NEBRASKA FOOTBALL: Judgment Day

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

This is actually a pretty good read

 

NE Statepaper

 

"How many times I got to tell you? Don't fight the rabbits. Because, boys, if you fight the rabbits, the elephants are going to kill you."

 

-Bobby Knight, in “The Rabbit Hunter”

 

"Bottom line is some guys crawl into a shell when you get in their face, other guys respond the right way. As you are around guys longer and have more experience with them, you have a better understanding of how to reach each and every individual."

 

-Bo Pelini, Oct. 25, 2008

 

 

He said he was sorry, and well, what the hell else do you want? With a bunch of fat faces and lean faces and grim faces and moon faces – a veritable inquisition fed by Valentino's Pizza and Pepsi - peppering him really like he's never been at NU before, judging him the same, the prophet of Nebraska football, Bo Pelini, asked for his believers and accusers to sit and reason with him. A figurative placing of palms on the table as if to say, see, here's me, the sins of my scarlet temper.

 

Now you'll have to decide whether to forgive them and whether, as fans, to hold Bo accountable to his claim that he'd done losing it on the sidelines. That, in his words, “it won't happen again.”

 

Monday's the best you'll get from the man, a Western omelet of contrition, humility and steadfast certitude in his own methods. Fans will laud Bo's press conference performance, conducted in a packed room that had more tension than half of the Huskers' football games this year. It felt like an event, and when Bo entered the room, walking briskly to his seat, the air changed. The jiggling bellies and wagging tongues froze and fixed their most prominent features on a small spot just below Bo's gaze, the better not to meet it, even with a belly button. People are intimidated, if you didn't know.

 

Bo delivered an impromptu speech. No notes. Extra conviction.

 

When he allows himself to be, Bo is a forceful, gifted speaker, if not loquacious. He twice painted the image of walking into the home of kid's parents – and the promise he makes there. It was a justification of who he is and a clever recruiting pitch in the same breath.

 

“I tell parents I’m going to have your kids back, I’m going to fight for them every step of the way,” he said. “I’m going to be there for your kids. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your kids have a fair shake and prepare them for the rest of their life in a lot of different ways. I’m going to love them unconditionally.”

 

Then: “I just need to watch the passion I bring to it, and make sure I do it in the right way.”

 

That Pelini would add that coda makes you wonder – just what did chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne say to him? I suspect the message was forceful. Unvarnished. Here's what we – and you – will stand for. This isn't, after all, a Banana Republic private school, but a public institution that just pulled up the the academic big boy table of the CIC and the Big Ten. Perlman is a cold-blooded killer, as his adversaries – and Missouri - will attest. He has a dogged toughness and ego to match Bo's, frankly. That's how he dragged NU to the Big Ten against long, unlikely odds. He's not a typical academician.

 

Bo's not a typical head coach. At least not in this era. He has a sharper edge, and he wears it, plus his loyalty, on his sleeve. He doesn't play cute with the press or fans – and, until Monday, felt no great impetus to do so. In some aspects of his job, this stodgy, throwback nature is a strength. But it's a weakness when Bo concerns himself too much with incidentals – a minor press flap here, a borderline pass interference call there. As his need for control in the moment spirals out of control, his team goes down with him, as the offense clearly unraveled Saturday night.

 

Does Pelini truly get that? We'll see. He spoke of his team in terms of a family, and while it's commendable – the way it ought to be – Pelini practices a kind of rough, older brother affection for his players that means chewing them out one play, and hugging the snot out of them a few plays later. He railed at Taylor Martinez on Saturday, and had a long, good joke with him during practice Monday.

 

“One thing about our players - I promise you they know this - I got their back,” Pelini said. “And they understand also that I expect them to have mine.”

 

Said Peso Eric Hagg: “Of course he has it his way, but his way is the best way. So there's no way about arguing it. Whatever you need, he's there to help you.”

 

La Cosa Bostra.

