Shatel's article on Pederson

[NU fan in Denver]

I'm pretty sure that the snipers would get you before you got to the field if you tried that now.

 

Here's a funny non related story. I grew up in a small Nebraska community pop. 632. As I believe a 7th grader in the early 70's we were all supposed to take hunter safety. Our Voc Ag instructor was the coarse instructor. He requested that everyone bring their gun to school so we could practice safe gun handling.I actually lived in the country, so I rode the 'yellow school bus' everyday. Well the day we were to bring our guns, I walked out to the end of our farm driveway to get on the bus with my Model 12 Winchester 12 gauge pump. When the bus arived, the bus driver opens the door and lets me in, but tells me that I should leave the gun up by him until we get to school.I'm like ya, ok! There were several other boys on the bus, who did the same thing.When we got to school, we were given our guns, and we took them into the Ag room, and left them there till the class later in the day. Then, that afternoon, we took them back home again on the bus. True Story ! Times have changed a bit since then.

 

 

Guess what, you used to be able to get on an airplane with a pocket knife, or at least nail clippers! Times change, the world is a scary place and anybody that doesn't see this is living under a rock. Are we safer in Nebraska than in other parts of the world, probably so, but that doesn't mean every building should be open and people should have access to whatever they want. It would be great if this was the case, however that is not reality, times change, things change. It's nice to remember the past, but some people need to stop living in it.

 

The terrorists have won.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I'm not a fan of Stevie P but I agree that many of the changes Shatel are griping about are for the best for reasons of security and safety. Shatel was on 1620 earlier but I missed it. Kevin Kuglar did mention that Stevie P did call the editor of the World Herald to vent his displeasure over the article. Then Stevie P was on KFAB and stated that many of the changes were made within the last 9 months to protect the female athletes and female employees.

 

Was there an incident that we don't know about? Or were they being proactive?

[hastingshusker]

I would like to give the benefit of the doubt and say they are being proactive.

[np_husker]

I have not read Shatel's column, as omaha.com no longer provides access to Shatel's columns unless you subscribe to the paper. I am a Shatel fan. I don't always agree with what he writes, but he's always interesting and gives his readers something to think about.

 

I did hear Shatel on 1620 The Zone this afternoon. I don't think he did anything wrong. I do see the need for security at the athletic dept offices, but I do agree that the NU Athletic Department isn't like it used to be. I feel that they have distanced the department from "regular" Nebraska, but would have no trouble accepting our donations.

[DaveH]

I have not read Shatel's column, as omaha.com no longer provides access to Shatel's columns unless you subscribe to the paper. I am a Shatel fan. I don't always agree with what he writes, but he's always interesting and gives his readers something to think about.

 

I did hear Shatel on 1620 The Zone this afternoon. I don't think he did anything wrong. I do see the need for security at the athletic dept offices, but I do agree that the NU Athletic Department isn't like it used to be. I feel that they have distanced the department from "regular" Nebraska, but would have no trouble accepting our donations.

 

So what can they do to not "distance" themselves, but also honor the security requirements?

 

I am pretty sure you can still take free tours of the facilities if you arrange it.

[Touchdown Tommie]

Guess what, you used to be able to get on an airplane with a pocket knife, or at least nail clippers! Times change, the world is a scary place and anybody that doesn't see this is living under a rock. Are we safer in Nebraska than in other parts of the world, probably so, but that doesn't mean every building should be open and people should have access to whatever they want. It would be great if this was the case, however that is not reality, times change, things change. It's nice to remember the past, but some people need to stop living in it.

 

 

People have a hard time with change.

[treeeman]

Try walking into the OWH. I'm sure they have security at their door.

 

Hey Shatel, welcome to post 9/11

[ForRealBigRedFan]

Shatel said that it wasn't about him getting the shaft, it was how NU has lost the family feel that it used to have and many NU fans say the same thing. He said that we should be able to tour the complex any time we want just like the majority of other major universities do.

 

If this is really due to "female athletes and employees" do they have armed guards walk these people to their cars and escort them around campus?

 

Shatel also said that Steve called his editor all pissed off that he was never contacted about this column. Steve isn't God and doesn't need to be contacted. Besides, Shatel said that the World Herald has been trying to contact him for over 2 months with no response but he could call them about this article. Steve offered to be interviewed as a response to the piece but when he was told that there were other issues they wanted to discuss with him, the gutless worm Pederson declined the interview.

 

Hopefully Perlman gets rid of him and can bring back some Nebraska to NU.

[chuckd]

Hopefully Perlman gets rid of him and can bring back some Nebraska to NU.

