Big Red Board

Hey fans,

Hope your weekend was good. The Huskers held up their end. They got a win.

And BTW (see how internet savvy I’ve become?), thanks for all of the email and postings on other boards about the radio broadcasts. Some of you wrote in with memories of days gone by listening to the games with your mom and dad, playing football in the backyard with the game on pretending to be the players themselves; and how this weekend was sort of a visit “back home” with the game only on the radio. I appreciate that a lot and by all means, keep it up!

End of self-promotion part of the blog.

We did some good things vs. Iowa State but can certainly get better. You know me, I’m a glass half full guy so I choose to hang on the positives: McKeon, Ruud and Green were all much better on defense. Yes, we did have some gap busts but not nearly as many as vs. Ball State. Yes, we did give up some large pass plays but the safties did a better job of helping in coverage and I thought Grixby had one of his better all around games. The pass rush was improved and stayed that way even though we at one time were down three first team defensive linemen.

On the offensive side, Keller was very good again and the line protected him well. He picked up blitzes and checked down to keep the chains moving. His two-minute drill at the end of the half was a thing of beauty slightly overshadowed (sadly so) by his mental mistake in the last :14. His INT was a mess up but that was the only really bad throw he made all day.

The running game was pretty good….can be better but Marlon ran for over 100 yards and when you consider we only had the ball for about 6 plays in the entire first quarter, and quickly got down 10-0, that again takes you out of your initial plan to run it more.

The turnovers were the problem on offense again. Gotta cinch that up because the rest of the schedule will certainly convert three give-a-ways into more than three points.

Kicking game was solid except for the roughing the punter penalty, the disorganization on ISU’s fake punt attempt and the off-sides penalty that kept an ISU drive alive in the first half. BC was very, very unhappy with the above.

I was most disturbed by the inability of the Blackshirts (for the second consecutive week) to get off the field. ISU converted way, way too many third-and-long situations to keep drives alive. That 17 play-97 yarder in the 2nd half was mind-boggling. In fact, for the day, I think the Cyclones had 7 drives where they moved it at least 40 yards. That is just not good enough.

But it was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t exactly what we need to get and yes ISU had the worst statistical offense in the Big 12 but right now I’m looking for baby steps with this defense. I’m looking for them to get a little better at something new each week without sacrificing a phase from the previous week. This week it was gap responsibility, tackling and a pass rush. They were all measurably better. Against Missouri we need all of the above plus some big plays to end drives. My goal this week is for the LBs and DBs to contest the ball better while it is in the air. Make the MU skill people work for what they get.

Despite the win, this was not a good week for the Huskers considering what KSU and Colorado did. They “raised the bar” in the Big 12 North. They went up against the best in the league and smacked them in the mouth. For the Buffs, they held OU to 46 yards total offense in the first half. That is incredible. And KSU? Give those guys their due props. They may not be loaded with future NFL stars, but they obviously buy into what Prince is selling. And yes, they did get 21 unconventional points in that win but bottom line: They did it. And Colt McCoy got a headache in this game. They came after him and hammered him. You have to do that to win on the road in this or any other league.

Five top ten teams got beat this weekend. Two other ranked teams lost. Several of these kingpins lost at home. It can be done. The Huskers can do it this weekend. Just borrow the blueprint from our westerly and southerly neighbors.

Tags: Jim Rose by Jim Rose
6 Comments »

Hello folks…

Have you been talked off the ledge yet? Of course you have..otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. Unless you have wireless internet in which case you are reading this which means you’re really not ready to jump!

Remember fans, Comedy is simply tragedy + time.

I don’t mean to be coy. Many of us are not feeling so good today and I don’t wish to minimize your feelings about what happened vs. Ball State. Many of you great fans invest time, energy and money into the success of this program and want badly to become great in football again. I am one of those people. I understand your feelings. I have some of those feelings.

But I’m also optimistic about the program. I’m disappointed but not discouraged. I have faith in the folks in charge. I have faith in Steve Pederson, Tim Cassidy and Bill Callahan. They are leading this effort and are expecting great things from everybody around them. What I do know about them is how dedicated they are to winning a title here. I believe that nothing will stop them in that effort. They will enact whatever changes, alterations, adjustments and shifts necessary to get that goal.

Hang in there.

This game is over. Iowa State is next. Time to move on. But of course, we need some things to change on defense…in a hurry.

We need leadership.

We need somebody to step forward and demand excellence from his teammates. I don’t know who that is? Bo Ruud is not that kind of personality. Corey McKeon has the personality but hasn’t performed. Potter and Suh are too young. Bowman has been injured. Maybe it’s Steve Octavien? Maybe it’s Grixby? But it starts on the practice field.

I would like each Blackshirt jersey taken by the captains Ruud and Bowman and locked up down there until this unit gets the job done. I want all of these guys in red jerseys until the guys start playing in games as the tradition demands. And if and when the Blackshirts return, they will return to 11 folks. That’s it. 11. These shirts should be for the first team defense. They should not be used for political correctness or to massage an ego. If we open a game in the base 4-3-4 that is who will wear the Blackshirts that week in practice.

These jerseys have to start MEANING something truly special to these guys. They have to be sacred. They have to require extraordinary effort to earn and hold onto. They have to be used as symbols of greatness in ability and character. There has to be minimum performance expectations from anybody who wears one.

And the coaches cannot be the proctors of this tradition. This has to come from the players themselves. There has to be a code of conduct monitored solely by the players.

I would like the coaches to re-analyze every element of our base defensive package and simplify it to match the guys on our roster today. What do we do well? What can we do well? Identify that and prepare it for the next game.

Some of our schemes, reads, and groupings for some reason appear beyond some of these guys. Either deep down inside they don’t believe in what we are doing enough to do it well or they don’t get it.

I’ve always thought defense was about disciplined fury. There is a lot of “want to” in good defensive football. At the very, very least we have to have 11 guys willing to jump on a sword on every play. I believe if we get that FIRST, we are on the road to recovery. If that means young guys like Blue, or Thenarse or Lawrence or Stafford getting opportunities, we should support the staff if those personnel moves are made—knowing full well that mistakes will be made by young and inexperienced players.

If we don’t win another game this year but I believe the players did everything they could and gave it everything they had and committed body and soul to his teammates on the field for 60 minutes, I’m a proud Husker.

If this coaching staff has the confidence and faith in each other to critically evaluate every facet of our preparation and the courage to make unpopular but necessary changes, I’m a proud Husker.

But if they do all of the above, we may not LOSE another game this year.

GBR!

Tags: Jim Rose by Jim Rose
1 Comment »