People are so caught up with this shortsighted notion of needing to "make a statement" with a "splash hire". All that stuff wears off after the first kickoff of the season. We needed a good coach who runs a solid progrum and will get the most out of his players for the next 5+ years. I have no doubt we got that.
I didn't want a coach that "made a statement" or a "splash hire". I think there a lot of us that just wanted a HC hire that "made sense". It makes me wonder how many people had to google "MIke Riley"...
You might need to explain this. You say that it didn't have to make a statement or be a splash hire, just that "a lot of us" (apparently the same thing as "you") wanted a HC hire that made sense. Then the only example you give of the hire not making sense is that some people may have had to google Mike Riley to figure out who he was. I, btw, had to google him to figure it out. Where we start to drift apart is, now that I know a whole hell of a lot more about him, I think it makes perfect sense and was a great hire and he will be just what we need.
So the questions are;
1- Why/How do you think this hire doesn't make sense? Surely, since you have stated a "splash hire" is not what you wanted, there has to be something to base your disappointment on other than some people didn't know who he was.
2- Name a hire(s) we could've made that would not be considered a "splash hire" and then explain how this other person(s) would make more sense.
Sorry, I just really don't understand the disappointment some have in the Riley hire. I understand apprehension that he will do no better here than the Oregon State team did while he was there but, I really try to hope that people can recognize that this is Nebraska and that was OSU. Lots of factors there that would negatively affect the W-L record other than the name of the coach.