Login here with a previously connected Facebook account.
sponsored by
Husker Extra live chat: Brian Christopherson, 1/17/17
Talk all things Husker football with Brian Christopherson during his weekly chat, every Tuesday.
-
-
-
@BuzzM: From my research, the Bills operated a 3-4 scheme when Parrella was drafted by them, though he was there just one season before moving on to San Diego. Having traveled through the NFL as long as he did, I'm sure there's some familiarity, but there will obviously be an adjustment as much for staff as players. I know for someone like Bray, who obviously would have a big job, there will be some catch-up work involved. That's where Diaco being a good communicator as a teacher will be so critical. He has to get everyone speaking the same language much quicker than Banker was able to do in 2015.
-
BC....so here we are about 3 weeks removed from that all important Music Bowl. Since that game we've had some rejection in the recruiting world, then some nice pickups in Bradley, Lindsay and Walker, a fired D.C., a newly hired D.C....what was the score of that bowl again? ;). Anyway, many would argue that the bowl loss may have expedited the Banker firing which actually benefits NU with Diaco. So a negative outcome resulted in a positively viewed result. Which would be the opposite of what many of the writers were beating the drum to of "a bowl victory makes for a much more positive offseason". Aren't sports fun? Lol
-
@Trashman: Not this subject again. I say that with a smile on my face. I see your plan of attack for pinning me on the ropes here. It's also worth noting that the article I wrote on the day of the bowl game didn't express the sole idea that winning was what made the game important. It also referenced how bad bowl performances (See Holiday Bowl disaster against Washington) influenced offseason coaching shakeups, making the point that either way the game goes it will carry a ripple effect of some sort.
-
-
@Hoosker: I honestly don't know what Kamren Curl will do on Thursday, but he has the first crack at it. I think they might get a couple over the weekend. I'd highlight someone like receiver Bryan Thompson, who would be a nice bigger-bodied addition at receiver. I thought the tight end Rafdal might pull it this weekend, but sounds like he's checking out Iowa now too.
-
Hey BC, have you ever seen a copy of the NU athletic department budget? There are lines for this and that and at the end a line that says "other" meaning revenue that in case the other stuff does not balance out this item makes it balance. I believe that is the revenue rich boosters send to the Nebraska Foundation which cuts a check to NU and viola; balanced budget. Check it out if you can find the budget. Thanks -
@rickylee41: I'd have to dig into that much deeper before offering an opinion that carries substance. My initial question, though, would be why people care if a booster wants to give their own money to a certain outlet of their interest. Isn't that their right?
-
-
@Huskerwi: Adam Taylor suffered a pretty severe injury, too. That's certainly part of this. I admire him for sticking with the team, working on special teams and all that. I'd like to do a story on him and hear in his own words what he makes of his Husker experience.
-
-
@Benchwarmer: The guy to watch close is wide receiver Randal Grimes, who is committed to USC. Four-star guy. Stands 6-4, 205. He'd be a real nice complement to what they already have. Lot of speculation that Joseph Lewis is more of a USC lean at this point, but if NU were able to get Grimes, NU fans should be thrilled with that. You guys know how this next two weeks is going to go. There's going to be some guy not even mentioned who will materialized late. A couple you think will commit will. A few you hear that are leaning NU will go elsewhere and there will be about a half hour where some lose their common sense.
-
-
All in good fun BC! You always do very well at covering and clarifying both sides of most topics. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but by listening to you on the radio it seems you feel Disco Bob is an upgrade over Banker. On a scale of 1-10 (and no you can't fence ride at a 5 lol), all things considered (continuity, scheme, player happiness etc)....how significant is this upgrade over Banker?
-
@Trashman: I'd say a 7 right now. I think it's fair to be critical of Riley missing on two big hires off the bat in Banker and Hughes, while also in the next breath saying it's better to recognize a misfire and change it than keep going along with it. I don't expect an easy transition necessarily, but he's getting 825K to produce pretty quickly. Whether it's fair or not, Diaco won't get as much leeway as Banker did in 2015 just because he's connected to Year 3 or the Riley era as opposed to Year 1. But all the data of Diaco as a D-coordinator suggests it was a very good hire. Everyone can talk scheme to death, and that's fine, but as much as anything I think it's going to come down to if he can relate well and quickly make young people see his vision and really believe in their teacher.
