Conversation with an LSU fan today....

[HuskerTrucker]

I ate lunch today with a LSU season ticket holder today. He said that the biggest loss they feel they had over the off season was losing Bo. Felt pretty confident though the their defense is still intact...but questioned their offense.

 

He gave a lot of credit to Bo for the defense they had. Said when he heard that Bo was coming back for the NC game, at first their fans weren't too excited about the idea, and wondered where the allegiance would be. Then after they discussed it the majority of the fans felt that it would be better to have the coach that got their defense there than to have a new one for a game that important. He said the players really liked Bo, and that they probably got the fans to come around.

 

He also stated that he felt like Bo would turn our program around in a "few years". I told him I felt like we had the offense already, and if Bo could light a fire under the defense, we might be there sooner than anyone else around the country believes we will be.

 

Then we kind of talked about the problems that both teams have had in the off-season with players getting into trouble. Very similar situations, only in their case the starting QB was involved. They also have their version of the Brass Rail...where the players can't help themselves but to get into trouble, they had 5 players arrested, though, where we only had one...though ours got charged with a felony, where theirs was more misdemeanors.

 

 

 

 

 

So...in retrospect, we aren't the only team that has these little "player issues" arise...common sense says that. But we are Nebraska, and we have our tradition (and I suppose other schools hold their tradition is high regard as we do) and I think expect our players to respect that tradition and uphold the good name of the university. And they disappoint us...and they will disappoint us in the future, as they have in the past.

 

I still think Bo was the right person for the job under Osborne. I also believe in my heart, maybe not totally with my head, that Nebraska will be in a bowl game, maybe a good one, this coming season. The turn-around is upon us. Bo will make the players believe. And they will take pride in our program, and work to protect it's good name and win games.

 

GBR!!

[moe]

I ate lunch today with a LSU season ticket holder today. He said that the biggest loss they feel they had over the off season was losing Bo. Felt pretty confident though the their defense is still intact...but questioned their offense.

GBR!!

 

I'm sure that any LSU fan is unhappy with BP leaving LSU. Yet, they're all waiting...waiting to see what happens....what happens with BO as a Head Coach.

 

Bo Pelini has proven himself as a DC ever since he arrived in the college ranks - 2003. Top 25 defenses, every year. Granted, he served as DC for programs known for in-state talent (post NE) - OK, LA.

 

I'm more concerned with Shawn Watson calling the plays. That isn't to say that I think SW isn't capable...but we're testing two new coaches in the 2008 season - Shawn Watson (Offensive Coordinator)...and Carl/Bo Pelini (Defensive Coordinator).

 

We have the tradition, we have the facilities...

[HuskerTrucker]

I think Watson is going to have a different view this year, I think he will be influenced by input not only from Bo, but from all of the coaches. There may be some experimentation, but Watson knows what pretty much worked for us last year. I do expect to see more running though, maybe with some options.

[bbhusker]

I might be wrong but wasn't Watson the one calling the plays for sCUm when they handed us our butts in 2000? If he was then I hope he wants to establish the run like he did that day, for us in every game. That game hurt.

[Eric the Red]

I ate lunch today with a LSU season ticket holder today. He said that the biggest loss they feel they had over the off season was losing Bo. Felt pretty confident though the their defense is still intact...but questioned their offense.

 

He gave a lot of credit to Bo for the defense they had. Said when he heard that Bo was coming back for the NC game, at first their fans weren't too excited about the idea, and wondered where the allegiance would be. Then after they discussed it the majority of the fans felt that it would be better to have the coach that got their defense there than to have a new one for a game that important. He said the players really liked Bo, and that they probably got the fans to come around.

 

He also stated that he felt like Bo would turn our program around in a "few years". I told him I felt like we had the offense already, and if Bo could light a fire under the defense, we might be there sooner than anyone else around the country believes we will be.

 

Then we kind of talked about the problems that both teams have had in the off-season with players getting into trouble. Very similar situations, only in their case the starting QB was involved. They also have their version of the Brass Rail...where the players can't help themselves but to get into trouble, they had 5 players arrested, though, where we only had one...though ours got charged with a felony, where theirs was more misdemeanors.

