Every week, the Husker Locker staff sits down and is presented a number of questions addressing various aspects of Nebraska Cornhuskers sports.
This week:
Simply put: is Doc done?
Brian: My #FIREDOCSADLER Twitter hashtag worked!
Seriously, Doc was done with the loss to Minnesota, let alone the combination of the Michigan debacle and his comments afterwards. He probably shouldn’t pimp his defensive effort out when his opponent shoots north of 70 percent in a half to blow his squad out of the water.
Was his extension the right idea? Yes and no. Yes to take him out of "lame duck status" for recruiting, but the way it was constructed didn’t benefit the University considering how things are playing out.
On the bright side, can Doc truly lose if he gets $3.4 million as a parting gift?
Also, why was Doc given that big buyout? What was the purpose of that? Only one man can truly answer that, and that is Tom Osborne.
Erin: If he's not, he's close, but I've been thinking that for awhile and he's still here. He just hit 100 wins this season, so maybe he'll get his contract extended until 2020 instead (heavy sarcasm).
Greg: It'd be expensive to buy him out, but it'll cost the university more to lose out on higher-caliber players and rack up even more fan disinterest. Read into that whatever you will.
Brandon: At this point, it seems unavoidable. Nebraska’s a 3.5-point underdog going into today’s game against Penn State, one that appeared a likely win earlier in the year.
You wouldn’t be hard-pressed to find a large number of fans who think the Cornhuskers drop that game without even thinking at this point. Sadler’s a great guy, but personality will only take you so far as a head coach.
Would it be expensive to buy Sadler out? Yes, but the long-term gain over any short-term financial pain would more than cover a large monetary loss. What will make or break the overall decision is should Sadler be let go, the actual best coach available must be hired.
Not the nicest guy or the one with the best penmanship, but one interested in building Nebraska men’s basketball into something it’s never been – a contender. A nice personality would be a plus, though.
Ndamukong Suh was voted the No. 4 most-hated athlete in America in a Forbes poll. Your reaction?
Brian: I don’t know if people should put a lot of stock into that. Yes, he’s done some stupid stuff and it has cost him. However, he’s young enough and hopefully being led by enough of the right people to realize his poor choices.
I do wonder if the attitudes of the head coaches he’s played under (Bo and Jim Schwartz) hasn’t rubbed off on him a bit. If he acts like this three years down the line, our questions will truly be answered because he won’t be around to be noticed.
Erin: I'm honestly not surprised. He's an aggressive player. Other players have spoken out against him, and I think that does affect how anyone from a coach to a fan views him. Call him "dirty," but he's just a passionate player. If that puts him on the most-hated list, then so be it.
Greg: The Thanksgiving Day Stomp is a huge black mark on his image. I find it difficult to consider him the fourth most-hated athlete in the NFL, let alone the entire country. Who do I hate more than Suh? I'm glad you asked.
Tom Brady, Ray Lewis, Aaron Rodgers (you can't tell me that many a Packer fan didn't vote for Suh as most-hated), Chad soon-to-be-Johnson-again, and that's just the NFL.
Open it up to other sports and there's LeBron, Carlos Zambrano and others, but that's just me. I don't have any problem with the way Suh plays the game between the whistles. That being said, I definitely feel he needs to curb his "extracurricular activity" a little.
Brandon: Suh’s an aggressive guy, and believe it or not, he wasn’t chummy with everyone in Lincoln. He obviously has the emotion and talent to have a successful NFL career, but the switch he flips before heading onto the field needs to be dialed back a bit before it breaks off after getting turned up to 11.
He does his own thing and not everyone’s going to like him, especially those whose quarterbacks he messes up (using legal maneuvers), but he’s young and he can correct the mistakes he’s made.
There’s no reason to compare him to individuals such as Michael Vick who's been vilified for far worse actions, regardless of how you or I personally feel. He’s done some bone-headed, at times bush-league things on the football field. If he corrects his actions next season, he won’t even be a thought when a list of this sort comes around next year.
Nebraska appears to be ramping up recruiting early with multiple heavy-hitters offered early. Do you think this effort continues throughout the year?
Brian: Honestly, no I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good that there is some work being done to get kids into the Spring Game and to get early commitments. However, what will the coaches do in during summer after all the camps?
Get back to me on this after Thanksgiving when we'll be able to see what effort was put in from May through November, then we’ll talk.
Erin: We can only hope so. Nebraska need some big heavy-hitters in the next class. I cannot stress that enough. I don't need to say anymore. Fans know this.
Greg: I certainly hope it does. The best recruiters know that it isn't something you do from the end of the regular season to National Signing Day. It's a year-long process.
If you want the best prospects, you have to work for them. You have to court these kids and always be on their mind. It's your job as recruiters to make them feel like Cinderella going to the ball with the clock perpetually stuck on 11:59pm. No pumpkins allowed.
Brandon: Consider me a temporary resident of Missouri when it comes to Nebraska football recruiting and “show me.”
New recruiting coordinator Ross Els can say whatever he wants in regards to strategy and Nebraska can continue offering the best prospects in the country. If the staff can’t lock them down and fill up this class, words and offers ultimately mean nothing.
Prediction time: When can Nebraska expect its next football commitment?
Brian: Maybe one or two at the Spring Game. If not that, nothing until July or so.
Erin: I defer this question to Brandon and trust whatever he says. He's the recruiting expert, after all.
Editor's Note: Thanks, Erin. No pressure.
Greg: Spring Game week.
Brandon: Following Junior Day and I’ll take it a step further for fun: it’ll be linebacker Josh Banderas
Follow the panel on Twitter:
Brandon: @huskerlocker
Brian: @btbowling
Erin: @helloerinmarie
Greg: @thehooch36
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