 

Most Husker players would echo those same sentiments. It was telling Monday that former Husker Phillip Dillard, who spent some time inside Bo's doghouse, came his defense on Facebook, applauding his former coach to lighting into Martinez, the mercurial quarterback whose insular nature ultimately needs to change if he's going to be the long-term signal-caller at NU.

 

Ah, Martinez. An example of the lengths to which Bo will go to reach a kid. Rumblings of Martinez's discontent have been there since his arrival in 2009, and while peddled rumors of his exit remain premature, why won't they subside? Saturday's A&M flap aside, Pelini has given Martinez ample room to grow. He's not compelled to speak to the press, and when he does, Bo apparently doesn't know that he makes head-scratching statements like “it's my team; it's no one else's team.” Martinez takes a tongue-lashing and heads right back in the game on a gimpy ankle. T-Magic can take T-Much latitude.

 

But for as tough as Bo's exterior seems, he'll walk the extra mile with Martinez, and I think there's a reason for it: Trust. Bo wants to build it, against long odds, with a kid who seems to lack it for just about everyone not in his small inner circle.

 

Others disagree with me, but I think on the other side of Martinez's seeming petulance lies a potentially-terrific leader. Pelini's trying to get to it and if he does – if he harnesses Martinez's independence and turns it into a generalissimo - Nebraska has its franchise quarterback for three more years. That's worth a lot of wins.

 

Bo won't give up on this kid, and he won't let the kid give up on NU. Yet. Whether this stubborn streak is wise or wasteful remains to be seen.

 

Martinez's status with the Huskers is no small thing, of course, and neither was Bo's performance Monday. It felt, in many ways, like the biggest moment in Pelini's career since his hiring. He wore humility uneasily but sincerely, answering calmly the kind of questions that, just one week ago, would have fetched a “next question” for the interviewer's efforts. Reporters weren't baiting Bo, but they were seizing on a rare moment to get the goods. Not once did Bo fall back on feigned bewilderment, knee-jerk contrariety or my favorite, “What do you think?”

 

In short, he put his cards on the table. I must decide what to make of them in these next weeks.

 

So does Perlman.

 

So does Osborne.

 

So does Martinez.

 

So do you.

 

[CR4IGG3RS]

Good read.

 

I'm also reminded of an anecdote someone passed around last year concerning Bo's first meeting with Ndamukong Suh when Pelini took over at Nebraska, and I remember him saying something along the lines of: "You stink. You aren't as good as you think you are...but you could be, you could be better" (Citation needed, not a direct quote) and I remember loving Bo for saying that.

 

This isn't the SEC, we aren't going to cry for and pander to primadonna superstars and kids who think they have earned anything, around here, you're only worth as much as you're willing to put into the program and sacrafice for it, and I love that.

 

Calm down a bit, Bo. But for the sake of all that is holy, don't change.

[CR4IGG3RS]

and one other quick note: If these kids think they have it bad, there's always the military. I joined the Marines at 18, and spent 4 years in the infantry. Don't EVER tell me that these 20/21 year old players can't take a rough life-style or an as*-chewing as warranted, trust me, they'll live, and Bo is only almost as scary as he could be if he wanted

[TripleOption]

Great article. Looks like I have to start reading that paper...

[huskernumerouno]

That was a great read.

 

[cornhuskers4ever]

"That was ridiculous out there!!! Don't let them run the ball down your throat!!!". - Tom Osborne to the Defense in the 1998 Orange Bowl. I am proud to have Bo Pelini as Nebraska's Head Coach. The Cornhuskers are developing into somethng very special. Bo has the mindset that if Nebraska plays as well as they can play, no contest. Nebraska is 9-2 with the margin off the losses being 10 points. Sure we haven't blown everybody away, but Football is sometimes like a game of chess. I think the future of Nebraska Football is bright.

