Nebhawk

If Tressel can recruit to Nebraska is my question, not his overall recruiting at OSU. Thats easy pickings since the state of Ohio is usually ranked in the top 5 states in recruiting football players yearly. Bohl is intriguing, but don't see him as a Neb. head coach. I would agree that Richt is the Pelini of the south. Venables has some upside, but again, I deeply think that he would be another Pelini long term as well. Hate to say this, but yes, this team is or was just as close to going 6-6 as going 10-2 or 9-3. Michigan and Penn St games could have ended differently. NorthWestern game as well. 5-7 we all know that this isn't even a subject. I mentioned after the NW game if some fans would regret us winning that game if Bo's record would be what it is.......what thoughts are now showing up, I think that hail mary was the worst outcome of them all!

I noticed I left off Northwestern as a team to watch going forward in the conference as well. Yeah, Michigan is not winning any titles soon, but like Nebraska, traditional name. I am not totally against keeping Bo, just reluctant on if that is the answer long term. If he would get a new offense CO, and possibly hire a new DC, then things might change some. Special teams coach as well! Is he willling to replace those guys yet? Going forward: Ohio St is for real under Meyer. Michigan St is consistent under Dantoni. Penn St will be back sooner than most realized 2 years ago. Wisconsin might be better now than with Bielema. Iowa seems to stay around a 6-6 to 9-3 team on average. Northwestern almost beat the Buckeyes, then lost all the rest so far so they aren't that far from being 8-4 9-3 type of team either. So I guess my concern is can Pelini make the next step once the competition gets better top to bottom? Don't forget that Pelini won the North division of the Big 12 during a period when KSU, Mizzou, and Colorado were down alot. He won those years based on that and based on the fact that Callahan recruited pretty good players.

Choices would be : (in no order) Tressel-question his ability to recruit away from Ohio- Richt-recruiting to Big 10 vs SEC- Paul Johnson- recruiting period-Brent Venables- midwest values who coached and recruited to OU and KSU where he played. Now I will rank my choices: 1. Richt 2. Venables 3. Tressel 4. Paul Johnson( really I love his wishbone, triple option offense, but he isn't big time level. I think that Richt might be a good hire, but again, is he more like Pelini or more like Saban.....if you can't get the job done at Georgia can u here? Venables is eager and looking for a start, is this a good start, probably not, but with his national name and recruiting ties around the nation, might be worthy. Tressel knows the landscape of the Big 10, no doubt, but I don't think he could do any better than Bo. Honestly! Those who I left off, : Petrino, Kiffin,Frost, Gill. I like Petrino, but he wouldn't stay around long. The guy can recruit and coach football players. Kiffin is a joke, and while I like Frost, he isn't even close to b eing ready yet.

To Fire Pelini or Not....that is the question? Mixed emotions on this subject, maybe more so than I had in 03' when Solich was fired. I think that given the conference was mediocre at best, losing 3 conference games is not a good thing for recruiting. Illinois is just a few players away from competing, Iowa is solid but just not flashy. Minnesota is improving. Penn St once they get a full complement of players on scholarship, might be the darkhorse! Thats not to mention the Buckeyes, Sparty, Wolverines and the Badgers! I guess I side with those who want to move into a different direction.........75/25 is my gut feeling. That 25% keeps saying might get someone worse, but the 75% keeps saying the program needs a boost, and needs that boost soon!

I do agree with above post on who Michigan nearly lost too, but consider now that Nebraska has lost too Minnesota, nearly to NW,Wyoming and allowed South Dakota to run at will....not much better, Oh and by the way the Uconn game was at UCONN. Don't want to be a DebbieDowner, but reality is the last .04 of that game was the only positive part. The rest was, very concerning, very concerning to hear your DEF CO say that the players wanted to run BASE Defense after allowing 21 points. Shouldn't your DEF CO know that, or at least maybe try that? Players smarter than coach? I would like to see what could/would happen if we saw just a basic runnning option game with Armstrong for a complete game. Maximum of 8-10 passes only. I thought Callahan was the only one who passed the ball just to pass the ball. Beck seems the same. YOU can call a pass play before the team leaves the huddle. Enough of that. Michigan will have very good athletes on both sides of the ball. AT this point of the season however, everyone is banged up some. Egoes in included. To be honest, the line of -7 for Michigan is about right on. That means in alot of ways this is a toss up game and really even. Keys to game are simple: Stop the run, and most likely stop MIchigan. Let them run and then play action passes will kill. Gardner isn't a great QB, but he can scramble and make some things happen with his feet. They do have some really fast receivers and Touissant is a decent back, better than anything that NW brought to town. Honestly, this game is rather even in all areas, even might be mirror images of each other.

