Inconvenient? You are the one who said "not happening" in your original response to whether Nebraska can beat Wisconsin...then later you claimed they "could win" not "should win"....if anyone is guilty of changing any debate it is you
Nebraska Toss Up Games in 2015
- Thread starter Redux
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I travel for business 25-30 times a year- sports related, talking with football coaches. Probably 35-40 states in just last 3-4 years- not regional
They all ask about NU football
What their perception is:
Football is important here
Fans here are very polite and sportsmanlike
Fans here have outrageous and unrealistic expectations W/L wise about their football team every year
That's why the non Nebraska public thinks NU isnt a great job and why we couldnt attract a marquee coach in our last 3 hiring attempts
The public thinks most NU fans think NU SHOULD win all their games every year. You said should and unfortunately there are some who really think we have the ability and should win all of our games pretty much every year
I tell them only the foam finger, corn cob hat, face painted, lives in moms basement lunatic fringe are actually like that- that most NU fans are pretty smart about the game and realistic about our teams ability every year, but maybe Im wrong.
I tell them MOST NU fans just want to see good quality well coached football being played week in and week out
I tell them we can live with the 8 win seasons as long as there are some years here and there where we are competing for and winning league titles. Being in the hunt/conversation for a National Championship a couple of times a decade over the long term is the expectation
I tell them NU fans arent stuck in 1997 where we think all the team has to do is show up to beat half its schedule.
I tell them NU fans want a coach who is respectful to the public, plays by the rules and graduates players
I tell them MOST NU fans are realistic expectations wise and dont expect a team that lost its Heisman Trophy contending RB, has a weak D, spotty QB, turnover prone and weak mentally, unproven coaching staff, first year coaching staff- they dont think that that type of team should win every game they play.
Maybe I'll have to start rephrasing my answer.
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Hedley Lamarr
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True2tRA
Banned
Four things about football:
1. Team A can beat Team B
2. Team A can beat themselves
3. Team B can beat Team A
4. Team B can beat themselves
Theres two teams out there. Both are trying to win the game. Nebraska has shown an ability to do very well in both areas on that list. They've beat themselves multiple times. They've beaten the opponent multiple times.
If Nebraska plays a good fundamental game with limited mistakes, we have the talent to compete with absolutely anybody on the schedule. If we play a sloppy, poorly executed game, we've shown we can blow it or nearly blow it against anybody.
The new coaching staff has a world of experience over the prior staff and has a far better reputation for teaching and developing football players. I'd expect us to be highly competitive, but this is football. Teams have off days. One thing that can contribute to a team having an off day is when that team is going through their first year of system changes and learning new aspects of the type of team they want to be.
Anyone who thinks this team has no chance in a game is just as silly as the guy who thinks we'll blow out every team on the schedule. Recent history tealls us the odds are greater or lesser in certain games but how much of our recent history do you apply to things when we've just gone through a complete overhaul in the coaching staff; we haven't even seen the overhaul of the depth chart yet.
We could be looking at entirely different team next year. Matter of fact, I'm kind of hoping for it for the most part. I really don't know what to "expect" as far as wins or losses to who, but I expect Nebraska to be a much better footbal team overall. Sometimes simply playing cleaner, error free, fundamental football can translate to a win. Either way, that hould be the goal. Control what we can control. Be the team that we can be and take care of ourselves. It's been a long time since Nebraska football approached the game with that mindset and I think the Head Coach had an awful lot to do with focusing on the outside.
I'm looking forward to this season and the new approach, that's for sure.
1. Team A can beat Team B
2. Team A can beat themselves
3. Team B can beat Team A
4. Team B can beat themselves
Theres two teams out there. Both are trying to win the game. Nebraska has shown an ability to do very well in both areas on that list. They've beat themselves multiple times. They've beaten the opponent multiple times.
If Nebraska plays a good fundamental game with limited mistakes, we have the talent to compete with absolutely anybody on the schedule. If we play a sloppy, poorly executed game, we've shown we can blow it or nearly blow it against anybody.
The new coaching staff has a world of experience over the prior staff and has a far better reputation for teaching and developing football players. I'd expect us to be highly competitive, but this is football. Teams have off days. One thing that can contribute to a team having an off day is when that team is going through their first year of system changes and learning new aspects of the type of team they want to be.
Anyone who thinks this team has no chance in a game is just as silly as the guy who thinks we'll blow out every team on the schedule. Recent history tealls us the odds are greater or lesser in certain games but how much of our recent history do you apply to things when we've just gone through a complete overhaul in the coaching staff; we haven't even seen the overhaul of the depth chart yet.
We could be looking at entirely different team next year. Matter of fact, I'm kind of hoping for it for the most part. I really don't know what to "expect" as far as wins or losses to who, but I expect Nebraska to be a much better footbal team overall. Sometimes simply playing cleaner, error free, fundamental football can translate to a win. Either way, that hould be the goal. Control what we can control. Be the team that we can be and take care of ourselves. It's been a long time since Nebraska football approached the game with that mindset and I think the Head Coach had an awful lot to do with focusing on the outside.
I'm looking forward to this season and the new approach, that's for sure.
This is a pretty good article that talks about Bo Pelinis defense, a lot on pass coverage:
http://breakdownsports.blogspot.com/2014/07/inside-playbook-nebraska-single-high-defense-cover-1.html
http://brophyfootball.blogspot.com/search/label/Bo%20Pelini
Im no fan of Bos Run defense, but it isnt true that he didnt switch up coverages much. He did.
It may have appeared to be a 2 high look, but often times wasnt, thats one of the reason it was so effective against the pass that is. Lots of ideas he took from the NFL
"Pelini's 4-3 over defense is much different than the Michigan State version I discussed previously however. If there's a coverage to run, Pelini will run it. From cover 2, to cover 3, to cover 4, to under 7 (basically a cover 6), to man under, to cover 1. Yes, he runs a ton of coverages on the back end, and this makes it difficult for defenses to run pass concepts to take advantage of certain things. But it also sometimes leaves to busts in his secondary"
While the article references Matt Brophys earlier article, he extraploates a bit AND Bo had a cover 0 call too, per Matt Brophys article
Matt knows his stuff- Quad Cities HS coach, who spent a bunch of time watching Bo in practice/games in his new home of Louisiana
Bo holds everything he does on D close to the vest, anything he does at a clinic is tech, not scheme. These guys and of course Damon Benning are spot on what Bo really does on Defense
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cornographic
Banned
I agree with the toss up games of BYU, U, Wiscy, Minny, and Sparta. I figure we win at least 2 of those, which gives us the 'happy camper' 9 win baseline we've all come to know and 'love'(accept). If we can't beat jNU and IA on a regular basis by now, well, what's the point of being 'Nebraska'--that's the way I see it anyway.
I don't see any game on the schedule that is 'unwinnable'--and that includes Sparta.
I don't see any game on the schedule that is 'unwinnable'--and that includes Sparta.
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hskrfan4life
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There is never a game that is unwinnable. That's why I love sports.