improve on one by year seven.

I think TA will help this team a lot in that aspect. Or at least I hope.

I hear you. And I mostly agree with you. But a lot of people make the same argument and take it too far.

It's weird some of the stuff that people attach to Bo.

I've heard a lot of people believe a reality where our special teams play has been poor for six seasons. It has been pretty good overall in Bo's tenure. It was even good last year in every area besides punt return.

I've also heard a lot of people b!^@h about how we'll never see less penalties and false starts, but we're way better at those things.

After 2011 and 2012 people forgot that 2009 and 2010 existed and whined about how our team is always and forever awful on the defensive side of the ball.

Not attributing those things to you, it's just weird the way that people see things. There was a good amount of progress in at least a handful of areas last season. There needs to be more in turnovers lost and forced, in mental preparedness, etc., as well.

I totally agree. In my opinion, if we just clean up the turnovers, we aren't talking about #4losses at all. Aside from that, you're right, there have been some steps made in the right direction. Especially the penalties up front.

The stories of players quitting, being selfish, or not taking opponents seriously is probably the more disheartening thing of all of it for me.

 

[lo country]

We eliminate the TO's and we beat Iowa and MSU last year IMO. No team, not even the Huskers in the 90's, Miami in 2001, Bama, USC etc could over come our TO's issues and win at an elite level. TO's kill.

Interesting article on the negative effects of INT's

This indicator measures the impact of each and every interception thrown in the playoffs since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. It tells us that no play in football, perhaps no play in all of sports, is more important than picks. Each interception thrown by a team decreases its chances of winning by, give or take, an astonishing 20 percentage points.

In fact, we're so amazed by the Interception Ladder that, when the Cold, Hard Football Facts watch games, we tick off in our heads the decreasing likelihood of a team's chances to win with each and every INT thrown by its quarterback.

It's the second pick that's absolutely murderous to a team's chances, much like the one that Rivers through to Leonhard Sunday afternoon. Teams almost always win when they throw zero picks. They still have a likelihood of winning when they throw one pick. But the second pick is devastating. Throw it, and your chances of winning are extremely slim.

Here's the CHFF Interception Ladder, a look at the record of teams in the playoffs (since 1970) based upon the number of interceptions that they throw (through the 2009 divisional playoffs):

• 0 INT – 191-51 (.789)
  
• 1 INT – 144-119 (.548)
  
• 2 INT – 54-119 (.312)
  
• 3 INT – 17-78 (.179)
  
• 4+ INT – 1-41 (.024)
  
•  
   
  http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/the-almighty-chff-interception-ladder/7285/
  

 

[Count 'Bility]

Count, I said I would like to see a top 5 team.

I confused. You said you'd like to see "this year end with a class ranked 5-10". So I thought you were speaking of the recruiting class. Are you not?

Thus I explained why this class probably wont be that high. It's about the numbers. We've had two large, full classes in a row, and this years will be a smidgen smaller. If rankings went by strictly player ranking average and star average and not put any weight on number of commits, then I would think this years class would easily wind up in the top ten the way it's gone so far.

 

[The Dude]

Do we put any stock in the fact that Els said the only way we'd ever fill up early is if we weren't very selective of who we took? Or was he just making excuses for a slow start last year?

 

[NUinID]

Do we put any stock in the fact that Els said the only way we'd ever fill up early is if we weren't very selective of who we took? Or was he just making excuses for a slow start last year?

Never heard Els say anything like that, but I don't pay that close attention to what coaches say about recruiting. IMO the quick start this year is 2 fold. The coaches are being a lot more aggressive early in their recruiting, and there just happens to be a lot of top quality players within the 500 mile zone. Almost all these kids committed know the Nebraska program and what it stands for. For most of these recruits it has not been a super hard sell.

 

[Landlord]

Do we put any stock in the fact that Els said the only way we'd ever fill up early is if we weren't very selective of who we took? Or was he just making excuses for a slow start last year?

