Klotz for Hire

Here are a few names that I came up with, and some undropped soapbox thoughts that I had. First of all, let me start with a name that I can't believe no one has brought up. Also, I prefer only to mention names that I've not yet seen. 1. Benard F#^#^$ Thomas: What the heck is wrong with everyone that we forgot that one? A great soundbyte, made waves when he was quoted in the paper as saying that he wanted to lead the team in sacks as a freshman. 2. DeMoine Adams: Was only good with a better DE on the other side of him. Otherwise terrible. 3. Mike Grant: In my opinion, The Huskers worst quarterback in the Osborne years. Even Tommie Frazier was average as a freshman, and were it not for Grant, we would never have seen an average Frazier. Grants bad play forced in a very green Frazier. Without Grant, do we win five titles in a row? 4. Brandon Greeson and Brandon Teamer: Greeson was stolen out of the southeast and supposedly he was to be a stone cold run stopper. Teamer was a 4* out of Central who played only one year. I believe that Greeson was homesick and injured, and Teamer was slightly injured, but more than anything, just wanted to leave football at the time. I have no idea what either one is doing nowadays. 5. Phillip Bland: And to think that we stole this one from CU. Well, I was at the __-36 game in Boulder and I think sCUm owes that kid a ring for how many tackles he missed. 6. Ryan Schuler: Supposedly Barney stole this kid from Oklahoma. I don't even know if this kid's health issues allowed him to play a down of college football. 7. Josh Davis: No offense to tough Tony, but I knew it would be a long year when Frankie named this kid the starter. 8. Judd Davies: A great kid, but for all the hype surrounding his recruitment at the time, not a great player. Average at best. I will say again though, a really good person. 9. Dan Vili Waldrop: Whoever thought that 6'8 350 pounds of human being could be knocked around by 6'2 220 lbs of Texas LB's and/or DE's 10. Justin Tomerlin: Recruited to FSU as a 4* Tight end, he was supposed to be a threat on either side of the ball coming out of JUCO. Kicked off the team after a fight on a flight back to Lincoln. Honorable Mentions * Craig Roark: One of the first big timers in the '05 class. Played little because of injury and then quit ** Robert Pollard: This kid was can't miss out of high school. didn't qualify. Now in prison. *** Sandro DeAngelis: This kid was supposed to be the next Kris and/or Josh Brown, yet he missed more 30-40 yard kicks than anyone that I can thin of. Now, he's a national scoring champion and folk hero in Canada. **** Patrick Kabongo: Was supposed to be our Warren Sapp style run stopper. Played sparingly as a senior, but celebrated like Martin Grammatica on every tackle and defensive stop. SO ANYWAYS . . . . it is partially our fault for hypeing these kids. Things to remember in the coming years. A.)Loyalty is the virtue of the few. B.) Perseverence is no longer an iherited trait. C.) Some choose to be unmotivated. Apply any of these three points to those above. I'll bet at least one if not all three fit with every player on my list

In order to make myself feel better about life, I decided to do some semi-trolling on a KSUcks board. Everyone is bitching about Prince. What struck me is that some of the KSUcks discussion points were eerily similar to what we've been discussing here for two months. Here is a post that I left for them to chew on. I don't like KSU, Just like you guys don't like NU, but let me help wake you up. The similarities between your Coach Prince and our ex-Coach Clownahan are unmistakeable. 1. Better than average recruiter: Get's reasonably good recruits on the basis of false promises, and runs players out of town that don't fit his ideal vision. 2. Lot's of BS and Coach Speak: Prince and Callahan both like to speak technically when they make up excuses for lack of performance. 3. ASSumptions: Both coaches assume that all players that they recruit should be able to play at a high level simply because of their genius x's and o's plan. 4. An NFL mentality: Both these guys figure that their players should be able to adapt with little or no help. It's all the players fault for not "executing." Its never the coaches fault for not teaching basic fundamentals. 5. Inability to Develop Players: Marlon Lucky was ***** out of high school. He has developed little to average as a player due to poor coaching and has plateaued to a degree. The same may happen to Freeman. There is no reason to recruit a ***** athlete out of high school if the same player will still be a top "high school" athlete after 4-5 years of college. 6. Inability to motivate: What's one thing that KSU and NU have in common? When losing by 7-10 pts, each team gives up. Why? Coaches do not properly motivate the kids, so they go soft. I saw it all year and I know you saw it this month. 7. Life in fantasy land: The foremost thing that Callahan and Prince have in common is that they both feel like they are doing an excellent job at all times, and damn the players and the media if they dare to think otherwise. There you have it. Don't worry, Cats fans. Your boosters will eventually oust your A.D. Bill Snyder will become the A.D. He will fire Prince. He and Osborne will then have a beer together.

