Special teams quote - from Dewitt

Headcard

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Feb 2, 2005
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Why isn't that the money quote? Ruud appears to be the only one that does this, but of course, he keeps putting Young out there, when every former player tweets that he is making the wrong read on almost every play. And nearly every poster on here opines that he sucks and needs to be replaced.
Complete bull, Frost does this virtually every time he speaks. Take off the tin foil hat.
 

gw2kpro

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Why isn't that the money quote? Ruud appears to be the only one that does this, but of course, he keeps putting Young out there, when every former player tweets that he is making the wrong read on almost every play. And nearly every poster on here opines that he sucks and needs to be replaced.

Agreed. I think Ruud should tell it like it is with that one. Use the term "donkey balls".
 

jlb321_rivals110621

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Why isn't that the money quote? Ruud appears to be the only one that does this, but of course, he keeps putting Young out there, when every former player tweets that he is making the wrong read on almost every play. And nearly every poster on here opines that he sucks and needs to be replaced.

Is Rudd a coward for not "telling it like it is" ?
 

mgbreeze

All-Conference
Dec 16, 2004
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I don't think we have **** players. That's an oversimplification. There is a lot of parity in college football and you're not just gonna show up and win games because there's an N on your helmet. Not when you're playing even decent teams who have a few years in system with competent coaches. We're gonna win. I'm 99.99% sure of it.
 
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HUSKERFAN66

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Why isn't that the money quote? Ruud appears to be the only one that does this, but of course, he keeps putting Young out there, when every former player tweets that he is making the wrong read on almost every play. And nearly every poster on here opines that he sucks and needs to be replaced.
Troy, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin all made hay with the same play and ran it right off tackle on both sides of the line. Our linebackers were generally absent. So yes, Coach Ruud needs to own some of this because he's right. The same problems have happened and continue. Guess we'll find out Saturday.

Watched the northwestern vs Mich St game last night. I like our chances against both
 
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Troy, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin all made hay with the same play and ran it right off tackle on both sides of the line. Our linebackers were generally absent. So yes, Coach Ruud needs to own some of this because he's right. The same problems have happened and continue. Guess we'll find out Saturday.

Watched the northwestern vs Mich St game last night. I like our chances against both

But were they absent because they went the wrong way or because they were told to go the wrong way?
 

Redscarlet

Heisman
Jun 17, 2001
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You don’t have to be a star athlete to not block in the back on a punt or kickoff return. We do this time and again and it’s truly boneheaded!

And one of the times we don’t on Mo Washington 4th quarter kickoff return we still get called for a blocking in the back penalty..
 

Ewooc

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So if they can't tell **** players from other **** players, how are they going to evaluate all the diamonds in the rough from Class D-2 football? Come on that is a cop out. They knew then what they had then and what they have now. You can't say they thought they had buy in in June, then turn around in September and blame the 0-5 on players that quit and didn't buy in. It's ok to say they aren't perfect. But the Saban comparisons didn't work for Riley and they aren't going to work for Frost.....yet.
I have never said the coaches were perfect. I am saying even if they were, I don't see the results changing that much, no matter who the coach is. Do I think this team has enough talent to not be 0-5 yes I do. I think it is combination of upper class men having 3 different coaches, 3 different systems and just being burned out. I think it is having athletes that don't 100% fit what Frost wants to do, and Frost is just doing it anyways. I think it is kids who have seen losing as become the normal. I think it is kids who are use to doing things their way and not 100% buy in, even though they may think they are. I think it is 3 years of bad habits that need to be broken. All the way from weight room, to nutrition, to mentality. Negativity spreads like wild fire and is hard to stop. Yes I do agree that Frost being Negative about the players does not help break this cycle.
My thought is it took 3 years to get this bad, some could argue even longer. There isn't much a coach can do in 9 months to fix all of that. So I guess Frost could maybe sugar coat things and make it sound better than saying it is the kids faults, but again I don't think he cares. If the kids and fans don't like he doesn't care if they move on. He wants kids who are mentally tough, I think this is his way of weeding those type of kids out.
 
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HUSKERFAN66

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But were they absent because they went the wrong way or because they were told to go the wrong way?
From what I can remember what I saw, they were getting blocked. Sometimes it was a matter of taking their first step forward and to the inside and could never recover to the outside. Got hooked and couldn't fight through the block. The tackle was getting up onto our ILB. The OL would stretch to the play side. The guard would take the immediate down lineman. IF there was a TE he would ride our outside contain or pass rusher to the outside. Our corners would be down field covering receivers.

