The Jamire Calvin thread is approaching 350 comments, lets bring the conversation here. Feel free to share what’s on your mind.
Some possible topics:
-The concept of an NFL development league
-Baseball is getting closer and Jon Warren will reportedly be the voice in Spring.
-Our gal Mandy starting a website
-WBB heads to So.Cal.
-The new FB staff assignments
-As ever, FB recruiting
GO BEAVS!
oob
BREAKING…, we could talk about Riley firing Banker!
Mandy has a website? Link?
http://www.inspiredby-her.com/
Mandy is due to discuss on JoeBeav around 1:30 today.
How ’bout this, Mandy’s first podcast is with “The Realtor”.
interesting…
Not the type of website we were hoping for!
On the NFL development league topic: I just don’t see how you can make money from it without an NFL affiliation. College teams have built-in local and alumni support. Fans pay the bills. Who pays for a league of JC players that only plays in SoCal? That sounds a lot like…well, JC football.
It was mentioned in the other thread, but MLS operates a reserve league, and everyone knows it operates at a loss. It’s seen strictly as a player development expense because the league saw a huge gap between American prospects coming out of college and the level of play in MLS. The NFL has a similar gap, but has so far chosen to do nothing about it. As a result, we get the snoozefest that is the NFL Playoffs, where half of the good players are hurt, and most of the teams are mediocre.
Reserve teams are a different animal and not what I meant, more like a reserve league, players in NFL2 would be eligible to be added to any NFL roster (much like practice squad players) but instead of sitting at home waiting for a call they’d be playing games and staying in game shape…also they’d stay with the same NFL2 team year to year (if they aren’t playing in the NFL) so fans in those cities could get to know them.
Great idea and long overdue imo.
I personally am tired of the BS majors the colleges create in order to justify having a kid who has no academic skills or ability and shouldn’t be there taking up space.
Speaking of BS and college: I recently had some X-Ray work done and noticed that the tech had an OSU badge holder strap around his neck so I couldn’t help but say Go Beavs. ? Anyway, it turned out he’d gotten a degree in Forestry and when he couldn’t find work in that area……
He was a bit pissed at OSU because they didn’t bother to tell him how few jobs there were in that area and what the odds were of landing one of them.
It’s all about money isn’t it? Money from sports….. Enroll students in career fields where there’s little if any change of employment just so there’s money to keep the profs paid. Who gives a shit what happens to the kid once they’re out the door.
Priorities are all f’ed up if you ask me. But then wdik.
I don’t know man. We’re a science University located in a state with lots of trees. Our natural resources do need to be maintained, and If OSU doesn’t have a forestry program then who will?
Seems like college major is a decision that should be made between child and parents/advisers. You need to have some personal responsibility in life. I know that as my children get to be college age I will do my best to advise them to go into fields where they can find a mix of financial success and happiness. I won’t expect the school they go to to be responsible to find them a job post graduation.
Let them study what they want. Being successful within the structure of earning a degree is more important for future success than what the degree is in. I suppose good advice would be to earn a BS instead of a BA. But either works so long as once earned the graduate also at least knows the language of systems management. I think that would be the biggest gripe for employers hiring out of college. Having to teach systems to otherwise bright people can be frustrating.
Ha…
I sort of agree. But I also sort of have to wonder what degree is out there for people seeking a science degree who can’t do this research for themselves. Being an X-Ray tech is better than being an English major who is now in pharmaceutical sales.
It’s kind of on him if he didn’t do the math in how many forestry jobs are out there…
He couldn’t see the forestry for the trees?
Universities care a great deal about what happens when students leave. Most importantly, so the alumni give back to the school which means the school wants them to be successful. It also breeds reputation of the school. I can say at least the business school cares.
For your one example, it sounds like the person wasn’t very driven to pursue his career. My roommate volunteered in his field (no money) for a couple years until a full time job opened up. Similar to forestry, it had few opportunities.
Neighbor with phd in wood science, had to wait awhile but did find a teaching job, in Slovenia.
“Wood Science?” So he invented Viagra? Dude must be loaded.
Beavgopher with back to back killer jokes, no thumbs ups. Sad
Sad?
Really?
Isn’t it the student’s responsibility to figure out if s/he can get a job in the field of study they are interested in? That’s the problem these days…not my fault!
Snowflakes – time to take some responsibility in your lives…. quit protesting and get a job!
Out of curiosity when did you go to college?
It seems like everyone with the attitude you are presenting went to college when you could attend Yale and pay for it with a part time minimum wage job.
The reality is that college shouldn’t be a job factory, sure you go there because a job is the long term goal but an educated society in a variety of disciplines is a good thing for society and we’ve forgotten that.
People who go to college primarily for a reason other than getting a good job are generally people who have no concept of financial responsibility. Learning’s great, but most people realize you gotta pay the bills.
If you’re not going to college in order to get a job after then you better not complain about not being able to get one. People can’t go through their lives expecting things will be handed to them on a silver platter if they don’t prepare themselves.
I’ll wait for you to source that data before I comment on it.
Get a job or have a profession? I don’t know any recent college graduates unbound by their major study or their bias in geography who can’t find a decent job. College is just another filter for certain fields. Some can make it through unscathed and still not be able to make it through the next filter. Some skip it altogether (if we want to bring it around to the new football league and how it might or might not be viable). You can’t tell people unsure of their futures that you are. That’s ridiculous.
I don’t know what this has to do with your previous sentence, let alone the discussion in general. You may think it’s a home run, but it’s just out in left field.
No one is sure of anything, Jack. But research, preparation, and planning tips the odds in your favor.
Look, you guys missed my point….
College used to be very affordable, you could go for all kinds of reasons, that is a good thing.
Turning college into a job (and more importantly debt) factory is not good for society. And it wasn’t always that way.
Of course everyone will eventually need a job but when college is affordable you don’t need a 6 figure job to justify that education.
This is true, and I agree that kids shouldn’t be thrown into a bunch of debt just for going to college. Also, getting a good paying job isn’t the only reason to go to college. But if you do want a good paying job in the field you want to study, you better research that field ahead of college.
How much is tuition at Oregon State these days? Back in the early 2000’s I think it was like $6000 a year. The expensive part isn’t tuition, it’s living expenses and not having a job to supplement the cost – which was my issue and now my problem.
College costs are high, and they were high 10-15 years ago as well. But kids are also irresponsbile with their money.
I don’t feel sorry for him at all. I was a forestry major in the mid-70s and after my sophomore year I could see that the spotted owl was going to lock up all the timber and there wouldn’t be a job when I graduated so I quit school and went back when I found a better choice. If you’re going to spend that kind of money shouldn’t you do your own homework?
There are always jobs in forestry fields for people who are willing to do what is necessary to get them.
I’m surprised nobody else has pointed this out. Motivation counts for a lot in the job market.
And they’d be more willing to do those things if they don’t leave college with $60k in debt.
And don’t give me, “they should’ve worked their way through college”, that isn’t enough anymore. It was decades ago, not now.
For all the bitching about “people wanting stuff for free” we ignore the fact that previous generations did get a college education for an affordable price and the current generation does not.
He’s not arguing against that. The debt is a real thing, and I agree with subsidizing academic and technical post-secondary educations. I got it. My parents got it way better than me.
That it exists is another topic. But insoluble debt can be deferred if the motivation is succeeding in a chosen field
Actually, a college degree should be about making the person smarter about the world first, and getting a job second. I have no problem with someone working as a barista with a college degree if their life has been broadened because they know something about the globe, something about U.S. history, and can tie it together with references from great authors. It helps people explain things to their kids, know how nature works, and be more informed voters. It doesn’t have to be about the job. A college degree should be very inexpensive too–like it was in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We subsidized it as a nation (taxes) then because we saw it as the future of the country. Much less of that now. Consequences to follow.
Any news on fall ball? Do we have any new comers that could play this year, and returners than really stood out? I haven’t been able to find much about our baseball team this year.
I haven’t heard anything on fall ball. But iirc, the best positional players are IF, and we’re stacked with KJ, Donahue, Madrigal and Grenier/Gretler. I guess Donahue stays in the OF if those frosh are as good as Madrigal was last year. Gambrell maybe? But I think the IF and P were more consistent with Donahue at 2B. He communicates that well.
Cary started to show all five tools at the end of last year. And Grenier turned it on with the bat. So those two along with Donahue, Madrigal and KJ should make a really potent front five.
Nobach wasn’t as good as he was his first year. But he was still really nice for the back of the order. Anderson tailed off during the conference slate. There might be more opportunity in the OF regardless where Donahue plays. I think Jones is a player to watch as far as newcomers out there.
And who plays C? I would dislike KJ moving there for reasons I’ve listed previously–C with too many ABs tiring over the year, etc.. I think Bill listed a potential line-up a couple weeks ago that touched on a lot of this.
In the end, it’s going to depend on how the P staff heals and progresses over the year.
So i wasn’t afraid of the taggart hire but him getting leavitt and wsu dl coach is there reason for concern?
Also was wondering if we’ve heard anything about andersens first batch of mission guys? Moala, katoa, folau
Even with the Duck staff still incomplete, it’s already scarier than the previous staff. Helfrich quickly let that program slip. I can’t figure out why Angry thinks this is good news for beaver fans…
Like i said im not afraid of taggart himself im more concerned with their d getting better. How good was colorados d under leavitt?
It improved vastly. Some of that was maturity and a ton of early experience given their previous three years. And their D did suffer when their best players weren’t on the field. But they were still a disciplined group.