Hey, It's Klotz. I'm back in the house tonight after a long road trip to BFE in which I listened to the opinions of many Husker fans on Big Red Reaction and Becca. I usually listen to little that people say, as their opinion influences T.O. about as much as mine does. Anyhow, as I'm listening to all these varying opinions on what people think would be the best for the football program, a solitary truth resonated in my mind without ever being mentioned on the air: T.O.'s decision is bound to piss some fans off, no matter what. 1. If Osborne decides to keep Cally and can some assistants, that will polarize Husker Nation similar to the Solich situation. 2. If Osborne hires Gill, many people will complain that he will run the option and he's unproven. 3. If Osborne hires Pelini, many people will complain that his attitude is shaky and he's unproven. 4. If Osborne hires outside the program, many people will complain that whoever the hire is, won't respect Husker traditions. Bottom Line: Osborne can't win in the short term. No matter what, prepare to be at least slightly disappointed tomorrow. Real Fans will respect his decision and get behind this program. Fairweather Fred and the like can go ahead and burn their gear and rescind their season tickets. That way, my son and I can scoop them up and watch in the years ahead as we return to competitive respectability.

Mods, I think it would be fun if we could do a little project post Nov. 24. I would like you guys to categorize all rumors started by people that claim to have "sources." It would be great fun to debunk some of these rumors entirely, while also looking to see if there was any solid evidence of credibility to other posted rumors. Our own legendary IBR started it up on a Sunday evening in October. As one third of his initial post proved true, I think that we all felt that there was a connection to some real pertinent information on our football program. Then, a piece at a time, his post came apart, with the only "insider" truth being that of Pederson's firing. A short time ago, our hero reappeared to us all with a well thought out, reasonable revision to his original post. In the end, I'll be going back to the arsonist that started the rumor firestorm for final analysis. Will some of IBR's original points come to fruition, thereby cementing his legacy as a true covert Cornhusker agent, or will his sometimes confusing and inconsistent efforts on this board simply go down in Huskerboard history as "The Magic Post Theory."

I really feel like as fans ages 25+, we are products of our environment. Some of us, like me, were never around back in the early and mid 60's when we were a bad team. We grew up and even when we were "terrible," we were at least 9-3. As a fan, I really feel like crap when a small contingency of our fan base is just acting like a bunch of spoiled brats. I read this crap about, "boycott games" and all this and I start to wonder if our "best fans in America" label has been tarnished. This season is definately the worst I've seen, and there is no excuse for it. However, when supposed fans stop wearing their gear and refuse association with the team, that pisses me off. Some fans are straight up saying "F*** Nebraska." Come on folks, you can say F*** the coaches all you want but don't dis the team that you grew up on. I hope for two things to come out of this season for us, the fans. Number One: Hopefully all of the fairweather fans will get lost and stop calling up and dissing. There is nothing more to complain about. The game today is just cause for a rehash of everything that we've already bitched about at length. Number Two: As a fan who grew up in the era of 9 win seasons, I hope myself and other fans who grew up post 1965 will have a greater appreciation for the team and the program once we are good again.

NP we are not on the same page, gangsta. Joe Ganz far exceeded my expectations in his performance today. Our BACKUP and Mo Purify pretty much put up 39 pts against a top 10 Defense. Guess what, he's the starter now. For the rest of the season and probably next season he'll be referred to by me as the starter. He did not play like a backup today, he played like a starter. Ganz made something out of little or nothing on so many occasions today it reminded me of Zac Taylor with runnin legs. Your only point might be the four picks. Well, if you were forced to throw against a defense 90 % of the time while playing from way down with the defense knowing what's coming, you might expect some interceptions. Our defense continues to dictate what our offense can do. It's no different than how it was when Keller was in there. Keller did well, but at the very least, Ganz did what Keller may have done in a similar situation. Ganz did well, and even under a Craig Bohl led defense, 39 points would have been enough to win a damn game. Props to Joe!