[irafreak]

This is actually a pretty good read

 

NE Statepaper

 

"How many times I got to tell you? Don't fight the rabbits. Because, boys, if you fight the rabbits, the elephants are going to kill you."

 

-Bobby Knight, in “The Rabbit Hunter”

 

"Bottom line is some guys crawl into a shell when you get in their face, other guys respond the right way. As you are around guys longer and have more experience with them, you have a better understanding of how to reach each and every individual."

 

-Bo Pelini, Oct. 25, 2008

 

 

He said he was sorry, and well, what the hell else do you want? With a bunch of fat faces and lean faces and grim faces and moon faces – a veritable inquisition fed by Valentino's Pizza and Pepsi - peppering him really like he's never been at NU before, judging him the same, the prophet of Nebraska football, Bo Pelini, asked for his believers and accusers to sit and reason with him. A figurative placing of palms on the table as if to say, see, here's me, the sins of my scarlet temper.

 

Now you'll have to decide whether to forgive them and whether, as fans, to hold Bo accountable to his claim that he'd done losing it on the sidelines. That, in his words, “it won't happen again.”

 

Monday's the best you'll get from the man, a Western omelet of contrition, humility and steadfast certitude in his own methods. Fans will laud Bo's press conference performance, conducted in a packed room that had more tension than half of the Huskers' football games this year. It felt like an event, and when Bo entered the room, walking briskly to his seat, the air changed. The jiggling bellies and wagging tongues froze and fixed their most prominent features on a small spot just below Bo's gaze, the better not to meet it, even with a belly button. People are intimidated, if you didn't know.

 

Bo delivered an impromptu speech. No notes. Extra conviction.

 

When he allows himself to be, Bo is a forceful, gifted speaker, if not loquacious. He twice painted the image of walking into the home of kid's parents – and the promise he makes there. It was a justification of who he is and a clever recruiting pitch in the same breath.

 

“I tell parents I’m going to have your kids back, I’m going to fight for them every step of the way,” he said. “I’m going to be there for your kids. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your kids have a fair shake and prepare them for the rest of their life in a lot of different ways. I’m going to love them unconditionally.”

 

Then: “I just need to watch the passion I bring to it, and make sure I do it in the right way.”

 

That Pelini would add that coda makes you wonder – just what did chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne say to him? I suspect the message was forceful. Unvarnished. Here's what we – and you – will stand for. This isn't, after all, a Banana Republic private school, but a public institution that just pulled up the the academic big boy table of the CIC and the Big Ten. Perlman is a cold-blooded killer, as his adversaries – and Missouri - will attest. He has a dogged toughness and ego to match Bo's, frankly. That's how he dragged NU to the Big Ten against long, unlikely odds. He's not a typical academician.

 

Bo's not a typical head coach. At least not in this era. He has a sharper edge, and he wears it, plus his loyalty, on his sleeve. He doesn't play cute with the press or fans – and, until Monday, felt no great impetus to do so. In some aspects of his job, this stodgy, throwback nature is a strength. But it's a weakness when Bo concerns himself too much with incidentals – a minor press flap here, a borderline pass interference call there. As his need for control in the moment spirals out of control, his team goes down with him, as the offense clearly unraveled Saturday night.

 

Does Pelini truly get that? We'll see. He spoke of his team in terms of a family, and while it's commendable – the way it ought to be – Pelini practices a kind of rough, older brother affection for his players that means chewing them out one play, and hugging the snot out of them a few plays later. He railed at Taylor Martinez on Saturday, and had a long, good joke with him during practice Monday.

 

“One thing about our players - I promise you they know this - I got their back,” Pelini said. “And they understand also that I expect them to have mine.”

 

Said Peso Eric Hagg: “Of course he has it his way, but his way is the best way. So there's no way about arguing it. Whatever you need, he's there to help you.”

 

La Cosa Bostra.