He is a good coach.
Yup……he just punches and chokes the discipline right into his players.
That wasn’t CU. But I agree with you about never allowing him to be near anything with which I want to be associated. Some things do not deserve a second chance, no matter the talent.
@ BB. Choking a duck or choking a chicken?
any hints out there on when the conference football schedule for 2017 is going to be released? seems it was out by this time last year.
I’d plan on UW will be the last home game. It has been for a while. That’s be the weekend before Thanksgiving with the civil war in eugene.
Here’s a read on Calvin and how Nebraska isn’t out of it yet. Gonna be hard to hang onto him through signing day, I’m afraid.
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/recruiting/his-heart-is-with-nebraska-nu-recruit-jamire-calvin-not/article_b0906880-d84c-11e6-99d1-a3b1508b955d.html
And fuck Riley for actually trying to recruit a kid. Would have been nice to see while you were here, buddy.
So, he will be signing with a Nebraska, I’m just gonna go with that assumption
Nebraska fan are feverishly working out the travel logistics to send his way. To show him and his family how travel time to Omaha is equal to travel time to corvallis.
I’m not even joking
By coach, train or passenger ship?
By row, row, row your boat.
They do realize the Beavs play in the Pac, right? So that would include Arizona and 4 California schools. Maybe they don’y realize those campuses are closer than the B1G schools?
Honestly, I don’t care much. Don’t we have a billion WRs coming in anyway? Not gonna cry over losing a reluctant one. Still got to see him pick up the orange hat over the red one so hey.
So… there you go, NU fan.
Calvin’s family was paid off by… wait for it… nobody.
Fuck you for suggesting otherwise.
I like the suggestive wording:
… and plays in NoCal every year and is a three day weekend away from his family attending home games–….
Also saw he took the #GoBeavs and #BTD17 tags from his twitter bio. Guess it gives more evidence he’s second guessing his decision.
Just means we’ll have to continue to recruit him. I’m sure Andersen knows this, and will continue to recruit him until Signing Day.
Banker just got fired by Riley!!!!
I don’t think Riley fired him, I’m sure it was a mandate.
Why doesn’t he just go become the head coach at Alabama instead?
Is that a joke?
By “that” are you referring to Banker, Riley, or both? Because the answer would be yes, yes, and yes
Haha
At this rate Riley won’t have any friends left….he’s fired them all. And what an asshole for not doing this 6 years ago.
You rarely make sense. You’re so blinded by your bizarre hatred that it makes you say stupid, illogical things. So you’ve got that going for you.
Hahaha, you’re a clown. So after getting smoked for a second time in the CW that had Rose Bowl implications you wanted to keep him? Keep telling yourself that.
Let’s not forget Riley thought 3-9 and 5-7 and massive blowout losses were good enough for lil ole OSU. No changes needed, nope! But 9-4 isn’t good enough for Nebraska, self preservation protocol engaged! *jettisons Read and Banker*
People like justjay make me think they should rename it from Stockholm Syndrome to Corvallis Syndrome. Guy worked us over, and they still defend him. Incredible.
Over at The Boneyard fans are excited and convinced this move means Riley is really in it to win. They are counting on a big name hire in the next few days.
Angry, even though he was banned there, still lives rent free in their heads as evidenced by this (geographically challenged) fans comment:
“Somewhere in Corvallis Angrybeav’s head exploded!!”
Sadly, if he wins, the false narrative will grow like the stay puft marshmallow man. Lindsay and Goe can’t wait to say Riley is great and just needed to get out of Corvallis, while conveniently ignoring it took high expectations to make him cut Banker and Read…Which will have led to the success.
And media like Schnell and Goe were huge promoters of the low expectations that let Riley and his subpar crew coast here in the first place!
I’m thinking back to postgame pressers by the gum chewing bastard after blowout losses, where he would be applauded at the end. Give me a break!
Spot on, scotty. They’ll spin all that old talk about how loyal MR was; now it will be a sign of how he is always focused on having a superior program and is willing to make the hard decisions to reach that goal.
Hell, they may even add that there is word that MR is lobbying for airport improvements!
I’m starting to think all the “fake news” is in Corvallis
Just the long form fake news. We don’t go for any of that short form fake news stuff.
I wonder if after this season, barring injuries on the offensive line, how much longer Coach Cav will last as the O-line coach?
Several of the fans who comment at the boneyard already have the pitchforks out for Cav.
Interestingly, Trent Bray is attracting some controversy; some want him gone and others think he could be the next DC.
Wait until one of them reads the science on bear crawls then briefly wonders about the coincidence of injury on their O-line.
He won’t win, though.
He’ll be fired after next season.
Banker canned by Riley!!!!!!
I guess that’s not a joke.
WTF?
” Mike Riley has fired defensive coordinator Mark Banker”… Can they still be friends?
Conjugal visits will still happen.
Source tells FootballScoop Mike Riley has fired defensive coordinator Mark Banker… and more
https://t.co/ppxU2CWIrn
More?
How many Texas hill country porches do they own?
Riley starting to face more heat. Think Eichorst pressured a change or Riley would be even under more scrutiny this year.
Fans not so thrilled with turning over stones to find less pursued recruits with possible upside.
Hmmmmm….
…So maybe it wasn’t Corvallis?
I give Langskidney til the end of next season.
Final proof the only reason he didn’t do it at OSU was low fan expectations.
Gundy also leaving
Brian Rosenthal
?@GBRosenthal
Mike Riley announces Mark Banker, Brian Stewart no longer members of #Huskers coaching staff. Ryan Gunderson has also departed.
Gina tweets that Gundy will be joining Brennan at SJSU as QB coach.
Gundy is an asshole, too.
The only guy in that tree who wasn’t an asshole was Brennan.
Bray?
Fuck Mike Riley.
He let Read and Banker all but steal cumulative millions from Oregon State, coasting on low expectations. Now that he’s at a school that actually expects results from him, and his ass is on the line, we can see how “loyal” Riley truly is.
So fuck Riley and fuck the people who promoted low expectations at OSU and let him get away with it.
Btw, if you’re reading this, Dave in Tumwater, I hope you call in to point this out and more!
Dave did, indeed, make the call. As well spoken as ever but somewhat subdued.
Parker doesn’t know how to react, admits that maybe Banker’s performance could have justified firing a few years back BUT, Parker is concerned about the human element. Broken up because a “good man who worked hard” lost his job………no comment on the hundreds of thousands of dollars Banker got for “working hard” w/o respect the the results on the field.
A few years back = After the 2009 Vegas Bowl… if not after the 2008 CW.
Uhh hey guys, what’s poppin’?
I suggest you reach out to your home town high school.
No thanks
You took years off my life straight up! We worked hard in practice and played hard in the games but most of us knew that the majority of the time you didn’t know shit and were always being out coached. Makes me want to smack a ho
“Is LB # 41 gonna hafta choke a bitch?”
GWHP?
Kevin Cummings has left our staff to coach at SDSU
“Extremely blessed to officially be a part of the @SJSUSpartanFB family! Excited to get on the road and check out some socal ballers!”
I really hope beav coaches and fans can keep calvin. Its obvious his family can see just as many of his games if not more at osu.
If he doesn’t want to be here, give the scholarship to someone who does.
It would be many more. At least 1 in the bay area per year, and I think at least one in LA the per year possibly. Than any in corvallis. Nebraska is the closest to LA in the big 10, so a 4-5 hour flight and a 45 minute drive? Sounds fun.
blah blah blah about flights and length.Corvallis is in the middle of nowhere. Flying into PDX and that drive is not much better His family only would see him once or twice a year for his road games , otherwise a long drive to Corvallis , longer than the 3 it takes to fly to Nebraska. Besides I dunno maybe his family actually wants him to enjoy his college experience and win more and want it to be his decision. Calvin will not go to OSU. That should have been his last choice out of all his choices. Gary Andersen is not going to start throwing the football anytime soon. Get over it Beavers , you will not be getting Calvin.
Should be fun to see the Husker lose Calvin twice in 1 month. Seriously, you guys bitch more than any fans out there. Time to give up your man cards. None of the other 3 teams with hats on the table have said a peep.
You might get Calvin, but you still have Riley. Good luck.
3 hours to Nebraska?
Is that the layover at Vegas or DIA?
Someone doesn’t know how to travel in the West.
Besides your weird red/blue wave travel theories, why are you being a penis about it? Maybe he goes here. Maybe he goes there. It’s obviously up to him and has nothing to do with his family being on the take, as many in your fan base suggested.
As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this. Now that TA is gone, I hope you enjoy what we call around here the standing fetal position. You’re going to see a lot of it next year.
Middle of nowhere? Says the guy in a fly over state, an international flight in Omaha consist of a plane with more than 5 people that aren’t white.
I fly Omaha to LAX directly on a regular basis, American and Alaska, about a 3 hr 20 minute flight. 45 min drive to Lincoln. So what are you babbling about?
Not to mention he would probably play a lot more at osu.
please don’t comment about other teams roster and needs unless you know. Nebraska just lost 3 senior receivers and it is a position of need. Get your facts straight. He would play at NU and actually have the ball thrown to him and used on jet sweeps.Unlike the halfback dive offense of Gary Andersen
Yes, please don’t comment about other teams on a sports blog. Somebody’s feewings might get hurted
Man, these Husker fans are super sensitive. You would think college football is all they have going for them. Oh, wait…
I like how he ended a plea to not comment on another team’s roster and needs by commenting on another team’s roster and needs.
