Big Red Roundtable: Midway through 2008 Edition

HuskerGuy has called together another Big Red Roundtable; not sure who's all going to show up this time. But I'll bite:

How do you see the Huskers finishing the 2008 season? Final win loss/record?

I originally said 8-4 or more likely 9-3. Well, at 3-3 and a trip to Norman, 8-4 looks like the best case scenario. It might not be unreasonable either, especially if Nebraska takes care of business this week against Iowa State. Baylor is much improved, but that game's in Lincoln. So is Kansas. But the season closes out with Ron Prince's final home game and Colorado, who has lost badly to every decent team they've played. So I'll go 7-5.

What is the most disappointing aspect of NU's performance in the first half of the season? Lack of a running game? Offensive inconsistency? Penalties?
Defense is the thing I'm most disappointed in. Yeah, defense was absolutely horrible last season, but I really had hoped they'd at least be mediocre. So far, they've merely upgraded to bad. Penalties have also been disappointing. Offensive inconsistency is actually better than last year, when we went 7 quarters without scoring a touchdown against Missouri and Oklahoma State, then went nearly 60 minutes without a touchdown against A&M and Texas.

Through 6 games, what do you think of the defense coming off of last year's debacle? Have they improved more or less than you thought they would?
Well, gee...I think I just answered that. The defensive line has shown significant improvement from last year, when they were barely a speed bump for opposing offenses. But the secondary continues to be an ongoing puzzle. I think we've got athletes, but so far, only in-state walk-ons seem to be able to buy into the scheme.

With the reality that the Big 12 may now be as tough as the SEC, how does that bode for Nebraska's attempt to regain it's former status? How long of an uphill climb do we have to re-join the leaders of the conference?
Everything is cyclical in college football. Quarterbacks like Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell are gone after this season. This may sound weird coming from me, but it all starts with recruiting. Let me explain: the last four years, we've been told that we need to recruit stars. We all can see how well that's worked out. Most importantly, it'll take time to coach 'em up and develop them. How long will it take? Count on it taking three or four years before we'll know for sure if Bo Pelini is the right guy...then we'll have an idea how long it'll be to join the upper echelon. If Bo really is the right guy, we'll probably know sooner than later.

Most disappointing/surprising players for NU thus far?
Cody Glenn has been the most surprising player; he's a playmaker on defense. (I've long felt he was a playmaker on offense who spent most of his time before in the doghouse of the previous regime.) Disappointment? Early on, I'd have to go with Larry Asante, though if his play against Texas Tech is any indication, that might be a little premature.

Others participating? HuskerFaithful

Big Red Roundtable: Return of Bo Edition

Well, now that the coaching search has ended, it's time to reconvene the Big Red Bloggers to see where Husker football is and where it might be going.

The 2007 season finished with a disappointing 5-7 record. Very few people expected this. What went wrong?

Just about everything? Seriously, this season exposed some deep problems in this program in terms of developing players, both physically as well as with fundamentals. Guys like Adam Carriker, Zac Taylor, and Brandon Jackson covered up those problems in 2006, but when they departed, cracks appeared. USC exposed those cracks, and by the time October arrived, the team was in disarray. In the end, what we found was that Bill Callahan built his staff with recruiting in mind and in this day and age where everybody has talent, you've got to be able to develop players and coach 'em up. This staff simply wasn't up to the task.

Bo Pelini takes over as head coach. Good move or bad?
Great move. It's the move that should have been made four years ago. Pelini addresses many of the glaring needs on this team. He's a fiery leader who inspires his team to outperform the opposition. He's an accomplished defensive mind who's led top defenses at three different schools in the last five years.

Nebraska fans were divided after the last coaching change. Do you see fans finally uniting?
I'm not sure...I'd sure like to think so, as I think it was pretty clear this season that changes were absolutely required. Bill Callahan might have salvaged his job in September if he would have made changes in September after the Ball State game, but allowing the defensive collapse to continue most of the season pretty much meant that he was a goner by mid-season.

By that same token, the return of much of the 2003 coaching staff probably won't sit well with the staunchest defenders of the previous coaching change.

