Callahan's Legacy
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BigWillie
All-Conference
Actually, yes, he should get credited. Callahan took garbage talent for the most part and made us into a potent offense year after year. He chased big recruits consistently when he felt necessary, took even lesser known recruits and turned them into great talents.
His biggest problem was that guys like Busch, Elmo and Cos were absolutely worthless when it came to the development of talent. Take a look at the steps in just one year our defense made, the vast majority with Callahan recruits.
Suh turned into one of the most dominant linemen in the country. Steinkuhler played fantastically toward the end of the year. Allen, Lawrence, Koehler and Hagg all shined at points last year. The defense was entirely different, thanks to having a defensive minded coach who knew how to put them in position.
However, lets not get this twisted. Callahan was an offensive mind and had no control over that defense. It would be like blaming Bo for the offense when that is all on Watson.
As Pelini showed, Callahan had the talent, the previous defensive coaches were not able to get that talent out of them.
All I am saying is that Callahan got the talent to both sides of the ball and did everything needed to his offense, but the defensive coaching staff more than let him down.
In the end I can see why people always put the blame on Cally, because he is the head guy. However, the amount of hate and blame he gets is a bit much.
Asante will absolutely be drafted as will Helu. Both are freaks physically. People normally think Amukamara is one of the fastest guys on our team, but Larry is actually faster while weighing almost 20lbs more. Larry is also as strong or stronger than the majority of our lineman. Once Asante works out, he will get drafted.
Helu is in the same category. Except he weighs more than Larry and tested out even better than Larry overall.
Barry will without doubt make it. 3-4 teams love guys like Barry because there are so few of guys like him.
IF (and I stress if) Brooks plays like he did this spring, he will without doubt get drafted. Guy was incredible.
Henery will get drafted. Powerful and accurate kickers like him do not grow on trees.
Hagg and West are big corners with ability to cover. Teams love their big corners, especially in nickel situations, so they stand great chances at being drafted.
Zac Lee will be another workout warrior. Stephen McGee just got drafted in the 4th round and Lee has a better arm than him by alot.
Niles Paul - workout warrior.
Mike McNeil, I see no reason why you think he won't get drafted. Guy is probably the 2nd best TE in this conference and will likely be the best once Gresham is gone. McNeil, barring another injury, is easily drafted.
Q could get drafted if he builds off that Clemson game. If he goes through his lull like he normally does, then no.
I really think you underestimate the talent we have on this team. I literally believe if our WRs step up and a few patches on the OL get worked out that we could be in for a special year. And I'm normally reserved making comments like that, but with Lee and Helu's marked improvement and our defense flying around like it was this spring, I'm more than excited.
Husker_x
All-American
HUSKER 37
All-American
It still amazes me how many on this site call Callahan a good Coach or recruiter "in every way"
...Probably because it's certainly not very obvious at all from his track record. (Results aren't speaking for themselves).
I mean..What makes a good recruiter?
The same qualities that make a good used car salesman?
I thought we already established the fact that the reason his recruiting numbers were up so high, wasn't necessarily because of 4* or 5* athletes..but rather because he over-recruited..sometimes more than 35 athletes each season.
I'd prefer someone that only promises an education..and an opportunity to play..Maybe a promise to Mom to always try to keep him out of trouble...not guaranteeing starting jobs or a "fer-shure" ticket to the NFL.
And how was he a good coach?
He certainly didn't mold his Offense to fit his players..He couldn't even make halftime adjustments to save his life.
Is it because his Offense was different to us? Or too "complicated for any of us to understand"? He certainly didn't invent the WCO.
Part of being a great Coach, is the ability to change..to accept the fact that you can always improve your process..He just seemed too stubborn to ever do that.
And Big Willie..nice to see you back..Would you also blame his assistants for us not scrimmaging in pads much?..like they do in Callahan's NFL?
...Probably because it's certainly not very obvious at all from his track record. (Results aren't speaking for themselves).
I mean..What makes a good recruiter?
The same qualities that make a good used car salesman?
I thought we already established the fact that the reason his recruiting numbers were up so high, wasn't necessarily because of 4* or 5* athletes..but rather because he over-recruited..sometimes more than 35 athletes each season.
I'd prefer someone that only promises an education..and an opportunity to play..Maybe a promise to Mom to always try to keep him out of trouble...not guaranteeing starting jobs or a "fer-shure" ticket to the NFL.
