turkwilliams

I agree. If they do not want to be here, then let them go. We are starting fresh. We don't need any negative vibes floating around the new blood. Too true. So, the players that left, are they players who were recruited by the last coach that didn't buy into Callahan's scheme- or players recruited by Callahan that had a change of heart? Are these players quitting altogether or will they transfer and play elsewhere? 31 players are quite a bit. It should be more than enough to fill any gaps. I'll need an eyewitness to tell me how we look in the spring game though, before I make any more comments on them. On paper, it seems we're going to be back on top real soon... I hope Callahan can turn it around with those guys. He should have most of the personnel he was looking for to make his plan work, so there should be no excuses this season... on offense. I hear we lost the 2 top corners from this season, is that true? With a lot of the atttention being on BC and the offense, the defense, which is what wins championships, is what really needs to be overhauled. The level of intimidation the blackshirts usually bring to the table has diminished over the last few years. Has anything been done to remedy that?

I think people knew Solich wasn't that good of a coach, that and the firing of his legendary staff killed it for the great recruits. His playcalling had no flow. He didn't call good games in other words. I hope just like you that the Huskers will catch on to the new scheme and get us back to the top. I know the option is finished for now... but it'll be back soon. It's all good Hoyamann.... I aint mad atcha.... We all bleed red here

Couple things I'd like to point out. First of all, the program was handed down to TO's right hand man, a guy that watched the success for years, and he had the 1st non-winning record in 30+ years, 7-7. Second, if you want a HS coach go to Texas where they put 30,000 people in the stands on Friday nights and pay their coaches more than some small college coaches. Third, if you can name 1 coach that went from HS FB to a Major College program and magically turned things around, I may consider your argument to be justified. I just don't think you'll find one. Until I'm proven wrong, I'll keep my opinion that this is the single dumbest argument I have ever heard on any message board, forum, drunk bar talk or TV/radio program ever. Solich may have went 7-7, but he was never a loser. May have seemed like he had a hand in his back, but he was never a loser. I've never heard of Texas being a hotbox for coaches. Do you know of any pro coaches that came to the college level with their own staff and were successful? Do you know of any coaches that implemented the wco where option is normally run and were successful? I have yet to see Nebraska fail playing Nebraska football. The losing started when the system broke down. Fix the system, get back to winning. I could give a damn about your opinion, it is what it is. These past few years, I don't know what the hell I've been looking at, but it hasn't been Husker football. Did Solich try and take a option team and turn it into the WCO? Solich went 7-7 in his own offense. That doesnt sound to good does it? A change had to be made so get over it!!!!!!!!!!!! Solich's problem was play selection. He didn't set things up correctly, didn't call good games. What's to get over? I like the option and rather it over the WCO... regardless if NU runs it or not. ....and 7-7 is not a losing record (Solich not a loser)

Couple things I'd like to point out. First of all, the program was handed down to TO's right hand man, a guy that watched the success for years, and he had the 1st non-winning record in 30+ years, 7-7. Second, if you want a HS coach go to Texas where they put 30,000 people in the stands on Friday nights and pay their coaches more than some small college coaches. Third, if you can name 1 coach that went from HS FB to a Major College program and magically turned things around, I may consider your argument to be justified. I just don't think you'll find one. Until I'm proven wrong, I'll keep my opinion that this is the single dumbest argument I have ever heard on any message board, forum, drunk bar talk or TV/radio program ever. Solich may have went 7-7, but he was never a loser. May have seemed like he had a hand in his back, but he was never a loser. I've never heard of Texas being a hotbox for coaches. Do you know of any pro coaches that came to the college level with their own staff and were successful? Do you know of any coaches that implemented the wco where option is normally run and were successful? I have yet to see Nebraska fail playing Nebraska football. The losing started when the system broke down. Fix the system, get back to winning. I could give a damn about your opinion, it is what it is. These past few years, I don't know what the hell I've been looking at, but it hasn't been Husker football.

