Dr. Strangelove
New member
I'm sure every fan base doesn't think this when they hire a head coach without an impressive pedigree.
The odds of him becoming a head coach of that caliber are low. It's not happening.
The Tangent Thread, Dec 2014 Edition
- Thread starter zoogs
- Start date
The odds of him becoming a head coach of that caliber are low. It's not happening.
The Dude
New member
Bo might end up being a great FCS coach, then again, he might not.
He wasn't a great coach here, however.
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Redux
Donor
The Bo Pelini conundrum is pretty simple. Instead of cutting his teeth at an FCS school and or lower tier FBS school as a head coach, he was handed the reigns of an old school power team that has high expectations that equal current day SEC teams with almost none of the same advantages. I firmly believe that had he gained meaningful experience elsewhere first, his tenure here would have been different.
Landlord
Banned
The odds of every coach becoming a head coach of that caliber are low; that's not really a very profound understanding. There are only two coaches in the entire country, out of hundreds, that are that caliber. That's not nor has that ever been the point.
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Dr. Strangelove
New member
Yet you cite him in your example. If that's not the point, don't mention Nick Saban at all.
Otherwise if you point out his record at Michigan State and say "worked out for LSU not going for a splash hire", what is your point then?
For the record, I also find recent loses to FCS teams as troubling. There's no excuse for that.
Guy Chamberlin
Active member
Can't make that conclusion myself. Bo Pelini had damn good tutors in the NFL - The San Francisco 49ers, The New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers. He had DC experience at Nebraska, Oklahoma and LSU. He knew how the game was played -- and coached -- at the highest levels and with the highest expectations before accepting Nebraska's HC job. Coordinators make the leap to Head Coach all the time, including the NFL. Coaches who don't have a Head Coach personality and ambition don't apply for the jobs.
Bo embraced the new power being a Head Coach gets you. Really embraced it. Hired his brother and surrounded himself with a staff that wouldn't threaten his authority. He had at least three years of meaningful experience and on-the-job training, at which point he could have embraced his experience and made a few adjustments. That would have required admitting mistakes -- something grown men know how to do -- but Bo didn't do that. He dug in his heels and taught his team how to defer responsibility. He revealed himself to be a thin-skinned prick in 2003, in 2011 and on the way out the door in 2014. The "new Bo" was still behaving like an angry clown. Experience taught him nothing.
Those are character traits. They're gonna pop up anywhere.
NebraskaShellback
New member
Landlord
Banned
Mediocre success at a disadvantaged school does not precipitate inability to succeed at a higher level. It's really simple.
Big difference between being a assistant coach and the head coach at Nebraska. Yet he managed to take the Callahan dumpster fire and turn it around immediately. I won't argue that he has made mistakes. HE HAS! But the man has the opportunity to become a very good college head coach.
I'm more concerned about the new coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. However, having Tom Osborne and Jim Tressel in support of Pelini is quite impressive.
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Dr. Strangelove
New member
Doesn't guarantee it either. I could cite the NFL stint as the Chargers head coach (1-15 in the first year), but that's not completely fair. Simple fact is the odds of him becoming successful here after many years on little success prior are low. Nebraska is likely to stay on an 8-4, 9-3 trajectory for at least the next few seasons. Which might have a lot more to do with our division than anything else.
Losing to FCS schools is inexcusable. Being at a disadvantaged school like Oregon State doesn't matter there.
A great illustration of a big point though. One 10 win season in his collegiate coaching career. One. Ever. And no shortage of losing seasons. Not exactly a resume I'd associate with the head football coach at the University of Nebraska.
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Redux
Donor
Not only was he losing the best in state recruits to OSU's rival, he had to compete with the top 4 schools in Cali for their top prospects. To say he did a lot with a little would be an understatement.
Thats why I think he can do well here. We are a tradition rich program that sells itself when its on its game. All he has to do is manage the resources accordingly and use what talent he has available tonits ttue potential. He did that in Corvalis, no reason he cant do that in Lincoln.
Redux
Donor
All the things he did wrong could have been a learning experience at a lower tier school, thats my point. Instead he had to learn these things in a pretty uniquely high pressure situation.
Granted he had the resume, he just needed someone there to keep him in check. But being the head man allowed him to stick to his guns no matter how wrong they were.