And how was he a good coach?
He certainly didn't mold his Offense to fit his players..He couldn't even make halftime adjustments to save his life.
Is it because his Offense was different to us? Or too "complicated for any of us to understand"? He certainly didn't invent the WCO.
Part of being a great Coach, is the ability to change..to accept the fact that you can always improve your process..He just seemed too stubborn to ever do that.
And Big Willie..nice to see you back..Would you also blame his assistants for us not scrimmaging in pads much?..like they do in Callahan's NFL?
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Husker_x
All-American
I don't think anyone could defend Callahan as a good coach. If he'd kept Bo Pelini on staff and allowed him to run the defense, things might have gone very differently for the Big Red. Unfortunately Cally brought in the worst developmental coaches we've seen since the 60s––maybe ever. I have a hard time attributing much of anything good to Callahan's regime. If you want to play the Offensive Genius card, look at the teams we beat and the teams we lost to. In his last season we weren't even competitive with mid-tier teams like Okey State and Kansas.
Callahan did bring in the recruits, though, that Bo is now developing. Cally was not the Darth Vader of coaching, but he was the head guy, and as the head guy, the buck stops with you.
A lot of hate here.
He did the best job he could. He was loyal beyond a doubt.
He brought us talent that is being used now.
Time to let this all die. Wish the man luck and understand he did not go on a mission to destroy Nebraska.
People fail every day in their jobs.
I think he could have done better on assistant selection and should have made changes, but ne never deserted them, stood behind them and in the end cost him his job and reputation. It is heroic to be that loyal, but it is also sometimes not the best answer.
I wish him luck, and my guess is that he is doing the same for Nebraska and our fans. I do not feel he is the devil as some seem to think.
Over his head maybe, but he gave it all he had to the last day. You can not fault a person for that.
He did the best job he could. He was loyal beyond a doubt.
He brought us talent that is being used now.
Time to let this all die. Wish the man luck and understand he did not go on a mission to destroy Nebraska.
People fail every day in their jobs.
I think he could have done better on assistant selection and should have made changes, but ne never deserted them, stood behind them and in the end cost him his job and reputation. It is heroic to be that loyal, but it is also sometimes not the best answer.
I wish him luck, and my guess is that he is doing the same for Nebraska and our fans. I do not feel he is the devil as some seem to think.
Over his head maybe, but he gave it all he had to the last day. You can not fault a person for that.
BigWillie,
Cosgrove isn't that terrible of a coach either, tbh. He was in 2007, which is obvious, but in his 3rd year here (2006) Nebraska led the nation in sacks. He had something going for him for awhile until things melted down.
Also, and this isn't really directed at you BigWillie but just in general, even though Callahan may have been a good coach who produced "consistent offense", he is still the head coach. This means he is still responsible for the team as a whole and how they perform week in and week out. Callahan went 0-24 in games they were down at halftime in. Pelini is 2-2 in his first year, which says a lot.
Cosgrove isn't that terrible of a coach either, tbh. He was in 2007, which is obvious, but in his 3rd year here (2006) Nebraska led the nation in sacks. He had something going for him for awhile until things melted down.
Also, and this isn't really directed at you BigWillie but just in general, even though Callahan may have been a good coach who produced "consistent offense", he is still the head coach. This means he is still responsible for the team as a whole and how they perform week in and week out. Callahan went 0-24 in games they were down at halftime in. Pelini is 2-2 in his first year, which says a lot.
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Husker_x
All-American
Afraid I have to call :bs: on the Cosgrove part. Players, pundits, and fans have long chronicled his failures both to coach games and teach fundamentals in practice. He had zero success in the Big 10 and even less success in this conference (a conference which, by the way, was down compared to what Bo had to face defensively). As to the "something he had going for him," that thing isn't a thing; it's a man. And that man isn't a man; it's a beast. Adam Carriker. Coz inherited some talent up front. He certainly never developed any of his own. He had Suh for heaven's sake, perhaps one of the top 10 picks in the NFL draft next season, and look what he did with him.
Granted, we had a hurricane of poor fitness training, poor coaching, and poor strategy, so to point to anyone as THE PROBLEM would be useless, but Cosgrove to me is synonymous with bad defense. But anyway, this is an oooold topic. I'd rather focus on the future of our defense which is bright. :koolaid2:
Oh, and to skersfan: I agree, you can't fault a person who gives it everything they got. Callahan was dedicated, no question, but I'll believe 'til the day I die that he simply did not understand the college game. He approached the whole thing from the wrong angle, and the results testify to that pretty loudly.