-
-
@Hopefulhusker: I don't assume anything. That's not fence-riding, either. It's just the practical approach when the Huskers are making dramatic shifts as they are with personnel both on the field and with coaches. Maybe Tanner Lee is an absolute stud, I don't know. Maybe Diaco has them playing a brand of defense we haven't seen in a while. I don't assume that either, but I think you have to right now just categorize the whole thing as an interesting mystery ride. It could be bad, sure, but it doesn't have to be.
-
-
@Zadi: Ha. I've heard Sipple's take on the shoes many a time. I know what he's saying. Some of the shoes the guys wear aren't like those 80s hightops Sipple was wearing when he was just tearing up the sports scene in Columbus. Whether that has been a cause in some of the injuries, I have no earthly clue. I did love Nebraska's shoes in the bowl game from a style standpoint. I can go with the all-white unis if they wear red shoes like that. Thought it was a pretty good look.
-
-
@SoSuhme99: Yeah, for a year, it feels like they have an extra cook in the kitchen there maybe, but that's not a bad thing really. As long as the young guys realize they're going to have to compete and playing time isn't just going to fall their way. DPE can play a few different positions, so it's not like you can't find a way to get at least two of those guys on the field at once. Also, McQuitty and Keyshawn Jr. are different types of receivers and if they stock up the rest of the class with guys like Bryan Thompson and a Randal Grimes, I think that's a pretty formidable crew that Keith Williams suddenly rolls out there with. Now, someone is going to have to redshirt probably. But I'd assume guys realize that when they show up to the position room and see 10 scholarship guys in it.
-
-
-
-
@UlovBorshinsky: Well, there is no data until he plays in games. It's why I always say one shouldn't just assume it's going to look like they want it to just because of ... hope. I've heard a lot of good things about his work in Lincoln from both players and coaches, so that's where the optimism comes from. Also, it's based on the idea some of his numbers looked as they did because he was playing on a bad team that was always playing from behind. He's a big part of this mystery tour, though, no question.
-
Amongst the Lincoln-receiving Corvallis-experienced affirmative action coaches program who do you expect to receive the most intense scrutiny in 2017-18? Cavanaugh? Langsdorf? Bray? Or Riley himself? Is their gravy-train threatened by their inherent reliance on the Corvallis standard?
-
@NewportRed: Man, some of you have some nasty to you. The most intense scrutiny, as always by Year 3 or 4 in any program, comes to the head man. I'm sure everyone will expect the offensive line to look a lot better, too. I think it will look better but that must be proven and I understand people wanting to see it before believing it at this point.
-
-
-
-
@SoSuhme99: Well, that was one part of the story, and there's no good way to be fired. (We did reach out to Riley to hear the other side, and we'll get that when we can.) I agree the best way is to do it face-to-face. One really key detail about that whole thing though is Banker was traveling from Oregon to recruit. So as I understand it, he hadn't been in Lincoln in the days before that. So, you could call a guy and say, 'Hey, I need you to come back to Lincoln (to fire you)," but I don't know that it would be a whole lot better really. I'm not saying that to defend anyone. I'm saying you can see where it's kind of a tricky situation if the details that have been explained to us are right.
-
-
@Thew: That's a toughie. Would definitely say Spielman since I think they feel he could have helped them this year. Many fans are going to expect a guy like Lindsey to find some touches early. A guy I wouldn't sleep on is Jaevon McQuitty. Doesn't get the hype as some of the others, but did it all in high school even when teams specifically game-planned to try to take him out of the equation.
-
-
@marcus: They definitely all matter, Marcus. Yes, you have to have a good nose, but you better have some versatile linebackers. You still need to find guys who can heat up a quarterback better than Nebraska has had. And we all know if you have a weak link at safety, no matter your scheme, your defense is going to get exposed. One thing I'm not going to pretend to do is be some expert on Diaco's scheme. Or if he might tweak some things when he gets here. We still haven't heard from him what he's thinking.
-
-
@Wonder: It's interesting, I follow Minnesota sports pretty closely so I've read a lot on Fleck. I *think* it's a good hire. I'm not ready to say it's a slam dunk hire like some. His exuberance is actually almost too much for me sometimes, and I've had discussions with people wondering how well it will really play at a Power 5 school. Don't get me wrong, if I were a Gopher fan, I'd be incredibly hopeful. But we've seen coaches light it up at that level than not have the goods at the next place.
-
-
-
-
@JimNE: Fair point, Jim. As Charlie McBride said the other day, he considered the 5-2 to be like a 3-4. Also, the 3-4 has been around in the NFL a while. So being as well-traveled as he is in that league, I'm sure Parrella picked up some things about it even if the teams he was on weren't always using it.
Please Wait…