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

[Danny Bateman]

A few people in this thread get it. A few other people's attitude is the reason we are where we are.

If 9 wins is a firing offense, we might as well close the doors and turn out the lights.

According to Harvey, this is how Nebraska works:

If you have a coach who never has losing seasons and wins 9 games or more, no patience.

If you have a loser who has losing seasons, have patience.

 

[Dagerow]

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.

Well said.

I'm always amazed that people believe Bo's ceiling was 9 wins, when in fact that was his floor. Whereas, a person like Riley who has never won any championship and coached for many years has somehow a better chance of bringing us the promised land.

 

[Danny Bateman]

I'm still waiting for the other 147 local sports guys to weigh in before I give an opinion about whether Pelini should've coached two more years out of his contract to avoid the current situation that the big money boosters are in.

While I'm waiting I'll do a hindsight guess on how many of this years games Pelini/Beck would've won....hmmmmmm................

Okay, went to HMax and looked at the schedule and my guess is the Pelini/Beck team loses to Miami and we're 8-1. Maybe they show up to another game with their heads up their butt and we're 7-2.

It's really comical, in a sad kind of way, to listen to the local propagandists analyze the mess they made.

Ok, let's say 8-1 or 7-2. Bo went 2-11 in seven years against top 10 teams. We have two of those left on the schedule. That means we likely lose both games. And the possibility of not showing up for Rutgers or a bowl loss. I'd hedge on at least one of those. That'd leave a record ranging from 10-3 to 7-6.

Death, taxes, and PeLLLLini.

Since this is the "hypothetical" thread, what happens if next year, and the year after, we're only hovering around .500 with no chance at the CCG? Will you stand by what you're saying now?

He's a nice guy, cares for the kids he coaches, which I admire, but he looks like he's in wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy over his head.

There's a big difference from being able to hide in the lower tier of the Pac 10/12, and having to lead a program with a storied tradition.

He's overhauling true culture, and of course this season hasn't gone the way anyone wanted.

Us positive folk just contend one year is not enough for this type of project. I'm of the mind first year success is awesome, but first year failure isn't damning. Given our circumstances, I'm willing to overlook the record.'. this year.

If down the road two or three years from now, we're hovering at .500, that IS a problem and this discussion is much more appropriate. A coach's third year is supposed to be the "big jump" year. We'll need to see tangible improvement until then.

Bo got the boot because in every game that really meant something, we got our asses curb stomped in embarrassing fashion

Really?...

EVERY game that REALLY meant something?...EVERY SINGLE ONE???

How convenient for your narrative to state that EVERY game Pelini lost meant something and EVERY game he won meant nothing. Did beating Georgia in a bowl game mean nothing? Did coming back against Ohio State mean nothing? None of the wins against ranked teams count, only the losses?

I do realize that a win against Purdue or Illinois means nothing for Nebraska, but it seems that a loss sure does. So you might want to rethink the importance of those "nothing" wins.

All in all, the above sounds like a great big heaping helping of hyperbole to me.

If you really want to nitpick the semantics of the argument, Bo did win some big games.

What you CAN'T argue is that every chance he got to win a game that would've elevated this program to a higher level of national relevance, he failed. Spectacularly.

Here's another extremely obvious point: you make a hire, you give him and his assistants some support and some time.

Sometimes, the obvious bears repeating ...

Ha, zoogies, you seem to be chastising me with that post. Can you be specific about what you're chastising me for?

If you look at my posts since the BYU loss forward, I've never been remotely even in the same area code as the "let's fire Mike" crowd. I don't want him fired now, and I don't want him fired at the end of the season. That wasn't my point with that post that I made.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's disingenuous to concoct this narrative that a trial by fire (meaning, a 3-9, 4-8, or 5-7 season) was necessary to fix us; that it's the only way things could have gone in order to change the "stuck in 9 wins" spiral. McKewon's diatribe seems to speak to that narrative. It's stupid.

Is it obvious that we as fans can do (and should) do nothing more than support the guy we're stuck with? Sure, yes. But is it interesting and noteworthy to dissect McKewon's take on Bo's firing? Also yes.

What Sam is getting at (and what Zoogs and I apparently agree on) is that there can be positives taken from bottoming out regarding roster turnover and composition. Out with the bad, hopefully in with the good. That's not stupid, that's just making the best of our current circumstances.

 

[Dagerow]

The Firing: Was Correct

The Hiring: Was Wrong

How hard is this?

You can bifurcate the two.
One all but guaranteed the other.

Nice.

 

[Dagerow]

According to Harvey, this is how Nebraska works:

If you have a coach who never has losing seasons and wins 9 games or more, no patience.

If you have a loser who has losing seasons, have patience.

Solid gold.

 

[GBRedneck]

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.

Well said.

I'm always amazed that people believe Bo's ceiling was 9 wins, when in fact that was his floor. Whereas, a person like Riley who has never won any championship and coached for many years has somehow a better chance of bringing us the promised land.

He won that Grey Cup thing in 1988 with a 9-9 record.

 

[Dagerow]

Here's another extremely obvious point: you make a hire, you give him and his assistants some support and some time.Sometimes, the obvious bears repeating ...

Which is what worries me...if the press conferences continue to be rough...Riley and his staff might leave for one of the many openings that have already been reported.

You seriously think anyone would hire him now? I like to see how that hire would go over with that teams fan base.

 

[Dagerow]

MeKewon: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.

Ahem:

Shawn Eichorst, November 30th 2014: "At the end of the day, I think we have kids in our program that are capable of winning championships."

http://www.cornnation.com/2014/11/30/7310255/nebraska-huskers-football-bo-pelini-shawn-eichorst-press-conference

Those two statements are unrelated. Where does Eichorst say we will win a championship in 2015, 2016, or 2017?