Red Rover! Red Rover!
Send an unstupid fan over!
Melvin Gordon just scored again.
Banker…….wow.
Looks like the new WR coach, McGiven, Hall, and GA are in LA to visit Calvin.
https://twitter.com/coachjhp/status/819308821289938944
It’s useless and, therefore, pathetic. NU fan says so… unless they’re there to pay his family.
Angry must be locked in shed. No comment yet. Let him out Leach.
Damn, that soap making takes a lot of concentration!
He must be making ultra-concentrated soap! *rimshot* *groan*
He fallen and he can’t get up.
They’ve got an app for that.
And blue pills
Back on the Calvin issue, do you really want this guy? From the article NiceBeaver linked:
“Yana Johnson, Calvin’s mother, told the World-Herald on Wednesday that Calvin’s recruiting process isn’t over despite the dramatic announcement on NBC. NU is not only in the mix, Johnson said, it’s where Calvin prefers to attend. She said her son, a slot receiver at Los Angeles Cathedral High School, is committed to the Beavers in large part because he’s trying to consider his family’s ability to attend games.
“His heart is with Nebraska,” Johnson said.”
The TV attention was nice, but he sees Nebraska as the hot model he’s infatuated with who lives across the country, and Oregon State as a convenient girl next door he can introduce to his parents. It would not surprise me if as a highly rated recruit, having to “settle” for OSU makes him bitter and a locker room poison since he figures he’s “better” than the other players. Basic psychology, not a character judgment.
Good point, or his mom is bullshitting the reporter. Either way if he wants to be at nebraska….then he should be there.
He should realize that if he goes to Nebraska Riley won’t be there the whole for his four/five years. Riley is one mediocre season away from being fired himself.
That’s not a plus?
Winner
We have so many receivers it wouldn’t be that much of a blow to lose Calvin from a talent standpoint but it would suck to get a big name then just lose him later. Oh well though, like Scotty said if he doesn’t wanna be here then fuck him we move on. More important to close on some of these lineman and DBs
Is all good with Wallace & Garcia? No eligibility issues at this time? Those two could be game changers in 2017- significant talent infusion.
So far it looks like GA’s recruiting MO has been to hit one need hard per class…go for quantity and make sure you nail it. Shotgun approach.
2015: Mostly Rileys leftovers. The few of his own targets here were offensive playmakers so we’ll go with that.
2016: Pass rushers
2017: WRs
2018: OL?
Calvin runs good routes and has great hands. Perfect for the slot. When you are raising your profile you need a fee big signs to become hot. I am about 70% sure he will stick with Oregon State. Have no doubt Andersen is a much better coach at this point and OSU is trening up and with strong momentum whole Nebraska is in a slow decline until Riley is forced out and likely retires in 2-3 years. With our new recieving coach I also think we have higher quality teaching there as well.
Calvin and other recruits who join this year or next will be hitting the upswing at the ideal moment to have four years that should progress upward to high level bowl games and a very engaged fanbase all on the same page. Odds of Riley achieving this appear much lower as their fans are already beginning to show a fracture with some not sure Riley is the right man for the job.
You guys are dreaming, don’t you know how this works?
Enlighten us
FWIW I blame bobby d for allowing riley to keep that coaching staff together for so long. FU bobby, glad to see you outta here.
You are right on.
Golly, it’s scary out here in the cornfields! Shawn and the Sucker – I mean Husker fans started expecting me to actually earn my paycheck! This was never part of the deal! I miss Bob. He was the perfect boss. Win a few games, get a rollover contract, everyone was happy. Even our opponents were happier than a hog in a mudpit!
Shucks, I somehow mustered one of those rare 9-win seasons and it’s not good enough here! Nine wins back in Corvallis would have gotten me another decade of Lindsay and Ken sucking my wrinkly balls! (call me, Lindsay)
At least saying happy trails to Bruce and Mark should buy me another couple years to coast – errr I mean get a fresh start rebuilding this rich, uhhh I mean storied program!
Hand Jive HOF has announced Mr. Mark Banker as a memmber of the 2017 class.
His influence has gone into the NFL. The NY Giants utilized his Hail Mary defense last week against the Packers.
If you need a laugh. From the Huskermax forums LOL.
Love him or not but Riley means business when it comes to the performance of his coaching staff. :thumbsup:
He means business when it comes to saving his own ass
We have a winner.^^^^^
100% guaranfuckingtee that firing Read and Hand Jive wasn’t Riley’s decision. He may have had to deliver the news, but he was told to start cutting dead weight.
Then there is this from Eggers…….consider the source:
“I can’t see Riley firing an assistant to save his own job”
Maybe he put his desk in the basement, stopped paying him and stole his stapler?
I don’t get all the Riley hate. I mean sure he said some things I disagreed with when he was on the defensive and trying to keep his buddies on staff at OSU. The OSU AD tried to force him into changes and he decided to take the leap to Nebraska at that point, give his guys one last chance to prove they can do it at a different school. That was great though, it got OSU a coach that embraced the challenges at OSU. Riley’s guys couldn’t get it done at Nebraska now he really has no other option but to cave to the AD and make staff changes.
Riley got Banker paid 2 more years. OSU got out of his lifetime contract. I am really not seeing the downside here. Riley had some fun years at OSU, got close to winning the P12, but could never make the leap. Hope he does well at Nebraska but I doubt a whole lot changes even with a new DC.
I am glad where OSU is at, sure it is nice to see Schnell and Ken Goe eat crow and I didn’t care for everything Riley said. It is not that I don’t think Riley is open to criticism but people are running him through the ringer like he ran a child prostitution ring. I guess that is the internet world we live in, no longer is there room for a reasoned critical take.
“I guess that is the internet world we live in, no longer is there room for a reasoned critical take.”
I’ve given plenty of reasons. Riley is not the worst guy in the world, not even close. But that’s not exactly a high bar. Dude made millions, mailed it in, gave us the shaft, and the nice guy, loyalty stuff we heard parroted for years has been shown to be drivel. Success he has at Nebraska also hurts us for reasons I don’t want to retype again.
What should he have done? Admitted he was not up to the challenge and walked away from millions of dollars that were guaranteed to him? I highly doubt you would have done that.
He should have dropped the Read and Banker dead weight while he was here, and actually try to improve his coaching and results.
Personally, I am glad he left rather than just dumping those guys.
I’m with you. He should have dropped the dead weight years before he left, but since he didn’t, I’m glad he bolted rather than just cutting an assistant or two and hanging around.
Some people can’t let go of him like an old ex. Always keeping tabs
when did Goe or Schnell ever eat crow about the Riley/Andersen exchange? Goe has done his best to counter the obvious truth of the fact that Riley left the cupboard bare in Corvallis. The reason you need to get the anti-Riley narrative here is if he is successful in Lincoln it will be interpreted by Goe, Schnell, Jaynes, etc. that Erickson’s success was a fluke and the best we can hope for is an annualized winning percentage of .500. That narrative is death to recruiting, marketing, facilities development, etc. Simple really.
Crow is the only thing Schnell doesn’t eat.
That and salad.
So… winter isn’t coming?
I guess I am just assuming they will eat their crow… maybe they pretend like this never happened. I don’t mind people saying he was a mediocre coach but people outright hate the guy, I just don’t get that.
I saw that article yesterday that Schnell won some journalism award. Hilarious! It’s like Obama winning the Peace Prize despite being at war every day of his 8 year term. Lol
Look at it this way.
She’s always been strong on human interest stories. It’s her reporting and weird narratives about one of the most educated metro areas in the world… cows and all.
She was sidelined on the Brenda Tracy story. That was obviously Canzano’s baby. But she got to watch the process of that news cycle and collate all the info for later use. That later use was Joe Mixon.
So she had a ready-made story for a similar situation which was in her wheelhouse.
Why the media ignored the stories when the Mixon incident occurred is another story, one which would negate Schnell’s story had they done their job back then. Everyone involved, witnesses, victims and police (or campos), said there was clear video evidence of the assault… and that it was really really bad.
So maybe one of my biggest gripes about Schnell when she was here is what should be discussed. The de facto embedding of the media in order to curry favor and access serves nobody and creates no narratives that are exempt from fallacy. When an authority like a coach or a university holds enough power that it gets to pick and choose who gets to report on what should be public and transparent, that authority is out of line. And any media who accepts that norm is no longer credible.
“That narrative is death to recruiting, marketing, facilities development, etc. Simple really.”
Absolutely spot on! Sometimes the simplest concepts are easily overlooked. Especially when aided by the media.
So we see once again how awful Riley is. He could have fired Banker while at OSU. It’s now clear the reason he didn’t was he though he could get away with it. Once he couldn’t, he bolted. He thought he could get Banker (and himself) a few more years at NE. He succeeded. Got him a final payday. Our theories that he’s out there plundering Unis and winning just enough to keep plundering are only supported by today’s news. What a Major League asshole. What makes him so much worse is the fake nice guy thing. If he just admitted he’s a [plunder-the-uni-for-friends-and-family, turn-a-blind-eye-to-rape] asshole then he’d be easier to stomach. What fools the press are for believing he’s a genuine nice guy. What fools Nebraska fans are to believe this means he’s serious about winning. Riley will win 3 games next year and get the axe. He now has mostly his players, barely scratched out a good season with Bo’s (tougher) recruits, a new QB, etc. If he gets a 4th year it’ll be because of the “breaking in a new QB” excuse. I’m sure he’s subtly working that one into the media with lines like “I don’t know, Bob, the new guy looks pretty good in practice, but there’s a learning curve at this level for sure.” Riley speak for “Don’t blame me when he fails because the playbook takes 2 years to learn, and I didn’t have a QB groomed/ready to go.” He’s probably having the media over for dinners, etc, because he is such a nice guy.
