Reading this make me....

[StPaulHusker]

The amount of ignorance displayed in this thead by some NU fans as to Solich's situation is beyond description. I see one poster stated: "it was evident that perhaps the Big 12 was catching up to us and he wasn't going to be the guy to get us back on top." I wonder if this poster bases that statement on the same pixy dust as those who think that if only Riley can get his players in the system, that he will turn NU around, despite the fact that his record points to him being a career .500 head coach.

Solich faced a number of problems, not the least of which was an arrogant AD who undermined/did not support him. He inherited an aging staff, some of whom thought they were a better HC than Solich, and some who did not actively go out on the road to recruit. Solich and that disjointed staff did better than expected. When he reassembled his staff, NU was on it's way back to the top. Unfortunately, as CM husker has pointed out, SPEM had other ideas, and he is the one who, despite his braggadocio on the day he fired Solich, gravitated NU into mediocrity, and below. So, if you are angry at the situation NU football is in, look no farther than SPEM, and Prickman, who enabled him (remember the extension not too long before he was fired?) If it wasn't for SPEM and Prickman, NU would have been the first school with back to back to back 100 wins head coaches.

And for those who wondered who Solich recruited during his tenure as an assistant, does anyone remember Mike Rozier? I'm sure there are more, but that's just the first off the top of my head.

Apparently, critical thinking is no longer taught in public schools.

Ahem. I am "that one poster" whom you think believes in pixie dust. What I believe about Riley at this point is irrelevant because he has had one year as coach at Nebraska. If he improves, great. If not, on to the next. I am not in a place that I feel I can evaluate a coach based on one year. I didn't want Pelini gone until about year 5 or so.

With regards to Solich and his AD, we can agree that Pederson was not up to the task of being the AD of Nebraska. That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich. Timing? Perhaps. Mucking up the hiring process? Yes. Hiring the wrong replacement? Absolutely.

Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright. Did he make necessary changes? Yes. And he should have been given time to see if they would work. In the end, it probably wasn't going to get us anywhere. Of course that, is my opinion. But based on Solich NEVER getting a shot at a major program even though he traveled coast to coast to learn and evaluate from all of the great coaches at the time, he ended up at Ohio........University.

And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead.

I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska.

Is that thinking critically enough for you?

 

[Ffejy7]

The amount of ignorance displayed in this thead by some NU fans as to Solich's situation is beyond description. I see one poster stated: "it was evident that perhaps the Big 12 was catching up to us and he wasn't going to be the guy to get us back on top." I wonder if this poster bases that statement on the same pixy dust as those who think that if only Riley can get his players in the system, that he will turn NU around, despite the fact that his record points to him being a career .500 head coach.

Solich faced a number of problems, not the least of which was an arrogant AD who undermined/did not support him. He inherited an aging staff, some of whom thought they were a better HC than Solich, and some who did not actively go out on the road to recruit. Solich and that disjointed staff did better than expected. When he reassembled his staff, NU was on it's way back to the top. Unfortunately, as CM husker has pointed out, SPEM had other ideas, and he is the one who, despite his braggadocio on the day he fired Solich, gravitated NU into mediocrity, and below. So, if you are angry at the situation NU football is in, look no farther than SPEM, and Prickman, who enabled him (remember the extension not too long before he was fired?) If it wasn't for SPEM and Prickman, NU would have been the first school with back to back to back 100 wins head coaches.

And for those who wondered who Solich recruited during his tenure as an assistant, does anyone remember Mike Rozier? I'm sure there are more, but that's just the first off the top of my head.

Apparently, critical thinking is no longer taught in public schools.

Ahem. I am "that one poster" whom you think believes in pixie dust. What I believe about Riley at this point is irrelevant because he has had one year as coach at Nebraska. If he improves, great. If not, on to the next. I am not in a place that I feel I can evaluate a coach based on one year. I didn't want Pelini gone until about year 5 or so.
With regards to Solich and his AD, we can agree that Pederson was not up to the task of being the AD of Nebraska. That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich. Timing? Perhaps. Mucking up the hiring process? Yes. Hiring the wrong replacement? Absolutely.

Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright. Did he make necessary changes? Yes. And he should have been given time to see if they would work. In the end, it probably wasn't going to get us anywhere. Of course that, is my opinion. But based on Solich NEVER getting a shot at a major program even though he traveled coast to coast to learn and evaluate from all of the great coaches at the time, he ended up at Ohio........University.

And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead.

I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska.

Is that thinking critically enough for you?

Roasted

Awesome

 

[Igetbored216]

I guess my problem with the Riley hire is there really isn't a long-term plan. Sure, it could be argued that this would be true with any coach we brought in due to how often coaches change schools. However, Riley is 62. If it was thought that this would take some time to rebuild as Eichorst claimed in his press release, why bring in a coach near the end of his career? It doesn't make sense to me.

