Breaking JoBu Out

[Quint]

The problem is when those handful of plays go for house calls or 30+.

The team missed basic assignments all year and it ended up making our elite secondary look shitty by the end because they had to pick up the holes of the other 2 levels.

I’m not necessarily sure one year was enough for Butler, but his defense was routinely in the wrong position and it got gashed the more he put on film.

No pass rush and asking our DB’s to help too much in the run game made our secondary look shittier than anything else.

 

[Fargo Husker]

I’m honestly shocked by this

 

[JerryBones5]

Guessing Addison is his guy

There is absolutely 0% chance Addison Williams is the DC next year

 

[HashtagGBR]

There is absolutely 0% chance Addison Williams is the DC next year

No shit. Who said that?

 

[ShortSideOption]

I don't think it took a "major" step back. Afterall, this year we were able to get off the field on 3rd more often than previous years. I think DL coaching made the defense look worse than it should have been.

Maybe. I mean we are 57th in scoring defense this year, really the only stat that matters compared to 11th and 20th in 23/24.

 

[JerryBones5]

No shit. Who said that?

Lmao misread the post you quoted

 

[HashtagGBR]

Lmao misread the post you quoted

All good

 

[Goskers07]

 

[realbp]

Maybe. I mean we are 57th in scoring defense, really the only stat that matters compared to 11th and 20th in 23/24.

Yep, and they had the same amount of B1G games in 2024 and 2025 giving up 25 points or more. The only truly really good TW defense was 2023.

 

[V-Doub]

Wow

Did not expect that

Yeah, I was even talking myself into thinking he could be good. Mostly cause I figured he was 100% going to be our DC next year.

Hope this means Rhule has a line on someone good 🙏🏻

 

[HCFord1]

11th in scoring defense and 20th in scoring defense is not "extremely good"? Tough crowd.

Surely you aren't comparing Tony White saying he wants to be a HC someday, and getting hired by Rhule who was HC to where Butler says he wants to be a DC "sooner than later" and our current DC not being the one that hires him.

I didn't think on a day where our HC told Butler he wasn't good enough I'd be having this conversation. But here we are...

So it would've been fine if he wanted to be a DC "sooner than later" as long as TW got to hire him? Sounds like the comment isn't really the issue then.

Regardless, Tony White didn't exactly kill it this year. In his place, we had a slightly worse scoring defense by ~4 ppg, slightly better total defense and yards per play. We improved our pass defense and got worse in run defense.

All of this with clearly worse defensive personnel.

You can comfortably say that Butler wasn't the answer, but can we stop crowning Tony White already?

 

[Alcaus]

Seems like such a short-sighted strategy
Don't let your DCs run their defense because they're gonna leave anyways if their good
Or, translated, undermine your DCs and give your best ones an additional reason to leave early
How long has Phil Parker been at Cockeye? Two years?

I don't know if the strategy was shortsighted but your interpretation certainly is the least generous. People were pissed about TWs defense towards the end of the season, they needed to adjust. I think Rhule tried to make the best moves he could given the situation. The results sucked.

Phil Parker is the outlier not the rule.

Dude spent a decade as the DB coach at Cockeye before becoming DC and then spent another 15 as DC.

If we can find a guy with no aspirations of being anything but Nebraska's DC forever who also happens to eventually be a top-5 DC, sign me up. Seems unlikely.

 

[Mr.Bojangles]

Per Dean:

Now go get the o line coach too.

 

[ShortSideOption]

Yep, and they had the same amount of B1G games in 2024 and 2025 giving up 25 points or more. The only truly really good TW defense was 2023.

You don't need to cherry pick stats. Should I start going in on how Butler had the luxury of playing HCU and Akron to pad his stats instead of playing OOC games with Heisman winners on them?

 

[SlumpBuster]

How long has Phil Parker been at Cockeye? Two years?

13 as DC and 13 before that as DBs coach

 

[Cornicator]

Maybe. I mean we are 57th in scoring defense this year, really the only stat that matters compared to 11th and 20th in 23/24.

That scoring defense stat is actually worse than it looks because scoring defense can sometimes be distorted by bad offensive turnovers and special teams play. Hell, Frost's 2021 defense actually only surrendered about 17 offensive points per game, but they gave up nearly another 6 points per game on average because of special teams and turnovers.

When you consider Nebraska's total turnovers and special teams play in 2025 were exceptional, then the scoring defense number is really bad.

 

[realbp]

You don't need to cherry pick stats. Should I start going in on how Butler had the luxury of playing HCU and Akron to pad his stats instead of playing OOC games with Heisman winners on them?

That's why I only used B1G games. I'm not saying Butler lit the world on fire, I'm just saying that TW in 2024 irritated the hell out of me when the defense consistently gave up 3rd and long situations to an easy slant or TE option route to the middle of the field.

 

[V-Doub]

Hard pass.

His ceiling is as a great position or ST coach, IMO.

He’s too valuable as a ST coordinator and too risky as a DC. Give him a raise, find someone else who has a proven record and reputation as a good DC.

 

[HCFord1]

You don't need to cherry pick stats. Should I start going in on how Butler had the luxury of playing HCU and Akron to pad his stats instead of playing OOC games with Heisman winners on them?

Are you referring to the 4-8 Colorado team that put up 450 yards and 36 points against Tony?

Speaking of cherry picking, I could've sworn there was a third non-conference game this past year.

 

[Hotcarl]

I don't know if the strategy was shortsighted but your interpretation certainly is the least generous. People were pissed about TWs defense towards the end of the season, they needed to adjust. I think Rhule tried to make the best moves he could given the situation. The results sucked.

Phil Parker is the outlier not the rule.

Dude spent a decade as the DB coach at Cockeye before becoming DC and then spent another 15 as DC.

If we can find a guy with no aspirations of being anything but Nebraska's DC forever who also happens to eventually be a top-5 DC, sign me up. Seems unlikely.

Our fan base isn’t patient enough. If the Dc is bad their first year, poof, gone.

What long term DC will willingly come here knowing the likelihood of retention in the program is near zero plus the weird relationship with snow?

Any dc we get knows it’s a short stop. We blamed frost’s and Riley’s assistants at first too