Result, 5+ yards per carry or TD.

Sometimes it looked like we were getting caught watching the paint dry and other times we had two and sometimes 3 people in the same place leaving gaps. Is that coaching?? Maybe. Is it players not knowing what to do? Maybe. Is it players lacking confidence in their teammates and not taking care of their responsibilities? Maybe. Is it players lacking experience? Not so much. Is it players lacking physicality? Tend to not think so.

Probably a combination of multiple. What ever it is, it's painful to watch us make the same mistake over and over.

None of us are there so none of us know. I think we will have better execution from our front 7 this week against NW. I will also predict 2 interceptions Saturday.
 
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Headcard

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But were they absent because they went the wrong way or because they were told to go the wrong way?
Let me guess. Your assumption is they are being coached to go the "wrong" way and then the coaches are turning around and blaming the players to hide their incompetence.
 
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ZaneHickey

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I'm not sure it's a bash at their talent so much as it is a bash on their ability to translate that talent to making plays on game day. It takes a special kind of mindset to play special teams. We had a kid a few years ago who was an absolute beast on special teams and it wasn't because he was the biggest or fastest guy on the team. He just played with complete disregard for his own safety. I can't remember his name now. Linebacker that when Bo talked about him after signing day he just said, "this guy. This guy". I think he's still on an NFL roster and plays on special teams. I'm not sure we have all that many of "this guy"s on this team right now on defense or special teams and that's not to say that they don't have the physical talent to do it. IMO, we're reading WAY too much in to every single utterance from our coaches.
Have coached only basketball, but here is a news flash: There are some fundamental things you coach every single day, until you are blue in the face. Like rebounding. You drill it, and drill it, and drill it...and still, come game day, there are multiple players that just don't get it done. They follow the ball to the hoop, don't turn and box first, etc. Even though you have practiced, punished etc. Yeah, sometimes it is the players.
 

NikkiSixx_rivals269993

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I don't think it is a talent or a coaching issue, but rather everyone's sphincter is way too tight on special teams.

It's not like offense or defense where you get the jitters out after a couple of plays, it's one flipping play so I always thought you did the training and work during the week, and then told everyone to forget about it on game day and have fun.

That way, the work during the week will have prepared you and the attitude on game day helps you to play more loosely.
 

oldjar07

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There was this today from practice:
***Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said he feels like Dedrick Young has played OK this season, and the mistakes Young has made this year are more Ruud’s fault than anyone. Ruud said he needed to do a better job of getting his guys more prepared.
The one instance where it probably is the player's fault. I'm not a fan of a lot of our coaches throwing players under the bus. If you can't find one player on the whole team to do something right, that's probably a coaching issue, not a player issue.
 

Lincoln100

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It isn't about feelings. It isn't even about playing like **** and making mistakes and being afraid to say anything. It's about everything being the player's fault. The players didn't execute, the players don't have the ability to play special teams, the players aren't buying in, the players this, the players that. At some point, as coaches, when we continue to fail, regardless of who is in the game, doesn't some of the blame fall back on us.
Yes, but not after 5 games
 
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Let me guess. Your assumption is they are being coached to go the "wrong" way and then the coaches are turning around and blaming the players to hide their incompetence.

So in your mind, Ruud is correct in saying it is his fault but Dewitt is also right in saying it is the player’s fault?

I don’t think the players execute the system very well. They are constantly not where they are supposed to be. Is the system flawed? Are the players going where their keys tell them?
 

Solana Beach Husker

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Sometime if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it is just a duck. No point in calling it a swan because that may look better. Nothing more nothing less. Lets face it this team wasn't a good team last year. It isn't like we were a 9 or 10 win team and now 0-5 and Frost and co are blaming the players. No, that wouldn't fly with most of us.
I agree these coaches could do a bit better job in using the talent we have. I don't think much changes as far as the result on the field. I think we could have Saban here and still be in that 1-4 or 2-3 boat. I think Frost is in the mindset of all or nothing. Now if we start getting into next year and on and they are still using that excuse then we can call BS.

