Hujan
New member
Who would have thought that Pelini's coaching career at Nebraska would come down, not to the X's and O's, but the administration of his program. Pelini is at a crossroads in the players he selects and the coaches he keeps on his staff.
It should be painfully obvious to any college football fan that a head coaches' unreasonable loyalty to staff and coordinator responsibilities can destroy an otherwise good team. As much as I hate to say it, Callahan might still be coaching at Nebraska if he would have cut Cosgrove loose and brought in a solid defensive coordinator. Mack Brown's program is suffering from his failure to break ties with his old friend, offensive coordinator Greg Davis. His refusal to fire Davis may ultimately cost Mack his job. Solich might have saved himself if he'd had the desire (or ability) to clean house and bring in his own guys.
Similarly, there are plenty of occasions when head coaches meddle too much in coordinating responsibilities, particularly on the side of the ball with which they are least familiar. As a USC follower, I can tell you that USC's offensive production declined the more Pete Carroll---a defensive-minded coach---got involved. USC's offense was at its best when Carroll had an offensive coordinator (Norm Chow) that ran the show independently. Oklahoma State's offense was consistently mediocre until Mike Gundy recognized that he had to swallow his pride, step aside, and bring someone in who could call the plays.
Pelini is at a similar crossroads. It is painfully obvious that the offense is inept and that the coaches---particularly Gilmore, Cotton, and Watson---are failing to discharge their duties. In order to succeed, Pelini needs to fire several coaches, recognize that less is probably more when it comes to his involvement in the offense, and bring in someone who can build a system of their desire without too much outside influence.
But if Pelini misses this opportunity and Nebraska continues down this road, the program will slip into mediocrity. Nebraska will suffer a string of several so-so seasons with disappointing results not unlike the Callahan years. Pelini's behavior, already concerning when the program is relatively successful, will become intolerable. He will be fired and the cycle will begin anew. And Husker fans will be left wondering whether things could have been avoided had Pelini been able to swallow his pride, get out of his own way, and put his loyalty to the program ahead of his loyalty to friends on the coaching staff.
It should be painfully obvious to any college football fan that a head coaches' unreasonable loyalty to staff and coordinator responsibilities can destroy an otherwise good team. As much as I hate to say it, Callahan might still be coaching at Nebraska if he would have cut Cosgrove loose and brought in a solid defensive coordinator. Mack Brown's program is suffering from his failure to break ties with his old friend, offensive coordinator Greg Davis. His refusal to fire Davis may ultimately cost Mack his job. Solich might have saved himself if he'd had the desire (or ability) to clean house and bring in his own guys.
Similarly, there are plenty of occasions when head coaches meddle too much in coordinating responsibilities, particularly on the side of the ball with which they are least familiar. As a USC follower, I can tell you that USC's offensive production declined the more Pete Carroll---a defensive-minded coach---got involved. USC's offense was at its best when Carroll had an offensive coordinator (Norm Chow) that ran the show independently. Oklahoma State's offense was consistently mediocre until Mike Gundy recognized that he had to swallow his pride, step aside, and bring someone in who could call the plays.
Pelini is at a similar crossroads. It is painfully obvious that the offense is inept and that the coaches---particularly Gilmore, Cotton, and Watson---are failing to discharge their duties. In order to succeed, Pelini needs to fire several coaches, recognize that less is probably more when it comes to his involvement in the offense, and bring in someone who can build a system of their desire without too much outside influence.
But if Pelini misses this opportunity and Nebraska continues down this road, the program will slip into mediocrity. Nebraska will suffer a string of several so-so seasons with disappointing results not unlike the Callahan years. Pelini's behavior, already concerning when the program is relatively successful, will become intolerable. He will be fired and the cycle will begin anew. And Husker fans will be left wondering whether things could have been avoided had Pelini been able to swallow his pride, get out of his own way, and put his loyalty to the program ahead of his loyalty to friends on the coaching staff.