In regards to Herman, he appears to have a vision and is currently working towards that vision. Houston is currently 11-1, after going 7-5 last year, and Ward has improved steadily throughout the season. It's no coincidence that Ohio St's offense has struggled since his departure. He is a great coach with a high ceiling.

What if the long term plan was to: Get rid of Bo because of his demeanor....not so much about the wins/loses, but because he was an embarrassment to the program and to the state. Bringing in a top coach when firing a nine win coach would just not happen...too much instability in the last three coaching decisions here.(Solich, Calahan and Pelini) Get a decent coach, with a great personality to fix the image issue. Also make sure that coach isn't going to be around long term. Just long enough to fix the image, get some distance between the terrible view most coaches might have about taking the job at Nebraska and then retire. Let's say maybe three years. He retires, it is obvious the storied Husker program needs a savior, the stench of past coaching decisions has cleared, and we then make the "splash" hire everyone is clamoring for? Not saying I like that plan....but strategic planning often encompasses years, not months....

I would say that it was a really stupid plan.

 

[flfmrredfan]

Ahem. I am "that one poster" whom you think believes in pixie dust. What I believe about Riley at this point is irrelevant because he has had one year as coach at Nebraska. If he improves, great. If not, on to the next. I am not in a place that I feel I can evaluate a coach based on one year. I didn't want Pelini gone until about year 5 or so.

With regards to Solich and his AD, we can agree that Pederson was not up to the task of being the AD of Nebraska. That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich. Timing? Perhaps. Mucking up the hiring process? Yes. Hiring the wrong replacement? Absolutely.

Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright. Did he make necessary changes? Yes. And he should have been given time to see if they would work. In the end, it probably wasn't going to get us anywhere. Of course that, is my opinion. But based on Solich NEVER getting a shot at a major program even though he traveled coast to coast to learn and evaluate from all of the great coaches at the time, he ended up at Ohio........University.

And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead.

I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska.

Is that thinking critically enough for you?

Nope. Far, far from it. It's mostly the same speculative stuff filled in with rumors and such.

An example of critical thinking, is using Riley's past record, and deducing that he is an average coach who willl most likely produce average results wherever he goes. Like,... this year at NU, except he took a team that finished last year's season at 9-3, and turned them into losers. Yet, you can't evaluate him?

Second, you make the statement that SPEM was not up to the job of AD at NU, but then you state "That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich.." See the contradiction there?

Then there's your laughable statement: "Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright." You obviously have never worked in a close knit staff, nor do you understand the concept of continuity.

Here's more from you: "And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead." Nope, you don't understand the concept of coaching continuity, because you would have understood why Osborne wanted Frank and the staff retained.

And last, there is this whopper: "I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska." And, just what are those winning traditions of Nebraska? What was Frank's record before SPEM fired him? Did he not win a B12 conference championship? Has NU won one since? What about the fact that he got NU to a national title game? Has NU been to one since?

No, I don't see any critical thinking at all in your post.

 

[StPaulHusker]

Ahem. I am "that one poster" whom you think believes in pixie dust. What I believe about Riley at this point is irrelevant because he has had one year as coach at Nebraska. If he improves, great. If not, on to the next. I am not in a place that I feel I can evaluate a coach based on one year. I didn't want Pelini gone until about year 5 or so.

With regards to Solich and his AD, we can agree that Pederson was not up to the task of being the AD of Nebraska. That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich. Timing? Perhaps. Mucking up the hiring process? Yes. Hiring the wrong replacement? Absolutely.

Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright. Did he make necessary changes? Yes. And he should have been given time to see if they would work. In the end, it probably wasn't going to get us anywhere. Of course that, is my opinion. But based on Solich NEVER getting a shot at a major program even though he traveled coast to coast to learn and evaluate from all of the great coaches at the time, he ended up at Ohio........University.

And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead.

I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska.

Is that thinking critically enough for you?

Nope. Far, far from it. It's mostly the same speculative stuff filled in with rumors and such.

An example of critical thinking, is using Riley's past record, and deducing that he is an average coach who willl most likely produce average results wherever he goes. Like,... this year at NU, except he took a team that finished last year's season at 9-3, and turned them into losers. Yet, you can't evaluate him?

Second, you make the statement that SPEM was not up to the job of AD at NU, but then you state "That doesn't mean that he was wrong in the overall decision to fire Solich.." See the contradiction there?

Then there's your laughable statement: "Solich inherited an aging staff that he elected to keep. That's on him. He owns that outright." You obviously have never worked in a close knit staff, nor do you understand the concept of continuity.

Here's more from you: "And furthermore, Solich may not have been the HC at Nebraska at all. I believe it is common knowledge that Bill Byrne had his sights set on a young coordinator named Bob Stoops. But Osborne, with his legacy in tow, had some veto power and got his buddy hired instead." Nope, you don't understand the concept of coaching continuity, because you would have understood why Osborne wanted Frank and the staff retained.