Give Callahan a pat on the back and a ticket back to Oakland somewhere, consider a few of the good football minds within the state for coaching positions, and take it from there. There has got to be a few hot prep coaches in Nebraska. Who are these HOT coaches from Nebraska? Your High School argument is pretty bad. Like I said before the Guy at Prep had the best HS team this year but SHOULDN'T be the coach of a D-1 team. If you had noticed, I wrote "..there HAS to be a few hot prep coaches". Meaning, I don't know if there is or is not. SO....how in the hell can I name one? Furthermore, I don't know of any coaches that just popped on the scene of any college without coaching high school first. What I was getting at was keeping Nebraska's style of football intact by having coaches there that know what its about. 100+ years of experience fired and the program starts a downward spiral after seeing unprecedented success the 30 years before. Changing the ingredients of success is never good. TO laid the foundation, NU should build on that.

You instate guys probably don't realize it, but us out of state guys don't have near as many channels for info. like you do. Chances are that we are hearing the bulk of the negative things coming out and none of the positive like you do, which is why its nice to hear things from instate fans, gives you a better perspective about whats going on, thats one of the main reasons i come here. There just isn't much info. about what's going on with us out of state guys. Yeah, I live way out of state. I'm from a Venice, Louisiana. It's the last living outpost near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of the state. Until I found out about HuskerBoard, the only way I'll hear or see anything about NU is by watching ESPN or looking in newspapers and sports mags. With this site and NSAA.com, I've been getting everything I've always wanted to know about Nebraska.... and I'd only just found them like a month ago. It's about time I did, I was getting tired of hearing my older brother rant and rave about his Fighting Irish all the time. He could always find new info on them...that bastard. He's been saying NU was dead since Solich fired the staff and didn't replace them with the right people....rejoicing even. All I could do was watch the games when they're televised and read the results in the paper.

Like what? It is the coaches job to decide how the team is to be run. Period. I don't care what team you are talking about. It isn't the administrations job. Believe it or not, that's the way it has always been here. It's just that you agreed with it until now. The Phillipines? Yes, NU has had success with it. I wouldn't call what Jamal Lord had success. I don't know what spread offenses you are talking about...examples? I am not saying the option doesn't work. The fact of the matter is it wasn't working as well as it did for Tom in the mid-90's because we didn't have the players. Thus Frank got fired and Callahan was hired. You can kick and scream all you want, but that's the facts. Wow. Doesn't "belong" here? Well who does belong here? Do you have some kind of list? There might be some people I would like to add This is the bottom line: The option won't be played at NU in the near future. No matter how much people kick and scream. There is nothing in the universities by-laws that says "Yup, our football team must run the option or else!!" That idea is ridiculous. Maybe I didn't come across correctly the first time trying to explain myself about how I feel about the situation in Nebraska. There are no pro sports teams in Nebraska. There is only 1 major university in Nebraska. From what I hear, its wall-to-wall football in Nebraska. Nebraska has enough resources to be self-contained and do its own thing in my opinion...mixing in a few outsiders here and there. I've read the NSAA forums and looked at a lot of prep teams and I feel to believe the players are there. From the stats I saw, I think the coaches are there too. NU could have kept the machine rolling after Osborne by hiring younger coaches within the state that fit the mold. NU enjoyed winning seasons every year damn near, until someone came and decided to change the ingredients of success. Did someone figure out how to stop the Husker's offense while I wasn't looking or something? Highly unlikely. Even if there were, say, a lack of players (whatever that means)-- the system would allow you to put your best athletes on defense and play field position. There is just no good reason I could see for changing the game. Some things just weren't meant to be tampered with, like mother nature...and Nebraska football. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Callahan does not belong in Nebraska. I seriously doubt that he is the answer to any problem. It seemed wonderful when NU hired him, being an ex-NFL coach and all, but I don't think his philosophy is compatible with what NU needs. Just being a pro coach doesn't make you a good one all the time. Nebraska needs to look no further than within itself to find a solution. I'll say it since everyone else seems scared to....to hell with that WC, 3 and out, finesse crap. Give Callahan a pat on the back and a ticket back to Oakland somewhere, consider a few of the good football minds within the state for coaching positions, and take it from there. There has got to be a few hot prep coaches in Nebraska. I'll rather see Nebraska fail at doing its own thing (which I personally never saw), than to fail trying to keep up with the Jones'.