FYI - the "kids" can only play 4 years (absence unusual circumstances)

 

[BaytownHusker]

It really doesn't matter we are stuck in the cellar for at-least 3 more years..

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I listened to the podcast yesterday. Sam does make great points in allowing a coach to have time to make changes and turn the culture around. However, he and Nyatawa also say in the same podcast that there are serious doubts if Riley and his staff are the guys to be able to turn things around. Riley can turn around the culture and still ensure NU beats teams like BYU, Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue. I can even understand one or two of those upsets, but to lose all 4 of those games is not acceptable.

That is where I am at with Riley and the staff. The in-game decisions and many other ways that they coach the team make it very hard for me to have confidence in Riley. I don't want to just sit here and accept the fact that we are stuck with Riley for another 1-3 years in order to "give him time". It makes me annoyed and frustrated. We have been stuck in mediocrity for years, but this year is down right awful. I'm afraid that is where NU is headed under Riley.

 

[Dagerow]

MeKewon: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.

Ahem:

Shawn Eichorst, November 30th 2014: "At the end of the day, I think we have kids in our program that are capable of winning championships."

http://www.cornnation.com/2014/11/30/7310255/nebraska-huskers-football-bo-pelini-shawn-eichorst-press-conference

Those two statements are unrelated. Where does Eichorst say we will win a championship in 2015, 2016, or 2017?

So... this program has the players to win championships, but not before they all graduate.

Interesting perspective

Did he say we have every player at all the right positions we need to win championships? Would he even know, or was that just positive talk? What's he supposed to say: "Our players are sh#t!"

Your perspective is not interesting. It's repetitive.

Your perspective has multiple logic flaw and is repetitive in showing us your wrong about everything you post.

 

[Dagerow]

MeKewon: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.

Ahem:

Shawn Eichorst, November 30th 2014: "At the end of the day, I think we have kids in our program that are capable of winning championships."

http://www.cornnation.com/2014/11/30/7310255/nebraska-huskers-football-bo-pelini-shawn-eichorst-press-conference

Those two statements are unrelated. Where does Eichorst say we will win a championship in 2015, 2016, or 2017?

So... this program has the players to win championships, but not before they all graduate.

Interesting perspective

Did he say we have every player at all the right positions we need to win championships? Would he even know, or was that just positive talk? What's he supposed to say: "Our players are sh#t!"

Your perspective is not interesting. It's repetitive.

Continuing to support this admin in the face of all the evidence of its failure is repetitive. And damaging

I don't blindly support this administration. I think Shawn Eichorst should have chased Bo Pelini to Youngstown and beaten him with a sack of doorknobs to get some of the University's money back, but hey, what can you do?

Yeah, we should of got rid of him because he wasn't classy enough like you?

 

[Dagerow]

This is a crazy season alright.

And you know what's really wild?

Every University has seasons like this in their storied tradition.

Nebraska's 40 year run was unprecedented but overdue for a bit of chaos.

Yeah, the run was really due to Devaney and Osborne, and really it was mostly Osborne's 25 years. Nebraska's football identity can't be one hall-of-fame coach's record of accomplishments. If it is, we will always be disappointed. I doubt there will ever be another Osborne or another era like 72-97.

There will never be another Osborne, especially at the rate we fire successful coaches and replace them with average to sh**ty ones.

So you are 256 posts into your new career as a HuskerBoard poster, and as I understand it you were chased off/wore out your welcome at another Husker fan board?

Just want to know what we're working with here.

Were you wronged on this other board?

Read his post if you want to know what your working with. Were you wronged by him?

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

MeKewon: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.

Ahem:

Shawn Eichorst, November 30th 2014: "At the end of the day, I think we have kids in our program that are capable of winning championships."

http://www.cornnation.com/2014/11/30/7310255/nebraska-huskers-football-bo-pelini-shawn-eichorst-press-conference

Those two statements are unrelated. Where does Eichorst say we will win a championship in 2015, 2016, or 2017?

So... this program has the players to win championships, but not before they all graduate.

Interesting perspective

Did he say we have every player at all the right positions we need to win championships? Would he even know, or was that just positive talk? What's he supposed to say: "Our players are sh#t!"

Your perspective is not interesting. It's repetitive.

Continuing to support this admin in the face of all the evidence of its failure is repetitive. And damaging

I don't blindly support this administration. I think Shawn Eichorst should have chased Bo Pelini to Youngstown and beaten him with a sack of doorknobs to get some of the University's money back, but hey, what can you do?

Yeah, we should of got rid of him because he wasn't classy enough like you?

Unlike me, a violent unwashed fan, Shawn Eichorst showed restraint.

Shawn Eichorst also gave Bo Pelini a contract extension, an extra private plane and a bigger recruiting budget, and I'm not sure he even received a proper "thank-you."

Now that I think about it, both Bo and Eichorst should have been beaten with a sack of doorknobs.

 

[Joe_5700]

The Firing: Was Correct

The Hiring: Was Wrong

How hard is this?

Bo Pelini was hired December 3, 2007.

Mike Riley was hired December 4, 2014.

Today's date is November 3, 2015.

How hard is this?

Well, you must admit that currently it is the wrong hire, right? That is all we have to go on...and the last 30 years of his coaching career.

You don't have to constantly reassess your decisions. Did you think Pelini was the wrong hire when he started his tenure 3-3? Many people think you never judge a coach in his first year.

I don't remember...but I probably did want him canned.

2 of those 3 losses were to TOP 10 TEAMS. How anyone would want him fired then... The 2008 season cannot even remotely compare to the 2015 season... We went to a bowl and even won! You can most certainly judge a coach by their first year when they are producing the worst season in over half a century!