 

Most Husker players would echo those same sentiments. It was telling Monday that former Husker Phillip Dillard, who spent some time inside Bo's doghouse, came his defense on Facebook, applauding his former coach to lighting into Martinez, the mercurial quarterback whose insular nature ultimately needs to change if he's going to be the long-term signal-caller at NU.

 

Ah, Martinez. An example of the lengths to which Bo will go to reach a kid. Rumblings of Martinez's discontent have been there since his arrival in 2009, and while peddled rumors of his exit remain premature, why won't they subside? Saturday's A&M flap aside, Pelini has given Martinez ample room to grow. He's not compelled to speak to the press, and when he does, Bo apparently doesn't know that he makes head-scratching statements like “it's my team; it's no one else's team.” Martinez takes a tongue-lashing and heads right back in the game on a gimpy ankle. T-Magic can take T-Much latitude.

 

But for as tough as Bo's exterior seems, he'll walk the extra mile with Martinez, and I think there's a reason for it: Trust. Bo wants to build it, against long odds, with a kid who seems to lack it for just about everyone not in his small inner circle.

 

Others disagree with me, but I think on the other side of Martinez's seeming petulance lies a potentially-terrific leader. Pelini's trying to get to it and if he does – if he harnesses Martinez's independence and turns it into a generalissimo - Nebraska has its franchise quarterback for three more years. That's worth a lot of wins.

 

Bo won't give up on this kid, and he won't let the kid give up on NU. Yet. Whether this stubborn streak is wise or wasteful remains to be seen.

 

Martinez's status with the Huskers is no small thing, of course, and neither was Bo's performance Monday. It felt, in many ways, like the biggest moment in Pelini's career since his hiring. He wore humility uneasily but sincerely, answering calmly the kind of questions that, just one week ago, would have fetched a “next question” for the interviewer's efforts. Reporters weren't baiting Bo, but they were seizing on a rare moment to get the goods. Not once did Bo fall back on feigned bewilderment, knee-jerk contrariety or my favorite, “What do you think?”

 

In short, he put his cards on the table. I must decide what to make of them in these next weeks.

 

So does Perlman.

 

So does Osborne.

 

So does Martinez.

 

So do you.

 

Which again begs the question why didn't the defense? Is it the scheme? Does Bo put his brightest and best on the D side? Is the offense held to the same standard of excellence? Do none of our qbs possess the necessary leadership skills?

[knapplc]

Anyone know what Phil Dill put on his FB page about Bo? This is the first I've heard of this. And it is very telling that Dillard, who spent time in Bo's "doghouse" like McKewon said, supported Bo in this situation.

[RazzinGTO]

This is actually a very good read and definitely brings to light the REAL situation down there when it comes to the relationships between Bo and the players. The media too many times takes a video and runs with it not really knowing the whole story.

 

I think the greatest telling point since Bo has taken over has been the improvement of the players attitudes on and off the field. These players want to win and will run through a brick wall for Bo to do so. Off the field we haven't seen near the incidents as we have in the past, not even close to a school like Florida.

 

If a player doesn't like Bo's "Big brother tough love" approach let him go someplace else. Let him get away with everything...we will probably see his name in the paper very soon.

 

Yes - Bo did blow a gasket, yes that is not what most people think "Nebraska Football" is about...but let us not forget, Bo is a very green coach in terms of HC career. We have to be willing to hang in their with him through his learning the ins and outs.

 

I am not old enough to really know the atmosphere at the time....but I do know that there were major uprisings in the football community about a certain AD and former NU HC that almost pushed him to a certain mountainous school because of people not thinking he could do the job. I think we all refer to that guy as a LEGEND now.

[RazzinGTO]

This is actually a pretty good read

 

NE Statepaper

 

"How many times I got to tell you? Don't fight the rabbits. Because, boys, if you fight the rabbits, the elephants are going to kill you."

 

-Bobby Knight, in “The Rabbit Hunter”

 

"Bottom line is some guys crawl into a shell when you get in their face, other guys respond the right way. As you are around guys longer and have more experience with them, you have a better understanding of how to reach each and every individual."

