Shawn Eichorst's public support of Mike Riley has backfired on a national level.

Guy Chamberlin said:
Bo wanted the f#*k out of here in 2011 and we were pretty cruel to keep him here another three seasons.

And remember all the other major college football programs clamoring for the coach with the 9 win magic?

Because I don't.
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For all your reliance on innuendo and rumor re: Solich and Bohl, why do you discount the rumors that Bo had opportunities at P5, but elected YSU for a number of personal reasons?

And you're revisionism (and presumption) of knowing what he wanted in 2011 is hilarious. I do know that he and TO had a great working relationship, and if he'd continued to get the support TO provided, he would have been more successful in 2013 and 2014, too... even just an extra win worth of support puts NU in a really good place in terms of a chance to pull off a win in a CCG.

Instead, our administration carried out their vendetta.

Why shouldn't they have been held to account?

 
FTW said:
I don't believe the average Nebraska fan understands the severity of Shawn Eichorst's statement yesterday.

Historically speaking, more often than not, when an athletic director provides a statement of support for an otherwise failed idealistic plan, it is known as the proverbial "Kiss of Death," just as said athletic director is on the verge of becoming unemployed.

The defeatists that say we're stuck with Riley for another year or 3, nothing could be further from the truth. Eichorst is feeling immense pressure that's why he has not once, but twice publicly gone against his policy of not speaking about a coach during the season. This just shows how misguided our athletic director really is and how does one with such a vulnerable characteristic remain at his post is beyond me.
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I'm not convinced that this is really a policy of his. I think he was just scared of Bo and didn't want to make him mad.

 
Tomhusker64 said:
FTW said:
I don't believe the average Nebraska fan understands the severity of Shawn Eichorst's statement yesterday.

Historically speaking, more often than not, when an athletic director provides a statement of support for an otherwise failed idealistic plan, it is known as the proverbial "Kiss of Death," just as said athletic director is on the verge of becoming unemployed.

The defeatists that say we're stuck with Riley for another year or 3, nothing could be further from the truth. Eichorst is feeling immense pressure that's why he has not once, but twice publicly gone against his policy of not speaking about a coach during the season. This just shows how misguided our athletic director really is and how does one with such a vulnerable characteristic remain at his post is beyond me.
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I'm not convinced that this is really a policy of his. I think he was just scared of Bo and didn't want to make him mad.
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I'm convinced he doesn't have any policy or code at all. He just says whatever is politically the most expedient at that particular time. Total weasel

 
I find it hilarious this was sent via letter.....The fact that this was in the form of a letter, and not a press conference, proves not all is fine.

 
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Local guys not exactly buying it either:

When Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst sent out that statement on Monday, my first thought was a scene from “Animal House.” That’s the one in which Kevin Bacon’s character stands in front of a rioting crowd, throws up his hands and says, “Remain calm. All is well.”


And then he gets run over.

I’m not sure Eichorst’s attempt will achieve different results.

Eichorst and coach Mike Riley acknowledged the “elephant” in the room: The heat is on. The A.D. who said he would never comment on a coach in season just gave a vote of confidence — in his coach’s first season.

This tells me Eichorst is getting a lot of noise from boosters and/or regents about Riley’s 3-6 start. No surprise there.

Riley said he jotted down notes on Sunday night to talk about the state of the program because he expected the topic. Before being asked a question, he said, “with all this going on, we can’t be distracted.”

Welcome to Nebraska, Mike.

It was good to hear from both on the brush fire that is Nebraska football. But these statements don’t put out the fire. If anything, they fan the flames.

The thing that extinguishes fires is winning football games.
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OWH

I'm not sure it was necessary for Eichorst to send out that letter, but I also have no problem with it — except for the part where he suggests Riley is rebuilding the program. It was 9-4 last season, not 4-9, right? Then again, if you're in Eichorst's shoes, or share his agenda, such a spin makes perfect sense.