 

 

 

 

 

So...in retrospect, we aren't the only team that has these little "player issues" arise...common sense says that. But we are Nebraska, and we have our tradition (and I suppose other schools hold their tradition is high regard as we do) and I think expect our players to respect that tradition and uphold the good name of the university. And they disappoint us...and they will disappoint us in the future, as they have in the past.

 

I still think Bo was the right person for the job under Osborne. I also believe in my heart, maybe not totally with my head, that Nebraska will be in a bowl game, maybe a good one, this coming season. The turn-around is upon us. Bo will make the players believe. And they will take pride in our program, and work to protect it's good name and win games.

 

GBR!!

 

 

Good story, thanks for sharing

[hack]

i was in the office and i was talking to missouri fan in the office today and he told me that "OMG NEBRASKA SUX AND UR TEAM IZ FULLA CRIMINAZ!!!!!1!!1"

 

i responded, "NO!! U!!!" and then we got into a big rubberband fight between cubicals.

 

just thought i'd share.

[HuskerTrucker]

i was in the office and i was talking to missouri fan in the office today and he told me that "OMG NEBRASKA SUX AND UR TEAM IZ FULLA CRIMINAZ!!!!!1!!1"

 

i responded, "NO!! U!!!" and then we got into a big rubberband fight between cubicals.

 

just thought i'd share.

should have pulled out the sling shot and fired some paper clips his way - that would shut him up....

[Cy the Cyclone]

When did you learn to speak Cajun?

[np_husker]

I ate lunch today with a LSU season ticket holder today. He said that the biggest loss they feel they had over the off season was losing Bo. Felt pretty confident though the their defense is still intact...but questioned their offense.

 

He gave a lot of credit to Bo for the defense they had. Said when he heard that Bo was coming back for the NC game, at first their fans weren't too excited about the idea, and wondered where the allegiance would be. Then after they discussed it the majority of the fans felt that it would be better to have the coach that got their defense there than to have a new one for a game that important. He said the players really liked Bo, and that they probably got the fans to come around.

 

He also stated that he felt like Bo would turn our program around in a "few years". I told him I felt like we had the offense already, and if Bo could light a fire under the defense, we might be there sooner than anyone else around the country believes we will be.

 

Then we kind of talked about the problems that both teams have had in the off-season with players getting into trouble. Very similar situations, only in their case the starting QB was involved. They also have their version of the Brass Rail...where the players can't help themselves but to get into trouble, they had 5 players arrested, though, where we only had one...though ours got charged with a felony, where theirs was more misdemeanors.

 

 

 

 

 

So...in retrospect, we aren't the only team that has these little "player issues" arise...common sense says that. But we are Nebraska, and we have our tradition (and I suppose other schools hold their tradition is high regard as we do) and I think expect our players to respect that tradition and uphold the good name of the university. And they disappoint us...and they will disappoint us in the future, as they have in the past.

 

I still think Bo was the right person for the job under Osborne. I also believe in my heart, maybe not totally with my head, that Nebraska will be in a bowl game, maybe a good one, this coming season. The turn-around is upon us. Bo will make the players believe. And they will take pride in our program, and work to protect it's good name and win games.

 

GBR!!

 

Good story and I'm glad you shared.

 

I do think we'll be in a bowl next season. Probably not a January bowl, but not too bad.

[Spartness]

I think Watson is going to have a different view this year, I think he will be influenced by input not only from Bo, but from all of the coaches. There may be some experimentation, but Watson knows what pretty much worked for us last year. I do expect to see more running though, maybe with some options.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Watson also gets some offensive input from the A.D. That guy knows a bit about offense. It's not everyday that you have an A.D. who is one of the greatest offensive minds to ever coach.

[mrmac429]

good story thanks for sharing. I have a positive outlook for next year. I think Watson will do fine but time will tell. 5 days till spring practice starts!!!!