I’ve never met someone mediocre at their job self-aware enough to admit it. Everyone thinks they are good at what they do. Honestly I think often times the traits we most despise in others are ones we subconsciously realize we hate about ourselves.
I suck at my job, but they keep paying me well, so I keep doing it.
Instead of “row the boat”, I subscribe to “don’t rock the boat”
Row the Beaver!
stroke, stroke…
What are you trying to say?
That he is a mediocre coach that did what dam near anyone would have done. Casting him as some malevolent character is dumb IMO.
I don’t think anyone would have done that.
Low character people would. And this has nothing to do with any trait I see in myself.
I got to call BS on that Angry, I don’t think you would leave millions on the table and resign from a coaching job. That is stupid. I don’t know that that has ever happened short of a retirement.
I’d coach for free, and do it better than Riley, so yes, I’d leave millions on the table. Thought this was pretty evident by the way I run this blog and my track record here. I even wrote OSU and offered to work as a consultant for free since they couldn’t figure out the football situation on their own. Luckily GA fell into their lap and contacted them, or they would have messed it up (we were hearing Hoke before that. Ugh).
Anyway, there is much more to life than money. If you have enough to live you’re fine.
I guess you are better than me, I’d save a couple mil then never work again. Though I am still not entirely sure you’d turn down Riley’s salary.
Don’t even try ean. Angry is a world class douche. Most people who were successful in sports, or business, or just life don’t constantly pump themselves up. Angry won an Internet baseball national championship and in his own mind, he truly believes that means he’s on par or better than Pat Casey. I’m not sure what his incredible football achievements are but I’m sure he isn’t joking when he thinks he’s more qualified that Mike Riley. I just hope whoever he sent the letter to at OSU, offering his free services, framed that letter and hung it up for people to see when they need a good laugh.
If this is your take on Mike Riley as a man you are a certified lunatic.
Facts speak for themselves. You’re a fool/apologist for falling for the shtick.
It’s a little excessive. It’s not like he’s Lane Kiffin or Booby Petrino.
Say what you will about Kiffin, but at least he has a victory over Chip. Riley went 0 and how many billions against him? Not a neat deal.
Well… Riley doesn’t have as many losses as the Chipster does in the NFL.
Heh heh… and he has a better NFL record than the Fink.
I just wonder what is going through Banker’s mind right now. He has to be pissed at Riley. He’s probably saying ” You brought me to f’ing Nebraska for only 2 years? Why didn’t we stay in Corvallis, we had it made!”
Well… crap!
Where does Debbie live?
I was a major Riley guy. Loved his offensive philosophy (when firing on all cylinders 1 year out of every 4) and thought he was a genuine nice guy who played by the rules. I was blinded because I love and support my alma mater.
After all the facts came out about the Brenda Tracy thing he lost me. That and hearing former players say Riley had the fatherly vibe during the season, but as soon as the season was over he kinda took off to his version of Camp David and didn’t really have much involvement made me think it was all bull shit.
Also when really looking back closely Riley and OSU were good/successful at probably the weakest point in PAC 10 history. UCLA and Washington were trash, USC under bullshit sanctions, Both Arizona schools soft…. Oregon not quite all the way there yet.
I don’t follow him at Nebraska like many here do because I’ve moved on and love the Coach we have now. Really cares about the players and is doing things the right way. But I do snicker a little when I see they lose.
He lost me when he ditched OSU for NFL. More power to him, but if he comes back to me hat in hand for a job in the future I would have pretended to look at his application then proceeded to slap the hat to the ground and tell him I’d get back to him on that…
… or something more diplomatic than that but expressing the same sentiment.
Loyalty, indeed.
Yeah. The NFL bolt is off my radar because I wasn’t a born and raised Beaver fan and started school in 99′-2000′ : Erickson’s first year.
But it is weak to hire someone back 4 years after the ditched you for a “better” opportunity and then get fired. Thankfully he did leave because we never would’ve made the Fiesta Bowl.
I think we have to be hard on Riley because he has the national media so bamboozled and we were chastised for years for our take that Riley was accountable for his own shortcomings.
It wasn’t Oregon St, it wasn’t a lack of an airport and it wasn’t a lack of talent. It’s Riley. Riley is a modern day snack oil salesman and his potion is his super-nice guy persona. Let Nebraska be sucked in to his vortex. This ain’t going to end well.
That’s right. We’re like missionaries trying to educate these other fanbases and the National Media that the entire narrative is false. If Riley had done what he did at OSU at any other Pac school (except WSU maybe) it would be known Nationally that he was a piece of shit as a human and a mediocre coach. But since it was OSU, people blamed OSU. So frustrating to see for 14 years.
He did help turn things in the early years, but I’m convinced many coaches could have done that, and probably better (e.g. DE). The school seemed more invested and were trying to change the culture. Riley benefited.
I still maintain that once scholarship limits were put in place it became easier to go from really bad to mediocore/OK/decent………which is what Riley essentially did.
And to go from great to mediocre. See Nebraska.
Good point!
Yes, the limit evened the field. Riley has been a lucky person with his timing.
The scholie limit was a good move. I’m not pro-regulation or anything like that, but for the greatness of the game, it might be wise to limit scholies for the teams that finish top 25. Let them only have 80. Or let teams outside the top 25 get 90. Something like that. It would help even more to level the field b/c some of these teams just have natural advantages that make the sport unwatchable for the most part (e.g. I didn’t even know the NT was on or that Clemson won until Wednesday).
It doesn’t see to have hurt all of the elite programs, they just can’t stockpile players as much as they used to, but if they miss on a couple of key positions or make a poor coaching hire they have down years also.
Well. if the elite programs don’t mind, why don’t we propose lower limits and see who complains the loudest?
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/shatel-mike-riley-goes-on-offensive-with-staff-changes-but/article_4b614362-19d7-5297-8470-32f495d744df.html
It sounds like this Shatel guy reads “Angry Beavs”.
Not really.
It looks like he thinks of OSU as a monolithic fan base with low expectations.
I don’t know where he got that idea.
It’s a total mystery!
Lots of changes tonthe football team most notably kearsley leaving.
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/01/jake_luton_isaiah_hodgins_adde.html#incart_river_mobile_index
Jordan Pace from CB to RB? Head shaker, at least for me.
Had high hopes for Kearsley, oh well.
Yeah kearsley is disappointing to hear i was hoping he could help fill some ofnthe void lost by the seniors. I dont remember who pace was really.
What was Kearsley’s deal? Just a miss on the recruiting assessments? I don’t remember injuries with him.
I think the issues with his girlfriend most likely changed his priorities
Hmm… more power to him. Having the right partner in life is a lot healthier than playing in traffic for four hours every weekend.
Duck commit shopping around. His dad was a great WR on some abysmal Gopher teams in the Jim Wacker era. Played a couple years in the league.
Andrew Nemec ?@AndrewNemec 2h2 hours ago
Jesuit 3* CB Demetrius Douglas (@demetriius_d) has in-home visits with Minnesota today and Notre Dame on Sunday.
I like that fact that Green is visiting OSU last, seems like so many kids end up signing with the last school they visit. Lots of big visits over the next few weeks, feel OSU may close a bunch of these guys.
Is Jaelen Bush a potential priority walk on? Doesn’t seem that highly rated.
I hope you are right about Green, seems like a great addition to the kind of D which Andersen is in the process of building. While this staff can do more than one thing at once, in view of the number of WR’s in hand I think I’d rather see max effort to get Green rather than chasing Jamire Calvin.
From Nemec’s piece on Green today:
“I see the philosophy and I like it a lot. Coach Andersen is bringing the program back to where they should be.”
Seems less likely to be a head case than Calvin.
JMHO…………and, yes I realize they aren’t competing for the same position, or side of the ball.
EDIT/ADDED: Regarding pursuing a MLB over another WR, I realize Wilner isn’t a recognized guru but came across this in his piece about the need for an identity for Cal; wrt what a solid running offense does for your defense:
“1) It toughens your defense, because the players face running plays in practice and get more experience tackling, 2) It supports the defense in games by chewing clock (when necessary) and allowing the defense to rest 3) It decrease the reliance on allocating roster spots to receivers and allows you to build depth elsewhere.
(Dykes routinely cited a lack of depth as the reason for Cal’s porous defense. Of course there was a lack of depth: He had 20-25 scholarships committed to receivers.)”
Bush is probably more of a pref walkon type, but hard to say for sure yet. I’ll know more after his visit. He’s a big kid at 6’7″ 260lbs. 4 year veraity player in Football, Basketball and Soccer (goalie).
Beavers and Bush. Perfect match.
Adam Rittenberg
ESPN Staff Writer
Cal is in final negotiations with Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to make Wilcox its next coach, sources tell ESPN. Wilcox was a Cal assistant early in his career, and has been defensive coordinator at Boise State, Tennessee, Washington, USC and Wisconsin.
Sounds like a job just opened up for Mark Banker!
Oooh! With Chryst!
That’s plausible.