Bottom line, there's no serious harm in Eichorst trying to convince fans that all is well. He might also have been trying to convince himself.
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LJS

 
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NUance said:
Some good quotes about the situation from the local beat writers:

From Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald, who describes Riley's first season as "a complete disaster":

Nebraska basically has two options: Fire the athletic director now, then the coach at the end of the season, as it did in 2007. Or ride this thing out. ... Practically speaking, Nebraska has no choice but to endure this disaster for three more weeks. Hope like heck that Riley can make the proper offseason decisions to turn it around in 2016.

From Lincoln Journal Star columnist Steven M. Sipple:

University leaders may soon -- very soon -- have to make a choice: gamble that Eichorst hired the right guy in Riley and ride out the rough waters, with or without Eichorst. Or start over again from scratch -- new AD, new coaching staff.

From Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel:

It doesnt get any lower, does it? Mike Riley was hired by Shawn Eichorst to avoid these embarrassments. Now the pitchforks are out and its not because of Halloween. Forget it. Neither Eichorst not Riley is getting fired and shouldnt. The Nebraska job would become radioactive in the coaching frat. Moreover, its not how Nebraska needs to do things. This is Rileys first year. Give the man some room.
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That's the thing, we aren't going to fire Mike Riley in season one. No matter how bad the results. If we did, there is no way we'd be able to attract a decent coach. Lincoln would be toxic.
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I think pretty much everyone has sorted through Eichorst's steaming pile of excrement which encompassed his "impassioned" letter and sees it's pretty evident that it's a desperate attempt to save his own a$$. Accepting responsibility and admitting he made the wrong hire would seal his own fate.

Bottom line is, he's a louse who's worried about himself, not the program or the university it represents.

 
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Husker Q said:
I call BS. A coach would feel it's much more reasonable to come in and improve an underachieving 3-5 win team than to follow a consistent 9+ win coach. Everyone knows this has been an epic coaching fail. It's the perfect scenario to cut the cord
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Bo had ZERO head coaching experience, and lets face it, he really wasn't that great of a football coach. Yet, somehow he was capable of winning seven straight 9 win seasons at Nebraska...........

Mike Riley has 40+ years of coaching experience, comes from a program loaded with 2* recruits and poor facilities, and comes to Nebraska, inherits a 9 win team, plus some of the best facilities and goes 3-6..................................................

 
All this "toxic" talk is nonsense. Flash enough money at a coach, and he'll come. It's as simple as that. People on a national level realize that Pelini was a nutjob and needed to go (which is why no other major school hired him despite his 9-win average), and that Riley is an absolute joke. Nobody rational would blame us for firing either one. If a coach is scared to come here because he's afraid he can't be a consistent winner and championship contender then I don't want him anyway.

 
Mavric said:
Local guys not exactly buying it either:

When Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst sent out that statement on Monday, my first thought was a scene from “Animal House.” That’s the one in which Kevin Bacon’s character stands in front of a rioting crowd, throws up his hands and says, “Remain calm. All is well.”


And then he gets run over.

I’m not sure Eichorst’s attempt will achieve different results.

Eichorst and coach Mike Riley acknowledged the “elephant” in the room: The heat is on. The A.D. who said he would never comment on a coach in season just gave a vote of confidence — in his coach’s first season.

This tells me Eichorst is getting a lot of noise from boosters and/or regents about Riley’s 3-6 start. No surprise there.

Riley said he jotted down notes on Sunday night to talk about the state of the program because he expected the topic. Before being asked a question, he said, “with all this going on, we can’t be distracted.”

Welcome to Nebraska, Mike.

It was good to hear from both on the brush fire that is Nebraska football. But these statements don’t put out the fire. If anything, they fan the flames.

The thing that extinguishes fires is winning football games.
Click to expand...
OWH

I'm not sure it was necessary for Eichorst to send out that letter, but I also have no problem with it — except for the part where he suggests Riley is rebuilding the program. It was 9-4 last season, not 4-9, right? Then again, if you're in Eichorst's shoes, or share his agenda, such a spin makes perfect sense.


