Corn Blight and I put together this roundtable yesterday quickly as the fallout from the Ball State game continued to hit the fan. Fortunately, everybody answered the emergency call, though I nearly forgot the e-mail address for Jeffie over at DoubleExtraPoint. Here's a summary of the responders:
1) Assess the Huskers performance this season. What is going well, and what has surprised you?
The common answers seem to be Sam Keller's performance has been a positive, and the offensive line has been a surprising negative. A few also mention special teams being a surprise as well...
2) Let's not sugar coat things; the Blackshirts are struggling. What do you think the issue is, and what needs to be done to rectify things this season?
A common opinion is that the defense is a victim of several factors. The Blackshirts simply are not having fun. They aren't getting into a groove, and Cosgrove signalling in the defense at the last second isn't helping things any. The general consensus is that Nebraska needs to simplify the defense a bit and let it rip.
3) Kevin Cosgrove is the target of a lot of criticism over the play of the Blackshirts. How will this play out?
Nobody expects Cosgrove to get fired in the near future, though the end of the season is another matter entirely. Jeffie at DoubleExtraPoint thinks Cosgrove is here as long as Callahan is, barring an intervention from someone higher up. Others think that Cosgrove might finally take that NFL position that he's been rumored to have been offered.
4) You went into this season with some expectations. Has the start to this season changed your mind? Where do you see the Huskers at the end of the season?
The general consensus is that if the problems on defense aren't addressed quickly, expectations for a Big XII North championship might not be so realistic. Many were thinking 10-2 on the upper end, but many now are thinking only 7 or 8 wins might be all this squad is capable of.
5) There was a loud chorus of boos last weekend at Memorial Stadium. Your reaction? Is it okay to boo the Huskers under any circumstance?
Nobody really felt booing was a particularly effective response, though many felt that if you are spending money and cheer great plays, you have the right to boo the bad ones. Midwest Coast Bias felt that it's never appropriate to boo, while Steve over at BigRedNetwork worries about what recruits will think. (I personally find that kind of curious because I think recruits would/should be more concerned by the Huskers poor performance than the fans reaction...)
Want to read the various responses?