[CelticRover20]

The story about the Nebraska and LSU fans talking was enlightening. What I think the story really shows is the amount of faith, and yes, hope, all Nebraska football fans have placed in a man who has yet to prove himself as a HC. Not to take anything away from Bo because I think his hiring was excellent and a very smart move by Coach Osborne. But consider this: If Turner Gill had been Coach Osborne's hire, would he be undergoing the same scrutiny as Bo? My guess is yes, TG would have, until about the third game of the season when Nebraska fans would have formed their opinions and decided one way or the other about the man in charge of the team be that either Pellini or Gill. As for Shawn Watson, well, he was a Callahan hire and I think the fans will have a tendency to want to look over his shoulder during the upcoming season. Will Shawn Watson be last years Kevin Cosgrove? Possibly. I believe Watson will come under more scrutiny than Bo because everyone will be watching to see if he adapts to the style of offense Pellini wants, or if he will continue to run the same style of offense he ran under Callahan. It's Pellini's choice, of course, but five years from now, the number of wins and losses won't be attributed to Watson or whomever is running the offense but to the head coach. After marrying a die-hard Nebraskan who loves her Nebraska football more than anything (including me sometimes!), the one thing I've learned about the program is that regardless of who the HC is, he BETTER[/b[/u] buy into the tradition, or he will soon be packing his bags for other, lesser schools such as Colorado or Missouri. So, let's look forward to a good year, a year when the REAL blackshirts return to Lincoln, and a year when people once again fear to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I believe, my friends, I truly do.

[HuskerTrucker]

The story about the Nebraska and LSU fans talking was enlightening. What I think the story really shows is the amount of faith, and yes, hope, all Nebraska football fans have placed in a man who has yet to prove himself as a HC. Not to take anything away from Bo because I think his hiring was excellent and a very smart move by Coach Osborne. But consider this: If Turner Gill had been Coach Osborne's hire, would he be undergoing the same scrutiny as Bo? My guess is yes, TG would have, until about the third game of the season when Nebraska fans would have formed their opinions and decided one way or the other about the man in charge of the team be that either Pellini or Gill. As for Shawn Watson, well, he was a Callahan hire and I think the fans will have a tendency to want to look over his shoulder during the upcoming season. Will Shawn Watson be last years Kevin Cosgrove? Possibly. I believe Watson will come under more scrutiny than Bo because everyone will be watching to see if he adapts to the style of offense Pellini wants, or if he will continue to run the same style of offense he ran under Callahan. It's Pellini's choice, of course, but five years from now, the number of wins and losses won't be attributed to Watson or whomever is running the offense but to the head coach. After marrying a die-hard Nebraskan who loves her Nebraska football more than anything (including me sometimes!), the one thing I've learned about the program is that regardless of who the HC is, he BETTER[/b[/u] buy into the tradition, or he will soon be packing his bags for other, lesser schools such as Colorado or Missouri. So, let's look forward to a good year, a year when the REAL blackshirts return to Lincoln, and a year when people once again fear to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I believe, my friends, I truly do.

I think TG would have been a tough hire, even though he has been a head coach. I think there would have been a lot more scrutiny put on him by fans, and by the big donors in particular. I like TG, and I would hate to see him coming into Lincoln set up to fail. It would have mattered who he hired as assistants to some degree, but if anything went wrong, he would have had his head being called for, as fickle as Husker fans tend to be. I am not sure what TG would do with this defense, and it could have been what brought him down. TG was never one to be a "rah rah get in your face" guy, and I think that is exactly what this defense needs this year - someone to kick butt and get in their face if they don't step up and do their jobs and play as a team. Bo was right for that...and I am not sure if TG would have been the hire who we would have gotten in here to do the dirty work with the defense and challenge them.

 

I don't think the weight of this years offense will fall directly to Watson for some reason. I think Bo will be and want to be the go to guy if anything is going wrong. I don't think Bo will sit back like BC and do nothing if we start having problems on the offense....or the defense for that matter, he just don't strike me as that kind of coach - and then there is Osborne in the background, he is not like Ped, he knows what a football team is supposed do and act like... I fully expect Bo, and all the coaches for that matter, to have some input on what ever offense we run. I have high expectations and hopes for this years offense. Defense is where the questions are - who is going to show up to play? I hope that they have everyone flying to the ball, even if it means over playing on some plays and getting burned now and then. I want the defensive backs to go out and hit someone, even if they don't catch the ball - leave a calling card.