Not that Mr. Chryst gives a squat but if he did make that hire that would have a big impact on the high regard in which I hold him.
Please make these things happen.
@beavergopher: Somehow I’m not surprised. :-)
I have a confession, guys.
I used to be a Riley apologist. Oh, the shame! The good news is I’m living proof that you can recover from this insidious mental disorder. Don’t let the Biley/Media complex deceive you. Help is available!
Now I’ve replaced my Biley-defending ways with healthy skepticism and a dose of GA-rooting. Life after Riley is possible!
Go Beavers, how ’bout that!
“Life after Riley is possible!”
*posts about Riley at least twice a week*
Hahaha :)
Life after Riley leaving without having to lament it is possible. I see him as a source of entertainment now, instead of someone I do mental gymnastics for and put down OSU for to defend as a great coach.
I think I’m basically with Ean on the Riley thing. With his staff, the coaching results were fairly mediocre, especially the last few years. I was very glad when he moved on, and am very happy with GA. I even generally want Nebraska to fail, because him winning there does hurt OSU’s image.
But, I’m not anti-Riley. I have nothing against the guy personally. Let’s look at some of the arguments above:
1) He ditched OSU for a better job, then came crawling back when it didn’t work out.
Do you blame any college HC for going to the NFL when they come calling? That’s an obvious promotion across the board. I don’t know how you fault anyone in any profession for taking a clear-cut promotion.
If you don’t like him coming back when it didn’t work out, that’s on the AD, not the coach. Again: what would you have Riley do? Decline the offer because he felt guilty for leaving? Again, it’d be different if he left to go to Cal or something… He took a clear-cut better job.
2) He mailed it in the last several years
This is true and it was maddening. But I primarily blame BDC for this. Would I have had more respect for Riley if he put in the same effort regardless of the lifetime contract? Absolutely. But the reality is that he behaved rationally and in the way that people do in almost any situation: he responded to low expectations by gradually (and probably unconsciously) letting his effort and results slip. In other words, he responded rationally to the (lack of) incentives he was provided. There’s a reason that football coaches don’t have lifetime contracts.
3) He kept on underperforming coaches that were past their prime.
Also true, also maddening. But if your argument on why a coach is a terrible person is predicated on their loyalty to their friends and subordinates…I think your argument is sorely misguided. Riley painted himself in a corner by getting so close with his staff, but once he did it would have been pretty gut-wrenching for him(for anyone) to fire them.
This is absolutely a knock on his coaching ability, but his character? That’s completely illogical.
(Incidentally, I think GA’s approach to staff is pretty innovatiev and nips this problem in the bud. He aggressively helps his guys fill out their resumes by adding and changing responsibilities. Ensures high turnover via promotions and also keeps OSU an attractive location for up and coming coaches. Turnover keeps you from getting too close if you’re not working out. Great way to balance “family atmosphere” and results orientation)
4) Brendy Tracy
This is obviously troubling and obviously left a mark on his career that he’ll never be able to shake. And I can’t argue if this is the reason you don’t like the guy.
What I can say is this: there’s a lot of football coaches that have swept all sorts of garbage under the rug – I would guess the vast majority of them. DA made a career of attracting violent thugs, and we were happy enough when he was winning us games. I have no doubt that a lot of really bad stuff happened in the DA days that we just never heard of, especially before social media existed.
What did they know at the time? They knew that something happened, that there were no criminal charges. There was evidence that the event was bad, but I’m sure the players told a different story. And they decided not to look too hard. Does that make it OK? Of course not. But ultimately the sad truth is that event just made Riley a typical football coach that did what 99% of his peers would have.
Well said! Speaking strictly about the football side of things…. I was pissed at the repeated mistakes and failure by Riley to bring in innovators. His product got stale and predictable around 2010-2011. I told my Nebraska cronies to prepare themselves for extreme frustration and laid out all the characteristics of a Riley coached team — now they understand after living it. It’s nice to get perspective after the fact now. Riley is a coach that will make your team competitive but he’s not the guy who wins championships. Just glad that we have a coach with higher expectations on all levels and criteria for his student athletes, and is willing to make the necessary changes to get better.
….oh and most of the time I want to root for him, but man, sometimes it his hard to watch his brand of football.
I like the kind of turnover GA has embraced. I think it is good to have fresh perspectives and people willing to disagree, albeit in a way that is constructive.
In order: point (1): I have it on good authority (from UW sources) that Riley was negotiating with UW (the job Neuheisel got) when the Chargers came along. Though that wouldn’t have qualified as a “lateral” move, in some ways it would have been more cutting to the OSU fan base by his decamping to a regional rival. Recall that the famous “Jonathan Smith game” was in Seattle earlier that year. (2) Blame the late failures during Riley II on Bob: fair enough, but why was DeCarolis enticed into that strategy–answer, the absence of a disciplined, critical thinking fan base that could point out the foibles of that scenario. Indeed, it is no coincidence that the inauguration of this blog was the first crack in the edifice “aren’t we so lucky to have Riley as our coach” that led to Ed Ray and BDC finally seeing the light that Riley was in fact mailing it in. (3) Loyalty to whom, or what was the higher loyalty? To his employer, the OSU fan base, the players under his stewardship or to a coaching staff which, in its constituent parts, was severally guilty of mis-, mal- or nonfeasance? To ask these questions is to answer it. (4) I’m not going to defend Riley’s comportment on this issue, but an important element of the Riley apologia was adoption of the Sean McDonough slander aimed at Dennis. Actually, the guy who ran a program that truly was populated by a troublesome population was Neuheisel, where this comment started. Read the book “Scoreboard.”
I know where you’re coming from, so I’ll clarify some:
1.
Go back and read that part again.
You’re not wrong. That we had an AD who would project the complacency required to embolden someone enough to be so indecent is bad enough. A decent, loyal person would not come crawling back if there was a clear mandate that decency and loyalty were priorities.
2. Meh… blame the all you want. We’ve had our share of culture wars here. So this is sort of redundant. The buck has to stop somewhere in terms of mailing it in, and I blame it on the guy licking the stamps. Then again, I just agreed that not making decency and loyalty priorities in your culture allows those who are weak in those subjects to take advantage of the situation. So I guess you have a point.
3. It is a knock on his coaching ability. But it’s also a knock on his character. He doesn’t get paid to be loyal to his subordinates. It’s good that he’s loyal to someone, I guess. But he was the highest paid person at OSU. He should have been loyal to OSU first. That takes me back to #1 and its lack of consequences.
4. What others do is a diversion. They deserve their own scrutiny. The thing that disturbed me most was that someone who indicated they were a coach called Tracy and intimidated her. It could have been a GA or one of several administrative assistants or a teammate. But it was someone in the know of both the football goings on and this particular situation. And I think we’ve already discussed who we are supposed to blame for a culture that allows such behavior.
Fair enough, you’re fine with him leaving but didn’t like him coming back afterward.
But I would argue that leaving for an objectively better job (salary, responsibility, prestige,etc) is not disloyal. Disloyalty might include a lateral move for more money, or even an upgraded job in conference (USC, let’s say).
Put it this way: if GA got offered an NFL HC job tomorrow, he’d probably take it. And I wouldn’t blame him. And if it didn’t work out, I’d be happy to bring him back. Why? Because I think that is a logical career move for any college HC, and I don’t think loyalty precludes taking an opportunity like that.
I suppose you can make the case that he shouldn’t have left until his contract was up. But schools have no problem firing coaches prematurely if they feel like it’s time to move on, and we don’t consider that disloyal. Same double standard as with NFL player contracts and recruiting commitments.
I just don’t see the issue. The Riley I era was mutually beneficial for him and for the football program. Riley failed at the next level while DE flamed out at OSU (after one incredible season for which he deserves due credit); made sense for both parties to bring Riley back.
Also it’s notable that the NFL and NCAA FB are two different animals. A failure at the NFL level doesn’t mean that someone isn’t a great college coach. So it’s not nearly as bad as if we welcomed back a dude that just got fired from another program.
So you’d take back your significant other if they made a run at an upgrade but failed?
Not even close to the same thing
Why don’t you break them both down A@A? I understand the nuances that make business different from personal life. But they are nuances. They’re relative, but they’re analogous.
I really doubt that you need anyone to tell you the difference between a marriage and a job?
“So you’d take back your significant other if they made a run at an upgrade but failed?”
Only if I had it in my head that I couldn’t do any better. Hmmmm.
Is that a question? Did I not address the difference well before your maybe question?
Because of those differences, breaking a commitment is a lot more serious for one than it is the other. It could be the reason for the other to be broken. Priorities are fine. But don’t pretend breaking a commitment is anything but what it is.
Jack using your logic means that cheating on your wife and telling your kids that santa brought them presents is the exact same thing. Cuz a lie is a lie, right? Don’t pretend Telling a lie is anything but what it is.
What are you implying about Santa and presents?
I think he’s saying he tells his kids that a centuries old Catholic magician imbued with the traits of a Norse god gifts them once a year.
I don’t know what lying or cheating has to do with breaking a commitment… unless lying and/or cheating is the method A@A would choose to break said commitment… which sounds about right.
We’re not in the business of advancing our HC’s career beyond giving him the tools he needs to succeed at our school. You can justify and even honor disloyalty like this because it’s the individual’s life, and getting to attain that level is a tremendous achievement. But you can’t change the definition of loyalty. It just is what it is.