wow.. and i thought that nebraska fans were critical of their team.. from what i see some of those LSU fans have unrealistic expectations.. i honestly believe (along with the majority of the national media and the rest of people here im sure) that they will sorely miss pelini when they lose him.. especially if they are unable to get another great DC in there.. and what did the guy mean by making a bad defense good AND a great defense good.. what great defense did he make good? LSU was always good.. they're in the SEC.. but im pretty sure every year hes been there they've been one of if not the best defense in the country.. It seemed to me that most people really appreciate what he's done with that D, on the other hand, the complaining that you see has to do with his many zone packages and zone blitz packages. Seems also that his defenses are still troubled by mobile quarterbacks. Anyhow, I felt like going over there for some current opinions was great. The moral of the story, it seems, is that whether your team is 4-5 (NU) or 8-1? (LSU) fans can always find something to b$%ch about.

I'm sorry, here's the link to my post on TigerDroppings in the Tiger Rant http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/message...c.asp?p=5875985

Hey kids, It's you're favorite two year scout team champ with some views from the Bayou. Just for fun joined Tigerdroppings.com (LSU board) and went to the "Tiger Rant" to ask LSU fans about Pelini, his character, and his defenses, since everybody and their grandma is hyping Bo. For me, the jury is still out. I posted a thread on there that you may like to read the responses to. Seemed like folks had some objective insights on Pelini's leadership, recruiting, and defense. Check it out if you get a chance.

Sick. Not entirely an appropriate soundtrack for a kid, but it definately adds to the video as this kid truly seems to "make it rain on 'dem hoez."

NVA, Totally agree with you that the heart and intensity were up. Also, individual student athletes should not be personally attacked by those of us who do not and have not played for Nebraska. Agreement on that point as well. I am trying to make light of the fact that our standards as a fan base insofar as expectations for this team seem to dwindle to more and more basic as each week passes. Thanks for reading the post!

Hey, First of all, I'll not bash the players for an increased effort today. However, though most of us acknowledge the increased efforts of today, I have no idea why some fans are considering this a "good" or a "great" effort. Some are saying, "Well, we almost had 'em." Yep. Still not acceptable. This was a team at the outset of the season that most of us EXPECTED at least the following: 1. Big 12 North Champions 2. Finally, a signature win against a Top 10 team 3. More offensive firepower 4. The ability to finish games (i.e. the "killshot.") Well, folks, here I am, reading about this "great effort" against #19 ranked Texas and how we shoulda coulda woulda this and that. Though I am encouraged by the increased effort and intensity, what we saw today can be simply explained. A bad team played a mediocre team. The bad team played harder and more consistently than they usually do for 75% of the game. In the end, the mediocre team beat the bad team by attacking the bad team with a particular play that the bad team is the worst at defending. As the record gets worse, I am seeing that people's expectations for this team get lower, so much so that our fifth loss is actually a turning point because we have a bad team that found the strength to play better. This has reached a new level of pathetic. I can remember being a kid and waking up on a Sunday after a loss with the same feeling as if a loved one died. When teams would beat us, campuses would riot and goal posts came down. Not any more. It's no big deal to beat Nebraska nowadays. And somehow we should accept that an increased effort indicates hope for the remainder of the season, or even hope for the future under the current staff. I'm not buying, nor should any Husker fan. Consistent losing is not acceptable under any circumstance.

Hey, After the SP rumours started flying last week, I told myself that I shouldn't read such things and that to do so would be to contribute to nonsense. Then, some of what was relayed in rumours starting that Sunday evening came to fruition on Monday afternoon. Since then, lots of crap has come out, but I have to admit, it has been fun to read. The partial truths of one SP rumour in particular gives me hope that some of the other details of rumours by the same poster will come true this next week. And this is what the season has now become for me as a fan. Waiting for old rumours and new rumours to either be proven as fact or discredited. What about my hopes for a signature win, a Big 12 Championship, and the top recruiting class? Nope, my focus and interest has now deteriorated into reading the next baseless rumour. Your thoughts on this?

