Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
The 'better half' got me, among other assorted Cornhusker paraphernalia, Mike Babcock's book "Heart of a Husker". While reading stories about Osborne from players of all of his eras, one of the things that jumped out at me is how similar things seem between Osborne cutting his teeth at the helm of the 'Huskers in 1972, and Callahan cutting his teeth (so to speak) now, and it translates to the field.
Throughout the first few chapters, we hear from players that were around during the transition from the Bobfather to Dr. Osborne, as well as players that were recruited and played for Dr. Osborne his first years coaching here. While many of the (then) kids that played for Tom all talk about how stand-up of a man and how great a human being he is, one of the constant themes is how tense things were, and how Tom seemed to be tense with the players. Mind you, he wasn't curt, impolite, or otherwise rude--just players time and again sensed that Dr. Tom felt he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he was struggling to get that weight properly shifted (so to speak.) Ultimately, this feeling leaked into Tom's playcalling and our teams dropping a game or two they shouldn't have. Dr. Tom hadn't arrived in his 'comfort zone' yet, and Nebraska fans were hungry for more after he and the Bobfather got us hooked on those golden, delicious National Championships. Once Tom found his comfort zone and got into a rhythm, things started clicking better than ever before.
Fast forward to 2006, where we have a coach that is leading a Div.1-A program for the first time; a program supported by hungry zealots of fans that want nothing more than to prove to everyone what frauds the Notre Dames and Meechickens of the world are and to obtain golden, delicious National Championships along the way. We've got a coach that, while he possesses obvious genius (like Osborne), recruits well (like Osborne), and is also new to being in charge of a college program (like Osborne--though Bill has obvious prior experience, I've heard that Pro and College coaching are night and day different--if that is incorrect, please disregard this point.)
We're seeing our kids, while doing great and working hard, drop games that we believe they should have won--just like Osborne had problems with during the early part of his tenure. Early Osborne players indicated his being tense about helming the program also influenced playcalling--we see that possibly happening with Callahan, in that Callahan wants to succeed for himself, the team, and the fans so much that he's trying to hard. Callahan's being tense about wanting to do well is ultimately showing in his playcalling, just like Osborne had problems with.
I guess, if anything, I just want to make two points clear--one, "Heart of a Husker" is a treasure trove of information and insight direct from Osborne's players that everyone should read. And two, folks need to remember that Nebraska's prominent place in Collegiate Football history was not built overnight, and it was built by men that were imperfect, but became comfortable with those imperfections and ultimately made themselves and everyone around them better for it.
I truly think we're in for another era with Callahan, and while it may be a few more years before we're in the market for another National Championship, I think Callahan will get us there--once he gets settled.
Until the point where we start winning more NCs, we should sit back and enjoy the ride, as it seems it's not a question of if with Bill--it's just when.
Throughout the first few chapters, we hear from players that were around during the transition from the Bobfather to Dr. Osborne, as well as players that were recruited and played for Dr. Osborne his first years coaching here. While many of the (then) kids that played for Tom all talk about how stand-up of a man and how great a human being he is, one of the constant themes is how tense things were, and how Tom seemed to be tense with the players. Mind you, he wasn't curt, impolite, or otherwise rude--just players time and again sensed that Dr. Tom felt he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he was struggling to get that weight properly shifted (so to speak.) Ultimately, this feeling leaked into Tom's playcalling and our teams dropping a game or two they shouldn't have. Dr. Tom hadn't arrived in his 'comfort zone' yet, and Nebraska fans were hungry for more after he and the Bobfather got us hooked on those golden, delicious National Championships. Once Tom found his comfort zone and got into a rhythm, things started clicking better than ever before.
Fast forward to 2006, where we have a coach that is leading a Div.1-A program for the first time; a program supported by hungry zealots of fans that want nothing more than to prove to everyone what frauds the Notre Dames and Meechickens of the world are and to obtain golden, delicious National Championships along the way. We've got a coach that, while he possesses obvious genius (like Osborne), recruits well (like Osborne), and is also new to being in charge of a college program (like Osborne--though Bill has obvious prior experience, I've heard that Pro and College coaching are night and day different--if that is incorrect, please disregard this point.)
We're seeing our kids, while doing great and working hard, drop games that we believe they should have won--just like Osborne had problems with during the early part of his tenure. Early Osborne players indicated his being tense about helming the program also influenced playcalling--we see that possibly happening with Callahan, in that Callahan wants to succeed for himself, the team, and the fans so much that he's trying to hard. Callahan's being tense about wanting to do well is ultimately showing in his playcalling, just like Osborne had problems with.
I guess, if anything, I just want to make two points clear--one, "Heart of a Husker" is a treasure trove of information and insight direct from Osborne's players that everyone should read. And two, folks need to remember that Nebraska's prominent place in Collegiate Football history was not built overnight, and it was built by men that were imperfect, but became comfortable with those imperfections and ultimately made themselves and everyone around them better for it.
I truly think we're in for another era with Callahan, and while it may be a few more years before we're in the market for another National Championship, I think Callahan will get us there--once he gets settled.
Until the point where we start winning more NCs, we should sit back and enjoy the ride, as it seems it's not a question of if with Bill--it's just when.