How would you like to see Bo Pelini fill out his coaching staff? Anybody or anything in particular you are looking to see?
It looks like it's filling out quickly. On offense it looks like an interesting mix of old (Ron Brown, Barney Cotton) and new (Shawn Watson, Ted Gilmore). Can these guys mesh? On defense, it looks like Pelini is going to bring back much of his 2003 staff with a couple of additions. That looks outstanding, as the 2003 defense played harder and better than any Husker defense this century.
I feel fairly confident the defense will be much improved in 2008. My questions revolves around the offense. How much of the "West Coast Offense" will remain? Will we have a cohesive group of coaches? Then there are some more specific questions that I want to see answered. How do we replace receivers like Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn? We lose a lot of experience at receiver. And most importantly, what happens with Marlon Lucky? Lucky is a great talent in the open field, but hasn't been exploited because he's been used primarily as a I-back. Is there a way to better utilize him and get him the ball in space?

What do you think the expectations are for Bo Pelini? Do you think he needs to win x amount or do x by a certain date?
I don't think coaches should have specific requirements to win a certain number of games. Too many variables came into play. I think Bill Callahan could have survived a 7-5 or 6-6 season this season under certain circumstances. For example, several close losses and a lot of injuries forcing him to play younger, inexperienced players. Back in the preseason, I thought he needed to win 10 games, and that was mostly to show progress. If there had been a rash of injuries at quarterback and Patrick Witt started most of the games this season, I probably would have been more receptive to 5 or 6 losses.

With that in mind, Bo Pelini should show consistent progress, winning the games he should win and not getting blown out by someone he should beat. In this day and age of college football, winning ten or eleven games each and every year might not be reasonable. Heck, Florida only won 9 games this season. Even the best programs are occasionally going to have a bad season or two. Right now, I'd be happy with a winning record in 2008. I have a feeling my expectations may go up just a little bit as next season approaches though.

What do other Big Red Bloggers think?

• Husker Faithful
• Midwest Coast Bias
• Double Extra Point
• Corn Nation
• Husker Guy
• Hi Plains Drifter
• Big Red Network
• Big Red Analysis
  

Big Red Roundtable: Back to the Future Edition

Well, with all of the developments around Husker football this week, the Big Red Bloggers have frantically reassembled themselves to put in their two cents on everything.

1. Steve Pederson is out as athletic director. Did you see it coming? Good move or bad move?
I have to say that anybody who didn't see this coming wasn't paying much attention. Yes, Pederson got a contract extension, but since when do contracts keep people from being fired? If you are doing a horrible job, you'll get fired. Steve Pederson's job security was purely based on the progress Bill Callahan had made, going 8-4 and then 9-5 the last two years. He never recovered from the circus-like coaching search and continued to stumble with fans, boosters, and former players. With Callahan now in a six game free-fall with no end in sight, Pederson was a goner. Frankly, it was inevitable.

2. Tom Osborne has returned as Pederson's interim replacement. Good move/bad move? What should Osborne's priorities be, and what does Osborne need to do?
Frankly, who else would you choose? Fans, boosters, and former players were angry. Osborne immediately calms the sea of dissent. Heck, even the clouds parted and the sun re-emerged across Lincoln and Omaha once Perlman's press release was announced. (That might just be a coincedence, though... :-) What should Osborne's priorities be? Simple. Take a good hard look at Nebraska football, and if it's off course, plot a new course. That and get all the unhappy boosters and former players back into the program.

3. The Huskers have been blown out two straight weeks. What is happening with the football team, and what does the rest of the season look like?
Frankly, this looks like a team that has given up on their coaches. They aren't having fun and at this point, it looks like neither the coaches nor the players particularly care anymore. A lot of people don't think Tom Osborne can fire a coach, but unless he sees something I can't see (very possible since Osborne has forgotten more about football than I'll ever know), he won't have much of a choice. From what I see, this is a team that could very easily lose every game in October and November. That's a scary thought. I really, really, really hope I'm wrong.

4. firecoz.com and billmustgo.com are getting lots of internet traffic. Steve Pederson is already gone. Tom Osborne says nobody will be fired during the season. What happens with this coaching staff?
Like I suggested, I think this staff has already thrown in the towel. Can it be salvaged? Highly unlikely. I think these gentlemen know that this house of cards has collapsed, and many are already moving on. Bill Callahan really stretched his reputation when he told the assembled press that "in my heart of hearts I'm doing an excellent job" while in the middle of a six game stretch of poor play that hasn't been seen in Lincoln since before Bob Devaney. Keep up that type of talk, Bill, and you'll find yourself fired for the final time as a head football coach and a major institution (BCS college football or NFL team).

So what do the rest of the Roundtable have to offer?

• High Plains Drifter
• Midwest Coast Bias
• MVN Big Red Analysis
• CornNation
• HuskerFaithful
• Big Red Network

Big Red Roundtable: Emergency Edition

After the events of the last few weeks, Corn Blight and I decided it was time to convene an emergency session of the Big Red Rountable. Not sure who all will answer the emergency beacon, especially if they are out searching for Blackshirts gone AWOL.