What's up Husker Nation!!! Say, what's this I hear about 10 scholarship players leaving in the past 3 months? That has got to be a blow to the program. Has the bleeding stopped, or are we in trouble again this season? Are the players that left starters, RS-Freshmen?

He came to Nebraska because A ) there was a job opening B ) It's a great place to coach football. I am sure there are other reasons. I am also sure there was no stipulation on the job posting like "Must coach option offense". I don't know of a coach would would welcome being forced to coach a certain offense. After all, that's a part of your job. Hardly. Being an offensive coordinator for a coach like Gruden, a guy one rung higher on the WCO coaching tree, I think he has a firm grasp on what he wants to do. Getting it done is another story. I see tradition is one of those things that is beginning to be overlooked by many of today's schools. You can't be afraid to have your own identity. Maybe there was no stipulation like "you must run option" as part of the hiring process for a new head coach... but there should be things that should be understood by the persons looking to be hired as well as the employers. Come on man, kids in the back alleys of the Phillipinnes know that Nebraska runs option-- heavy. NU runs it and has had unprecedented success with it. You don't just change things without reason. Didn't Osborne make examples of WC and spread teams while he was there? Nebraska football (how it was always played) is the way to go for the Huskers... hands down. It's not like the pass can't be implemented with the option or option teams can't send players to the NFL. This is especially true for QB's, I know you see the high demand for playcallers that can get out of the way. Bottom line is: Bill doesn't belong in Husker Nation, and the NU administration is heading in the wrong direction.

Does anyone out there truly believe that the Huskers can win a national title with the west coast offense under Callahan? And if so, will there be a changing of the guard in regards to how football is played in the state? I'd seen on NSAA.com that most top prep schools in NE are option-based and have been that way since time. How are they being affected as far as churning out recruits are concerned? another question... .... why has NU gotten away from playing Husker football? Did someone in the front office get tired of winning? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Today's players' parents were kids the last time NU had a losing season-- that means something was working. ....the WCO is okay, there's nothing wrong with it, but if that isn't how you play the game--- why do it? A good motto I live by: Do you. Be the best you can be and don't try to be someone else. Osborne had 25 straight winning seasons, 3 Nat'l titles doing what he and the kids and the entire state were used to doing. There's no faking success, Husker football is the way for Nebraska. It's nice having a former pro coach at the school, as far as publicity is concerned, but its doing more harm than good. A coach at a top NE prep school, in my opinion, would make for a better candidate for head coach at NU.

Don't get me wrong Mr. HuskerBob, Callahan is an okay coach...... ....JUST NOT FOR THE NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS !!!!!!! The simple fact is the man is not a good fit at all in Nebraska. He's hurting the players, the school, everything. I fault the big wigs at the university for this. There has been turmoil since Oz left because the following coaches did not stick with the gameplan. If it aint broke, don't fix it. Someone in the state or elsewhere in the nation can run the program how it is meant to be run, I know it! Just gotta go get him. Oh yeah, and Gruden sucks....IMO, that is...

Are most or all schools in the state of Nebraska switching to or beginning to run a WC style of offense since Callahan infiltrated the system? I am yet to look at a high scool forum on Nebraska football, but something tells me that a majority of the schools there run option heavily... how true is that? If that is indeed the case, wouldn't that hurt the Nation as far as recruiting is concerned? I know of a lot of cases, especially here in the south, in which devestating option QB's shun schools because they don't run option and want them to change positions. Option QB's can easily be taught proper throwing mechanics and can go to the league (in which agile,athletic QB's are in high demand). Danny Wimprine is a prime example. He played at John Curtis High School here in Louisiana, they live and die by the split-back veer and have about 16 state titles. He couldn't get recruited in LA because he came from the option oriented school, and was picked up by Memphis where he went on to break just about all of their school records. He'll be drafted. Matt Jones is another one out of Arkansas. With teams downsizing their defenses in order to be quicker to stop all of these spread and WC offenses popping up, now is the optimum time to stock up on the big fellas and push the little guys around. LSU, if you don't mind me saying, has picked up at least 3-4 impressive O-linemen that weigh in over 340. I don't know what Les Miles is going to do with them, but he has them at his disposal. They may just be the determining factor in deciding the SEC champ this season. I don't know about you, but I'll rather have them play for me than play against them (big O-linemen)....remember the line the Huskers had in front of Frazier, Newcombe, and Frost? Now do you remeber the success they had?

