Q&A with Coach Cal

[Benard]

3. Agreed, he is very arrogant.

 

Some people call it arrogance, I call it confidence.

 

Roadrat, I agree with you, Callahan was quoted, through another source, that he didn't think there would be this much pressure as their was. But I would still rather listen to him speak than Solich

Callahan gives you a sales pitch, atleast solich gave you his true feelings and was straight up with everyone. I can see why pederson hired callahan, they could be brothers. Different answers every time you ask and side step questions all the time.

[hoyamannn]

Callahan gives you a sales pitch, atleast solich gave you his true feelings and was straight up with everyone. I can see why pederson hired callahan, they could be brothers. Different answers every time you ask and side step questions all the time.

That was Solich's downfall, he was honest. He honestly thought he was bringing in really good players. He honestly thought top recruits wanted to play in his offense.

[IrishAZ]

NOKC raises a point I think we overlook regularly in the context of the effect it had on the team: there have been 2 major coaching changes in the last 3 years.

 

Having never been on a team where position coaches changed, let alone head coaches, I can't say first-hand how that effects a player. I'm sure it's unsettling at least to a degree, and some players will respond better than others. To that extent, I can be a bit less critical of Callahan's and the team's performance last year since some of the effect would have been compounded by Frank's decisions the year prior.

 

Now, the flip side of that - given the frequency of position coaching, and even head coaching, changes at major universities the effects on a player is something that's probably a well-known factor. I think a head coach with more college experience would take that a bit more seriously and accommodate and plan for the potential problems that could arise.

 

I totally understand I could be wrong here - I'm just speculating, after all and have no first-hand information and only snippets from the media to form an opinion (just like most of us, probably) - but my impression of Callahan's treatment of the players in 04 was that he took a rather mercenary professional football attitude into the amateur ranks and expected it to work.

 

Don't get me wrong here - coaches can't be knee-jerk softy pushovers, but they can't be facist uncaring dictators either.

 

That being said, this is why I put great significance on BC's assessment of personnel at different positions this year: it may be signs of rectifying a mistake in his first year and a general change in mentality.

 

This is the story as I'm seeing it from the cheap seats - purely speculation and probably fairy tale, but hey, what else do we have to do in the offseason?

 

BC came in with the big pro-coach chip on the shoulder, laid down the law, ran roughshod over the kids, and assessed the players as a pro would - based on performance not potential.

 

After a season of hard losses, poor performances, defections and criticism, decent or even good players, leaving with complaints of lack of playing opportunity the light-bulb goes off - he's got no free agency available to fill the gaps and even spectacular recruiting brings in, at best, unproven players.

 

The solution: take what you have and make the best of it, adapt both player and system to each other, and give the kids a chance to get the job done.

 

Position changes in the NFL, though not unheard of, are fairly rare. If you need a cover corner or scatback, you draft one or trade for one or get one as a free agent or pull someone in on contract. Most NFL coaches aren't put into positions of having to relocate players by position unless their front office is completely incompetent. The loss of specialized skills is too great an expense and chances are the players would not agree to it.

 

Moving players (which, as I recall, didn't really happen last year to any great degree) is something a *college* coach would do and that's a good sign the pro mentality is being replaced with something more workable at this level.

 

Ok...the soapbox is all yours FF. :

 

IRISH!

[Eric the Red]

3. Agreed, he is very arrogant.

 

Some people call it arrogance, I call it confidence.

 

Roadrat, I agree with you, Callahan was quoted, through another source, that he didn't think there would be this much pressure as their was. But I would still rather listen to him speak than Solich

Callahan gives you a sales pitch, atleast solich gave you his true feelings and was straight up with everyone. I can see why pederson hired callahan, they could be brothers. Different answers every time you ask and side step questions all the time.

SOlich reminds me of Bush. Slow witted, and conventional.

 

Everything was tremendous with Solich.

[Blackshirt]

Here's some more Callahan fodder for the gallery...

 

Coaches' second seasons can spring success

[skersfan]

Hopefully the voice of Pelini will not be ringing in any of the defensive ears this year.

[Benard]

Callahan gives you a sales pitch, atleast solich gave you his true feelings and was straight up with everyone.  I can see why pederson hired callahan, they could be brothers.  Different answers every time you ask and side step questions all the time.

That was Solich's downfall, he was honest. He honestly thought he was bringing in really good players. He honestly thought top recruits wanted to play in his offense.

10-3......6-5?

 

How many guys we getting drafted this year in first 2 rounds? I'd say he was doing just fine.

[hoyamannn]

Callahan gives you a sales pitch, atleast solich gave you his true feelings and was straight up with everyone.  I can see why pederson hired callahan, they could be brothers.  Different answers every time you ask and side step questions all the time.

That was Solich's downfall, he was honest. He honestly thought he was bringing in really good players. He honestly thought top recruits wanted to play in his offense.

10-3......6-5?

 

How many guys we getting drafted this year in first 2 rounds? I'd say he was doing just fine.

12-1 2001

7-7 2002

 

What's your point Benard? Teams change every year.

[Hunter94]

thanks for the post blackshirt, interesting stuff.......we will see if bc's actions speak as loud as his words ring true.......you would think that Pederson told him that he would be given a limted amount of time to turn the program around, yes? although we all expect the record to improve from 5-6, my real barometer of sucess this year will be to see if he can coach the team (both O and D) to play as a unit......regardless of w's and L's that should be the aspect we use to grade out this new coaching staff......they also better be able to motivate and get this team to play with some real intensity, because i did not see that last year......4 or 5 guys going to the ball on D, every play, that is what i expect from the D side of things

 

hunter

[hoyamannn]

I meant 11-2. Forgot about that great CU game, amazing how that slips my mind.

[skersfan]

I agree Hunter, it is about seeing improvement on all sorts of things. I really could care less about wins or losses this year. I hope for the best, but if we are in every game, play respectable ball against the top teams we play and are not run I will be very happy. I see this as a 4 year time table. I look for us to battle for the Big 12 North this year. I think Colorado wins it again but I think we will show respectably.

[joshuavacek]

This year we have a great oppertunity to start the season 5 -0. What will all of you doubters be saying then. The pieces are here with this recruiting class. We will be running the WCO with WCO players. If we go 5-6 this year I will be disappointed and looking very hard at callahan, be he has done nothing in the offseason but be everything you want a coach to be and do. Give the man another recruiting season and look out.