Donovan Raiola Officially Named Offensive Line Coach

M.A. said:
Being head coach is another ballgame for sure.  Few are cut out for it. It entails a lot that hasn’t been experienced before. 
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It definitely is, but more coaches need to stop going after the money and keep their happy asses where they are and develop themselves. A young guy like Chinander would benefit by remaining a DC for another 5-8 years before he thinks about becoming a HC (I am using him as an example, not that I think he is actually looking to be a HC). Master your position before you make leaps and it will make you more money in the long run. Brent Venables did it the right way. 

 
Vince R. said:
It definitely is, but more coaches need to stop going after the money and keep their happy asses where they are and develop themselves. A young guy like Chinander would benefit by remaining a DC for another 5-8 years before he thinks about becoming a HC (I am using him as an example, not that I think he is actually looking to be a HC). Master your position before you make leaps and it will make you more money in the long run. Brent Venables did it the right way. 
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More of an emotional aspect to it, increased pressures and how to deal with it effectively. Much more of an organizational aspect to it. Holding student athletes accountable. Having an array of competencies as a captain. Resisting emotional, irrational choices, ETC.  It’s very similar to being in a CEO role I’d think. They’d likely  benefit enlisting David Marquet, Jocko Willink and Rickson Gracie among others for the endeavor in my estimation. 

 
lo country said:
Wasn't a concern.  How any knew of Whipple prior to the success of Pitt this year?  Or when he was at UMass?  I'm guessing no one.  

Now that names are out and research is being done, there is evidence that they can be successful.  This is what I have been pointing out.  

And as far as Whipple as a splash hire, he is in retrospect.  Prior to our rabid fan base googling him, I am usnure how excited people were....Being a Clemson fan, I have seen Pitt and Whipple, but TBH knew nothing about him until his name came up for NU.  

Which hires to date have you psyched?  I'll answer for you.  All of them. Frost and Trev can do no wrong.  Other fans?  no idea.  As I have said, ad nauseam, I'm a run the ball guy.  The more I read, the more comfortable I am with him.  Not my fave, but at this junction probably the best we could get.  And I think he will make an improvement.

Knew nothing about Raiola.  How many others did.  Dudes had to be reminded that he's not Dylan's dad.....So yea, another google search.  BUT as the article I posted alluded to, another good hire.  Now me, like most fans will read everything we can, some (a lot) will watch Pitt films on YouTube and convince ourselves these were the best hires evah...
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It's not that I think Frost or Trev can do no wrong, it's that they are in a position that I'm not to make personnel choices and decisions.

......which leaves the options to be optimistic about the possibilities or to b!tch about everything.

 
TheSker said:
It's not that I think Frost or Trev can do no wrong, it's that they are in a position that I'm not to make personnel choices and decisions.

......which leaves the options to be optimistic about the possibilities or to b!tch about everything.
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Hmmmm.......In the post you quoted, I give Whipple and Raiola props.  There's a difference in being an optimist, pessimist and realist.  Time will tell if they are going to have a positive outcome on Husker football.    I am hopeful that they can get it done, but realistic that it is going to be an uphill climb.

 I have mentioned before that no one knows what benchmarks must be met by Frost in order to ensure a return in 2023.  I initially thought it would be a set number of wins.  With this staff, I am no longer sure that is the sole metric. Whipple and Joseph have been in the coaching game a long time.  I do not think these are the type of guys you hire and say you have one year to get to "X" number of wins.  These are the guys you bring in to fix a program.  Set a solid foundation to build from.  Not some once and done carnival act.    I can see Frost and this staff being here into 2023.  Regardless of the W-L record.  I think Trev, as a guy who appears to be a smart AD, is looking at a much larger picture than simple W-L.  But that's just my new thought for the nite.  Still hoping but not as hopeful) as I was the when I got the "Frost make Nebraska Great Again" T-shirt for Christmas 2017 that Frost will make the  fan benchmarks of a winning season and bowling.  Even if this is not Trev's.  

I'm out. We can quote more tomorrow :D   Have a good one.

 
lo country said:
Hmmmm.......In the post you quoted, I give Whipple and Raiola props.  There's a difference in being an optimist, pessimist and realist.  Time will tell if they are going to have a positive outcome on Husker football.    I am hopeful that they can get it done, but realistic that it is going to be an uphill climb.