I put some stock in it. I dont' think there is any educated Nebraska fan that could deny our staffs ability to evaluate talent - especially under the radar talent. I think the coaches purposefully want to leave room in January and February for guys that have fallen through the cracks as far as attention and hype but have the ability.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Do we put any stock in the fact that Els said the only way we'd ever fill up early is if we weren't very selective of who we took? Or was he just making excuses for a slow start last year?

Until I see proof that phenomenal recruiting GUARANTEES success, I really wouldnt put too much stock into how it's done. This year's class is really a perfect storm. The new staffers, the higher amount of talent closer to home, Bo maybe finally "getting it", and so on. All the new facilities are finished and running. The newness of the Big10 is completely gone. It just feels like the ball is starting to roll again.

 

[The Dude]

Never heard Els say anything like that,

“You can't compare us to Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame,” Els told ESPN's Big Ten bloggers. “We will not fill up that quickly. If we're filling up that quickly, it's either because we just won the national championship and everybody wants to play for us, or we might be not very selective in who we're taking."

I'm hoping he was just making excuses.

 

[NUpolo8]

Never heard Els say anything like that,

“You can't compare us to Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame,” Els told ESPN's Big Ten bloggers. “We will not fill up that quickly. If we're filling up that quickly, it's either because we just won the national championship and everybody wants to play for us, or we might be not very selective in who we're taking."

I'm hoping he was just making excuses.

It seems like our special teams coach..........

(Puts on sunglasses)

Is punting on the topic of recruiting well......

 

[Saunders]

Do we currently have a top ten recruiting class in the rankings?

http://247sports.com/Season/2015-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

I would say we have a recruiting class. There are probably good players on it. The absolute earliest they can be rated is when it's over, and likely should be judged two years from now.

Cool, so you will withhold throwing the team under the bus until after the season?

 

[NUpolo8]

Do we currently have a top ten recruiting class in the rankings?http://247sports.com/Season/2015-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

I would say we have a recruiting class. There are probably good players on it. The absolute earliest they can be rated is when it's over, and likely should be judged two years from now.

Cool, so you will withhold throwing the team under the bus until after the season?

I didn't know the entire team had no game experience, from which we could predict future performance based on orevious results.

Coaching staff too I guess.

 

[True2tRA]

Never heard Els say anything like that,

You can't compare us to Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame, Els told ESPN's Big Ten bloggers. We will not fill up that quickly. If we're filling up that quickly, it's either because we just won the national championship and everybody wants to play for us, or we might be not very selective in who we're taking."

I'm hoping he was just making excuses.

Ugh. That's a coach saying that?
[vomit]

Hey coach, ever heard if you can't beat em, join em. Why not bounce the hell on out of here and let the guys who think we can compete with everybody run this ship. You have a defeatist mentality, and you're coaching young football players, how the hell does that happen?

 

[skersfan]

Totally agree, if you do not think what you are selling is as good as your competitor you are bound to fail. That is about the worst statement a recruiter could make. And it will be used against him by every single program mentioned and a lot not mentioned. Really bad.

In this day an age, everything that is said is known instantly, or close to.

 

[NUinID]

Never heard Els say anything like that,

You can't compare us to Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame, Els told ESPN's Big Ten bloggers. We will not fill up that quickly. If we're filling up that quickly, it's either because we just won the national championship and everybody wants to play for us, or we might be not very selective in who we're taking."

I'm hoping he was just making excuses.

Ugh. That's a coach saying that?
[vomit]

Hey coach, ever heard if you can't beat em, join em. Why not bounce the hell on out of here and let the guys who think we can compete with everybody run this ship. You have a defeatist mentality, and you're coaching young football players, how the hell does that happen?

Not saying it was great what he said, but not really that close to what you originally said. He is right though for the most part. NU is usually not going to fill up with 4 and 5 star recruits that fast. This year there is a lot of quality close to home that is choosing NU that is helping to make the class come together more quickly. As I said before I think they are changing their recruiting philosophy some also.

 

[NUpolo8]

So to review, Ross Els can't get his punt return teams to average more than three yards a return when they aren't muffing it, and he carries a defeatist attitude.

And he got a raise.

And people wonder why I question the decisions and general management aptitude on this coaching staff.