Note that we’re not talking about someone who gave two weeks notice and kinda got an awkward celebration in the break room involving a cake. There are methods one can employ in order to not burn the bridges to re-hire. Up and ditching your current employer during one of the most important times of the year is not one of those methods.
That method gets an attaboy for moving up and a lament that they are not eligible for rehire.
Good points. In your 2nd to last paragraph you say “DA” … did you mean DE? Or maybe you meant….
Dennis Aricson, because everyone else spelt it wrong?
Derek Anderson the QB
Dennis Andersen, hybrid coach
Dennis Erickson was who I meant, brain fart.
Not addressing his time in Miami. Erickson’s teams here at OSU would get a late hit a game: not dirty but aggressive play. They would get more celebration and taunting penalties then a normal team. However: to characterize them as violent thugs is unfair and for the most part just plain wrong
I attend OSU 99′ – 03′. I had multiple interactions with almost every player on the team between playing ball at Dixon, class, and kind of being in the athlete click attending parties and hanging at bars. There were a couple assholes just as you”d find in any crowd of 85 athletic alphas in the 18-22 age bracket. Most of them were just regular dudes just trying to go to school, have fun, and try to play well enough to make it to the NFL which a bunch of them did.
Carlyle at this time has the worst offense (see Brenda Tracy) was a Riley guy.
Interviews coming this week with Jason Phillips and John Rushing:
https://twitter.com/BeaverFootball
my 2cents re riley:
This is along the lines of what dwill03 brought up, that being:
“…After all the facts came out about the Brenda Tracy thing he lost me. That and hearing former players say Riley had the fatherly vibe during the season, but as soon as the season was over he kinda took off to his version of Camp David and didn’t really have much involvement made me think it was all bull shit….”
One thing that stands out in my memory was the exposé in the Oregonian about the graduation rate of the football players and how little support they got from OSU.
It was only after the exposure from the story that OSU suddenly made an effort to help the kids academically.
That’s when it occurred to me that riley’s schtick about family, caring for his players, etc. was a bunch of BS.
Riley & staff’s academic screw-up with Kyle Peko was blatant negligence. imo.
Good point, wasn’t there another SA just before Peko who never did qualify?
Anyway, the Peko case serves as a prime example of what seems to be a major difference between MR and GA.
I can’t find the link, but believe the FB team just posted the best GPA ever for Beavs Football.
EDIT: here is a quote from the 2015/16 AD Annual Report-
“Football posted a 2.91 cumulative GPA for fall term; the highest on record for the sport”
Also:”The sport has a 2.81 overall cumulative GPA since Gary Andersen was introduced as the head coach in December 2014.”
OT: ucks
Uncle phil’s coaching staff continues to take shape. It is reported that Mario Cristobal of ‘Bama will be the new co-offensive coordinator; his title with the tide? -“Assistant Head Coach/Tackles and Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator” He has received recognition for being an outstanding recruiter, working the Florida area. (Is this staff setting up to own the state of Florida?).
Like some above, I wasn’t too concerned when Taggart was hired and am not sure having two ex-head coaches on staff will go smoothly (Leavitt and Crostobal).
While most staffs can be accused of having some “black sheep”, the toilet seat crew has at least two (make that three) with sketchy backgrounds (allegedly), Leavitt, Asst AD-Recruiting Operations David Kelly and Co-offensive coord David Reaves.
Kelly, along with UCF’s AD resigned in 2011 after an investigation concluded that both violated NCAA ethical conduct rules with the NCAA adding that Kelly had lied to investigators. He says it ain’t so. Reaves was accused of recruiting violations in the Tennessee mess under Kiffin. You already know the story on Leavitt.
Uncle phil is desperate for a “natty” and willing to pay; I won’t be surprised to see his push for a short term fix blow up in his face.
http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2017/01/oregon_ducks_make_joe_salavea.html#incart_river_mobile_home
Hole will be the next Penn State/Baylor. Book it.
According to Nemec, he’s ranked as one of the better recruiters in the country the past couple of years.
Is that because he’s recruiting coordinator for Alabama? or because he’s actually that good at recruiting?
Put him on the Illinois staff, and I don’t think he receives the same praise.
Do you think Duck fan could square with them hiring Tosh Lupoi?
I kinda want that to happen now… just to see what they’d do.
No he is a good salesman and super connected in south Florida. @OOB, having ex HC’s on staff is usually a good thing. They get the big picture. These are good hires,
but they can’t row the boat.
Ex HC’s a good thing? Entirely possible but it is also possible that they both: 1) chaff at having to take direction, and 2) are on the lookout for their next HC opportunity. Then, there is that nuts and bolts row the boat thing.
So, we have GA building up new HC’s and Taggart hiring old HC’s? Interesting aspect to watch.
Ex HC’s and strangers? I haven’t dug too deep but so far I haven’t found anything which indicates that these new ‘uck coaches have worked together before…. i.e. no history of coaching at Utah State :-)
Taggart could have his hands full if the personalities are as strong as they would appear to be. How many alpha males in the same room does it take before all hell breaks loose?
Brayden Kearsley gone.
We went to the MOON?!?!
Are you going to break the news about Cole Clausen transferring as well?
Yep and Gina gave no clue as to why exactly, just alluded to the girlfriends car crash before last season: http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/01/jake_luton_isaiah_hodgins_adde.html#incart_river_index
That’s why I don’t follow recruiting*. I only care about people who actually go to OSU in the end. Everything else is noise.
* unless said recruit sticks it to #TPB on national TV heh heh
Ummm… Kearsley was one of our O-linemen.
Oh, lol. Guess I don’t follow the O-line either :p
scotty derp
WBB: Gals face UCLA at 6 on PAC12 Net.
From the Gadget Times story today:
Can the youngsters, along with the seniors, can stay focused?
Did the Bruins take note of how many steals Tree was able to get?
Will TO’s, again, give the opposition opportunities?
I’ll be surprised (and happy) to see a sweep this weekend, streak has to end sometime.
But that’s why they play the games, right?
Hope Gabby has a breakout game………close to home for her.
So my friend sent me a screen shot of the cougs forum taking notice of our recruiting. I cant figure out how to show it on here but they r tired of losing all these recruiting battle to the beavs.
What site?
Is it behind the paywall or free speech land?
It was cougfan on a message board. There was a whole thread but my buddy had trouble trying to send a lot of it. He says theyre having a rough offseason between losing recruits and salavea.
BYU is in a weird situation with being an independent now. They are going to get some good local recruits because of the religious affiliation, but otherwise what’s the point? I don’t think some of these kids aspire to play in the Las Vegas Bowl year and year and get excited about beating UMass.
Oregon St. should start winning some of these recruiting battles. They offer a better overall situation. The BYU fan base is another delusional one based on a suspect national title more than three decades ago.
Looks like we have a new grad assistant/LB assistant. Matt Ah You (former BYU guy I think, brother coaches at Utah)
Gesundheit.
Looks like he played for GA at Utah State after transferring from BYU and Central Washington.
http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/ahyou_matt00.html
Listened to Dave in Tumwater’s call on the JB Show yesterday. Preach it, DiT! I wanted to call in today but was stuck in meetings.
It’s incredible how the hosts can tie everything back to baseball stuff from prehistoric times and drone on about it for days on end, seriously.
Job search update:
I applied to Arthur Murray Dance Studio and got this letter in the mail:
“Dear Mr. Banker:
Thank you for your interest in employment at our company. While your experience is extensive, we regret to inform you we do not currently require a Hand Jive Instructor. Rest assured, your resume has been stored in the circular file, should such a need arise in the future.”
No hand jive? What kind of dance hacks are they?!
Don’t worry.
You can follow up an appearance on Dancing with the Stars with being SecDef if you play your cards right.
Bob Diaco new DC at Nebraska. Probably 60% chance he is the HC come 2020. Eichorst lining up a safety net should Riley not meet expectations which seems likely. If Riley loses to Fleck two years in a row he gone.
2020? More like 2018
Banker on how he was let go. A pic of the much touted Riley “loyalty”?:
“That’s just disappointing, that it’d be a phone call and not face-to-face,” Banker said. “That’s a weird way to approach things. And you can say that it’s hard, but if it’s hard on him then it’s hard on my end. But that’s what you got to do, do it (face-to-face). Be grown men** about it. It’s a communication thing. Let’s just be good communicators.”
**sorta like wearing big boy pants!
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/former-nebraska-defensive-coordinator-mark-banker-talks-about-departure-firing/article_8e1704f8-d9f0-11e6-9623-53ce4f080356.html
Honestly, Is the way this was handled by Riley a suprise to anyone?
That the nicest guy in college football is actually a cowardly dick?
A little bit… yes.
Not a big Banker fan, but if true, this is complete BS on Riley’s part: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/blogs/former-nebraska-defensive-coordinator-mark-banker-talks-about-departure-firing/article_8e1704f8-d9f0-11e6-9623-53ce4f080356.html
Sorry Oldbeav, looks like we posted it almost simultaneously! I certainly agree with you!
Angry got some shit about his moral character comments regarding Riley. Seems like this is another good example of what a fraud Smilin’ Mike is.
Seriously. After 20 years, fire the guy over the phone. Way to man up, Mike.
Bush league. Wow.
Mike couldn’t figure out how to break up via text, so he settled for the next best thing.
At the half, UCLA has 6 steals, Beavs have committed 6 TO’s (vs 1 for Bruins).
End of 1st half: Good Gals down 2 due to a last second 3 by Bruins.
