[Husker] A Question for the List...

[todd strong]

I bow down.

"Would the boy I was yesterday, be proud of the man I am today?"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Volk" <jeffv at alphavideo.com>
To: <husker at tssi.com>
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 12:51 PM
Subject: RE: [Husker] A Question for the List...


> Andy Knipp wrote:
>
>>JJ,  I just do not think you grasp the New (Husker) World Order (NHWO).
>>You are enlightened if you blame the worlds woes on the previous
>>coaching staff.  You are a malcontent and a distraction to the
>>NHWO if you attempt to criticize the coaching staff. This will likely
>>cause them to lose focus on the most important part of life, impressing
>>the recruiting experts.
>
>>If NU does not finish #1 in the recruiting rankings,  the blame falls
>>squarely on your shoulders (and Frank, Bo, et al).
>
>>Clear enough ?
>
> Andy,
>
> If your comments are somehow pointed at me, you are a little off base. 
> While I was critical of the previous coaching staff and do support 
> Pederson and Callahan and believe things are on definitely looking up 
> (despite my disappointment with the results of this year's team) - I have 
> never said that Pederson or Callahan are not deserving of criticism. What 
> I do take exception with are the throngs of people who so vehemently rip, 
> bash or criticize things that they aren't really qualified to speak on.
>
> It is one thing to ask, as an example, to wonder aloud and ask why Ira 
> Cooper isn't starting when it seems like his athleticism is a difference 
> maker when he is in the game. Unfortunately, too many times on this list 
> that same question is turned into a statement such as, "If Cosgrove knew 
> what he was doing he would start Cooper. Boy I bet Wisconsin is glad to be 
> rid of him!"
>
> See the difference? One is a question that can bring about conversation 
> and debate - the other an off base representation of fact that the writer 
> probably has no frame of reference or knowledge base to make. 
> Unfortunately we have more comments like the latter and less and less like 
> the former. In fact, how many times did we hear on this list how much 
> better off Wisconsin was without Cosgrove? How many times did we hear that 
> same argument after Michigan State, a team with a losing record hung 49 on 
> them? How about after the next week when Iowa put another 30 on them?
>
> As for recruiting, I have talked at length about the need for upgrades in 
> talent at Nebraska and the importance of recruiting. I also believe that I 
> have said repeatedly that recruiting rankings are highly subjective and 
> that high rankings don't necessarily always turn into good teams. I do 
> believe that the recruiting efforts and results under Solich had slipped 
> and that they are dramatically better under Callahan. I also thought that 
> the Daily Nebraskan article was pretty even handed and fair, although it 
> certainly had a bit of an anti-Callahan slant. Further, while a lot of 
> these recruits may or may not pan out, your margin for error as a program 
> increases dramatically the more quality athletes that you bring on campus. 
> Again using OU as the B12 benchmark, how many of our 2004 starters would 
> have started for OU besides Ruud? One...maybe none? That has nothing to do 
> with All-Big 12 Teams or the success of the team, it has to do with the 
> quality of the players that are on th!
> e team. As an other example, how about Miami? With the exception of this 
> season they have pretty much been in the MNC hunt for the last 4 or 5 
> years. Over that time they have had just about as many players drafted in 
> the first round of the NFL draft than Nebraska has players total. That 
> being said is there any question why OU or Miami have fared so much better 
> than the Huskers over the last 4 or 5 seasons based on just the talent on 
> the roster alone?
>
> And since I am sure that it will be asked what makes me qualified to speak 
> on this, while my knowledge base is not necessarily college football 
> related, I do have a pretty good knowledge base to work from when it comes 
> to evaluating athletic talent having spent 3 years as an 
> associate/part-time scout with the Chicago White Sox and 2 years in the 
> same capacity with the Anaheim Angels. My final year in scouting was the 
> year that we (the Angels) drafted Erstad #1. Colecting a paycheck for 
> evaluating talent probably gives me a little room to talk. Further, I make 
> my living and pay my mortgage through my involvement with collegiate and 
> professional sports to this day and in my current career count many of the 
> football programs in the BCS Top 25 amongst my best clients. I think 
> combining those 2 things gives me a little insight into talent evaluation, 
> recruiting and the inner workings of big-time college football programs 
> (and collegiate and professional sports in general) than th!
> e average "expert" on this list.
>
> Have a great day.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jeffrey Volk
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> husker site list
> husker at tssi.com
> http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/husker
>