Watson staying put!

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

Not to be a cynic, but he didn't say he wasn't going to Alabama. The statement appears to be intentionally vague to me.

Uh... yes, he did.

[BigWillie]

Not to be a cynic, but he didn't say he wasn't going to Alabama. The statement appears to be intentionally vague to me.

Uh... yes, he did.

 

No .. he didn't.

[HuskerTrucker]

Will you guys quit reading between the lines, because your starting to look kind of autistic. He said he was glad to be in Nebraska and was looking forward to working with the returning members of the offense. What else does the man have to say? Give the rest of us a break, will you? Quit making crap up that just isn't there.

[hack]

a good recap on the watson episode and what this means to nebraska...

 

Watson shows loyalty to NU

Steven M. Sipple:

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - 12:30:37 am CST

 

So, Shawn Watson eschews one hornet’s nest and settles back into another.

 

It seems Nebraska football fans are thrilled Watson decided to stay. And they’ll remain thrilled, so long as he keeps that Big Red offense humming.

 

Make no mistake, Alabama wanted to hire Watson as offensive coordinator, the position he holds at Nebraska. Don’t doubt for a second the Crimson Tide job was Watson’s if he wanted it. The fact Watson remained with the Huskers shows his loyalty to Bo Pelini and Tom Osborne. It also shows that dear old NU still can keep excellent coaches from bolting for more lucrative offers.

 

Watson has an annual salary of $225,000 at Nebraska, although spurning the Tide probably means he’ll get a nice raise, assuming he hasn’t already. In this case, Watson had plenty of leverage with the Husker brass, considering national signing day looms Feb. 6. Any offensive coach will tell you the importance of good timing (wink, wink).

 

You may have noticed the Alabama-Watson dance didn’t linger for long. Pelini learned of the situation Sunday night. By mid-morning Tuesday, the matter was resolved, and Nebraska’s recruiting efforts proceeded with minimal, if any, interruption. That was important for NU. Staff continuity, and building trust and loyalty among coaches, also is crucial at this early stage of the game.

 

If this situation hints of gun-for-hire, well, so be it. We all want our coaches to show undying loyalty to their school. But once the program loses a few games, fans and administrators often are quick to heave their loyalty out the window. We’ve learned Nebraska is no exception.

 

At any rate, Watson probably would have earned every penny of the $400,000 annual salary he apparently could have commanded at Alabama. Tide head coach Nick Saban leads like a hard-driving CEO. And remember, Saban and Co. are coming off a 7-6 season in which they lost to Louisiana-Monroe in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Tide ranked 75th nationally in total offense last season, so the heat on the offensive staff will be intense in 2008.

 

Watson will work for a comparatively easygoing boss in Lincoln. For instance, Pelini isn’t one of those 16-hours-per-day head coaches who essentially live in the office. (“I get my work done and we try to have some fun, too,” Pelini says). What’s more, Watson obviously is acutely familiar with Nebraska’s returning personnel that helped the Huskers finish ninth nationally in total offense, as he served as coordinator last season.

 

Watson also has the benefit of being able to tap Osborne’s wisdom. They’ve formed an excellent relationship (which made the Alabama news somewhat confusing).

 

All headaches/challenges considered, Alabama probably would’ve been a tougher gig than Nebraska.

 

Not that Nebraska will be a picnic for Watson.

 

For one thing, he becomes the definitive boss of the offense now that Bill Callahan has moved on. Callahan coached the Husker players and coaches on offense. He was in complete control. Now, all eyes will be on Watson — not that he hasn’t been in this position. Indeed, he was Colorado’s offensive coordinator from 2000-05 under Gary Barnett.

 

“I had complete faith in Shawn and his ability to organize our staff and our game plan,” Barnett said Wednesday. “I was right there with him and was involved, but I let him lead the way. He did most of the play-calling. We took input from our other coaches. We had discussions. I always had overrides. But he ran the whole offense. He always had a plan.”

 

With Watson at the controls, Colorado’s version of the West Coast offense evidently had a knack for adapting to talent on hand, as the Buffs captured four Big 12 North titles. If Chris Brown and/or Bobby Purify weren’t romping through defenses, Joel Klatt would be throwing over and/or through them. CU was typically a 50-50 run-pass outfit.

 

“Shawn and I were on the same page that you have to run the football effectively in order to win in the Big 12,” Barnett said. “We wanted to be balanced.”

 

In that regard, Watson’s philosophy seems to jibe with that of the rest of the Husker offensive staff — Tim Beck (running backs), Barney Cotton (linemen), Ted Gilmore (wideouts) and Ron Brown (tight ends).

 

Said Cotton: “We’re going to maintain a West Coast flavor. But we want to get back to Nebraska being a physical team on offense — not that they weren’t before. But we really want to put an extra emphasis on being a real solid rushing team, and the West Coast offense certainly allows you to do that.”

 

Don’t underestimate the importance of Watson “coaching up” the coaches. Beck, Cotton and Brown (Gilmore was a holdover from the previous staff) will have to learn Watson’s system thoroughly before they can confidently teach players. The coaches’ learning process likely will begin in earnest shortly after national signing day. I imagine there will be give and take among the coaches, some mixing and matching of systems.

 

“It’ll be an important period, but Shawn is very good at teaching,” Barnett said. “Shawn knows the offense inside and out. I don’t think there’ll be a problem. It’ll just slow them down a little at the get-go.”

 

It’s interesting listening to a former Husker nemesis discuss what Big Red coaches might be doing behind closed doors. Another point of interest: You have to think Callahan will continue to have influence on Watson’s offense, right? Remember, Watson considers Callahan a mentor and close friend. That doesn’t just go away.

 

Ah, the intrigue. At places like Nebraska and Alabama, intrigue seldom takes a day off.

[HuskerTrucker]

That was a good article, Hack. I think it will be really interesting to see what the offense looks like when the Spring Game comes around...I have a feeling that it will definitely be sold out, especially if they do it at night. I am looking forward to getting back to seeing us establish that we can and will run again.