And last, there is this whopper: "I am sure Frank is a great guy and a good coach. I actually went to the Gophers game this year to cheer him on. I just don't believe he was the right coach to continue the winning traditions of Nebraska." And, just what are those winning traditions of Nebraska? What was Frank's record before SPEM fired him? Did he not win a B12 conference championship? Has NU won one since? What about the fact that he got NU to a national title game? Has NU been to one since?

No, I don't see any critical thinking at all in your post.

crit·i·cal think·ing
noun

1. the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.
   
   
   

If I can look at Mike Riley's HC record at Oregon State and make a direct correlation to how he will be at Nebraska, then the same could be made for any coach. Nick Saban didn't win anything of substance at Michigan St. Goes to LSU and wins a title. Steve Spurrier wins a title at Florida, goes to South Carolina and under-performs. So I can't judge a coach in their first year at a new place. That's being objective.

Steve Pederson made good decisions and bad decisions as AD at Nebraska. Firing Frank was the right one. The when and the how and the replacement were not. It's not contradictory. It's being objective.

And the coaching continuity argument is yours. You said, "He inherited an aging staff, some of whom thought they were a better HC than Solich, and some who did not actively go out on the road to recruit". All I said was that was Solich's doing. No one else. While other teams were going out and finding coaches to do better jobs, Solich kept the holdovers.

And you are somewhat right. Solich revamped the staff and did better in 2003. He shouldn't have been fired for another 2 years, probably. But my position remains that if anyone from a P5 school thought he could lead them to championships, he wouldn't be at Ohio.

 

[grandpasknee]

Tom Herman built his staff from the ground up. Brought in guys who shared his vision and mentality.

Read this to get really sick. This guy gets it. Too many quotes to post, but I will leave this one....

The offense is geared around inside zone and power-O, run schemes that look to get downhill and plunge the ball through the A and B gaps. Herman will sprinkle in play action and run/pass options to punish defensive tactics for sneaking run defenders into the box. Herman looks to do less with more, emphasizing execution and mixing concepts in different formations to give his QB answers.

The guy also managed to get a 3rd string QB to 3-0. The B1G championship, the first playoff game and the MNC.....

And we'll we got .500.......

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/9/16/9329945/tom-herman-houston-cougars-football-offense-defense

How did Houston get Herman and we get Mr. average?

Someone posted elsewhere on these boards that Eichorst was high on Riley when he was out east (at South Carolina, IIRC) years ago, which is why Riley was the first name he perused, and supposedly the only name he interviewed. I would hope this wasn't the case...

Granted, Riley years ago may have had a potential upside, but that upside is gone, thanks in large part to the staff he assembled.

I still think Riley could succeed if he'd go the CEO route and bring on a highly-skilled, competent OC and DC, not unlike Mack Brown did during his tenure at Texass. And we have the money to go that route and pay seven figures for coordinators if we could get the best. Think about it--folks are worried about how the program projects to fans and players after Bo was shown week after week on national television berating his players. If Riley could just be the public face/overall project manager and bring in competent coordinators to handle the day-to-day coaching, this thing has a chance.

As for Tom Herman, I agree he'd be an excellent hire and has a penchant with doing more with considerably less, not unlike Randy Edsall when he was at UConn. His offensive philosophy jives with our program's philosophy, while updating it for 21st century football, he hires successful coordinators and position coaches, and has recruiting ties in the South.

I guess the question is, do we can Riley next season if he's turning in another .500 or worse performance and try to get Herman to mitigate the damage being done to the program, or do we risk fan apathy and potential collapse by waiting out Scott Frost's tenure at UCF to see if he has what it takes to be a head coach?

After Callahan, Bo, and now Riley trashing up the joint, I don't know how many more years of ineptitude the program can stand before they permanently hemorrhage fans and we become Minnesota 2.0.

Bu those that think MIke Riley is only going to be here this year, are going to find next year very surprising I am afraid.

No, unfortunately, Riley will be here next year. But with Harvey the Wonder Chancellor gone, Eichorst and Riley will have a very short leash, and the kindling will already be piled up under their collective seats. A .500 or lower W/L record by the end of October will be all the spark needed to set it ablaze.

But let's be honest with ourselves here--Riley is gone in a year or two unless he wins the B1G and contends for a NC quickly.

The question is what I mentioned above: do we keep Riley on as a caretaker of sorts for two years to see if Frost has what it takes, or do we set that kindling on fire next year and get someone like Herman in here now to mitigate the damage?

I think the money would like to do the later, but the fans would like to do the former...?

VectorVictor...this is a serious question. I'm not at all in the loop on the whole coaching search / hiring aspect of the program. Not just you, but many others throw around phrases like "get someone like Herman in here now ....". Is there any supported shred of evidence that any of the coaches that are so often mentioned would actually come here? This is a real question I have. And I don't want to here "enough money can get anyone to listen." That simply has no legs. Money would surely help, but coming to coach at Nebraska, or anywhere really is never just about the money. Any info? Anyone?