1) Assess the Huskers performance this season. What is going well, and what has surprised you?
Special teams have been the most consistent performer, especially Adi Kunalic on kickoff coverage. The wide receivers have really been impressive the last couple of weeks after a slow start. The running game got off to a great start against Nevada, but disappeared about the same time the Blackshirts did. Sam Keller has played better the last couple of weeks, though turnovers continue to be a problem.

2) Let's not sugar coat things; the Blackshirts are struggling. What do you think the issue is, and what needs to be done to rectify things this season?
On Saturday night, I really thought it was a talent issue. But after some further discussions with others, plus listening to Dr. Rob Zatechka last night on KMTV-channel 3 (naturally ignoring Travis Justice), I'm not so sure. Instead, I'm now leaning towards a combination of confusion, lack of confidence, and bad coaching. And the first two items are really the end result of the big problem. The good news is that by fixing the coaching, the first two problems should also be correctable. Probably need to begin by simplifying the defense and giving them something managable. Don't make these guys think about what they are supposed to be doing at each moment, but rather let the game come to them.

Damon Benning had some good thoughts on KOZN-1620 the Zone today (podcast), pointing out that some players are being substituted too freely, not allowing players to get into a rhythm.

3) Kevin Cosgrove is the target of a lot of criticism over the play of the Blackshirts. How will this play out?
I've been a constant critic of Kevin Cosgrove. I couldn't figure out why Bill Callahan hired him in the first place except as an obligation to a promise they made to each other years ago. Wisconsin fans weren't exactly pleased with Cosgrove when he was there either. But there must be a reason he was hired at Nebraska. Personally, I think that unless something remarkable happens, the handwriting is on the wall and Cosgrove will be gone after the season is over.

4) You went into this season with some expectations. Has the start to this season changed your mind? Where do you see the Huskers at the end of the season?
I went in expecting 10-2 with losses to USC and Texas. The Huskers are still on track. However, Nebraska has had two close calls against Wake Forest and Ball State that probably shouldn't have been anywhere near that close, and with the conference schedule ready to begin, raise concerns as to where this team is going. 10-2 is still possible if they get the defense straightened out, but if not, this season could get ugly in a hurry. Personally, I think this team is now tilting towards 8-4, and that could be generous.

5) There was a loud chorus of boos last weekend at Memorial Stadium. Your reaction? Is it okay to boo the Huskers under any circumstance?
If you are paying $52 to attend a game, you certainly have the legal right to boo. Now, is it a good thing to boo? It depends on your intent. Personally, I don't think it's right to boo individual players (i.e. Scott Frost), just like I don't think it's right to rip these individual players on message boards. Coaches, on the other hand, make plenty of money and if they can't get their players lined up properly or even get a play called in time, they deserve to hear about it. Administrators who make poor decisions then hide behind others in order to avoid facing the music also deserve it when they leave their cocoon. Officials who make boneheaded calls also deserve boos.

I'm curious how many fans who criticize other fans for "booing" have said or written far worse things than "boo" about players, former players, or coaches away from the stadium. Personally, I think that's rather hypocritical.

So what will the rest of the Roundtable think? Look for a summary over at CornNation...

Big Red Roundtable: Post-Spring Game Reflections

Well, the gang is reassembling after the Spring Game with some thoughts on where things stand after spring practice with Husker football:

Keller or Ganz. Pick one, then give three reasons.
Sam Keller. Why?

• While it was against the scrubs, Keller threw for a higher completion percentage than Ganz.
  
• In the highlights I saw, Keller looked more comfortable in the pocket than Ganz, though Ganz showed better mobility.
• Keller has started 8 division 1 games, including once against USC.
• Keller has only been learning this offense for 6 months; Ganz has been learning it for nearly 3 years. Keller has more room for growth and to increase his comfort level.

The most impressive guy at the Spring Game?
Hmmm. Ndamukong Suh tormented the scrubs all day. Nate Swift made several catches. But my vote goes to Patrick Witt, who completed 5 of 11 passes against the Blackshirts despite the fact that he really should still be in high school. I like this kid's maturity, and it looks he's a player too.

If you were the Athletic Director, what would you do with the proceeds.
Is this really a question? Making some assumptions as to how much money has been raised since he last reported, as well as ticket sales and donations from the new seats, there's probably a balance of $20 million still owed on the North Stadium complex. That's target #1. I've heard that Nebraska paid the NFL Network $15,000 to carry the Spring Game; if that's the case, from what I've heard, it was money well spent as fans love the broadcast, convincing the NFL to rebroadcast it over and over again. My cable company doesn't carry the NFL Network, so I'll have to take their word for it. Bill Callahan in the booth explaining how plays work would have definitely worth the time for any football fan, let alone a Husker fan.

