Sunday, I thought I was in the minority with my feelings of dread after the 25-7 result against Maine. However, after seeing and hearing potshots over national and local radio, plus reading criticism from Sports Illustrated (Stuart Mandel: "Nebraska still doesn't know what it's doing on offense"), perhaps I've been fairly balanced.
True, some of Zac Taylor's problems can be attributed to drops by receivers. But even if those drops had been completions, Taylor would have only ended up with numbers similar or worse than Joe Dailey had against similar competition last year (Western Illinois: 15 for 30, 4 ints, 4 TD passes, 218 yards; Baylor: 13 for 20, 0 ints, 5 TDs, 342 yards). Yes, it was Zac's first start. But last year was Joe's first start as well.
I still don't like Bill Callahan's comments that "hey, it's a win" and "openers are tough". Contrast that to Dan McCarney, who is honest enough to admit that Iowa State didn't play well against a 1-AA team: "All of us were reaching for motion sickness bags. We were about to puke. It made you want to vomit." Personally, Callahan is starting to sound like he has embraced the "spirit of mediocrity".
Another head scratcher is Jay Norvell's comments about throwing 3 passes on 1st and goal from the 2 yard line: Time was a concern, offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said Saturday. You don't want to run the ball, then have to spike it to kill the clock. Uh Jay, there was about 80 seconds left when you had the ball on the 2 yard line. With a 25 second play clock, you should have easily been able to run 3 running plays with that much time. In fact, nobody said you had to run the ball 3 times either. With everybody that close to the line of scrimmage, just get off the pile and line up again.
Bottom line is my confidence level in this coaching staff continues to fall. They are great recruiters, but when it comes to the game of football, there seems to be something missing here.
6 comments:
Welcome to football hell, Nebraska fans. Your team sucks. Squeeking by Maine! Are you kidding me? How low can you go? Thank God your athletic director doesn't have the guts to schedule a team from, say, the SEC or Pac-10. The refs would be invokig the mercy rule at half time.
The Big 12 is the most over-rated conference in the country. Oklahoma got BLOWN OUT by USC last year and it took a miracle finish by Texas to beat a barely-above-average Michigan team in the Rose Bowl.
It was disheartening enough to see a Big 12 team in the Rose Bowl. That turf should be reserved for college football's elite -- and it ain't the 12 little sisters from the plains.
I remember how we used to laugh at Texas because they RECRUITED all the talent but still had teams that went 7-4 and 8-3. It appears that we may have a similiar problem.
I don't blame Callahan for taking this job, anyone offered this job would jump at the it. However, just because you've coached in the Super Bowl doesn't make you a winner, ask Marv Levy. Guys we are going to get out coached time and time again, just like those Raiders in the Super Bowl did.
Apparently a Big 10 supporter has found the courage to prove their ignorance in the realm of college football.
"Sometimes you feel like a Nutt, yeah yeah yeah, sometimes you don't!"
When your name in Nutt, your probably the exception to the rule.
I think the reason that this job took a while to get filled was because Frank was fired because of clashes of personality. We all know Steve Pederson used the excuse of "different direction" to fire a coach that went 9-3, and improved by two wins over the previous year. What head coach wants to go 9-3 and get fired because he wouldn't massage the ego of the A.D.
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