 

-Bo Pelini, Oct. 25, 2008

 

 

He said he was sorry, and well, what the hell else do you want? With a bunch of fat faces and lean faces and grim faces and moon faces – a veritable inquisition fed by Valentino's Pizza and Pepsi - peppering him really like he's never been at NU before, judging him the same, the prophet of Nebraska football, Bo Pelini, asked for his believers and accusers to sit and reason with him. A figurative placing of palms on the table as if to say, see, here's me, the sins of my scarlet temper.

 

Now you'll have to decide whether to forgive them and whether, as fans, to hold Bo accountable to his claim that he'd done losing it on the sidelines. That, in his words, “it won't happen again.”

 

Monday's the best you'll get from the man, a Western omelet of contrition, humility and steadfast certitude in his own methods. Fans will laud Bo's press conference performance, conducted in a packed room that had more tension than half of the Huskers' football games this year. It felt like an event, and when Bo entered the room, walking briskly to his seat, the air changed. The jiggling bellies and wagging tongues froze and fixed their most prominent features on a small spot just below Bo's gaze, the better not to meet it, even with a belly button. People are intimidated, if you didn't know.

 

Bo delivered an impromptu speech. No notes. Extra conviction.

 

When he allows himself to be, Bo is a forceful, gifted speaker, if not loquacious. He twice painted the image of walking into the home of kid's parents – and the promise he makes there. It was a justification of who he is and a clever recruiting pitch in the same breath.

 

“I tell parents I’m going to have your kids back, I’m going to fight for them every step of the way,” he said. “I’m going to be there for your kids. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your kids have a fair shake and prepare them for the rest of their life in a lot of different ways. I’m going to love them unconditionally.”

 

Then: “I just need to watch the passion I bring to it, and make sure I do it in the right way.”

 

That Pelini would add that coda makes you wonder – just what did chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne say to him? I suspect the message was forceful. Unvarnished. Here's what we – and you – will stand for. This isn't, after all, a Banana Republic private school, but a public institution that just pulled up the the academic big boy table of the CIC and the Big Ten. Perlman is a cold-blooded killer, as his adversaries – and Missouri - will attest. He has a dogged toughness and ego to match Bo's, frankly. That's how he dragged NU to the Big Ten against long, unlikely odds. He's not a typical academician.

 

Bo's not a typical head coach. At least not in this era. He has a sharper edge, and he wears it, plus his loyalty, on his sleeve. He doesn't play cute with the press or fans – and, until Monday, felt no great impetus to do so. In some aspects of his job, this stodgy, throwback nature is a strength. But it's a weakness when Bo concerns himself too much with incidentals – a minor press flap here, a borderline pass interference call there. As his need for control in the moment spirals out of control, his team goes down with him, as the offense clearly unraveled Saturday night.

 

Does Pelini truly get that? We'll see. He spoke of his team in terms of a family, and while it's commendable – the way it ought to be – Pelini practices a kind of rough, older brother affection for his players that means chewing them out one play, and hugging the snot out of them a few plays later. He railed at Taylor Martinez on Saturday, and had a long, good joke with him during practice Monday.

 

“One thing about our players - I promise you they know this - I got their back,” Pelini said. “And they understand also that I expect them to have mine.”

 

Said Peso Eric Hagg: “Of course he has it his way, but his way is the best way. So there's no way about arguing it. Whatever you need, he's there to help you.”

 

La Cosa Bostra.

 

Most Husker players would echo those same sentiments. It was telling Monday that former Husker Phillip Dillard, who spent some time inside Bo's doghouse, came his defense on Facebook, applauding his former coach to lighting into Martinez, the mercurial quarterback whose insular nature ultimately needs to change if he's going to be the long-term signal-caller at NU.