 

I will be highly disappointed if we don't make a bowl, fairly disappointed if it isn't a good one. Thrilled if we pull out a miracle comeback and are in the hunt for a NC. Miracles do happen, my friends - everyday. All we need is performance that is keen, and we may be in line for ours.

[CelticRover20]

HuskerTrucker, you make several valid points. In retrospect, my comments may have seemed to imply that any offfensive shortcomings would fall directly on Watson's shoulders. That's not what I meant. As a former coach myself, I agree that Bo will step up and take responsibility for everything that happens this year: that is as it should be because he is, afterall, the head football coach of a major university. On the other hand, however, I honestly believe Bo will ensure that his coaches and players receive more credit than he when the football teams succeeds. Bo Pellini doesn't strike me as a man on the hunt for laurels: instead, I believe Bo will make sure the players recieve the credit due them when they win, and he will, behind closed doors, make sure that those players who are not performing at the extremely high level that is expected of a Nebraska Cornhusker also understand they will either produce, or they will sit on the bench while someone else who is producing takes their place. As for Watson, I believe he did the best he could under Calla-what's-his-name. The offense most likely will produce this coming season because I was impressed with the play calling and with Joe Ganz and believe that a mobile QB is the key to moving the ball across the goal line. That is the way of the future, but I also believe the old smash-mouth football Nebraska is known for will make something of a return under Bo. Nebraska fans may not ever again watch a game where the majority of plays are run up the gut but rather a mixture of passing and running plays. To that extent, Watson should be successful, but we all know that a smart coach, like Bo, will retain at least one or two coaches from the former regime as a means of not completely upsetting the equilibrium of the team. Continuity is important. Watson will either be around for a long time, or he will be gone in two years (lor less) when Bo finds someone else not related to Calla-jerk. So, I agree with you, Husker Trucker and appreciate the comments.

[HuskerTrucker]

HuskerTrucker, you make several valid points. In retrospect, my comments may have seemed to imply that any offfensive shortcomings would fall directly on Watson's shoulders. That's not what I meant. As a former coach myself, I agree that Bo will step up and take responsibility for everything that happens this year: that is as it should be because he is, afterall, the head football coach of a major university. On the other hand, however, I honestly believe Bo will ensure that his coaches and players receive more credit than he when the football teams succeeds. Bo Pellini doesn't strike me as a man on the hunt for laurels: instead, I believe Bo will make sure the players recieve the credit due them when they win, and he will, behind closed doors, make sure that those players who are not performing at the extremely high level that is expected of a Nebraska Cornhusker also understand they will either produce, or they will sit on the bench while someone else who is producing takes their place. As for Watson, I believe he did the best he could under Calla-what's-his-name. The offense most likely will produce this coming season because I was impressed with the play calling and with Joe Ganz and believe that a mobile QB is the key to moving the ball across the goal line. That is the way of the future, but I also believe the old smash-mouth football Nebraska is known for will make something of a return under Bo. Nebraska fans may not ever again watch a game where the majority of plays are run up the gut but rather a mixture of passing and running plays. To that extent, Watson should be successful, but we all know that a smart coach, like Bo, will retain at least one or two coaches from the former regime as a means of not completely upsetting the equilibrium of the team. Continuity is important. Watson will either be around for a long time, or he will be gone in two years (lor less) when Bo finds someone else not related to Calla-jerk. So, I agree with you, Husker Trucker and appreciate the comments.

I have to agree with everything you say. I don't think Bo will have a bit of trouble putting praise on the table for the players and other coaches. BC had a real ego problem, he wanted all the credit. The players got zip, the only thing you ever heard about was when he decided to rip into Ganz or say that the team didn't perform as expected.

 

Watson could be gone in a couple years, if not sooner, to take a HC job somewhere if he does as well as I think he might do at Nebraska under Bo. I don't know that it would be a top tier team that he would take, but I could see him possibly as a HC at some Div 1 school without too much of a stretch of the imagination. He knows offense.