Nebraska: State of the Program 10/9/2012

[CornfedChris]

Took this from Nick Verlaney's blog over at ShownTheRedCard.com.

Husker fans, welcome.

What is crazy about this post, is that I made it once before, about the same exact day 5 years ago. The circumstances were a little different, though. I wrote my last State of the Program blog after the 2007 loss to Missouri in Columbia. Nebraska had just been torched by Mizzou on national TV, leaving many Nebraska fans wondering if the leadership of Bill Callahan & Co. would be able to ‘do the job’ and lead Nebraska back to national prominence. What came after that blog was blowout after blowout, the firing of ‘he who must not be named’, the return of Dr. Tom Osborne as Athletic Director, the firing of Bill Callahan and the eventual hiring of Bo Pelini. These were dark days. As a student, I remember just how tumultuous things were around the program and how it affected the student body in particular. There was a sense of urgency to return the football program to glory, and hiring Bo was to be the first step in that process. He was going to restore the pride in this program. He was going to get the players to play the tough, fundamental football that we had all been accustomed to pre-Callahan. He was going to restore the Blackshirts, turning Nebraska’s defense from a laughing stock to a feared defensive unit. He was going to restore tradition, calling on former players and gathering support from the fans to help this process. These were all things that Nebraska fans expected of their new head coach in late 2007.

Fast forward 5 years, and that sense of urgency might be the same after the 63-38 loss to Ohio St on Saturday. To be frank, something within the football program is not right, and hasn’t been right for some time. Saturday might have been the game that started the next wave of actions in motion. The Bo Pelini I saw in the press conference after Saturday’s game looked lost, and for the most part, dumbfounded. He could tell you what went wrong against the Buckeyes, but not much about why it went wrong. He wasn’t his typical defiant, post-loss fiery self. This Bo looks worn down, partly by results and partly by the weight of expectations of him and the football program as a whole. Nebraska fans expect a lot of our football program, and we shouldn’t apologize for that. The relationship between Bo and Husker supporters has been interesting in the last few years, and depending on who you talk to, he is the answer at Nebraska or he isn’t. Using those views, statistics and metrics, let’s evaluate how Bo has done going into his 66th game at Nebraska. (Full disclosure: I wanted Bo to be hired in 2004, when ‘he who must not be named’ hired Bill Callahan instead, just to put this post into perspective.) .....

Read the rest of the story here feel free to be part of this discussion: http://showntheredca...rogram-1072012/

 

[Fuzzy]

I don't get this.

Years ago, some people complained about the fiery Bo Pelini and how destructive he was to the image of Nebraska and the team because of his attitude. Now that he has improved his demeanor during these press conferences and has a better attitude, some folks want to complain about that?!

 

[OH HSKR FAN]

Do you see Pelini as the type to resign if the pressure gets to hot? I remember Cosgrove getting death threats on his voicemail at home and his kids being harassed in school. Whose to stop someone from repeating these type of actions?

 

[EbylHusker]

Hopefully the police. It's their job, after all.

 

[Chaddyboxer]

Do you see Pelini as the type to resign if the pressure gets to hot? I remember Cosgrove getting death threats on his voicemail at home and his kids being harassed in school. Whose to stop someone from repeating these type of actions?

If anyone makes death threats....they are piles of sh#t that deserve to get to their teeth punched in.

 

[MLB 51]

Very good read. I for one, will remain in Bo's corner. I am not quite ready to scrap and rebuild. I say give him 2 more years. I f things are no better by then, it will be time to move on.

 

[MLB 51]

Do you see Pelini as the type to resign if the pressure gets to hot? I remember Cosgrove getting death threats on his voicemail at home and his kids being harassed in school. Whose to stop someone from repeating these type of actions?

If anyone makes death threats....they are piles of sh#t that deserve to get to their teeth punched in.

100% agree. Threats against Cosgrove and his children was not cool at all.

 

[pctopeka]

The circumstances are completely different...Callahan was arrogant and defiant, and I think Pelini is trying to figure out how to get these guys to play. Callahan had lost the team, where the players still seem to love Pelini.

Let's face it...if we take off the scarlet and cream glasses, Nebraska is not a very good football team right now. They have talent on the team and a lot of potential. For the last two years, Nebraska has not come close to meeting that potential. I don't know if it is a lack of confidence, a lack of pride or a lack of desire. Pelini always preaches "execution", but the players do not "execute". They miss blocks, tackle poorly, make tons of mental mistakes and seem to be intimidated by Big Ten road games.Some on this board are still predicting a possible Big Ten championship, and some are even predicting a 10-2 record. I have watched every play of every game so far this year, and Nebraska wouldn't be able to win the MAC championship playing the way they do..

I started the year predicting a 11-1 or 10-2 record based upon the returning players and the reported team "unity". Now, unless the attitude of the team changes, I am afraid that a more realistic record may be 7-5 or 6-6. If Nebraska goes to Northwestern and loses, and especially if they get beat handily, this team may fall off the cliff.

That, I am afraid, is the current state of the program. I hope that the bye week helps the fragile psyche of the team.

 

[BartonHusker]

We are at the cross roads and it is only up to Bo Pelini and staff to fix it. Can they get the team to be assignment sound and play mistake free football in the turnover and pentalies department? Can they make the adjustment to stop dual-threat QB's? These are things Coach Pelini can fix and make this into a B1G championship caliber team still. At this moment so many Husker fans don't see him as the man that can fix these problems and we are likely heading for a tailspin.

This isn't like the Callahan era where we saw issues that couldn't be fixed by him. The issues at hand now can be fixed by a coaching staff and players that are committed to a smart football approach, we hope!

 

[ladyhawke]

Interesting article. This whole situation makes me sad. I remember folks chanting from the stands 'We want Bo!' when Callahan was losing yet another game and further tearing down our program. I also remember how vulnerable and open he was at the Penn St. game last year. I don't think there is anyone who loves football more than Bo. How crushing it must've been for him last week to lose so horribly and at his alma mater. If the UCLA game results made him sick to his stomach it's a wonder he didn't end up at the hospital again after the tOSU debacle!

But it feels like we are wading through mud these days. Is changing coaches the answer? Is giving Bo more time the answer? I'm not sure. But one thing that separates good coaches from poor coaches is this (imo) Are they willing to change? Tom O. was willing to change. He was willing to take a good hard look at his team after losses (and yes he lost-we just don't hear about his horrible games! Selective memory I guess!) and make changes. I would love to see Bo, sit down and weed out the weak personnel, coaches, schemes etc. Really take a good hard look at this program then make changes. Plenty of suggestions have been given by good people but is he listening and more importantly is he willing to change?

Although, Frank Solich did that. Went 10-3 the next year and was fired. Our program has never been the same since then. Bo hasn't been the same since that fatal A&M game. I often wonder how long it will be before Bo gives up on us and leaves. How would we all feel if he did?

 

[BartonHusker]

Again in reality what Bo needs to do is weather the storm this season. Get to at least 8 wins (still unacceptable) and then in the off-season he needs to do some soul searching about his football philosophy. Will he be willing to make some scheme changes to best suit his talent? Will he possibly bring in someone with more experience to help on the defensive side of the ball that may have some answers to the questions he apparently doesn't know?

It is all up to Bo to make things last in Lincoln but right now he is treading water fast and he is in danger of going down with the ship you could say if he doesn't fix it.