Fans are ignoring how bad we were last year. Maybe because people stopped watching the games or didn't care because Riley was gone, but that team was historically bad. Only 4 wins...Arkansas State, Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois. All of those teams were bad as well. We were blown out in pretty much every loss, even the "close" games we blowouts until we just started winging it, but those games were never in doubt (ie...Oregon, Penn State, Wisky). And we gave up 55 ppg game the last 4. For a fan to say we aren't good, is overlooking the fact we were historically bad. Way worse than the 2007 team, 2004 team, 2002 team. And then we overhauled everything. Expectations are false, made up in ignorance. Fans create ignorant predictions and when they aren't met they get mad...but their anger is based on ignorance. It is like waking up tomorrow and expecting your wife to be a supermodel because you have "high" expectations, as if your "high" expectations changes who she is... Well you are going to be wrong and disappointed.
 

oldjar07

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Have coached only basketball, but here is a news flash: There are some fundamental things you coach every single day, until you are blue in the face. Like rebounding. You drill it, and drill it, and drill it...and still, come game day, there are multiple players that just don't get it done. They follow the ball to the hoop, don't turn and box first, etc. Even though you have practiced, punished etc. Yeah, sometimes it is the players.
There's a lot more to coaching than just drilling. On my high school basketball team we ran these rebounding drills where we would kill each other trying to go for the ball and get the rebound. But come gameday, our team always struggled in rebounding. So we ran those rebounding drills even more and the more we ran those drills the worse our team got at actually rebounding in a game. I always sucked at those drills but on game day, I was the best rebounder on the team. Maybe your drills aren't simulating a game environment as much as you think.

And I think it's similar with some of the things we're seeing on this team. Our coaches may be telling our players to do certain things, but for some reason it's not sinking in. It's not the players fault that it's not sinking in. The coaches need to find a way to get to the players so they actually understand what they're supposed to do. Maybe some of the drills aren't simulating what the players see on gamedays. But it all falls back on the coaches to get their players to do what they're supposed to be doing.
 
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dand84

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I suggest listening to the coaches on their interviews rather than relying on second hand "money quotes". Form your own opinions. The coaches take plenty of blame for what is going on and have since the first game. It really doesn't matter what they say in the press conferences. People will find ways to turn it and spin it anyway they want until you get generic, meaningless sound bites that convey nothing.
 

Headcard

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So in your mind, Ruud is correct in saying it is his fault but Dewitt is also right in saying it is the player’s fault?

I don’t think the players execute the system very well. They are constantly not where they are supposed to be. Is the system flawed? Are the players going where their keys tell them?
Yes I chose not to be offended by either. I do not understand the need to obsess over every press conference quote and try to twist it into something to be up in arms about. If one coach says one thing about his group and another something, somewhat, different about his, I dont think we have to decide which is “wrong”.

I don’t think that Dewitt, in any way, was blaming the players or throwing them under the bus, but obviously you do. Then you also managed to find a way to be upset with Ruud taking responsibility for the poor play of his unit. Why?
 
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oldjar07

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Dewitt literally said some players need to get better before he will trust them to play, but they're still working hard. I'm paraphrasing, but I hope a couple of you feel better.
How can we not find 11 players on a 110 man roster to field a special teams unit that's at least semi-competent and doesn't commit a boneheaded penalty nearly every time they're out there? We also have more starters than most teams do on the special teams unit. There's no excuse for it to be as bad as it is.
 
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Yes I chose not to be offended by either. I do not understand the need to obsess over every press conference quote and try to twist it into something to be up in arms about. If one coach says one thing about his group and another something, somewhat, different about his, I dont think we have to decide which is “wrong”.

I don’t think that Dewitt, in any way, was blaming the players or throwing them under the bus, but obviously you do. Then you also managed to find a way to be upset with Ruud taking responsibility for the poor play of his unit. Why?

I wasn’t upset with Rudd or how he handled it. On the contrary. But I am confused on how so many people can say Ruud is a great coach, that Ruud can be correct, that it is mostly his fault, and at the same time blame 5 for being out of position and flat out sucking. It is very very hard for all 3 to be true.

I believe that some of the players don’t have the natural ability to play in this scheme.

As far as Dewitt’s comments go, he basically said the players try hard. It’s a slight on the players. If someone asks me how does so and so look at safety and I say he plays hard and tries. That isn’t a glowing endorsement.
 