Heres what I know: Veneric Mark was in uniform yesterday, this wouldn't have even been a game. Face it, perspective what ever you want to name it: 3rd and 4th string running backs gaining 180 yards....not good. Lucky yes, but not good. Small athletic QB(Colter) running at will in the open field making defense look silly tackling air. Yes, there was improvement as the game went on, some need improvement. Not sure which side had the worst play callers, toss up. I would have ran on every down if I was on either teams sideline..... Fitzgerald outcoached himself with .04 left in game and us having no timeouts. Let them play and I guarantee you the outcome would be different. Thanks Coach. Yes on the 4th and 15 play RK3 was over the l.o.s. by maybe a full yard or just under a full yard! Being real because even though this was a grreat outcome, the results nearly the same after the Gopher game. Michigan will have more talent that either Minnesota or Northwestern has or had. They will have more team speed than almost any team we have faced except UCLA. They are more physical. They lost on Saturday......This could get ugly in the Big House......I want the players to do there best, and best results for the players, but this coaching staff gets schooled each and every week. Even in wins, it shows huge faults. I don't mind Bo, but his two Coordinators are outmatched each week. Beck come on, you have a talented option QB in Armstrong, don't throw the ball, run it! I strongly believe that we were the better team yesterday, running the ball was the answer for an easy win. No lets keep throwing it, so we have 4 interceptions and keep NW in the game! OK, we lose just two more games and Bo' keeps his job.........will this game be the one that fans look back on and say we should have lost it now we are moving ahead with this for one more year. My issue is like I said, don't mind BO, its the coordinators that really need to go. 8-4 do the Coordinators go? 7-5 yes they go with Bo....Worser of the two evils......

Oh, by the way, Thanks Coach Fitzgerald for calling a timeout with .04 on the clock. I strongly feel that if they wouldn't have called that timeout, and being in desperation mode already, that play wouldn't happen. Thanks Coach for over thinking and just not letting your players play the game out!

Fact: Yesterday's game was just truly unbelievable from every aspect! Good win, in great fashion, if you like heart attacks! Does this quiet down the Bo talks or does it merely slow things down until the "Big House" this next game? Too me the worst thing that happened was Michigan getting dominated by Sparty. Now they will have fire and really want to kick some tail come Saturday. Right now, even after winning in dramatic fashion, what happens when the Wolverines dominate come Saturday? Usually after a dramatic win like this one, there is a let down mentally the next time out. Usually...... I in some ways can't and won't understand Beck and his choice of play calling. The ground and pound game was working. It was wearing down the Wildcats who were already short handed at many spots. Why keep passing the ball, why? I would welcome Bo back for one more year or even two or three if he changed Coordinators on both sides of the ball. How many feel the same?

Go after someone even if they are coaching somewhere else right now and winning. Offer the mega cash load right up front. Saban is the choice, go get him offer $5 million, I bet he would listen at least. Who ever is the dream hire, money talks, bullsh$t walks. Its time to pony up. No more low balling do the right thing for all nebraskans anymore. Its obvious we want a winner, a conference winner in turn that would compete for National titles type of winner. I here on some talk shows on the radio that the Unversity is afraid to empty out the piggy bank because spending huge lump of cash for a coach would turn off most of us being the reason we don't go get a big name. To me thats crazy. If fans spend this much time complaining about the state of a program, they won't care about money being spent to improve it.

