Callahan's changing his philosophy?

[webb99]

I'm new to the board, and signed up so I could put in my 2 cents worth. Agreeing with most guys, I thought the game plan was too conservative. But, we did need to run the ball, take time off the clock, and keep USC off the field. A shoot-out with them would have only made our db's look worse than they did. No matter how we look at it, it's hard to win on the road, at night on national tv, playing one of the best teams in the country. In those games, you have to play flawless, and we didn't.

 

We all sat and watched the game wondering why the heck we weren't passing the ball. Run on 1st, run on 2nd, run on third, punt. Why? Who knows. We have one of the best passing quarterbacks we have ever had and one of the best receiving corps too. Why not use them? It's almost like Callahan is dead set on running the ball now. We either run the ball well and win, or we're going to lose. But we're going to run the ball just to show we can, or on Sat night that we can't. It's almost a complete opposite from his first year here. Then it was we are going to pass, win or lose, but we are going to pass just to show that we can.

 

I was at the Southern Miss game in 2004. I believe that was Callahan's 2nd game here. We were struggling passing the ball all day, and S Miss had taken the lead. Late in the 4th quarter, we put a great drive together, and marched down the field to win the game. It was a great drive because we finally decided to run the ball. Ross was getting 5-10-15 yards at a crack, and next thing you know it's first and goal. The defense was tired, on their heels, and we had 4 downs to run the ball 7-8 yards. No problem, right? Wrong! Callahan/Norvell calls 3 straight passsing plays, all incomplete. Fourth down of course we have to pass, and Dailey gets chased out of bounds, we lose. The entire crowd was yelling to run the ball, but we never did. I know coaches get paid to know their players a whole lot better than us, but there were 78,000 people there that knew we needed to run the ball to win. I swore to God that on that day at that game, that Callahan said we are going to pass the ball and win, or we are going to lose. But we are going to pass because that's what I want to do, right or wrong. And I think that mentality echoed throughout his first year here. Sadly, we had Dailey that year, and not Zach Taylor.

 

Now we have Taylor, and Callahan seems set on running the ball. Why? Who knows? Maybe because he took heat all last year because we couldn't. But it seems to be back to we are going to run the ball, win or lose, but that's what we are going to do. I'm not trying to bash on Callahan, but some of his game plans seem flawed to me. I'll go back to he gets paid to do this, knows his players better than us, knows how to call plays, knows football, etc. I don't think anybody will argue he knows a whole lot more than any of us will, but then how does he seem to miss the obvious play calls during a game. I'm not saying a pass play would have worked on the downs that we ran, but I know the run plays didn't work at all.

 

The first year I thought he wanted to show the world we would pass the ball to get some better recruits and open up some eyes. Win or lose, we were going to throw the ball because that's who he wanted us to be. He confirmed that at every press conference and in every game. Now it's come full circle. Now he wants to pound the football, win or lose, and that's who he wants us to be. And now he has confirmed that we are going to pound the ball. I guess I'm confused. I thought the WCO was about balance and being able to pass and run. The good thing is, if we are all guessing, so are the opposing teams.

[macroboy]

I couldn't agree more. I remember watching games Callahan's first year thinking "We'd win this game if he ran the ball more." We didn't have to be 5-6 that year.

 

The USC game was frustrating. He really does seem to be the kind of guy that will do it his way at the expense of winning and sometimes his players.

 

I'd rathe get blown out and try to win then play the game we played against USC.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

The first two games this year showed we can have a balanced attack. Hopefully that will be more representative in the rest of the games.

[skersfan]

I just read an article where Pete Carrol said the game plan had them messed up. Clock management took many plays away from them.

 

You know I have a lot of employees that think they know a lot more about my business than I do. I always tell them go start your own business then and show me how to do it. My suggestion to you guys is the same, if you know so much about our game plan and how the game is to be played, why aren't you running a BCS program somewhere.

 

If your that good, go do it. If you can't then keep your mouth shut. You truly have nothing to say that has any substance to it.

[drewalt]

[Hunter94]

I just read an article where Pete Carrol said the game plan had them messed up. Clock management took many plays away from them.

