Keeping Bo Pelini was "the safest possible strategy." -Pick Six Podcast (11/3)

Kernal

Kernal

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Nyatawa and McKewon talk about Kenny Bell, culture change, the "Bo Pelini era," and other topics.

Is Nebraska in a similar cultural shift as Kansas was after Mark Mangino was fired and Turner Gil hired?

Was Eichorst saying Nebraska is a "rebuilding" project deliberate, and if so why?

Another great rant by McKewon:

MeKewon: "It (championships) wasn't going to happen with the predecessor (Bo). I don't know if it's going to happen with Riley. But I sure as hell know it's not going to happen after one or two years. Now that, I ABSOLUTELY knew! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, thought this team was going to win the Big Ten Championship this year. And I don't think anybody thought they were gonna win it next year. Or even the year after. You'd have to be INSANE to think that anybody could have come into that program and win a conference championsip with that roster and that group of people. Could they go 9-3 or 8-4? Yes!

Nyatawa: I think that's the issue that a lot of people have.

McKewon: Well who gives a crap if you go 8-4? What would it have accomplished?

Nyatawa: Right, yeah. Yeah, I agree with you.

McKewon: And that's the problem is, and that's what I mean, that's the challenge that's in front of Nebraska. And that's why the conversation is still really about Bo. Because embedded in our brains is this idea of: "Well look, if we can't win anything, by God, let's win eight! We gotta win eight 'cause then we gotta go to a bowl game and we gotta make a bunch of money and we can't lose the sellout streak and we gotta check off this box and this box and, by God, we can't lose to Purdue, and we can't lose to Illinois, and we can't lose to Northwestern. And we can't lose to this team, and this team, and this team."

All that is, when you get right down to it, all that is is LOSS MITIGATION! It is the safest possible strategy... (golf references here- something about "if Nebraska wants to be Chip Beck...")

Bo could have churned out 7-5 or 8-4 year after year after year. Do I think if he's still here they're going 9-3 in 2016? NO WAY! Not with that schedule, no, they're not...

Well worth listening to. This is just a small part; the whole thing is about an hour long: Pick Six Podcast (11/3) LINK.

 
A little more ranting. The bolded part is SO TRUE!

McKewon: But what I know is, it had gotten to a point in the previous administration where they weren't happy with winning 9 games, because they thought it wasn't good enough. Fans weren't happy with it, and it created this political divide. Because what you really had was a group of people who were RESENTFUL of the fact that anybody wanted to do anything more than exactly what they were doing.

Pick Six Podcast link.

 
These guys miss the boat. Completely.

It's not about winning only 9. It's about always being in a solid position to bounce up, should the right circumstances present themselves.

A team that consistently wins at least 70% of its games is in a much better position to have a "special" season than a volatile program.

I thought we learned this lesson back in the 80s and early 90s, which is hwy we never fired TO to chase the championship ring when he was "stuck" at 9 or 10 wins.

I got that wrong, though. "We" had nothing to do with it.

The guy who enabled greatness was Bob Devaney.

Which is why it's so important that our next AD be a true football mind.

 
cm husker said:
These guys miss the boat. Completely.

It's not about winning only 9. It's about always being in a solid position to bounce up, should the right circumstances present themselves.

A team that consistently wins at least 70% of its games is in a much better position to have a "special" season than a volatile program.

I thought we learned this lesson back in the 80s and early 90s, which is hwy we never fired TO to chase the championship ring when he was "stuck" at 9 or 10 wins.

I got that wrong, though. "We" had nothing to do with it.

The guy who enabled greatness was Bob Devaney.

Which is why it's so important that our next AD be a true football mind.
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Exactly. Was keeping TO the safest possible strategy as well? Certainly paid off didn't it.

I didn't oppose firing Bo when they did because it became a toxic relationship, but as I said then you damn well better get someone better. Instead they hire a complete washout in the twilight of a long career of mediocrity to get us over the hump

 
9 wins wasn't enough or 9 losses wasn't enough for the Admin? Can we get a clarification?
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Lol Sam making a case that a 3 win season means the same as an 8 or 9 win season. It may not be a championship but a 9 win team (depending on the division) could be going to the B1G championship game. A 9 win team goes to a bowl game and has something for husker fans to watch and be excited about including more practice in preparation for next year. A 9 win team has more confidence heading into the next year than a 3 win team. A 9 win team will get recruits on visits and commitments easier than a 3 win team. A 9 win is a 9 win team and a 3 win team is a 3 win team. Obviously we want to get over the top and be an 11 or 12 win team but don't tell me an 8 or 9 win team is equivalent to a 3 win team in terms of what they've accomplished.

 
Blackshirts007 said:
Lol Sam making a case that a 3 win season means the same as an 8 or 9 win season. It may not be a championship but a 9 win team (depending on the division) could be going to the B1G championship game. A 9 win team goes to a bowl game and has something for husker fans to watch and be excited about including more practice in preparation for next year. A 9 win team has more confidence heading into the next year than a 3 win team. A 9 win team will get recruits on visits and commitments easier than a 3 win team. A 9 win is a 9 win team and a 3 win team is a 3 win team. Obviously we want to get over the top and be an 11 or 12 win team but don't tell me an 8 or 9 win team is equivalent to a 3 win team in terms of what they've accomplished.
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You should listen to the podcast. They go on and on quite a bit longer than what I could type out.