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Row80

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Dec 11, 2008
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well him too but this kid had a little more pigment and was from California if I remember correctly. Linebacker. Absolute beast but he did have a tendency to get a few personal fouls. Vicious hitter.

Ricky Thenarse?

He hit like a heavy wrecking ball but mostly laid a big wallop type hit with no wrapping up, so many times it didn't stop the hittee.
 

TruHusker

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I have never said the coaches were perfect. I am saying even if they were, I don't see the results changing that much, no matter who the coach is. Do I think this team has enough talent to not be 0-5 yes I do. I think it is combination of upper class men having 3 different coaches, 3 different systems and just being burned out. I think it is having athletes that don't 100% fit what Frost wants to do, and Frost is just doing it anyways. I think it is kids who have seen losing as become the normal. I think it is kids who are use to doing things their way and not 100% buy in, even though they may think they are. I think it is 3 years of bad habits that need to be broken. All the way from weight room, to nutrition, to mentality. Negativity spreads like wild fire and is hard to stop. Yes I do agree that Frost being Negative about the players does not help break this cycle.
My thought is it took 3 years to get this bad, some could argue even longer. There isn't much a coach can do in 9 months to fix all of that. So I guess Frost could maybe sugar coat things and make it sound better than saying it is the kids faults, but again I don't think he cares. If the kids and fans don't like he doesn't care if they move on. He wants kids who are mentally tough, I think this is his way of weeding those type of kids out.

Well, some of this you say MAY be true to an extent but I simply can't buy it all.

First, the roster has turned over with over 50 new people, they came with no former coach baggage. I have seen players adapt to various systems quickly - the fundamentals are the same - you block, tackle, throw, catch, defend, it is the same. How the plays are run, translated, and some of the finer points are different but the overall abilities do not change. People say Frost needs more speed - well, so does just about every team in America. The WR's still run routes, block and catch balls. Defense still fights off blocks, disrupts the play and tackles the ball carrier. DB's still cover man to man or zone, not much changes there. That is WAY over stated. If you give Frost the benefit of the doubt you certainly have to give Riley even more. He followed Bo, and the attitudes that were present at that time, the poison well and all that, to what extent, I have no clue. He had a rough first year with a QB not made for his system but he won some games, was 7-0 his second year until the wheels fell off. He still didn't have "his guys" in there yet. So what is different? Nothing. Perhaps the nutrition and S&C were suspect under Riley, some players came out publicly and disagreed with that. I do like what the new crew is doing but that is not to say what was being done was completely wrong and have zero benefits. There has been enough time to make some positive gains in the S&C part of the game but holy cow batman did you see Wisky blow our D Line off the ball and they were sucking wind from start to finish. That doesn't take three years to fix. You keep talking about the mind set and how damaged some of these guys are. So who is it? Frost and the coaches know who is working and who is not - as stated earlier over 50 are new - it is open season for everyone but yet we are just now seeing some guys get benched for their work on the field so why didn't those bad attitudes show up earlier? Were they just so physically blessed they could overcome that weak mindset? Then how do you explain the team coming out and putting in a very good effort although losing. I didn't see the mental as much as just being totally whipped physically and thoroughly.

There is no doubt about your comments about being mentally tough. I have seen HS kids who do a lot more than their size would say they could simply because there were no limitations in their mind. That is rare though and it is the coaches responsibility to bring that out. If a guy has all of the problems you listed, they need to be benched and someone else step up. It is all based on success on the field and it simply is not there.

If, in fact, you are right in your assessment that the negative mental aspect is present, it is much worse than one thinks then because that means the smaller number that remained have influenced the larger number of newbies that came into the fold. Which seniors do you see as a problem in the leadership category? We don't have many to select from. Assuming it is all a "mental" problem, that is still the coaches responsibility to change. They change EVERYTHING from weight to eating to plays to studies to when practices are to the mental make up of the team.
 
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MOhusker12

All-Conference
Nov 22, 2010
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And UCF playing mostly weaker competition than we've face their first year still lost 6 games. Obviously we were overly optimistic based on the undefeated season and should have been looking more at their first season and all the mistakes their players made. UCF did have several draftees off of last years team. How many seniors and juniors do you think we'll have drafted off of this team this year? I'm guessing only Stanley Morgan.
Offensively next year we may not have single starter who is a senior, maybe Woodyard, that just shows you the lack of depth right now on this team.