 

You know I have a lot of employees that think they know a lot more about my business than I do. I always tell them go start your own business then and show me how to do it. My suggestion to you guys is the same, if you know so much about our game plan and how the game is to be played, why aren't you running a BCS program somewhere.

 

If your that good, go do it. If you can't then keep your mouth shut. You truly have nothing to say that has any substance to it.

sorry skers....got to totally disagree with you on this one.......hell no, none of us are coaches or have the ability........but we are all entitled to an opinion of what we saw in that game....I think that is the reason for this board, last time i checked..

 

i have watched Husker football for over 40 years, and i say the game plan was pretty good, up until late 3rd or 4th quarter....running repeatedly on 1st down and not even throwing the ball or trying to go down the field, was an admission of defeat, before the game was over......you would have to be crazy to defend it or have thought anything else......worse play calling in a 4th quarter i have ever seen in Husker football...........the worst!!!!!

 

 

hunter

[NU fan in Denver]

I just read an article where Pete Carrol said the game plan had them messed up. Clock management took many plays away from them.

 

You know I have a lot of employees that think they know a lot more about my business than I do. I always tell them go start your own business then and show me how to do it. My suggestion to you guys is the same, if you know so much about our game plan and how the game is to be played, why aren't you running a BCS program somewhere.

 

If your that good, go do it. If you can't then keep your mouth shut. You truly have nothing to say that has any substance to it.

If the gameplan was that good we would have won. I agree with trying to establish the running game, but I don't think 69 yards or whatever it was is an established running game. Taking away possessions from a dynamic offense against USC is good, but you also take away snaps from your own offense (53?plays). In the end, we didn't win, and I didn't think we made a valliant attempt to pull the game out. Maybe mistakes would have been made that allowed USC to score a couple more td's. A loss is a loss whether it is by 18 or by 40. You don't get points for trying.

 

While I don't think we have as dynamic of an O as USC I do think we have an O that is more than capable and would have been able to move the ball against them. After they stuffed the run a few times go straight to throwing the ball several plays in a row. Then when the pin their ears back and go after the QB hit them with a draw, screen, sweep to change it up and keep them honest again.

[AZ4NU]

I also think another problem was that on a few of the first down plays we would gain 4-6 yards. If it's 2 and 5, what do you do? Personally I run to gain a few more yards and then have a 3rd and short. If you pass on 2 and 5, and it falls incomplete, then you have a 3rd and 5 and that is not what we wanted. Also, it doesn't matter how good the game plan is when you don't execute and when they completely outman us.

[Blackshirtsguru]

Good God! How many topics are going to be started about the USC gameplan?

[BigRedSmitty]

Lord knows I don't like Callahan, and the USC game didn't help. I have said I was happy with how the team played just not the coaching. It seems like there are some on this site who are OK with mediocrity. They are OK with weak game plans that don't give their teams a chance to win. Yes USC was better than the BIG RED, but not 18 pts. We aren't the only ones who didn't agree with coach and the gameplan...the announcers were a little confused as well. Remember last year against Kansas the players said they weren't ready, and we got our JOCKS handed to us...I think we were ready to play USC, and the players showed it NOT the coaches. I remember a video that came out during the Orange Bowl National Championship game...it showed clips of TO's halftime speech. Remember we were behind at half, and TO told his players they were going to win if they played their game. I'm not sure I want to see Callahans half-time speech.

 

As for people coaching a BCS program...maybe you should lead by example. Everytime a negative comment comes on here you rip people saying they are wrong. You seem to think what Callahan is doing is right and we are heading down the right track, but yet your just like us a Husker Fan. I don't doubt you want this program to be a winning program, but come on, to rip some one because they are passionate about their favorite college football team, that's going overboard. Many of us and probably you as well have grown up with Husker football all our lives and 95% of that time it has been a winning program with great traditions, some of us are not used to seeing this program on a major downslope. Many probably thought we would be down, but not by some of the ways we have been under Callahan. So I will close by saying I hope people continue to be passionate both ways, but ask that we allow people to be passionate, and the next time I see the Huskers on TV maybe I will see "SKERSFAN" on the sideline.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I'm going to guess about 14 more!!!! Just today!!!! You know we play Troy this weekend if anyone cares!!!!!