 

Ah, Martinez. An example of the lengths to which Bo will go to reach a kid. Rumblings of Martinez's discontent have been there since his arrival in 2009, and while peddled rumors of his exit remain premature, why won't they subside? Saturday's A&M flap aside, Pelini has given Martinez ample room to grow. He's not compelled to speak to the press, and when he does, Bo apparently doesn't know that he makes head-scratching statements like “it's my team; it's no one else's team.” Martinez takes a tongue-lashing and heads right back in the game on a gimpy ankle. T-Magic can take T-Much latitude.

 

But for as tough as Bo's exterior seems, he'll walk the extra mile with Martinez, and I think there's a reason for it: Trust. Bo wants to build it, against long odds, with a kid who seems to lack it for just about everyone not in his small inner circle.

 

Others disagree with me, but I think on the other side of Martinez's seeming petulance lies a potentially-terrific leader. Pelini's trying to get to it and if he does – if he harnesses Martinez's independence and turns it into a generalissimo - Nebraska has its franchise quarterback for three more years. That's worth a lot of wins.

 

Bo won't give up on this kid, and he won't let the kid give up on NU. Yet. Whether this stubborn streak is wise or wasteful remains to be seen.

 

Martinez's status with the Huskers is no small thing, of course, and neither was Bo's performance Monday. It felt, in many ways, like the biggest moment in Pelini's career since his hiring. He wore humility uneasily but sincerely, answering calmly the kind of questions that, just one week ago, would have fetched a “next question” for the interviewer's efforts. Reporters weren't baiting Bo, but they were seizing on a rare moment to get the goods. Not once did Bo fall back on feigned bewilderment, knee-jerk contrariety or my favorite, “What do you think?”

 

In short, he put his cards on the table. I must decide what to make of them in these next weeks.

 

So does Perlman.

 

So does Osborne.

 

So does Martinez.

 

So do you.

 

Which again begs the question why didn't the defense? Is it the scheme? Does Bo put his brightest and best on the D side? Is the offense held to the same standard of excellence? Do none of our qbs possess the necessary leadership skills?

 

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

[knapplc]

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

 

Maybe I'm not reading this right. You're saying the offense collapses because Bo blows a gasket? If so, please explain. Thoroughly.

[jimk]

This is actually a pretty good read

 

NE Statepaper

 

"How many times I got to tell you? Don't fight the rabbits. Because, boys, if you fight the rabbits, the elephants are going to kill you."

 

-Bobby Knight, in “The Rabbit Hunter”

 

"Bottom line is some guys crawl into a shell when you get in their face, other guys respond the right way. As you are around guys longer and have more experience with them, you have a better understanding of how to reach each and every individual."

 

-Bo Pelini, Oct. 25, 2008

 

 

He said he was sorry, and well, what the hell else do you want? With a bunch of fat faces and lean faces and grim faces and moon faces – a veritable inquisition fed by Valentino's Pizza and Pepsi - peppering him really like he's never been at NU before, judging him the same, the prophet of Nebraska football, Bo Pelini, asked for his believers and accusers to sit and reason with him. A figurative placing of palms on the table as if to say, see, here's me, the sins of my scarlet temper.

 

Now you'll have to decide whether to forgive them and whether, as fans, to hold Bo accountable to his claim that he'd done losing it on the sidelines. That, in his words, “it won't happen again.”

 

Monday's the best you'll get from the man, a Western omelet of contrition, humility and steadfast certitude in his own methods. Fans will laud Bo's press conference performance, conducted in a packed room that had more tension than half of the Huskers' football games this year. It felt like an event, and when Bo entered the room, walking briskly to his seat, the air changed. The jiggling bellies and wagging tongues froze and fixed their most prominent features on a small spot just below Bo's gaze, the better not to meet it, even with a belly button. People are intimidated, if you didn't know.

 

Bo delivered an impromptu speech. No notes. Extra conviction.

