Pelini's temper

[Billyball]

If you are smart, you do your A$$ chewing in private. You don't chew on someone responsible for a leadership role in front of those who are taking orders from them ie-assistants in front of position coaches and position coaches in front of players. You can say you want not to see anything like that again directly to them but not a public meltdown that makes them look small and you look SMALLER.

 

Bo is going to have to learn to be a head football coach that has some class. Right now he is fast becoming seen as "intense" and "passionate" by those just happy to have a winning season. If he stumbles and we start losing, those "that's just Bo being Bo" public tantrums at subordinates, players and officials, those same fans will view him as a tyrant and a stuborn bully with boorish behavior. They will be calling for his head even more quickly than someone losing but being a man with some control. There will come a time when a ref will have a tirade from Bo in the back of his mind and all things being equal (and that happens a lot) whether to throw a flag or not will hurt the team.

 

When/if he has a good coordinator and another school comes calling those public humiliations on national TV that he hears about from his family and friends, will be a factor in giving the one finger salute and moving on. There are repercussions for being a jerk. Not always are they apparent for a very long time. But eventually you reap what you sew. If he's smart he'll learn to chew a$$ in private and praise in public.

[knapplc]

I think when things go wrong or when things are on the line I want my leader to be calm (intense is fine) and giving clear instructions, not freaking out. I think losing control of one's emotions shows a lack of leadership (of course it can happen but with Pelini it is excessive). Butt chewings are for "after action" and are inappropriate for the heat of battle. The exception would be for motivational issues, but that generally takes care of itself unless you hired or recruited the wrong people. I think you can yell and scream and pull your hair out and make it work for a while, but it is unsustainable in the long run. He will lose assistants and gain a reputation of someone that is hard to work with. That being said, I can only guess what Bo is saying. Maybe he is giving clear instructions and just happens to have a angry look on his face.

 

This "calm and assertive" ideal you're theorizing isn't the only way to go. History is full of successful generals with short tempers. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. Alexander. Caesar. Pompey. Patton. Stonewall Jackson. Grant. Teddy Roosevelt. Football history is full of successful coaches with short tempers: Switzer. Bryant. Paterno. Schembechler.

 

There is no correlation between being calm and assertive and success. There are many different kinds of people with many different personalities. All kinds have been successful at life. You cannot make a blanket statement that one way or the other is wrong.

[HuskersandHoldem]

Mangino probably did it more than Bo today, you just can't tell because his mouth accounts for such a little proportion of him.

 

i laugh when i see mangino blow his top. i just envision him screaming like fat basterd from "austin powers".

 

seriously, just picture him getting into a player's grill and shouting, "GET IN MAH BELLY!!!" and try not to laugh.

 

When I saw him ripping a player, I figured the player was just standing there thinking "what ever you say coach, JUST DON'T EAT ME!"

[b-rad]

I think when things go wrong or when things are on the line I want my leader to be calm (intense is fine) and giving clear instructions, not freaking out. I think losing control of one's emotions shows a lack of leadership (of course it can happen but with Pelini it is excessive). Butt chewings are for "after action" and are inappropriate for the heat of battle. The exception would be for motivational issues, but that generally takes care of itself unless you hired or recruited the wrong people. I think you can yell and scream and pull your hair out and make it work for a while, but it is unsustainable in the long run. He will lose assistants and gain a reputation of someone that is hard to work with. That being said, I can only guess what Bo is saying. Maybe he is giving clear instructions and just happens to have a angry look on his face.

 

This "calm and assertive" ideal you're theorizing isn't the only way to go. History is full of successful generals with short tempers. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. Alexander. Caesar. Pompey. Patton. Stonewall Jackson. Grant. Teddy Roosevelt. Football history is full of successful coaches with short tempers: Switzer. Bryant. Paterno. Schembechler.

 

There is no correlation between being calm and assertive and success. There are many different kinds of people with many different personalities. All kinds have been successful at life. You cannot make a blanket statement that one way or the other is wrong.

 

I'm not sure I was making a blanket statement. I think my post is pretty clear in that I described what I want in a leader. Of course different people respond to different leadership styles. However, I've seen them all and I have an idea of what works best in my opinion. By far, the most impressive leaders are those who can motivate and get the job done without throwing tantrums and losing their cool (to be perfectly clear, no one is perfect). My point, and maybe I didn't make it clearly, is that Pelini goes too far, especially when he calls out his assistants in front of "the troops". Of course you have to get people's attention at times. Pelini does show a lot of great leadership in how he is accountable and how he makes his assistants accountable. There is a clear chain of command. That part is spot on. Realistically, no one is perfect, of course the more intense people may tend to be more likely to lose their temper. This is something that he needs to work on in my opinion. Also, I think we may not be as far off in our opinions as you think. When I say calm I'm not saying he should be picking daisies and whistling dixie*. What I am saying is that good decisions are not made when you are thinking irrationally, which happens when you totally lose your temper.

 

(*the right word is assertive)

[krc1995]

I think when things go wrong or when things are on the line I want my leader to be calm (intense is fine) and giving clear instructions, not freaking out. I think losing control of one's emotions shows a lack of leadership (of course it can happen but with Pelini it is excessive). Butt chewings are for "after action" and are inappropriate for the heat of battle. The exception would be for motivational issues, but that generally takes care of itself unless you hired or recruited the wrong people. I think you can yell and scream and pull your hair out and make it work for a while, but it is unsustainable in the long run. He will lose assistants and gain a reputation of someone that is hard to work with. That being said, I can only guess what Bo is saying. Maybe he is giving clear instructions and just happens to have a angry look on his face.