Gabby! <3
UCLA getting some serious home cooking in the last few minutes…
One note regarding our unique terminology here at Angry Beavs. It looks like we can no longer use the word “Biley”. Given the stunning and I might add harsh break up, the word no longer applies as they are no longer entwined.
I’ve always preferred Simple Jack anyway.
As hoped, Gabby had a good game, lead BWB’s in scoring, 2/2 FT and 3/5 3pt.
As feared, TO’s and Steals allowed sunk the ship, 16 TO’s and suffered 10 steals.
Streak broken, UCLA wins by 10 but it actually was closer than that.
Time for a new streak.
**From the tone of the postgame interview I’d say Rueck completely agrees with Afghan’s mention above of home cookin’ tonight.
That’s my main issue with basketball and why I don’t watch it more. The sport revolves around fouls and homer officiating.
SW played a crap game. She over dribbled and was totally frazzled by the pressure D. A couple of 26-27 foot shots by UCLA at the end of the half and the end of the third were decisive in the end.
I am amazed there are some people that think Mike Riley actually had a choice in firing Banker,
let alone HOW.
He’s prob done next year himself.
He definitely had a choice to fire him back at OSU, which he should have, and he didn’t. But you know, oh he’s so loyal! Good old Mike.
Now he probably had a choice to either save his job directly and fire Banker at Eichorst’s orders, or to finally decide on his own to get a good DC because the heat was turned up. Good for the Huskers for applying pressure.
Hard to imagine he didn’t get a choice in how he cut Banker. If his position is that weak and tenuous at Nebraska, Riley has only himself and his coaching failures to blame.
If Scott Frost has a good season next year, Nebraska will snatch him up unless they go to and win the B1G championship.
New Defense, New QB………they ain’t winnin’ the B1G!!
I’m tempted to predict that the Beavs will have a better record than TPB’s next year. Can’t pull the trigger yet though, gotta see how our own QB situation is resolved.
Somebody go tell Jamire Calvin his beloved Riley isn’t going to last more than 1 or 2 seasons at Corn U
Looks like Moevao is the new QB coach at Lewis & Clark.
I really respected him as a player and had hopes he’d have a big positive impact on the QB’s; maybe not technically, but wrt enthusiasm and focus. Anyone else feel he fell a bit short?
Hopefully someone here has a better basis for their opinion, I’m just going by his twitter and the little I’ve seen of him in games and practice reports.
I can’t believe after all these years, Mike didn’t break up with me in person. I thought we had something special. How many blowouts and losses to FCS teams did we share together? Well, at least he didn’t just ghost me :(
Cheer up, bro. At least he called you. I just got a text with “GTFO” and a poop emoji
Can anyone tell me whether or not Tim Cook has applied for a medical red shirt and, if so, if it has been granted? It would be great to see him back with the Beavs along with Nall and Pierce as well as the new incoming recruits. Thanks in advance for your response…..
Already discussed previously. Denied. If you look at the updated 2017 roster on OSUbeavers.com you’ll notice he isn’t on it. Because he’s used up all of his eligibility.
Cook should go talk to Dana Altman, I bet he has some good tips for extending eligibiltiy forever.
Thanks…..
Wilcox to Cal a done deal.
Badgers football: Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox reaches deal to become Cal head coach, report says
Madison.com · 5 hours ago
Would rather have Wilcox than Chip Kelly!
Timing is everything, they coulda had Banker!
I think OSU is going to regret bringing Judson in for an official visit.
That’s pretty cryptic.
Why?
Yeah, need more than that
Nothing I’ve heard from anybody. He just seems very focused on oregon and their fans, even while on visit at oregon state. Loves the attention more than any other recruit I’ve seen OSU look at.
Just think it’s a waste of time, but that’s just my opinion.
Okay, not seeing the harm in that though…I think he was always a looooong shot but doesn’t hurt to try.
I noticed that too. I’m okay with that ’cause it means there is a chance, even if it is a long shot. You never know! The biggest hurdle has always been getting these type of highly recruited prospects out to Corvallis. This staff is showing a lot of promise (and results) which is really impressing me regardless if we whiff on some bigger names.
Late Edit:
Per the BeavRecruiting twitter, Bruce’s mom gives vote of confidence for him going to OSU for good education. :)
@mrstj2004j Tammy Judson
And that’s what mom loves ::thumbs up:: ::heart emoji::
@AustinMarlia@4way_lilbruce @I_am_orange
just remember Bruce, Oregon State will provide a better education after football is over. More street cred ::fist bump::
Hey Nicebeaver, speaking of a waste of time wrt Judson, do you sense the staff giving Daniel Green enough attention? He seems like a talented (in state too) guy with a good attitude, hope staff is not neglecting him by chasing too many long shots.
I dont get that sense. Seems like theyre focusing on a handful of guys, while also trying to maintain their class.
The handful of guys I see getting the most attention are Calvin, Green, Falaniko & all remaining visitors. I’m sure there are others theyre working on to flip, but with only a handful of spots left, there’s not a ton of wiggle room.
Oh, and Moore.
I wouldnt be surprised if there is a late big man that surfaces. They seem to have at least one every year who keeps things quiet.
A late big man………….glad to get any decent big men to balance out all these twiggy WR’s. lol
I’ll take a shot at it.
He’s going to tell some marketing intern that the end zone should be painted tartan, making the intern cry.
And we don’t like crying interns.
Really liking that Calvin Tyler Jr. 3* RB out of Texas that we just offered. He seems to have great vision, can shed tackles, and runs hard. This is especially important considering he’s in a state with a lot of talent. He reminds me a lot of Artavis Pierce. Unless we can get another big bruiser like Nall, I’ll be happy if he’s the second RB taken in this class. I think this staff is putting together one of the best backfield’s we’ve had in a while.
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3348226/58478b38c124dd27ac66f24a
Related note: rewatching Pierce’s senior film, wow. His film is nuts. How did we even get Pierce? He should’ve been more widely recruited especially coming out of Florida.
I’m starting to wonder how many guys we sign, what’s the PAC rule on over signing? Seems like Andersen might be planning to go over 25.
Anyone know how many of the 3 early enrolled are counting backwards?
Hmm, I am sure I am wrong or don’t have all the info. Maybe Nicebeaver or someone else with better knowledge in recruiiting can correct me.
We have 19 total commits
4 x JUCO transfer (Luton, Sattlemeier, Sykes, Evans)
so that means they count for previous classes?
I am also not sure if there is a mission guy in there.
If the JUCO guys count towards previous classes we have a total 15 current guys that will count towards the 25 limit for 2017? Total of 10 more open slots we still have.
Bowcut is a mission guy I believe.
Will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks.
Last year I asked someone very close to the team about schokarship numbers. He said GA guards those numbers very closely. I would suspect, if anybody is telling you how our numbers look, that they probably are making their own assessment and not what GA is actually going by.
Also, i dont think we would know if any juco guys got classified as 2016 vs 2017 until after the class is signed. Could be used to create space if needed, but probably only in that case.
Dont forget, we’ve had some guys defect from the team like Lucas/Kearsley/etc, which change our totals a little.
If Tyler Jr. is anything like Pierce, count me in.
I really like AP and expect we’ll see him used more next season.
It will be interesting to see how any added emphasis on the pass game effects the run/pass balance. Hopefully the pass game doesn’t involve more pass plays, just more EFFECTIVE ones!
Me too! I think more of a balance will be ideal. The run game will definitely open up the passing game. I hope McM or Luton can be consistent enough to get them the ball. Really need to get the QB situation cemented early in spring ball so they can get chemistry and timing down with the new crop of WR.
Kyshaun Bryan looks really nice too.
Noticed Tyler has an oregon state uniform on in his twitter profile pic, which seems like a goid sign. Scout shows him visiting on the 20th(along with Bryan)
Oooh I forgot about Kyshaun Bryan. This guy is solid too! He’s more of a downhill runner. He seems very patient, waiting for his blocks to develop, then planting his foot and hitting the hole.
The one thing I’m noticing is that these RB recruits really run hard. And they get those YAC yards (Yards after contact).
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/7738767/584465a2a6809617cc243c08
In today’s piece, Goe links to a more in depth story on Banker’s feelings, along with slobbering over the recruiting prowess of Taggart’s staff.
Banker, “That was just disappointing for me to find out like that. I know it was tough for Mike. But we’re two grown-ass men”
There is more in the piece which gives an insight into the power structure at Nebraska, sounds like (surprise) Riley has a lot less freedom there.
http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/football/banker-talks-of-key-regrets-in-wake-of-ouster-as/article_ce2328e7-d205-51f8-8ccb-49cc2295d5b1.html
Riley, the ever classy guy, strikes again.
In an interview with the World-Herald Friday, Banker said he had no idea he wasn’t coming back. Banker said Riley told him “this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” and then informed Banker his contract — which expires at the end of January — wouldn’t be renewed. Riley didn’t tell Banker why, and Banker didn’t ask.
“That’s just disappointing, that it’d be a phone call and not face-to-face,” Banker said. “That’s a weird way to approach things. And you can say that it’s hard, but if it’s hard on him then it’s hard on my end. But that’s what you got to do, do it (face-to-face). Be grown men about it. It’s a communication thing. Let’s just be good communicators.”
As posted and linked here yesterday.
This piece rephrased the “grown ass men” comment. lol
I’ve been behind on all news. Lol
I like Banker calling Riley out on not firing him face to face. And remember when Tago’s knee got wrecked by that USC lineman, Banker called out USC on it.