Bottom line, there's no serious harm in Eichorst trying to convince fans that all is well. He might also have been trying to convince himself.
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LJS
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Thanks for the links, Mav. Yeah, on that -- not only are the fans not buying it, the local media isn't buying it and the national media isn't buying it either. ADSE is borderline snake oil salesman. This whole debacle has gotten out of hand. I believe with the board's approval along with President Hank Bounds and Chancellor Harvey Perlman, we can get rid of Eichorst. Harvey Perlman can save face just before he steps down next year and get a Nebraska son to be the new AD and to fix this mess. He did it in 2007 but nobody knew Pelini's attitude would be a thing of controversy in Lincoln. For obvious reasons, one has to include Trev Alberts into the mix. If Alberts is hired as the new AD, Erstad stays with the baseball program. Erstad wants out and he may very well get the LA Dodgers job and I don't think he likes working for Eichorst. The administration has been the problem for so long, they've got to own up to it and do something.

The stench of the football program's failures could go well beyond into next year and I know people love to talk recruiting but haven't we learned? We CAN'T place an 18 year old kid on a pedestal! The football program doesn't revolve around one single person. I don't care if we have Tommie Frazier 2.0 back there next year or Joe Montana, if we have Mike Riley and this staff here it doesn't matter. I have seen enough where I don't see the defense improving. I don't see a run game all of a sudden becoming efficient.

This IS Bill Callahan part II - The biggest danger is if the administration lets this disaster continue for 3-4 years only then will our program be in the depths. It's no secret that Regents, the President, and the Chancellor have all attended practices and most of them were at the game last week. More than half of them are concerned of the same old crap week in and week out, and I am too. I'm tired of this team regressing, I'm tired of listening to Riley and his staff dupe us and do the opposite. I'm not all happy joy joy with his Monday presser's they're more like someone who is trying to defend his job providing small moral victories so the media doesn't chew him up and spit him out and the local media has been very generous to him. Riley and his staff do not know nor do they respect this football program. Riley didn't even know we traditionally wear red pants on the road. This is how misinformed he is. Eichorst made a pitch and it's almost like 75% of fans took it.

Now, every week we see him on the sidelines, jaw dropped, frozen in time. Motionless, speechless, not communicating with players, not communicating on his headset. He's just... inactive. These are all signs of someone who is burned out and ready to pack his bags and get out. Nebraska cannot continue to become a national punchline through loss after loss. It is going to damage our image, it's going to hurt recruiting. The gracious thing would be for Riley to resign, but this situation is uglier than that. It's going to take a lot more and from what I have "heard" this whole thing is 50/50 and up in the air. We've got 3 games left, two of them to be nationally televised. The worst is yet to come, IMO and fans are pretty aware of that.

 
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FTW said:
Mavric said:
Local guys not exactly buying it either:

When Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst sent out that statement on Monday, my first thought was a scene from “Animal House.” That’s the one in which Kevin Bacon’s character stands in front of a rioting crowd, throws up his hands and says, “Remain calm. All is well.”


And then he gets run over.

I’m not sure Eichorst’s attempt will achieve different results.

Eichorst and coach Mike Riley acknowledged the “elephant” in the room: The heat is on. The A.D. who said he would never comment on a coach in season just gave a vote of confidence — in his coach’s first season.

This tells me Eichorst is getting a lot of noise from boosters and/or regents about Riley’s 3-6 start. No surprise there.

Riley said he jotted down notes on Sunday night to talk about the state of the program because he expected the topic. Before being asked a question, he said, “with all this going on, we can’t be distracted.”

Welcome to Nebraska, Mike.

It was good to hear from both on the brush fire that is Nebraska football. But these statements don’t put out the fire. If anything, they fan the flames.

The thing that extinguishes fires is winning football games.
Click to expand...
OWH

I'm not sure it was necessary for Eichorst to send out that letter, but I also have no problem with it — except for the part where he suggests Riley is rebuilding the program. It was 9-4 last season, not 4-9, right? Then again, if you're in Eichorst's shoes, or share his agenda, such a spin makes perfect sense.