Do 54,000 people show up at Nebraska's Spring Game because there is really nothing else to do in Nebraska or because we're more in love with our Huskers than anyone else is with their team?
Well, that presumption was shot down when Alabama closed the gates after 92,128 showed up for Nick Saban's first spring game. Yes, we love our Huskers...but so do fans in Ohio where 75,301 Buckeye fans showed up. As for "nothing else to do"...I guess it all depends on your perspective.

When you heard Marlon Lucky was injured, your first thought was...
...why the #(&$ was he still in there at that point? If you are trying to acclimate players to playing a full game, you don't let the clock run without stops in the second half of a spring game. If three of your top four running backs are hurting, forcing you to move a safety to I-back, you don't risk your lone healthy back in a scrimmage. If you are trying to decide between two quarterbacks competing for the spring game, you don't evaluate them on how they hand the ball off. In other words, I don't know what the coaching staff was trying to do at that point in the spring game. Thank goodness Lucky's injury wasn't major.

Were you at all concerned by the fairly modest rushing performance overall by the Red team or is that a sign there's some depth on the defensive front seven?
Not really. Lucky did average 5.9 yards a rush, which is a pretty good number. Cody Glenn is nursing his injured foot, and the big question of the spring was the quarterback situation.

Callahan called the receiving corps the strength of the team. Would you tend to agree with that or would you choose another aspect (e.g. linebackers)?
I'd definitely take linebackers. In terms of quantity, the Huskers have been playing a lot of wide receivers, but in the games at the end of the season, they came up MIA. Zac Taylor spent a lot of time looking for them, and ended up taking sacks or throwing the ball away. Menelik Holt and Chris Brooks may add to the depth, but Nebraska needs to raise the performance overall of this group.

I'll definitely take linebacker at this point. Corey McKeon is solid at middle linebacker, and some think that Bo Ruud is the best linebacker in the Big XII. And some Husker fans think that Steve Octavien is the best of the bunch.

So what does the rest of the Roundtable think? This time, CornNation and Jason at Big Red Network were the hosts. MidwestCoastBias will contribute, and watch for contributions from DoubleExtraPoint and new invitees High Plains Drifter, Husker Faithful, and Husker Guy. AJ the HuskerH8er got an invite too; we'll see if he participates.

Big Red Roundtable: Pre-Spring Practice Edition

Well, with spring practice beginning, it's time to reconvene the Roundtable, with me hosting on the subject of football as we look forward to spring practice. We may need some extra security this time, as the Roundtable invites not only "Blankman" and Jon from MidwestCoastBias but also AJ the HuskerH8er. This is kind of like pairing up Rush Limbaugh with Al Franken on "Meet the Press". If anything, this round should be interesting with some very different opinions... Hopefully, nobody pops a cup here.

The coaching staff says the quarterback race is wide open between Sam Keller, Joe Ganz, Beau Davis, and Patrick Witt. What is your expectation as how this will turn out next season?

First of all, I really do believe this is an open competition. Having said that, if Sam Keller is everything he's touted to be, he'll win the job in the end. As an incoming freshman who joined the Huskers halfway through his senior season of high school, Patrick Witt gains just from the extra bonus experience. As for Beau Davis, his disasterous debut against Texas Tech in 2004 left a bad taste in many Husker fans mouths. Bill Callahan says he's improved dramatically from his freshman year, and since he's only taken 10 snaps in mop-up duty since then, I can't argue. Nevertheless, I think this becomes a 2 person race between Joe Ganz and Keller.

My take on Joe Ganz is that he's Nebraska's version of Rich Gannon. Not a highly regarded physical talent, but found a system with Bill Callahan that fits his abilities. We really haven't seen much of Ganz in game situations, but my take is that he's a better player than most people give him credit for.

Sam Keller is Nebraska's version of Brett Favre. He's a gunslinger that was penciled in as a first-day NFL draft pick next month until Dirk Koetter went insane at Arizona State. Keller brings in a lot of strengths: strong arm and experienced at a BCS-conference program. That experience in handling the pressure of starting, not to mention recognizing and understanding BCS-caliber defenses is huge. That's what Husker fans are banking on when they ink Keller into the starting spot in 2007.