Frost for me is the worst decision that can be made right now. The worst. He is running a system that isn't his and coaching players that are not his recruits. He was a KSU when these guys were being recruited. The New head coach of the Ducks was the former OC. Why would anyone annoint him as the next TO? Whats best for the program in my opinion is firing Bo regardless after this season. There comes a time when winning 9 games isn't getting the job done. Getting to Conference title games and getting embarrassed isn't worth it. Losing on average 3 games a season, and losing them in embarrasing fashion is not getting the job done. Being outcoached and outtalented by the big boys whether its Mack, Stoops, Bielema, Meyer or Hoke its not working out. Hoke at Michigan is winning games against most major competition. Didn't take him long to make an impact. O'Brien at Penn St is doing well considering he has been dealt limited Scholarships and NO bowl games thus far. Take a look around at those schools who have recently replaced coaches and you will see that most are making positive improvement. Nebraska improved from Callahan, but it was rock bottom then. Now its been in neutral far too long. The thing is the longer it takes the further off winning even a Big Ten title gets. I read once that every coach change it takes at least 3 years to turn things around. There are exceptions like Saban, and Meyer, but most are 3 year projects. Thats 3 years to see progress. So right now we are looking at 3 years after this if we get the right guy. Every year Bo is here, that margin gets deeper, because he is not producing the wins that bring in talent and that furthers the disaapointment among fans which in turn runs the program deeper into a hole.

Last thing for now.....who ever gets the next chance to be the Head man needs to bring back the "family" once again. Former coaches and great players who now are shunned from program because they might have an opinion and our current staff can't handle that. Thats where the rebuild must start with first. Embrace the history and tradition, don't block it behind a wall of insecurity!!!!

Just imagine if Pederson would have kept Bo on as Def CO under Callahan.....Callahan's offense could score points on most anyone, they couldn't defend at all. Callahan recruited talented players on both sides of the ball. Since his players have all now be replaced by Bo recruits, Bo's D has suffered greatly.

I have said this now a few times, but seriously we need to build a team to compete with Michigan and Ohio St first and then worry about nationally. Find that coach who can win in the Big Ten. Maybe Tressel is that guy, but I don't know if he can recruit. Does anyone no for sure if this guy can recruit other than Ohio players? Don't forget he was at Akron for years winning in 1AA before. Thats my only hang up on him, otherwise, Yes he knows that layout and can outcoach most in the Big Ten currently, other than Urban. Lets not all annoit Urban as an all time legend yet either. He has fell into some really good luck with who has played QB for him. Tebow and now Miller, and before he had Alex Smith at Utah. We all know that Tommie Frazier likes don't grow on tree's every year. Post Tebow Urban bailed on Florida. Will he do the same at Ohio St when Braxton is done?

Charlie Strong at Louisville. If you can win at that school you can win in most places. I would also say that lets see what he does after Bridgewater is gone as well. The thing I can't wrap my thoughts around is how many speedy backs and receivers want to come to the midwest and play in a speedoption/spread format like Oregon's or Baylors? Fact is anyone can run that style, but to be effective you have got to have burners at Wideout and effective runners in the backfield. Recently, how many 4.3 or sub 4.4 speed guys have come to Nebraska at Wideout? The Texas schools get them to stay in state, but not many leave there for this region. All the further north they go is to OU/oKie St way.

Whats worse right now- losing two more game and not making it too the Big 10 title game or winning out and the Buckeyes scoring 70 on a Husker defense for the 2nd year in a row in the Title game? Thus the 2nd option for me. At that point once again Bo would be back and yet another year of what might seem to be mediocre ball again in Huskerville.

You do realize that Auburn and Florida run a lot of the misdirection and zone reads with zone blocking schemes that you are dogging on right? They are in what climate? Warm. Yes they do, and Yes they also had two Heisman winners running the show at QB. Listen, everyone runs a form of spread or speed option. Its the teams who can gain 4 yard on 3rd down by running the ball that win games. Defense is a huge reason that SEC teams are supreme. Auburn was great on offense, but they had 3 NFL drafted players on the front 7 on the Defense.

If Frost was in year three after Kelly left I would say that his accomplishments are great. Since current head coach was old OC, really , do you think he is actually calling every play on his own, or with some input? Be careful not to give him too much credit. Listening to radio today listened to a media expert and Neb Football expert discuss the defense and its shortcomings. Talent issue seems to be his accessment. He said in years that we had a great D, we had several NFL drafted players on those defensives which now start in the NFL. It takes experience and talent, neither which are on this D right now. Right now being the key.