Bottom line, there's no serious harm in Eichorst trying to convince fans that all is well. He might also have been trying to convince himself.
Click to expand...
LJS
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links, Mav. Yeah, on that -- not only are the fans not buying it, the local media isn't buying it and the national media isn't buying it either. ADSE is borderline snake oil salesman. This whole debacle has gotten out of hand. I believe with the board's approval along with President Hank Bounds and Chancellor Harvey Perlman, we can get rid of Eichorst. Harvey Perlman can save face just before he steps down next year and get a Nebraska son to be the new AD and to fix this mess. He did it in 2007 but nobody knew Pelini's attitude would be a thing of controversy in Lincoln. For obvious reasons, one has to include Trev Alberts into the mix. If Alberts is hired as the new AD, Erstad stays with the baseball program. Erstad wants out and he may very well get the LA Dodgers job and I don't think he likes working for Eichorst. The administration has been the problem for so long, they've got to own up to it and do something.

The stench of the football program's failures could go well beyond into next year and I know people love to talk recruiting but haven't we learned? We CAN'T place an 18 year old kid on a pedestal! The football program doesn't revolve around one single person. I don't care if we have Tommie Frazier 2.0 back there next year or Joe Montana, if we have Mike Riley and this staff here it doesn't matter. I have seen enough where I don't see the defense improving. I don't see a run game all of a sudden becoming efficient.

This IS Bill Callahan part II - The biggest danger is if the administration lets this disaster continue for 3-4 years only then will our program be in the depths. It's no secret that Regents, the President, and the Chancellor have all attended practices and most of them were at the game last week. More than half of them are concerned of the same old crap week in and week out, and I am too. I'm tired of this team regressing, I'm tired of listening to Riley and his staff dupe us and do the opposite. I'm not all happy joy joy with his Monday presser's they're more like someone who is trying to defend his job providing small moral victories so the media doesn't chew him up and spit him out and the local media has been very generous to him. Riley and his staff do not know nor do they respect this football program. Riley didn't even know we traditionally wear red pants on the road. This is how misinformed he is. Eichorst made a pitch and it's almost like 75% of fans took it.

Now, every week we see him on the sidelines, jaw dropped, frozen in time. Motionless, speechless, not communicating with players, not communicating on his headset. He's just... inactive. These are all signs of someone who is burned out and ready to pack his bags and get out. Nebraska cannot continue to become a national punchline through loss after loss. It is going to damage our image, it's going to hurt recruiting. The gracious thing would be for Riley to resign, but this situation is uglier than that. It's going to take a lot more and from what I have "heard" this whole thing is 50/50 and up in the air. We've got 3 games left, two of them to be nationally televised. The worst is yet to come, IMO and fans are pretty aware of that.
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Kind of like how he praised the defense for their success on first down plays this past weekend....I was dying at that one.

 
GOAT said:
All this "toxic" talk is nonsense. Flash enough money at a coach, and he'll come. It's as simple as that. People on a national level realize that Pelini was a nutjob and needed to go (which is why no other major school hired him despite his 9-win average), and that Riley is an absolute joke. Nobody rational would blame us for firing either one. If a coach is scared to come here because he's afraid he can't be a consistent winner and championship contender then I don't want him anyway.
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We've made offers in the past to top coordinators and coaches. Urban Meyer turned us down in 2003 while he was at Utah and then took the Florida job. His kids also went on social media laughing saying their dad will not be going to Lincoln back in 2007 and Mark Richt even laughed at the idea back then and AGAIN on a radio program after Bo was fired. There's been rumors we've made offers to: Houston Nutt, Bret Bielema, Mike Zimmer, Jim McElwain, Greg Schiano. And reportedly all turned the job down. The job is not as prestigious as you think BUT... out of all rumored candidates in the past, I do not think the athletic department made a lucrative offer to any of them.

If we want quality, we gotta pay up. I'd much rather pay for a successful coach who intends to leave in 2-3 years rather than be stuck in the dumps with a bad coach for 4-5 years that is the world we live in now. Other programs have gotten lucky: LSU, Alabama, Michigan State, Stanford, Oklahoma. I agree to disagree with you. We can't just flash money at every coach. There are going to be a lot of jobs open at the end of the year. We have to be smart about the next hire I do agree we need to hire someone who is not only successful at coaching but is a solid recruiter as well and can surround himself with great associates and recruiters.

 
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