 

When he allows himself to be, Bo is a forceful, gifted speaker, if not loquacious. He twice painted the image of walking into the home of kid's parents – and the promise he makes there. It was a justification of who he is and a clever recruiting pitch in the same breath.

 

“I tell parents I’m going to have your kids back, I’m going to fight for them every step of the way,” he said. “I’m going to be there for your kids. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your kids have a fair shake and prepare them for the rest of their life in a lot of different ways. I’m going to love them unconditionally.”

 

Then: “I just need to watch the passion I bring to it, and make sure I do it in the right way.”

 

That Pelini would add that coda makes you wonder – just what did chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne say to him? I suspect the message was forceful. Unvarnished. Here's what we – and you – will stand for. This isn't, after all, a Banana Republic private school, but a public institution that just pulled up the the academic big boy table of the CIC and the Big Ten. Perlman is a cold-blooded killer, as his adversaries – and Missouri - will attest. He has a dogged toughness and ego to match Bo's, frankly. That's how he dragged NU to the Big Ten against long, unlikely odds. He's not a typical academician.

 

Bo's not a typical head coach. At least not in this era. He has a sharper edge, and he wears it, plus his loyalty, on his sleeve. He doesn't play cute with the press or fans – and, until Monday, felt no great impetus to do so. In some aspects of his job, this stodgy, throwback nature is a strength. But it's a weakness when Bo concerns himself too much with incidentals – a minor press flap here, a borderline pass interference call there. As his need for control in the moment spirals out of control, his team goes down with him, as the offense clearly unraveled Saturday night.

 

Does Pelini truly get that? We'll see. He spoke of his team in terms of a family, and while it's commendable – the way it ought to be – Pelini practices a kind of rough, older brother affection for his players that means chewing them out one play, and hugging the snot out of them a few plays later. He railed at Taylor Martinez on Saturday, and had a long, good joke with him during practice Monday.

 

“One thing about our players - I promise you they know this - I got their back,” Pelini said. “And they understand also that I expect them to have mine.”

 

Said Peso Eric Hagg: “Of course he has it his way, but his way is the best way. So there's no way about arguing it. Whatever you need, he's there to help you.”

 

La Cosa Bostra.

 

Most Husker players would echo those same sentiments. It was telling Monday that former Husker Phillip Dillard, who spent some time inside Bo's doghouse, came his defense on Facebook, applauding his former coach to lighting into Martinez, the mercurial quarterback whose insular nature ultimately needs to change if he's going to be the long-term signal-caller at NU.

 

Ah, Martinez. An example of the lengths to which Bo will go to reach a kid. Rumblings of Martinez's discontent have been there since his arrival in 2009, and while peddled rumors of his exit remain premature, why won't they subside? Saturday's A&M flap aside, Pelini has given Martinez ample room to grow. He's not compelled to speak to the press, and when he does, Bo apparently doesn't know that he makes head-scratching statements like “it's my team; it's no one else's team.” Martinez takes a tongue-lashing and heads right back in the game on a gimpy ankle. T-Magic can take T-Much latitude.

 

But for as tough as Bo's exterior seems, he'll walk the extra mile with Martinez, and I think there's a reason for it: Trust. Bo wants to build it, against long odds, with a kid who seems to lack it for just about everyone not in his small inner circle.

 

Others disagree with me, but I think on the other side of Martinez's seeming petulance lies a potentially-terrific leader. Pelini's trying to get to it and if he does – if he harnesses Martinez's independence and turns it into a generalissimo - Nebraska has its franchise quarterback for three more years. That's worth a lot of wins.

 

Bo won't give up on this kid, and he won't let the kid give up on NU. Yet. Whether this stubborn streak is wise or wasteful remains to be seen.

 

Martinez's status with the Huskers is no small thing, of course, and neither was Bo's performance Monday. It felt, in many ways, like the biggest moment in Pelini's career since his hiring. He wore humility uneasily but sincerely, answering calmly the kind of questions that, just one week ago, would have fetched a “next question” for the interviewer's efforts. Reporters weren't baiting Bo, but they were seizing on a rare moment to get the goods. Not once did Bo fall back on feigned bewilderment, knee-jerk contrariety or my favorite, “What do you think?”