 

 

I agree

 

I also think the right approach changes with the situation. The wisdom is knowing when to use different reactions. Bo is learning and we are headed in the right direction as a team, so I am going to lay off him and let him hone his craft.

[NoLongerN]

This topic humors me ...

 

SheepdogMark

[cornhuskersftw]

Bo is in the learning phase. While he's been coaching for quite some time, being DC and HC are two different things. All the pressure is riding on him, good or bad, and the high standards that Nebraska holds for the football program has to be adding undue stress. Growing up, he was coached the same way... with intensity and yelling. It's something he's carried with him and probably always will. But just like Stoops has learned to control his outbursts, for the most part, I think Pelini will too. He has a great mentor to learn from in TO, and it he will grow into his role. I don't think his outbursts really affect coaching in a negative aspect... although I think it may have taken awhile for Callahan's coaches to transition from a laid back coach into a emotionally intense coach. I think they have, respect Bo and know if they want to coach there, then it comes with the territory.

[irafreak]

"um excuse me....excuse me....coach cotton sir. That tripping penalty...um no disrepect here but can you talk to that fine young man and politely, POLITELY ask him to stop. Oh wait coach remember he's just a kid with an eggshell ego so be gentle. Here...here's an extra tissue in case he cries."

[b-rad]

"um excuse me....excuse me....coach cotton sir. That tripping penalty...um no disrepect here but can you talk to that fine young man and politely, POLITELY ask him to stop. Oh wait coach remember he's just a kid with an eggshell ego so be gentle. Here...here's an extra tissue in case he cries."

 

That's what I love about the internet, it's either one or the other, black or white, democrat or republican, chevy or ford, stratocaster or les paul, the beetles or the rolling stones...is there no room for something in between?

[b-rad]

Bo is in the learning phase. While he's been coaching for quite some time, being DC and HC are two different things. All the pressure is riding on him, good or bad, and the high standards that Nebraska holds for the football program has to be adding undue stress. Growing up, he was coached the same way... with intensity and yelling. It's something he's carried with him and probably always will. But just like Stoops has learned to control his outbursts, for the most part, I think Pelini will too. He has a great mentor to learn from in TO, and it he will grow into his role. I don't think his outbursts really affect coaching in a negative aspect... although I think it may have taken awhile for Callahan's coaches to transition from a laid back coach into a emotionally intense coach. I think they have, respect Bo and know if they want to coach there, then it comes with the territory.

 

Great post. I hope I'm not making the impression that his task is easy or that he is overall doing a bad job. I think this one aspect of his coaching style is too extreme and could be better. And to be honest, it has improved since last year, probably in no small part due to TO's influence, who, IMO, is one of the all time greatest leaders in college football history.

[macroboy]

I think his anger is unacceptable, the only thing that redeems him, regarding anger, is that I think he is probably hardest on himself. However, I do not see how yelling at Cotton helps the line play better.

 

I think he needs to make it very clear to Cotton that he's on thin ice & unless his guys do their job better, he's going to lose his. Seems pretty simple to me.

 

If he can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

 

yes, 100%. You can talk all you want about execution and say the players need to do better but eventually there is a coach at that position who is responsible for their play and progress. O-line has been really bad this year. Bo leans on Barney, Barney cleans up his position or we find someone who can.

 

Yelling at Cotton on the sidelines is long overdue in my book.

[Paul in WI]

Yeah, well maybe if old Tom had been a little more like Bo (or Bob Devaney), it wouldn't have taken him so damn long to win his first NC. So there's your flipside argument....

 

"Wait" you say....."Tom Osborne was his own man." Exactly.......so let Bo be Bo. He'll find his own way just fine.

[irafreak]

"um excuse me....excuse me....coach cotton sir. That tripping penalty...um no disrepect here but can you talk to that fine young man and politely, POLITELY ask him to stop. Oh wait coach remember he's just a kid with an eggshell ego so be gentle. Here...here's an extra tissue in case he cries."

 

That's what I love about the internet, it's either one or the other, black or white, democrat or republican, chevy or ford, stratocaster or les paul, the beetles or the rolling stones...is there no room for something in between?

That's exactly the point i was making. I think Bo walks a fine line but that's the way a high stress job can be.

[b-rad]

"um excuse me....excuse me....coach cotton sir. That tripping penalty...um no disrepect here but can you talk to that fine young man and politely, POLITELY ask him to stop. Oh wait coach remember he's just a kid with an eggshell ego so be gentle. Here...here's an extra tissue in case he cries."

 

That's what I love about the internet, it's either one or the other, black or white, democrat or republican, chevy or ford, stratocaster or les paul, the beetles or the rolling stones...is there no room for something in between?

That's exactly the point i was making. I think Bo walks a fine line but that's the way a high stress job can be.

 

Fair enough.

[huskerpilot]

I love it actually. shows some real spirit, although I can see both sides of the argument. All of my friends and I just love it when we see him pissed off and fired up.