Bad Example, but also a good one. NO the 5 wide might be a stretch, but these offenses are designed to out quick and out run based on hard lined cuts and misdirection thru speed. All of these offenses are spread and speed option teams. Ever ran on a frozen field and tried to cutt back hard or slash? Slip and fall. Ball in the air is much more like a rock than an aired up piece of pigskin in the winter. Just saying, power run teams who can play defense and control the game win more often than not. Speed option, spread teams aren't consistent enough when the games get slowed down and when they are physically getting overpowered for a whole game.

SEC- has won the last several NC titles with power run games and defense. The sexy offenses haven't. Playing in the midwest near the Great lakes regions I don't think the 5 wideouts and spread offense would ever fly for a whole season. We need to win the Big Ten title before we ever get any where close to playing for a National title.

Hey everyone, Alabama, Auburn, LSU have won the past few NC's, not these sexy high scoring teams with no defense and no really evidence of playing a smash mouth game in the trenches. Football games are still won by being the more physical team who can run the ball. The other teams sell tickets and score in bunches, but don't win titles yet or in my opinion will ever. November in this region isn't meant for spread offense and 5 wide outs running pass patterns. Got to win the Big 10 title before we ever consider winning a NC again. That means putting teams on the field who can go to Ohio, Michigan or Rutgers when its in the sub 40's and just above Freezing.

With Urban Meyer in Ohio, Tressels won't get any one with 4 or 5 star ability. The ones who don't go Buckeyes, will go Sparty or Badger or Nittany Lion. Honestly, people, Tressel won't recruit well anywhere back East. He might break some barriers in Texas and continue to get some Sunny California kids, but not Ohio kids. Briles has done well, but Texas and OU are not the dominant teams they were once either. The next coach at Texas, and with A@M getting back, lets see if Briles can continue his success. I don't think so. He is recruiting Houston players, and getting some steals in state, other wise he has no proven track record in recruiting nationally. Think about that. Texas and OU aren't blowing away teams in the Big 12, and showing some signs of falling into mediocre ville. Once they get revived once again, will Baylor keep getting those players?

As I have stated, PJ hasn't coached with money and facilities to lure in better talent across the board. MegaTron did play for him but overall in a state and area (SEC)why would you go to Ga Tech if you could play in the SEC which has won the last 6 or 7 BCS titles? ACC is a basketball conference, not a football conference. Navy won games, and Ga Tech has won games with average talent. I think PJ has proven what he can do with minimal talent. The question would be what he could do with facilities and a brand name of relevance.

Mike Leach- Al Golden-Butch Lewis-Bobby Petrino-Charlie Strong-Terry Bowden List of proven coaches that have done well in first year of becoming head coach. Bobby Petrino has baggage, but in a couple of seasons at Arkansas he had that program competing nationally. He can recruit talent from all levels at all positions. Mike Leach has an awesome offensive mind, just looking for a school with national prestige in order to prove his brand. Sample of coaches that would come here in a moments notice with proven stats. If Nebraska wants to get back, then hire someone with proven ability and take the risks involved. Proven winners have all walked some on the gray side of the rules in order to build programs and won.

Scott Frost is coaching on the West coast where the weather is mostly always warmer. Tressel, though sounds like a great catch, doesn't have the state of Ohio now in his backyard to recruit from so I don't see him doing anything better than what we have already. Need some one who has rebuilt, or has been through a rebuild and can handle big time media and fan bases. Yes, those two guys have been there somewhat, but neither have had to find talent and actually rebuild a program. Yes, who ever takes this job will have to do some rebuilding. Rebuild tradition among former players, rebuild image nationally and repair the damage that has incurred over the last 10 seasons that has never been repaired even though Bo has had modest success.

First I have a comment then I will answer who I like to see as the next Coach. Why in the world would we or the team want to make it too the Big Ten title game? Does anyone actually think we could stay within 50 of the Buckeyes? Honestly it would get very ugly, very fast since the Buckeyes would need to prove a point in order to get any consideration in the polls if still undefeated. Who wants another embarrassment! Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech is a name that no one ever mentions. I think given the athletic budget in place and the Nebraska brand name he could bring in elite talent at running back and elite level dual threat QB. Georgia Tech upsets someone every year and usually are highly competitive. You can't compare apples to apples here, Tech doesn't have elite level status anymore.