But he still has his defenses fall flat and professes to be surprised at it. He said things similar to this while at OSU:
“Banker expressed ample frustration with Nebraska’s defensive performance in the loss to Tennessee in the Music City Bowl, saying it looked like the Blackshirts “never practiced.”
“I thought we were truly ready for that game,” he said.”
http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/football/diaco-hire-is-official-new-d-coordinator-highest-paid-husker/article_92e46e9d-ad71-5977-a61d-706a71d08184.html
The guy doesn’t seem interested in learning, or maybe just isn’t able to. Hasn’t it been since 2005 or so that he’s actually had a defensive unit perform well?
Also realizing that mediocre results will not cut it in Nebraska.
From article:
Was he surprised by his firing?
“I can’t say I was totally surprised,” he said. “There was just kind of a permeating attitude within athletics at Nebraska. There’s an expectation, for one thing. It’s a bottom-line business. I’ve seen that many times.”
Of course this is a business. Welcome to the real world where if you don’t perform, you’re out.
BDC was afraid to set expectations.
No airport. An athletic department that was in debt up to its ears. Facilities that were mediocre at best. Previous administrations that weren’t all that interested in OSU athletics. Not a lot of rich donors who were willing to open up their pocket books. Poor performance not motivating the fans to show up and spend their money.
Digging out of that has been and will continue to be challenging.
Thank goodness for the TV contract.
Those things are pretty much true, and yet through it all, Pat Casey was more a “glass half full” kinda guy.
OOB: not to mention Casey is also a “has competitive fire and coaching talent” kinda guy
De Carolis was indeed afraid to set expectations, at least until the last year Riley was there and only then because Ed Ray, and perhaps enough other donors/commentators, including folks on this site, simply came to demand it. Riley probably dangled USC rumors under Bob’s nose every once I a while for leverage, which only weakened his hand, but even then because Bob found the argument “Corvallis isn’t a desirable destination” all too believable. Thus, everything was disposed towards cutting Riley as much slack as possible. In this sense, perhaps, Riley get criticized too much and De Carolis too little.
Banker never saw a “bottom line” business when he was at Oregon St.
We saw the bottom……..
I think that Banker was mainly fired for falling flat in the three big losses. If you look at the overall stats, the Husker defense improved quite a bit from ’15 to ’16. They weren’t giving up 55 to Purdue anymore. Riley will be next as he’s not going to beat Meyer or Harbaugh in his lifetime. TPB’s have to keep the delusion that they are an elite program, so someone had to pay for losing to Ohio St. by 59 this year. Their next option will be Riley. 15-11 is less than mediocore for Husker Nation. Whether Riley knows it or not his butt is warm already.
To be clear, NU did the right thing for their program with this move. They got an immense upgrade with Diaco.
They still have Riley as head coach, right? I don’t think they’ve upgraded enough.
All bets are off for Riley now. He can just play OC with a HC salary and let Diaco rule the D. If he lets Langs run the O, then yes, his time is limited. But he himself is a good OC. He’s just always had Banker on the other side.
I’d bet they give him one more year after making him can Langs next year. The complex pro style playbook excuse won’t buy him one good season every 3 years at Nebraska.
Actually that will be the second time an AD makes him can Langs if you recall the John Garrett hiring.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I don’t think the Banker firing weakens the Riley nice-guy argument. I think it typifies exactly what I’ve come to expect of Riley- it exposed the same weaknesses in leadership and coaching that we’ve come to expect. It was a passive and weak decision, not a douchey “screw you” one.
Look obviously Riley is really close to Banker- that point has been well established and should not be controversial. He didn’t fire him over the phone because he didn’t care or couldn’t be bothered to sit down face to face. He did it because in person was too hard. He cared too much – was too nice – to do the right thing.
As someone said above, that job required big-boy pants, and Riley left his in the closet. Or maybe they’re tucked away in a dusty box in the attic, along with the identity of his current team.
plausibly argued, alex, but the larger point holds true, to wit: Riley wasn’t/isn’t up to the rigors of running a big time college football program in a context demanding productivity and accountability. He was, at OSU, willing to let diminishing performance on the part of his assistants, and himself, persist to the detriment of his stewardship responsibility to do the best he could for his employer. his new employer won’t put up with it. I got a kick out his comment in one of the stories linked above about the quest for “championships” at Nebraska. Never ONCE did he evince that goal when he was in Corvallis, including in the early years of his second tenure when the memory of Erickson’s co-championship and BCS bowl victory was still a fresh memory.
“I don’t think the Banker firing weakens the Riley nice-guy argument.”
“He cared too much – was too nice – to do the right thing.”
OH COME ON.
This is the kind of mental gymnastics I refer to that Riley apologists engage in. Being nice is more than just not being an intentional douche. If Riley was sooooooo nice and cared soooooo much, he should have given Banker the simple respect of ending their decades-long partnership face-to-face. It doesn’t matter if it’s difficult. You do the right thing if you care so much. If you can’t even man up and handle that, what the hell are you doing as a football coach? Is that what he would teach his players to do?
I agree he definitely left his big boy pants in the closet.
I don’t think I stated that very well. And in large part this is a semantics game…being nice is a weakness if it leads you to do something classless.
Put simply, I think the big takeaway from the Banker is that Riley is passive and weak, not that he’s not a nice guy.
It’s extremely rare to fire a coach by phone and it’d be illogical to conclude that Riley is more callous than 99% of his peers. I’m just saying it’s his nice guy tendency that made that job extra hard. If he wasn’t a nice guy he’d have fired him in person like everyone else, no story.
To be clear though, saying he’s “too nice” doesn’t excuse classless behavior, just explains it. In this context it showed as a clear deficiency.
Brenda Tracy didn’t find Riley “too nice”………..off course he went out of his way to show concern long after the fact and after being exposed. Apparently, that was helpful to Tracy, but it shouldn’t absolve Riley’s behavior. I always thought Riley’s favor from the media was because he acts humble and approachable. Being assigned a Riley story or covering him must be an easy gig. You can build a national act on that reputation.
Firing someone over the phone isn’t nice. It’s a dick thing to do. It’s what you do when you fire someone who hasn’t bothered to show up to work for three straight days and hasn’t bothered to call in. It’s what you do when you’ve lost respect for someone, and you’re angry with them. If you’re not angry with them, you just cut their final check and hand it to them when they eventually crawl out of their hole and face you like an adult.
Name change alert!
Andy Levitre is now Andy Levitra.
Well Gopher, looks like you guys landed that former duck commit, Douglas
https://twitter.com/demetriius_d/status/820396213304340480
Awesome. Win, win for me. Hurts the Quacks and helps the Golden Rodents.
He is a legacy recruit, so those are extra good.
Funny that Riley and Nebraska felt the need to cut Banker this year, but last year when their WR coach got thrown in jail for his 3rd DUI arrest, he just got a few games vacation.
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/nebraska-wide-receivers-coach-keith-williams-arrested-sunday-on-suspicion/article_5da81ce2-6251-11e6-876d-93054a2d742b.html
Riley is just trying to look like he’s doing something. He’s delaying the inevitable. It’s working to a degree. Firing Banker might get him a 4th year. Still think he gets canned after next year at this point, but this gives him hope of a 4th year. Many Nebby fans view this are Riley being all business, etc.
BTW, did Riley’s wife ever move? It’s like Riley is renting out in NE knowing he won’t be there long lolol
It might be weird, but I find it insulting that Riley didn’t think enough of Oregon St. to have the same sense of urgency that he apparently now has at Nebraska. As others have said, BDC was the enabler, but Riley certainly was not proactive. Riley will be joining Bill Callahan in the Husker WTF were you thinking coaching history soon enough.
concur on Riley trying to make it appear he’s responding. Not on the same scale, but I’m reminded of his post season (’13 and ’14) comments about studying the spread and looking at new schemes more generally
“BTW, did Riley’s wife ever move? It’s like Riley is renting out in NE knowing he won’t be there long lolol”
She was in Corvallis in December, prior to Christmas.
I wonder if Dee treated it like when a little kid gets upset and tells his mom he’s running away from home:
Mike: I’m gonna go coach at Nebraska! I mean it! See how Mark and Bruce are sitting in my Radio Flyer wagon? Better come with me!
Dee: That’s nice, dear. Be back by supper, I’m making your favorite casserole.
I think it’s more that she knows he’ll be back home soon.
That’s what I meant. She doesn’t take the notion of him being retained long-term seriously, just like a mom doesn’t take the little kid threatening to run away seriously :)
More Pete Carrol/weak minded team.
You should contact them and let them know you’ll work for free as a consultant.
You should put yourself out of your misery.
That’s mean.
He’s just being petty.
Trust me no misery here… I get a good laugh out of what a true douche you are
350 comments on this one too.
Who wants to pick tonight’s score?
I’m going with 94-56.
104-63
1000-2
88-44
92-70
Sub prediction: if the beavs do not get completely blown out and actually show up, MP will say he knows there aren’t moral victories, but that was a moral victory
69-3
-23-91
Some Furd douche yelling at a UW player “Markelle! Your shoe’s untied!”
Can you imagine what it would be like if players could hear individual fans at football games?
New thread up.
Thanks Jack for mentioning the count here and for starting the MBB prediction thing……BTW, what was the final tally for the FB pick ’em? I don’t remember seeing it posted (was hoping to maintain my “middle of the pack” rating!!).