 I have mentioned before that no one knows what benchmarks must be met by Frost in order to ensure a return in 2023.  I initially thought it would be a set number of wins.  With this staff, I am no longer sure that is the sole metric. Whipple and Joseph have been in the coaching game a long time.  I do not think these are the type of guys you hire and say you have one year to get to "X" number of wins.  These are the guys you bring in to fix a program.  Set a solid foundation to build from.  Not some once and done carnival act.    I can see Frost and this staff being here into 2023.  Regardless of the W-L record.  I think Trev, as a guy who appears to be a smart AD, is looking at a much larger picture than simple W-L.  But that's just my new thought for the nite.  Still hoping but not as hopeful) as I was the when I got the "Frost make Nebraska Great Again" T-shirt for Christmas 2017 that Frost will make the  fan benchmarks of a winning season and bowling.  Even if this is not Trev's.  

I'm out. We can quote more tomorrow :D   Have a good one.
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I agree that this isn't just being set up as a one year thing.

These seem to be very good hires.....and especially Joseph and Raiola wouldn't be here without believing Alberts is confident with Frost 

 
I am inclined to believe Trev and his bosses have a plan in place underlying this saga.  I think almost everybody wanted Frost to succeed.  I think they hoped he could get us back to relevance nationally.  I believe most still entertain some hope he can still pull off a miracle like come back next season. But I also feel most reasonable minds in the inner circle, are keenly aware we are in uncharted waters in that Neb fb has not been this bad in almost 60 years.   
 

I am not sure if there is a set win minimum this fall but I am sure there will need to be dramatic, plain view, unmistakable improvement across the entire team.  We better win the games vs teams outside this year’s top 25 Id say.  The STs need to avoid the disastrous bad plays and simply play min error fb.  I don’t see these hires as ‘home run hires’ but decent.  Whether MJ is better than his predecessors ?  I don’t think our Receivers have been all that bad.  I blame Adrian more for not getting the most critical throws in the sweet spots.  Not any player on Frost’s recruit list has been a great player.  Some pretty good but no difference makers.  I think there have been athletes but Frost & Co have failed to coach them well enough. 
 

i think Frost was too young and inexperienced. Sadly, I am not sure he’s learned much in this on the job training either.  This is where Whipple could be of most help - if the student will listen to the professor.   If we have or find a great QB and not just a great athlete playing QB, the offense will be better, although without improved STs and a focus on better tailback production, the defense will likely slip back.  Our defense was a top 15 level bunch. I would say top 30 is probably the 2022 finish.  Good enough to win 8 games if offense scores 35 a game and we don’t give up 7 a game via kicking. 

 
BigRedBuster said:
I was agreeing with you, this. This is a stretch. 
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Is it though? For twenty years it’s been Nick or Urban and I’m leaving Dabo out because I do not think he’s on their level. He’d have to coach somewhere else and win. Those two no matter what are guaranteed playoffs, and they would achieve that at a lot of places. Urban at Utah, and Saban at MSU would be in the playoffs by year two. We can’t say that about anybody else. 

 
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BigRedBuster said:
How in the hell do you coach in college and not spend a ton of time on fundamentals?
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Not sure about that high of a level, but I was behind the scenes in NCAA DII and know that during the season, there just isn't much time for it. You need every second you can get prepping scheme and approach for your specific opponent coming up, that fundamental work ends up taking less than 10% of the time. 

Individual fundamental work is usually reserved for spring, bowl and early pre-season practices.

 
Vince R. said:
Is it though? For twenty years it’s been Nick or Urban and I’m leaving Dabo out because I do not think he’s on their level. He’d have to coach somewhere else and win. Those two no matter what are guaranteed playoffs, and they would achieve that at a lot of places. Urban at Utah, and Saban at MSU would be in the playoffs by year two. We can’t say that about anybody else. 
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I'd have to include Chris Petersen. Point is, great ones aren't that common. 

 
Vince R. said:
There is only one elite coach in college football and has been for two decades and that's Saban. The rest of them are position coaches and at most coordinators who are not equipped to be head coaches. 
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I think I see what you're trying to say but I don't understand this take at face value. Are you saying all head coaches in college football fall into these two categories?

  • Elite
  • Glorified position coach/coordinator

I'll give you that the number of 'Elite' head coaches is pretty small, but that's a pretty harsh evaluation of 125+ other head coaches. I think I agree fundamentally with your perspective that more coordinators/position coaches should probably hone their craft before thinking they're ready for head coaching jobs, but I also can't fault a guy for getting offered millions of dollars to be a head coach somewhere. That's life-changing money for them and their families, potentially for generations if they do the right things with it.

 
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