 

Good golly I hope so. Gee whiz, you think we could just dig up the Bobfather and sit him in the AD's chair? That would be great! You know what would be even better, if we just fired the entire coaching staff and replaced them all with former players because they would do things "The Nebraska Way"

 

It's really sad that some people can't let go of the past. The Nebraska Football program is one of the best in the nation, it has a long history and has sustained success for over 40 years. Just because our current head coach isn't from Nebraska or have any connections to the past doesn't make him any less of a Husker. People forget Devaney had absolutely no connection to Nebraska before he was hired, now his name is almost synonmous with the program. Point is, you don't have to forget all the success our program has had in the past, but you have to realize thats what it is, the past. And bringing back players/coaches from that period isn't going to equal "the good ol' days." What we can do is get behind the players/coaches that are here NOW and root for us to make new successes.

[DaveH]

It's not about bringing "Nebraska back to NU", which is an awesome phrase BTW . It's about hiring a coaching staff that these people will like and think they "are" NU.

 

ForRealBigRedFan's know that that.

[ForRealBigRedFan]

Just because our current head coach isn't from Nebraska or have any connections to the past doesn't make him any less of a Husker.

 

Your right. I guess reading a couple of books about NU football will make you a Husker.

 

People forget Devaney had absolutely no connection to Nebraska before he was hired, now his name is almost synonmous with the program.

 

True but Devaney resurrected the program from the dead. He didn't take a program that was limping along and shoot it in the head.

 

Point is, you don't have to forget all the success our program has had in the past, but you have to realize thats what it is, the past. And bringing back players/coaches from that period isn't going to equal "the good ol' days." What we can do is get behind the players/coaches that are here NOW and root for us to make new successes

 

I agree the past is the past. Everything changes. NU is not NU.

[Capp]

The fact that one man has gotten to a point where he has no accountability, is pretty stunning.He has become a one man hiring and firing czar.

 

How many coaches has Steve Pederson fired? The only one that I can think of is ole Frank. If you think that was a bad decision, you are crazy. The mans job depends on how the athletics at the university fare.The football team is very close. Maybe he didn't let everybody know who he was interviewing. Maybe he had a plane ready to go for Houston Nutt. Personally I think that he made the right decision. Our talent has concistently risen from the start of the Callahan era. This team is one or two big playmaker away from being great.

 

How good right now does the hire that he made for our basketball team look. Doc has taken a team and night in and night out got them to overachieve. They are undertalented and lack depth. Our baseball team has been a top 10 team since he was hired. Vollyball just won a national championship. They packed in the qwest center and showed how true fans can make a 17,000 seat arena sound.

 

The days of being able to walk into all the offices are over. The days of dive left, dive right, option are done. We have entered a new era of the way that things are done in this athletic department. It is an elite facility for the student athletes. Face it you are not going to know eveything that goes on. We graduate players, and we do things the right way. You never hear of Nebraska having hearing with the NCAA on rules infractions.

 

Everyboy have a nice day.

 

Capp

[chuckd]

 

True but Devaney resurrected the program from the dead. He didn't take a program that was limping along and shoot it in the head.

 

What about Frank taking a program that had just won 3 of 4 National Championships and running it into the ground.

 

If you think a 9-5 season equals a program that has been shot in the head then you have some serious problems that aren't worth discussing on a message board.

 

People like you are usless to talk to. You have made up your mind and no amount of facts or reasoning will change those opinions. You make outlandish statements about the program being dead and give no basis other than you wish it was still 1995. It's sad really.

 

Oh well, I'm excited about the future of Husker athletics (Football, Baseball, Basketball, etc) and people like you will not stop me from rooting for the team I love. Have fun living in a world of doom and gloom, I'll stay away.

[BigWillie]

So Shatel is freaked he isn't allowed free run in a place he doesn't work at.

 

I'm sure Washington reporters would like free run at the Pentagon, White House, etc., but that isn't how things work.

 

I'm sure Greenpeace would love free run on oil drilling sites along with coal mining sites, but that isn't how it works either.

 

Hell, how many jobs can you go into and have free run into a place?

 

I personally live in a rural area, but just to go into a school now as a visitor, I have to bring a photo ID, along with being patted down before I can go anywhere.

 

The worst experience is when I went to take my mothers purse to her at her place of work. She worked for the employment commission in Virginia. I had to stand behind a bullet proof door with keypad, be patted down and scanned as if I were in an airport. Have my license taken and verified by local authorities as to who I was before I could walk through the door. After, I had to empty the purse before I could even hand it to her. This is with her standing there, telling them who I was and what I wanted.

 

To be honest, I have e-mailed Steve Pederson a few times in the past about concerns I have had about the direction of NU football. Each time I was met with a cordial, intelligent and timely response. I'm guessing if you e-mailed Shatel about his column, he wouldn't even bother to reply to most, even though that falls into his day-to-day tasks.

 

I haven't read the article, but from what I have gathered, it sounds like Shatel took something way too personally, especially considering he was treated like royalty by the AD. Honestly, it sounds like nothing but sour grapes and if he was looking for a reason to bash Pederson.