 
Blackshirts007 said:
Lol Sam making a case that a 3 win season means the same as an 8 or 9 win season. It may not be a championship but a 9 win team (depending on the division) could be going to the B1G championship game. A 9 win team goes to a bowl game and has something for husker fans to watch and be excited about including more practice in preparation for next year. A 9 win team has more confidence heading into the next year than a 3 win team. A 9 win team will get recruits on visits and commitments easier than a 3 win team. A 9 win is a 9 win team and a 3 win team is a 3 win team. Obviously we want to get over the top and be an 11 or 12 win team but don't tell me an 8 or 9 win team is equivalent to a 3 win team in terms of what they've accomplished.
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Yeah what's the logic here? If we can't win them all then we might as well be in the basement and get blown out by Purdue? There is a big difference between 3 and 8 or 9. And I wanted Bo gone last year. I just didn't in my wildest dreams think they would replace him with someone an order of magnitude worse

 
These guys nailed it. Completely.

It's always been about winning 9. It's about always been about bringing us to the cusp of greatness just to get a thunder kick in the nuts.

A team that consistently uses big plays to win at least 70% of its games is in a much better position to have a "horrid" season than a volatile program.

I thought we learned this lesson back in the 80s and early 90s, which is hwy many wanted to run him out of town when he was "stuck" at 9 or 10 wins.

I got that wrong, though. "We" have an the greatest collection of head coaches, AD's and offensive coordinators of any fan base.

The guy who enabled greatness was Bob Devaney.

Which is why it's so relevant to bring up a coach/ad from almost 50 years ago .

 
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Kernal said:
A little more ranting. The bolded part is SO TRUE!

McKewon: But what I know is, it had gotten to a point in the previous administration where they weren't happy with winning 9 games, because they thought it wasn't good enough. Fans weren't happy with it, and it created this political divide. Because what you really had was a group of people who were RESENTFUL of the fact that anybody wanted to do anything more than exactly what they were doing.

Pick Six Podcast link.
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Wow. This is so refreshing to hear this stuff being said. McKewon absolutely is spot on with that.

 
True2tRA said:
Kernal said:
A little more ranting. The bolded part is SO TRUE!

McKewon: But what I know is, it had gotten to a point in the previous administration where they weren't happy with winning 9 games, because they thought it wasn't good enough. Fans weren't happy with it, and it created this political divide. Because what you really had was a group of people who were RESENTFUL of the fact that anybody wanted to do anything more than exactly what they were doing.

Pick Six Podcast link.
Click to expand...
Wow. This is so refreshing to hear this stuff being said. McKewon absolutely is spot on with that.
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Yeah, I agree. He cuts right though the layers and layers of arguments and gets right to the meat of it. The whole podcast was great this week.

 
MeKewon:"It (championships) wasn't going to happen with the predecessor (Bo). I don't know if it's going to happen with Riley. But I sure as hell know it's not going to happen after one or two years. Now that, I ABSOLUTELY knew! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, thought this team was going to win the Big Ten Championship this year. And I don't think anybody thought they were gonna win it next year. Or even the year after. You'd have to be INSANE to think that anybody could have come into that program and win a conference championsip with that roster and that group of people. Could they go 9-3 or 8-4? Yes!
Click to expand...

To me, this is where he nails it.

This has been one of the most inconsistent teams in football for a long damn time. Why would that have vanished in ten months? How could it? This same team has been in competitive games with the very same teams we've lost to this season. At no point have we shown to be clearly better than any of these teams aside from Purdue and Illinois.

Illinois was inexcusable and ugly, I've always said that. Purdue didn't look like they were having trouble matching up with us anywhere on the field. You turn the ball over five times, you'll lose 9/10 times. Simple as that.

 
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cm husker said:
These guys miss the boat. Completely.

It's not about winning only 9. It's about always being in a solid position to bounce up, should the right circumstances present themselves.

A team that consistently wins at least 70% of its games is in a much better position to have a "special" season than a volatile program.

I thought we learned this lesson back in the 80s and early 90s, which is hwy we never fired TO to chase the championship ring when he was "stuck" at 9 or 10 wins.

I got that wrong, though. "We" had nothing to do with it.

The guy who enabled greatness was Bob Devaney.

Which is why it's so important that our next AD be a true football mind.
Click to expand...
We only "won 9" last year because of improbable DPE heroics against Iowa and Abdullah heroics against McNeese State. In 2013, it took a miracle Hail Mary against NW to get 9 wins. We were lucky to win 9 both years. There was no chance of "bouncing up" to have a special season.

 
The thoughts of some people that we should have kept Bo (based on hindsight) is such a loser's mentality. Bo got the boot because in every game that really meant something, we got our asses curb stomped in embarrassing fashion, and he always seemed to have 1 game a year against an inferior opponent where his team just didn't show up, or he got completely out-coached.

The Riley hire isn't working out right now like anyone hoped it would. Like many have said, everyone knew there would be growing pains, but this season has been much more than that. 3-6 and losing to Purdue and Illinois has just doomed Mike Riley, and unless he can get things rolling next year and win 8 to 10 games, he could be in trouble as early as next season. That's really unfortunate because the guy wins me over every time I hear him speak. I really do think that with better player leadership, this team might be undefeated right now, despite our poor performance on defense, the running game, special teams, the turnover margin, and penalties.

Wow that's a long list...

 
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