Analysis: For Nebraska, Bo Pelini, is good good enough? - USA Today

I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?

We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?

 
Again, the :01 given to Texas was a heartbreaker, but technically and objectively it was the right call.

The Huskers have had some bounces go against them. They've had some bounces in their favor. But they've also had several games where they were out-played and out-coached, and not necessarily by better teams. If they were also battling a demon from some bad mojo in the past, well that's exactly what the head coach is supposed to do. Get the team to play out of its head. Hasn't happened enough, imo. But I'd like to see this young talent -- and a back-to-the-wall Bo -- do something with the rest of this season. Then the next.

Actually if this team implodes over the next three games, I'd just rip off the bandage now. But of course I'm rooting for the Huskers. Just like I was in 2009 when they were imperfect but fighting.

As long as we're playing this game, what happens if Alex Henery misses that 57 yard field goal against an unranked Colorado team we were supposed to beat handily?

 
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?
We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?
Click to expand...
Well those wins add to the trophy room. You can't discount what that means to the program.

And the angst is coming now because, to a degree, mental whoopsie-doodles led to those losses. Kickoff out of bounds by our kickoff specialist. Stubbornly trying to make a hobbled Taylor Martinez into Peyton Manning. Those things cost Bo a lot, and I would think he'd have stopped most everything to get THAT fixed. And, they were close losses too. They hurt, but I wasn't mad per se over them. It's the 70 spot hung on the team last December, the 31 unanswered at home to UCLA, and the whoopsie-doodles (twice in the same post you guys!) reappearing against Minnesota and Michigan St, who aren't 09 Texas and 2010 OU by a long shot, that have got me all persnickety.

 
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This gif sums up the story of Bo and Nebraska!

I like Bo a lot and hope there is a way this all works out for him but in the same sense, part of me feels like another year will come back and burn me like the child knowing the match is hot but you still reach out and touch it!

Between all the threads addressing the pros and cons using different words by different posters but ultimately saying the same things, along with the same ole game day issues re-surfacing, the same ole press conference answers, the same ole arguments about coaching do’s and don’ts and then the same ole divided fan base on what we should expect and accept.

This is the state that I feel we are in.

1253612165_cat_running_around.gif


 
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?

We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?
Click to expand...
I don't know. It's so hard to know what the difference would be today. I just sense there is a strong division among Husker fans with regards to Bo from everything that's lead up to this point. And a division is never a good thing to have hanging around a program.

 
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?
Click to expand...

You can be infinitely close, but still far away.

It's like Bo is one step away from what we want - but there's bulletproof glass in-between him and that step.

People want someone with bullets that can get through it.

 
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?

We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?
Click to expand...
Because national perception doesn't comment on close losses, or moral victories. It simply tells recruits that Nebraska hasn't won a conference championship in 14 years.

 
Junior said:
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?

We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?
Click to expand...
Because national perception doesn't comment on close losses, or moral victories. It simply tells recruits that Nebraska hasn't won a conference championship in 14 years.
Click to expand...
Ouch. It's true though.

 
Perception is the key word. It's all perception. People perceive that Bo is going to get us there, he just needs more time, more OJT.

People perceive that Bo's had enough time and that if he hasn't gotten it done by now he likely never will. Cut our losses and move on.

Really, the difference between the two "sides" is pretty minimal. Some simply just don't like Pelini and some simply just like him, and neither will ever see the other side, but I think both opinions are in the minority.

I think most people don't want to fire him, but also don't want to continue in this good-but-not-good limbo we've been in. I'm pretty much in that camp.

Although if we had some knockout hire lined up, I'd be far more likely to be happy that we moved on. It's not like I'll really miss Bo the Coach. He's OK... he has flaws. There's a lot to deal with, with Bo.

 
Articles like this must kill our recruiting efforts. It seems at least one of these articles are published every year. Questioning whether Pelini is the right man for the job, and having the AD stay completely silent on the issue, can only breed speculation. I wish Eichorst would just come out and support Bo 100% so we wouldn't have to deal with this sh#t anymore.

 
knapplc said:
I don't get this. If we're a 2009 one-second-difference and/or a 2010 defense-holds-on away from one or two Big XII Conference Championships, and earning those would have changed the minds of many here, and both losses were really close... why the angst over Pelini now?

We can't unlose those games, so they're a part of the record. But if winning them changes things so much, does that mean that the difference between wanting Pelini gone today and wanting him to stay and keep at it today are really quite close? As in, just a step over the line instead of ten steps - too far to turn back?
Click to expand...
Pelini's entire career is defined by seconds and inches and officiating calls.

Last season was a 6-7 loss season if the inches or officiating had gone against us. Or how about the hail mary. If the fans are 50/50 on Pelini now, without that catch we're a 4 loss team, right now...possibly a 5 loss team because you could see the momentum carry over into Michigan. In that case, Pelini's all but out the door.

That's how close he is....but that's always how close he is. Which is why the next guy, if there is a next guy...is going to salivating at the opportunity to take over a team that's on the cusp of championships.

 
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Guy Chamberlin said:
Again, the :01 given to Texas was a heartbreaker, but technically and objectively it was the right call.

The Huskers have had some bounces go against them. They've had some bounces in their favor. But they've also had several games where they were out-played and out-coached, and not necessarily by better teams. If they were also battling a demon from some bad mojo in the past, well that's exactly what the head coach is supposed to do. Get the team to play out of its head. Hasn't happened enough, imo. But I'd like to see this young talent -- and a back-to-the-wall Bo -- do something with the rest of this season. Then the next.

Actually if this team implodes over the next three games, I'd just rip off the bandage now. But of course I'm rooting for the Huskers. Just like I was in 2009 when they were imperfect but fighting.

As long as we're playing this game, what happens if Alex Henery misses that 57 yard field goal against an unranked Colorado team we were supposed to beat handily?
Click to expand...
Probably, but that kind of thing happens several times in every football game that is played. An extra second, even sometimes two, runs off the clock after the whistle blows/ball hits the ground whatever. You can say that if it happens at other points in the game it's not going to affect the outcome, but if it happens say 10 times throughout a game then that's 10-20 seconds which can affect the outcome of the game. That's the problem I had with it is that football has lived with this human error forever except this one single time.

 
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Bo and this staff are very avg.

To be a great team your staff needs to excel at one of two areas, either recruiting or player development.

So if you recruit at a 15-25 level the only way you will get above 15 is if you excel at player development.

On the other hand if you can recruit at a top 10 level you only have to get those players to do what is expected from a development standpoint.

The staff is avg at both we recruit at a 15-25 level and don't excel at player development and where are we? Right around that level

2 questions remain

1) can the staff get over the hump on one of the two areas?

If not

2) the real question is are we ok with avg?

 
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