If he doesn't know option or never wanted to run option, why in the hell did he come to NU? He may not know option... but from the looks of it, he is no guru at the WCO either.

Can't be any worse than Gruden. IMO the only reason he won one in TB is because of the team Dungy left behind. You seen what happened the next year to the Bucs? I forgot that the Raiders lost Harris in the middle too, that'll hurt 'em. Still in all, the team is only 2-3 years removed from the big show, still has a decent team and.... they got Moss.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS SHIFTED TO THE DARK EMPIRE!! It doesn't matter what kind of person Moss is, Oakland is now a Super Bowl contender. This is coming from a Packer fan. Collins has one of the strongest arms in the NFL....watch out!

Is it possible that Callahan can implement option into his West Coast offense? I know the WCO has a lot of running involved with it and was just wondering. Maybe split-back veer plays or something? I just can't see Nebraska with no option game, the trademark of the state. It's amazing how one person can come in and change the whole name of the game, huh? This Callahan is a threat to the well-being of the Husker Nation... especially with the game, in all levels, going back to the run. The era of the undersized OL ,DL ,and LB and pocket passer is being phased out. An agile QB, solid running game, and stout D is the core of what you need. This and great special teams. If this is what was working in the past, why change it?

Say BigRedToad, I have a philosophy of my own. It's a little more simple than that of IRISH...... Recruit the nastiest defenders you can possibly find in Nebraska, the biggest linemen you can possibly find in Nebraska, the biggest/nastiest fullback you can find and someone worthy to carry the pill. Get 'em worked out and drilled out. Next, you find an opponent foolish enough to challenge the RED MACHINE. Once you have them on the field and they cannot escape, apply this philosophy to the game.... JAM IT DOWN THEIR THROAT!!! THEY WILL EAT OPTION AND THEY WILL LIKE IT!! DO IT ON EVERY 1ST DOWN!!! GET 'EM SUCKED IN AND SLAM IT IN THERE AGAIN!!! DESTROY ALL HOPE OF STOPPING THE DIVE AND OPTION THEN for the 'coup de gras'...PLAY ACTION PASS TO THE TIGHT END ON A SEAM ROUTE!!!!AFTER YOU SCORE, UNLEASH THE BLACKSHIRTS, MAKE 'EM 3 AND OUT.....AND RESUME BEATINGS!!

1) How long have you been a member of Husker Nation? Since the age of 7. 21 years in all 2) What/who led you to The Nation? the love of football... smashmouth football 3) Where are you from originally? Venice, Louisiana 4) Where do you live now? Venice, Louisiana 5) Favorite Husker memory? Tommie Frazier running roughshod through the Gators in the title game. 6) Worst Husker memory? the retirement of Osborne 7) Number of home games attended? 0 in person, almost all on TV 8) Number of away games attended? 0 in person, almost all on TV 9) Favorite Husker memorabilia/apparel? Husker hat 10) Favorite place to watch a Husker game? (section in Memorial, bar, friends house etc.) brother's house (he's an Irish fan, DIE-HARD...we have great arguments!) 11) Favorite all time player? tie... Tommie Frazier, Carlos Polk 12) WCO or Option? OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION 14) Lil Red or Herbie Husker? Lil Red 15) Favorite Husker play? OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION OPTION 16) Favorite game-day beverage? nothing... can't eat or drink while the game's on 17) How did you find HuskerBoard? (referral source) self search I consider it an honor to finally be able to chat with true Husker fans. Thank you for giving me this opportunity...... THE BIG RED MACHINE WILL ROLL AGAIN !!!!! Keep the faith!!!!