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I didn't mean to come off as I thought he was a good coach, cause I don't, I'm just simply saying he was able to produce something of significance in 2006. Plus, it wasn't all Carriker.
Defensive Sack Statistics from the 2006 Season:
Carriker - 7.0
Moore - 6.0
Dagunduro - 3.5
Suh - 3.5
Cryer - 2.5
Ruud - 2.0
Granted some of those sacks may have come thanks to Carriker being double teamed or setting up plays for other guys, that is still impressive as a whole for a defensive unit. Carriker can't be responsible for all those sacks whether directly or indirectly.
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caveman99
All-American
Enhance98 I agree with you that Cosgrove did do some good things. Regarding the statement that the success in 2006 was all because of Carriker and that Cosgrove had nothing to do with it is a bit off. Your stat line above proves that the D as a whole was getting to the QB. Oh and 2006 was Carriker's 3rd season under Cosgrove and IRC, Carriker coming in was a good prospect in need of development which obviously Cosgrove's staff did fairly well. Oh by the way, Cosgrove does have the history of being the D-Coordinator for the 3 Rose Bowl winning Wisconsin teams under Alvarez. Is this to say I think Cosgrove is great or even a pretty good coach, no but to say he is completely inept and not at least an average coach with a fairly decent track record overall I think would be selling him short. He couldn't get the job done at NU plain and simple, doesn't mean he wasn't successful at all in his career or even in certain parts of his tenure at NU.
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caveman99
All-American
I don't know about the "in every way" part, but Callahan was a good recruiter. As I mentioned earlier, his commitment to JUCOs even after the initial build up for the system change was disturbing. However to say that the only reason that his classes were ranked high was because of the really high number of recruits he signed is not true at all. Sure that had a lot to with the 2005 class ranking but here is what he did year by year:
2004 - 18 Recruits, Ranked 27th by Rivals
2005 - 31 Recruits, Ranked 5th by Rivals
2006 - 24 Recruits, Ranked 20th by Rivals
2007 - 28 Recruits, Ranked 13th by Rivals
Bo took 28 in 2008 and 21 this past year so I am not sure other than 2005 that Callahan's results were mostly to do with over recruiting.
Another way to look at it is how many of Callahan's players made an impact last season under Bo or will this season? Only 2 Freshmen last year I can think of burned a year of eligibility, Dennard and Wald and their contributions were almost exclusively on Special Teams. Looking to this year it is true that we should see a lot of Bo's recruits start or make impacts, but frankly the success of the team this year relies mainly on the shoulders of the players Callahan brought in. Look at the Offensive side of the ball. The QB, all of the O-Line (minus Ricky Henry and Derek Meyer), 3 of the top WRs (Holt, Paul, and Brooks), the top TE, and the top 2 IB's are all Callahan recruits. On the Defensive side of the ball, you see a few less Callahan players but the ones you do see are arguably the most important. Callahan recruits include all but 1 (Baker) of the top 4 DTs, both starting DEs, the top 3 corners (top 4 if you put Blue ahead of Gomes and Dennard), the starting Strong Safety, one of the top 3 at Free Safety, and a possible 2 deep player at the MIKE in Dillard (this one is the most unlikely obviously). I would say that the D is full of talent that Callahan brought in.
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Coincidentally, that was when John Blake was here. Once Blake left, so did the effectiveness of the DL.
Remember, the former DC's "philosophy" for the DL was merely gap control. The former DC didn't want the DL to pressure the QB, didn't want sacks, etc.. The previous staff thought sacks and pressuring the QB were over-rated remember?
Vince from ShamWOW
All-Conference
Yes. It was Elmassian that said, while speaking at a Big Red Breakfast I believe, that Sacks are overrated.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
Did he say that pressure was overrated too?
I feel like I've had this conversation before but I don't remember what the answer was.
I'm pretty sure he was just saying more intangible (as far as looking at stat sheets go) things like applying pressure mattered more than numbers like sacks. And it's true.
I feel like I've had this conversation before but I don't remember what the answer was.
I'm pretty sure he was just saying more intangible (as far as looking at stat sheets go) things like applying pressure mattered more than numbers like sacks. And it's true.