 

Really, I've learned to accept a lot of NU fans over the years. Most are so stuck in their ways, they remind you of you grandma and grandpa. If they think 2+2 is 3, you couldn't convince them otherwise. When Pederson handed over the reigns to someone who wasn't from Nebraska, someone who didn't run the option, and someone who didn't have the last name Devaney or Osborne, he basically committed blasphemy. To most, it should have been him instead of Saddam being hung.

 

To me, I support Nebraska regardless. This isn't about Pederson, and it sure as heck isn't about who the coach on that sideline is. But I just wish columns like that would cease, because it does nothing but divide Husker fans more, and makes it tougher for all of us to get where we want Husker athletics to be by causing controversy.

 

If Pederson falls on his face, let him. But whether he is cordial or polite isn't what he is here to do. He's here to make Nebraska among the elite in college athletics. With how Doc Sadler has handled the basketball team, how Mike Anderson has handled the baseball team, and how Bill Callahan shows continued improvement year after year, I certainly say he is doing his job.

 

Maybe he isn't doing things the way Shatel would prefer, or even the way you prefer, but his way has shown to be the right way so far in his career.

[coyeote]

So Shatel is freaked he isn't allowed free run in a place he doesn't work at.

 

I'm sure Washington reporters would like free run at the Pentagon, White House, etc., but that isn't how things work.

 

I'm sure Greenpeace would love free run on oil drilling sites along with coal mining sites, but that isn't how it works either.

 

Hell, how many jobs can you go into and have free run into a place?

 

I personally live in a rural area, but just to go into a school now as a visitor, I have to bring a photo ID, along with being patted down before I can go anywhere.

 

The worst experience is when I went to take my mothers purse to her at her place of work. She worked for the employment commission in Virginia. I had to stand behind a bullet proof door with keypad, be patted down and scanned as if I were in an airport. Have my license taken and verified by local authorities as to who I was before I could walk through the door. After, I had to empty the purse before I could even hand it to her. This is with her standing there, telling them who I was and what I wanted.

 

To be honest, I have e-mailed Steve Pederson a few times in the past about concerns I have had about the direction of NU football. Each time I was met with a cordial, intelligent and timely response. I'm guessing if you e-mailed Shatel about his column, he wouldn't even bother to reply to most, even though that falls into his day-to-day tasks.

 

I haven't read the article, but from what I have gathered, it sounds like Shatel took something way too personally, especially considering he was treated like royalty by the AD. Honestly, it sounds like nothing but sour grapes and if he was looking for a reason to bash Pederson.

 

Really, I've learned to accept a lot of NU fans over the years. Most are so stuck in their ways, they remind you of you grandma and grandpa. If they think 2+2 is 3, you couldn't convince them otherwise. When Pederson handed over the reigns to someone who wasn't from Nebraska, someone who didn't run the option, and someone who didn't have the last name Devaney or Osborne, he basically committed blasphemy. To most, it should have been him instead of Saddam being hung.

 

To me, I support Nebraska regardless. This isn't about Pederson, and it sure as heck isn't about who the coach on that sideline is. But I just wish columns like that would cease, because it does nothing but divide Husker fans more, and makes it tougher for all of us to get where we want Husker athletics to be by causing controversy.

 

If Pederson falls on his face, let him. But whether he is cordial or polite isn't what he is here to do. He's here to make Nebraska among the elite in college athletics. With how Doc Sadler has handled the basketball team, how Mike Anderson has handled the baseball team, and how Bill Callahan shows continued improvement year after year, I certainly say he is doing his job.

 

Maybe he isn't doing things the way Shatel would prefer, or even the way you prefer, but his way has shown to be the right way so far in his career.

 

All good points however I often wonder if the biggest culture change that fans are struggling with is the lack of continuity in the football program. All the old names are gone, most of them should be but I believe they often question which coaches will be leaving next. Blake is goine, Norvell is gone, another was ready to jump ship etc. On the baseball side of things how many coaches have left since Pederson has been here. I don't have a problem with Doak being gone. I mean I feel bad for the guy but in this day and age "we are going a different direction" is more than most people get in any job. What that tells me is that Doak is a good guy, good at what he does but that the program has evolved and he has been unable to evolve with it. That's not a knock on him or anyone else. It's a tough deal to change your way of thinking, and it's even tougher to accept a reduced role of infuence. So security is tighter in the athletic department. I'd love to be able to go sit in Haymarket park and eat my lunch but guess what I don't own it and don't really have a "need" to be there. Most athletic facilities have limited access. AD's get far too much credit when things are going right and probably not near enough when things aren't going so well. One thing to remember with Steve is that he has hung his hat and his career on what happens with the football program and Bill C. Right or wrong this is how he will be judged. That being said Bill had better win the Big XII title this year and had better be in a BCS bowl either this year or next or things will get pretty rough around here for Steve.

 

Personally I don't care much for Steve based on what I see on the news but I do like Bill. Sometimes I think he makes things too complicated but otherwise I believe he's got most if not all of the skills to get us back in contention for a few top 5 finishes. I just wish he had someone to coach special teams. The game is won on 3 aspects. Offense, defense and special teams.