How long is too long

[Sugalean]

Coach will go the distance on his contract IMO. Will stay longer if he can lick the 5 loss a yr thing. NU fans won't go for that. We have avg 5 losses the last 3 yrs. The winning the division thing will be overlooked by the Husker faithful IMO if we continue to have 4 and 5 loss seasons. Just doesn't fly around here. It didn't with fans before BC and won't with him or after. Face it... we have been spoiled.

[admo]

Two years is too quick for "turning around" a program anywhere. The Huskers have established a new direction, the passing game, a balance attack. That's a good thing. I like Callahan's effort. But I dunno guys, I dont think I can be proud with another 8-4 kind of record (12 games this year). Just being me.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Next year is a huge year for Callahan. He has to something even more significant than what he has done so far. He has to win the the Big XII Championship not just get us there to keep fans happy.

[MCAT800]

I'm glad being a fireman has a little more job security.

It would be hard to be a college coach, harder to give your heart to the job. When everything you do is measured on if you'll be back the next year.

I asst. coach HS football so I can't comprehend turning a program around in two years, especially if it was really in the dumps.

I hope BC sticks around because I am the kind of guy that believes you get more out of a program with continuity, but the days of assistants sticking around like they did for TO is over. $$ rules all things

[FriscoTXHusker]

Interesting thread that I hadn't thought much about. It would make sense that most of the successful programs would be those that chase the money (put butts in seats and money in the hands of advertizers on TV, the school and the NCAA) plus feed the NFL with players (where the players finally get their cut). That would explain why it seems more and more top players skip graduation. Can't blame them. Maybe the old days of football dynasties under one coach (Osborn, Bryant, Paterno) are a thing of the past.

 

Maybe they should start paying the players a salary.

[huskered17]

Some very good points made. I like the one that said Coach Callahan didn't have any thing to do with Solich getting fired. You sure won't have known that by the warm welcome he received from husker fans on his arrival. Or coaches loyalty now days. Kind of like the fans loyalty, screaming for your head if you happen to lose a game, doesn't matter that your trying to build some thing that might take a little time, who can wait for that. Then when a coach leaves because he was treated so "loyally' by the fans it must be about the money. It's true coaches must realize what their getting into when they take these type jobs, but it's just got to wear you down over time. Best of luck to Callahan and his staff next year and for years to come hopefully.

 

 

GBR!!!

[gamecocks]

Next year is a huge year for Callahan. He has to something even more significant than what he has done so far. He has to win the the Big XII Championship not just get us there to keep fans happy.

 

What if he is undefeated going into the Big XII Championship and then happens to lose? Or what if he only has one loss going into the game and still loses? Is that a doom and gloom season or a sign that we are headed in the right direction.

[FriscoTXHusker]

Next year is a huge year for Callahan. He has to something even more significant than what he has done so far. He has to win the the Big XII Championship not just get us there to keep fans happy.

 

What if he is undefeated going into the Big XII Championship and then happens to lose? Or what if he only has one loss going into the game and still loses? Is that a doom and gloom season or a sign that we are headed in the right direction.

 

IMO one can't judge success by one game. Look at the Gators vs. Michigan. Heck, we could have played the Gators better than that. College ball is sometimes unpredictable. That adds to fun (sometimes frustration) of it. For me I'd like to see us play well for the whole game and throughout the season. I'd like to see us beat some top 10 teams rather than playing them toe-to-toe and loosing by shooting ourselves. If we can play consistantly and reduce mistakes all those recruiting successes ARE going to start paying off in terms of championships. There will be disappointments, but overall we'll start being a force. I'd like to see our defense cause some real concerns for the opponents. I think our O is getting exciting but I want some hard hitting D. IF we get some good O, smack down D and beat some elite teams I'll be happy.

[Glendower]

Some very good points made. I like the one that said Coach Callahan didn't have any thing to do with Solich getting fired. You sure won't have known that by the warm welcome he received from husker fans on his arrival. Or coaches loyalty now days. Kind of like the fans loyalty, screaming for your head if you happen to lose a game, doesn't matter that your trying to build some thing that might take a little time, who can wait for that. Then when a coach leaves because he was treated so "loyally' by the fans it must be about the money. It's true coaches must realize what their getting into when they take these type jobs, but it's just got to wear you down over time. Best of luck to Callahan and his staff next year and for years to come hopefully.

 

 

GBR!!!

 

Being loyal and being pissed are not mutually exclusive. It's not like people STOPPED watching or going to games just because they think our record sucks.

[Sugalean]

Well the gautlet was set at the hire. Something about not surrendering the conf to the you-know-whos. And all the talk for playing for NCs and such. If this is the case... Pedey may want this crew to win the conference by the time current contract expires.

 

Lets see... last staff won a div title. Check. Won a conf title... check. Obtained a BCS slot...check. Played for a NC... check. HC won coach of the yr awards... check.

 

The standard is high around here... Winning big games, bowl games, conference titles, avoiding blowouts and making BCS status... those things count. You simply can't afford 4 and 5 loss seasons around here. Not if you want to keep on keeping on.

 

Plus with the $$$ these coaches make these days at a program like ours... there is no reason to want a high return on the investment. Its a just win mentality these days and the stakes are high. Welcome to big time collegiate football.

[skersfan]

Sug all those checks could only be written with Tom Osborn ink.