It's my opinion that Coach Osborne wants PROGRAM guys and not just a group of guys that commit to a coach. That's why the Simi Kuli commitment is so powerful to me. Here is this legendary coach, estranged from his beloved PROGRAM for the last four years, who comes in for a week and secures a commitment from a kid who respects the PROGRAM. Thats a testament to his skills. He's still got it. I don't know the man, of coarse, but I can't think that it would bother him as much to lose a kid who commits to a group of coaches. It has been reported and I believe confirmed that the athletic department sent out a memo asking them to contact the A.D. with questions/concerns. I believe that any kids that are committed to us now that actually get in touch with Coach Osborne will at least get some peace of mind. Some commitments may even get stronger. A few thoughts on current commits. Gray is a great kid. He seemed to tire of the recruiting process, and he was uncertain about things here. He also made it clear on the radio that he committed to our coaches, and therein was his concern. I hope that he would at least contact TO, but if he skips it and sticks with his ND commit, then I'm happy for him. He will do well. Gabbert, Compton, and Givens also seem to be good kids who will handle this situation as tactfully as possible. It doesn't look good for us and Gabbert right now based on the portrayals in the local media and on recruiting sites, but you never know. Maybe they will all get in touch with TO. It seems like more than anything, they'd just like some peace of mind so that if they have to make other plans, they can do it objectively. Osborne will, at the least, give these recruits the information they need to know if they are reconsidering their commitments. If Gabbert and Compton end up at Missouri, it will hopefully only be because they weighed their options carefully. I am more interested in seeing how our fan base reacts to decommits, rather than who decommits and where they go instead. I would like us and fans to handle the situation with TO style class. It will be a bitter pill to swallow, but we've got to just sit tight and hope for the best. I just hope that our fans will accept it as part of the transition we are making. Folks, its not like anyone is going behind the program's back or being deceitful on purpose. Furthermore, this situation (as I've said before) does not compare to the JF debacle of a couple years back. There's no reason for sour grapes Trust Osborne. Be supportive of these kids. The class and dignity of our fan base as a whole has been wrongfully called into question by the local media as a result of a few folks that cannot deal with the realities of this time and place in Husker history. Handling the recruiting fallout with patience and understanding can help us maintain respect among recruits and their familes.

My People, Since I am now resigned to a coaching change at season's end, and growing more comfortable with it as each week passes, I thought I'd enlighten some of the fairweather folks as to what lies ahead of us. Many people magically jumped back on the bandwagon when T.O. came back into the fold. We must all realize, however, that even T.O. will have much work ahead of him before we are even back to "average but competitive." T.O. even talks about it being a situation that requires patience (see Saturday OWH). Folks, this is going to be a difficult journey with more bumps ahead as we go forward beyond 2007. In order for our fanbase and general support for the student athletes to remain steadfast, we will need to commit ourselves to the following: 1. ACCEPTANCE: We need to accept that this year's recruiting class will have many casualties. This has been talked about tons, but I consider this a "neccessary evil" that must be dealt with in the impending coaching switch. First of all, I do not want to see any crap about fans having animosity towards these kids for rethinking their pledge or decommitting. This is not even close to the circumstances surrounding the JF situation, so lets not go there. 2. UNDERSTANDING: It must be understood that this is going to be another huge undertaking that will take an undeterminate amount of time to sort out. There will be losses, even after this year, that will shake us a bit, but we need to understand that it may take the better part of 3-5 YEARS to get this thing back to respectable. 3. PATIENCE: I am having real trouble with this one, personally. Every single day I ask, "Why doesn't T.O. just hurry up and cut these guys loose. Why not today? Why not last week or next week?" If T.O. says, "after the season," then that is what this man means. It's tough not to question his motives, but this is why T.O. is an A.D., coach and a legend, and I am one fan. 4. TRUST: Tell yourself this out loud, "Well, we asked for it, and we got it." The majority of folks want change, and they shall have it. However, we have got to completely trust T.O. and the decisions he makes for the benefit of the program. Specifically, I'm talking about the coaching search. According to IBR, everything is in order. While I refuse to doubt his information until it is proven incorrect, I am also going to trust T.O. if his ideas turn out not to be those mentioned by IBR. But there's always somebody who will take their ball and go home if the next coach hire isn't what they expect. Always. It will happen here, but it shouldn't. 5. HOPE: At the center of it all, there is the concept of hope. We've got to have hope for the future of Husker Nation. Realistically, we should hope that the decisions and investments made in the coming weeks will pay dividends in the YEARS (plural) down the road. It's pivotal, because if hope for better times is abandoned, then we are right back where Coach Devaney had to start from in the early 1960's. . . . . And we will keep returning to that point over and over again if we don't commit ourselves to these tenants right now. It's time to hunker down for the long haul. Please add your thoughts