But the gunslinger reputation might not be the best fit for this offense, which has been considered a "dink-and-dunk" offense by some. That's not Keller as I understand him. He's more like Favre, who grew into this offense in Green Bay, but early on, trusted his arm more than his mind and forced balls into coverage, resulting in interceptions. Over time, he learned to go through his projections and throw the ball away if nobody was open. His interceptions dropped, and the Packers ended up in the Super Bowl. Great analogy? Perhaps, except Keller has one year of eligibility left. With the season opening with 3 opponents that went to bowl games (including 2 in the BCS) in 2006, the Huskers don't have the luxury of letting Keller learn the hard way.

Then, there is whatever caused his teammates in Tempe to revolt against him last summer. Perhaps it was more Rudy Carpenter than Keller. We don't know. That's why Keller's little parking lot disagreement is a little concerning to me. Does Keller have a problem with his temper? Will Keller throw the ball into coverage, expecting his receivers to somehow get open, and if it ends up being intercepted, how will he respond?

In the end, if Keller's departure was because of Carpenter and Keller adaps well to this system, he'll win this job easily. Those are big assumptions, and thus, I don't completely eliminate Joe Ganz either.

Besides quarterback, what positions will have the biggest battles and how do you expect them to work out?

In my mind, the next biggest hole is on the defensive line, where Adam Carriker and Jay Moore will be early draft NFL draft picks, and Barry Cryer and Ola Dagunduro graduate. That's a huge loss. Ndamukong ("A Boy Named") Suh and Barry Turner are going to be the first two guys who are going to need to step up and fill 2 of these spots. After that, it's an open competition. At tackle, Ty Steinkuhler has the edge for the other spot, but will Brandon Johnson make a move here? With Turner out this spring due to injury, that will open up the competition. The move of Clayton Sievers to defensive end is intriguing; is CozBohl going for more athletic defensive ends? My instinct suggests that the d-line against Nevada will be Suh and Steinkuhler inside being backed up by Johnson and perhaps Craig Roark. Outside will have Turner and Zac Potter on the ends, being pushed by and alternating with Sievers and Pierre Allen.

After that, the next interesting competition will be in the secondary. Zack Bowman is still out this spring, but will Armando Murillo challenge Andre Jones and Courtney Grixby? At the very least, it will provide more depth in the secondary. And can Rickey Thenarse bring his physical play to the secondary at safety? My take: Next fall's opening secondary: Bowman, Grixby, Thenarse, and Tierre Green.

I'd also like to see some of the touted (hyped) receivers like Menelik Holt, Chris Brooks, and Will Henry make a splash. Nebraska's receiving corp had trouble getting seperation in losses against Oklahoma and Auburn, leaving Zac Taylor few options. Could one of these youngsters explode and push the rest of the group?

2 years ago, the 2005 recruiting class was touted as one of the nation's best. Only a few players from this group have made an impact thus far; who do you expect to emerge this spring?

I've said it before...the 2005 class was good, but not as good as recruitniks hyped them when they signed. So far, only Bowman and Marlon Lucky have made a real splash so far. Turner, Steve Octavien, Suh, and Cody Glenn have had their moments. This spring, I would have hoped that Craig Roark would have made his move, but he's out with a shoulder. Two guys that need to step up this spring are linebackers Nick Covey and Phillip Dillard, as the incumbents at linebacker are all seniors. I also wonder if we're finally going to see Chris Brooks make an impact at wide receiver.

In the 1990's, Coach Osborne started matching up the #1 offense against the #1 defense in the spring game. Bill Callahan switched this around and put the #1 offense and defense on the same team, playing against the reserves. Do you prefer a format?

I really prefer the old format of 1's vs. 1's. Watching the top squads overwhelm the reserves doesn't tell us anything about either squad, unless a reserve breaks through and makes a play against the starters. And the problem is, with the blowouts of recent years, very few reserves make an impact. In fact, it generally makes it an uninteresting event. I gave it a chance the first couple of years, but skipped last year. Right now, I'm leaning towards skipping this year's spring game as well as it seems to be more of a PR show for fans and recruits than anything else. If my daughter was a few years older, I might consider it as an low-cost, low-risk way to introduce her to the game of football.

So what do the rest of the members of the Roundtable think? Brandon and John over at MidwestCoastBias give their thoughts in this week's podcast. (If you can't listen to the whole show, fast forward about 38 minutes in; their response goes for the last 20 minutes or so). At the other end of the spectrum, AJ should inflame with his hostile outsider's perspective. And as always, our regular compatriots over at DoubleExtraPoint, Big Red Network, and Corn Nation will also be checking in as well.