[huskerstag]

This may not be the best place to post it but I've got to get this out of my system. I'm absolutely sick of all the overreactions.

 

First Callahan passed the ball too much, now he's running the ball too much. A couple weeks ago we were national title contenders, now the sky is falling on all our heads. In the preseason all the players were "buying in" to the new coaches and philosophy and now we're waiting for some running backs to transfer.

 

What exactly has happened in the past two weeks to swing everything from one end of the spectrum to the other? We played one stinkin game last week, just like we'll play one stinkin game this week.

 

Does anyone here really think they know more about football, more about the team, more about the opponent, and/or more about drawing up game plans than the coaches and players themselves?

 

I'm just guessing here, but considering Callahan and Co. have been around the block a few more times that all of us I'm thinking they just might have a clue about how to run a football team through a season.

 

I'll admit, I was frustrated by the playcalling at times, and I was surprised I didn't see Glenn in the game but that's the coaches call and I'll go with it. Y'all can be upset about it if you want, but just leave it at that.

 

Don't come around here and speculate that Callahan was just being stubborn when he kept trying to run the ball. Don't start saying Lucky is "soft" or Glenn will probably transfer or that he's in the doghouse. Don't start claiming there's some sort of conspiracy to keep Octavien off the field. We've seen him play something like 9 quarters in his entire career. The coaches see him every single day in practice, but surely they don't know as much as we do about who should and shouldn't be playing.

 

Everyone needs to stop flying off the handle after one stinkin game. We all knew we'd have to play a perfect game to hang with USC. We didn't recover a fumble, had some bigger plays called back, dropped an INT that could have been a touchdown and ended up with a field goal when we needed a touchdown. Had we done those things it probably would have been a close game no matter what game plan we used and everyone would be talking about how great BC's gameplan was.

 

Bottom line, get over the USC game already. We lost one stinkin game. Stop trying to place the blame on someone and accept that we lost. Stop talking about how we would have won if only the coaches had called and asked for your opinion before they left. Stop all this wild speculation that comes with no foundation other than one stinkin game.

[Misplaced_Husker]

The day Nebraska made Callahan our coach; I wanted to kill myself. I knew that for years the Husker nation would struggle with the impact this incompetent boob-of-a-coach has on teams he attempts to coach. I knew this not by calling the psychic network. I only had to remember what Callahan did to the Oakland Riders

 

Example #1 In 2001, the Oakland Raiders under Jon Gruden’s guidance transform from one of the worst teams in the league; to the AFC championship game. The following year, he (Chuckie) transfers to Tampa and the reigns are given to Callahan. Callahan rides the coat-tails of a team of seasoned veterans all the way to the Super-bowl where he meets his predecessor. Can u guess the result. It was like a ninja master going up against his student. John Lynch from the Tampa secondary was miked-up for that game and was quoted as he laughed…”They’re doing everything just as coach said they would….this is too easy.” And it was. Tampa routed Oakland as their offense struggled to achieve any meaningful positive yards.

The level of frustration felt by the Raiders was evident in the following years and still today as they are forced to re-evaluate their future as a competitive football team.

Fast forward to the present…. Callahan has managed to do what no other coach in Nebraska history has done. He has managed to make a joke out of Nebraska football. The Husker tradition runs deep and spans 4 decades as a powerhouse and force to be respected; until now.

Blame it on the players; blame it on weak recruiting; blame it on whatever reason you can think of. When all the speculation clears…the truth will emerge. And the truth is that Bill Callahan has about as much ability to return the Husker Nation to its former glory as Custer did when he led his troops to slaughter at little big horn. NONE!!

Hate to be negative fellow Husker fans, but face it…until Callahan leaves (and probably for a few years after) we’re doomed.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

This thread is rediculous!!! We need a seperate area for Callahan bashers and negative fans to go and

[DJR313]

I have a contribution to this thread. It's because everyone here is so awesome, here is a banana riding on top of a llama. Enjoy.