 

Solich failed miserably, and most realize that. When the well goes dry it takes awhile to get it going again. Now if you have to dig a completely new well that can take even more time.

 

There are only a few that are in a big rush to return to glory, most understand that this program only won for a period of 5 years. The others were pretty normal seasons for a top program. It took TO 23 years to win the big one. And normally every year he played one game and then got killed in the bowl game. It took him time to learn to play with the big boys. BC is playing with the big boys in 3 years. With less talent, more restrictions and way tougher competition, and kids that have a way different thought about college ball and where they are headed.

 

We just don't line up the good ole Nebraska boys who have grown up with one purpose in mind, to play for the Big Red.

 

We must adjust our time frames some I think.

[3 putt]

I hope we can keep the staff we have, to see what happens in the next 2-3 years.

IMO we would be hard pressed to find a better AD then SP. He has done a wonderful job in all phases of his responsibility… football, basketball, volleyball, facility upgrade, and a number of other sports. We seem to be headed in the right direction. Just ask yourself…Who do you think can do the job better?

 

As for our football program: I think our cup is half full (9 wins), not half empty (5 losses). Wins are now harder to come by than in the 80’sand 90’s. Our schedule is stronger and the teams are better across the board. BC and his crew have us on a big time upswing. IMO he is doing a great job of getting the recruits that will make us better in the years to come (check out our 2007 class). I really enjoy watching BC’s type of football…enough said. Again, who can you suggest we hire that would be a better coach.

 

Today’s college football programs are not like the 80’s or 90’s programs. We now have lots of dollars involved. Nebraska’s football budget is close to Texas and Okalahoma, but we are not at that level and may never be. If we are to compete we need aggressive people like the ones we have on staff. If someone wants to really help our program…just donate 150 mill (like an OKS. Booster) then if we post a 9-5 season, we will be glad to listen to your complaints.

[hack]

IMO we would be hard pressed to find a better AD then SP. He has done a wonderful job in all phases of his responsibility… football, basketball, volleyball, facility upgrade, and a number of other sports. We seem to be headed in the right direction. Just ask yourself…Who do you think can do the job better?

 

i reluctantly agree.

 

i think stevie p.'s greatest knock will be the firing for solich and the subsequent cluster-mangle of solich's replacement. there was no board or discussion: this was the stevie p show. it was just pederson running out into the wilds of the football wilderness with the promise of getting someone big.

 

steve repeatedly said that he was going to get nebraska a coach with a "WOW" factor. someone who would energize huskernation.

 

that man...

 

 

houston nutt.

 

say it again, just to get the effect: HOUSTON NUTT.

 

and collectively, huskernation said, "wow.... you're kiddin' right?"

 

but this was stevie's end-all, be-all coach. and stevie thought that if he offered enough money, nutt would bite.

 

never mind the fact that arkansas was nutt's dream team, the team he followed as a youth. never mind the fact that as a high school quarterback, he turned down freakin' Bear Bryant down so he could play for arkansas. forget the fact that after years of being an assistant and head coach at multiple schools and finally got back to arkansas, his home state and was coaching a program he always worshiped and admired.

 

forget all that. steve's plan was apparently consisted of rolling a wheel barrel full of cash down to fayetteville right out side of nutt's house and screaming, " AW C'MON..! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA BE MY HEAD COACH!!!!"

 

what happened? well, nutt played stevie like piano and used him to re-negotiate a sweet deal with arkansas.

 

 

well played, mister nutt. well played, indeed.

 

for a couple of weeks afterward, steve's backup plan was apparently locking himself alone in his darkened office, curling up in a fetal position by one of the corner walls and rocking himself back and fourth while mumbling, "whatamigonna?!?whatamigonnado?!?whatamigonnado?!?"

 

as fate would have it, al davis in oakland had a solution for huskernation...

 

 

we're gonna debate forever the events that brought coach callahan to nebraska. and until billy c. brings us the big prize, he'll probably never get the full respect that he deserves. personally, i like him and i think coach callahan is a good fit for nebraska.

 

but steve pederson will never fully be able to live down the events that got us to where we are today.

 

 

time will tell, though. time will tell.

[Huskerballz]

Haha, thanks for the storytime hack...really, I was throughly entertained....around the Houston Nutt segment, I went and popped some popcorn!

 

Steve Pederson is a great businessman and negotiator, and he has done a lot of great things for Nebraska. He likes to roll the dice which isn't a bad thing to do in college football, but sometimes he gets a little too risky, so far....we've been ok....but I think we could just as easily falter heavily from one of his decisions. However, I do think that SP and Callyhan got us going to where we need to go....you'd be hard pressed to find a team in the Big 12 that can match our momentum going into the season....I honestly do see us running the table because we'll only be a year smarter (duh) SP and BC just better not go bipolar on us....

 

 

time will tell though......time will tell

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Next year is a huge year for Callahan. He has to something even more significant than what he has done so far. He has to win the the Big XII Championship not just get us there to keep fans happy.

 

What if he is undefeated going into the Big XII Championship and then happens to lose? Or what if he only has one loss going into the game and still loses? Is that a doom and gloom season or a sign that we are headed in the right direction.

 

Well that's a different situation from my perspective. If next season ends up being like this season then I think people will definately be disappointed. If he would have won the Big XII this season and then the Cotton Bowl though no one would be having this type of conversation obviously..............I think we are going in the right direction and we will definately be competing with the big boys in the next year or two.........