@LVMike: Blatantly quit? No. Have they become soft mentally? Yes.

@Steve: Yes, nose tackle depth is a concern. Speed at the safety spots also is a concern. But, yes, overall depth -- players with experience -- is only so-so.

@Steve: It was really difficult to watch those practices in the spring of 2004. Such a bizarre time in program history.

@Andy: Public confidence is at an all-time low. That's my read. It's also fair to wonder openly about how much confidence there is within the program with the current leadership. It's fair to wonder because ... Who in their right mind would have guessed Michigan would come to Lincoln and win by 36!? If I would have predicted 93-57 in this chat a week ago, you would have thought I had lost my mind. That illustrates the concerning nature of that loss, and frankly, the last four losses.

@Steve: I haven't interviewed Diaco personally. He hasn't done any one-on-one interviews with local media, which I totally understand considering the nature of his undertaking.

@JimNE: Thanks for those kind words. I know you're a loyal reader and I hope you understand I appreciate that and also appreciate your input. As for the offensive line, I was a bit surprised to see Knevel with the first unit at RT, considering his struggles last season. He's a great kid and hope he has an excellent senior year. I'm a big fan of redshirt freshmen Boe Wilson and John Raridon -- who were both working with the second unit. Matt Farniok was working with the threes and fours.

@NewportRed: Loaded question! But the big crowds are part of the conversation. Nebrasketball sold out its season tickets in both 2014-15 and 2015-16, and nearly sold out the season tickets before this season. There were 14,071 fans on hand Sunday night. That indicates support, right?

@Steve: I would rank the as being OK. ;)

@Derek: It's really hard to predict because Shawn Eichorst is very professional, playing everything close to the vest. Yes, it feels 50/50. If you really pinned me down, my opinion is it would be hard to bring him back because enthusiasm in the program may wane significantly -- unless the Huskers manage three or four straight wins in D.C.

@NewportRed: I still don't know enough about the situation to comment. The WNBA is bit out of my realm.

@Zadi: Mixed reviews, according to BC's report:

The former Husker safety posted an official 40 time of 4.58 seconds, a vertical of 30 1/2 inches, and a 122-inch broad jump a day after he had 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.

His 40 time was respectable while not on the top end among safeties, with the fastest five at the position running it in 4.45 seconds or less.

While his vertical finished on the bottom end of his position group, his broad jump was impressive, three inches behind the top five performers at safety.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Gerry seemed to shine most during ball-skill drills.

One analyst, Dion Caputi of NFL Draft Update, felt among the first group of safeties going through position drills Monday, Gerry was the best. "Strong, comfortable hands and pretty impressive straight-line body control," Caputi tweeted.

@SiliconValleyHusker: You're terrible, Silicon. Just terrible. ;) On a serious note, he is in fact innocent until proven guilty.

@Steve: I have high regard for Mark Philipp as an enthusiastic and conscientious leader of young men. I've heard him described (by a fellow strength staff member) as "the heartbeat of the team." His importance should never be underestimated. I would say the team looks to be in excellent condition for the start of spring drills -- although that is usually the case because the players are coming off winter conditioning.

@Stlhusker: If that was the only reason to bring back Miles, well, it has to be more than that. I have no hard evidence that suggests any of the current players plan to leave, with or without Miles.

@SiliconValleyHusker: I don't think Mike or anybody else on the staff has been asked about Leitao, and I would be surprised if anyone does ask. I know it was a throwaway line. I did not know that Leitao confessed to school officials. I'm the son of a criminal defense attorney. Always keep that in mind. ;)

@Redrealist: I'm of the opinion that the Nebraska is attractive enough to draw a wide array of excellent candidates.

@Robin: I don't think Sadler and Collier's records are a major factor.

@Steve: Most schools began to copy Nebraska's approach. The Huskers essentially lost what was at one time a significant advantage. Other programs adjusted. Nebraska's has to adjust. Plus, most strength coaches have their own methods and philosophies -- although I understand much of the work is pretty standard.

@Robin: Based on my conversations with Eichorst, he played the lead role in hiring current Miami basketball coach Jim Larranaga -- the 2013 Henry Iba national coach of the year, as voted on by the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association. It was an excellent hire and should elicit confidence in Eichorst should he decide to part ways with Miles.

@NewportRed: I wrote the following in today's "Driving for 6" ...

Let me get this straight: Nebraska loses by 36 points on its home court and folks were worried if senior guard Tai Webster would extend his streak of double-figure games to 31?

Bottom line, Webster had 35 minutes to score 10 points (he finished with eight on 4-for-10 shooting). I'm guessing Webster, considering his ultra-competitive nature, cared little about his personal streak as the game winded to a close, especially in the context of his team's shoddy performance.


Plus, Miles pulled Webster from the game in the final minutes so the popular Husker could get a standing ovation. Seemed appropriate. And it seems inappropriate for anyone to jump Miles right after a game over what I regard as a trivial matter, at least in the context of the worst loss in program history. Seems like a childish overreaction to fixate on a player's individual scoring streak.

@SiliconValleyHusker: I like it. I like it. By the way, I've long regretted not being able (time constraints) to watch "Law and Order" more frequently.

@RedRespect: It's a great question. A question with merit. But, for obvious reasons, I hesitate to single out anyone. Of course, I've never been around a coach more effective than Tom Osborne, although John Cook also operates at a consistently elite level. In fact, I do feel comfortable singling out Cook. Dave Van Horn was also exceptional at squeezing everything possible out of players. Francis Allen was as unique a coach as I ever covered, and his national championship indicate his methods were effective.

@Jay: I simply don't know enough about NCAA tennis to comment on coach McDermott, who I highly regard as a person.

@71husker@gmail.com: Valid point.

@Robin: Because of the enormity of Nebraska football in the state compared to your other two examples, I'm going with Riley's gig as the most thankless, especially as long as Urban and Harbaugh are around. Plus, that Franklin guy in Happy Valley looks like he could become a recurring thorn in everyone's side. And I guess I should mention Wisconsin and Iowa in light of recent results.

@Gary: Short answer: No. No way I saw the precipitous decline coming, although Andrew White's transfer (effectively a no-confidence vote) did get my attention.

@Robin: I think Cook is head and shoulders above 95-99 percent of the coaches in NCAA volleyball.

@Gary: That's only part of the current conundrum. What a mess.