 

In short, he put his cards on the table. I must decide what to make of them in these next weeks.

 

So does Perlman.

 

So does Osborne.

 

So does Martinez.

 

So do you.

 

Which again begs the question why didn't the defense? Is it the scheme? Does Bo put his brightest and best on the D side? Is the offense held to the same standard of excellence? Do none of our qbs possess the necessary leadership skills?

 

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

 

I think you forgot this

[RazzinGTO]

This is actually a pretty good read

 

NE Statepaper

 

"How many times I got to tell you? Don't fight the rabbits. Because, boys, if you fight the rabbits, the elephants are going to kill you."

 

-Bobby Knight, in “The Rabbit Hunter”

 

"Bottom line is some guys crawl into a shell when you get in their face, other guys respond the right way. As you are around guys longer and have more experience with them, you have a better understanding of how to reach each and every individual."

 

-Bo Pelini, Oct. 25, 2008

 

 

He said he was sorry, and well, what the hell else do you want? With a bunch of fat faces and lean faces and grim faces and moon faces – a veritable inquisition fed by Valentino's Pizza and Pepsi - peppering him really like he's never been at NU before, judging him the same, the prophet of Nebraska football, Bo Pelini, asked for his believers and accusers to sit and reason with him. A figurative placing of palms on the table as if to say, see, here's me, the sins of my scarlet temper.

 

Now you'll have to decide whether to forgive them and whether, as fans, to hold Bo accountable to his claim that he'd done losing it on the sidelines. That, in his words, “it won't happen again.”

 

Monday's the best you'll get from the man, a Western omelet of contrition, humility and steadfast certitude in his own methods. Fans will laud Bo's press conference performance, conducted in a packed room that had more tension than half of the Huskers' football games this year. It felt like an event, and when Bo entered the room, walking briskly to his seat, the air changed. The jiggling bellies and wagging tongues froze and fixed their most prominent features on a small spot just below Bo's gaze, the better not to meet it, even with a belly button. People are intimidated, if you didn't know.

 

Bo delivered an impromptu speech. No notes. Extra conviction.

 

When he allows himself to be, Bo is a forceful, gifted speaker, if not loquacious. He twice painted the image of walking into the home of kid's parents – and the promise he makes there. It was a justification of who he is and a clever recruiting pitch in the same breath.

 

“I tell parents I’m going to have your kids back, I’m going to fight for them every step of the way,” he said. “I’m going to be there for your kids. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your kids have a fair shake and prepare them for the rest of their life in a lot of different ways. I’m going to love them unconditionally.”

 

Then: “I just need to watch the passion I bring to it, and make sure I do it in the right way.”

 

That Pelini would add that coda makes you wonder – just what did chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne say to him? I suspect the message was forceful. Unvarnished. Here's what we – and you – will stand for. This isn't, after all, a Banana Republic private school, but a public institution that just pulled up the the academic big boy table of the CIC and the Big Ten. Perlman is a cold-blooded killer, as his adversaries – and Missouri - will attest. He has a dogged toughness and ego to match Bo's, frankly. That's how he dragged NU to the Big Ten against long, unlikely odds. He's not a typical academician.

 

Bo's not a typical head coach. At least not in this era. He has a sharper edge, and he wears it, plus his loyalty, on his sleeve. He doesn't play cute with the press or fans – and, until Monday, felt no great impetus to do so. In some aspects of his job, this stodgy, throwback nature is a strength. But it's a weakness when Bo concerns himself too much with incidentals – a minor press flap here, a borderline pass interference call there. As his need for control in the moment spirals out of control, his team goes down with him, as the offense clearly unraveled Saturday night.

 

Does Pelini truly get that? We'll see. He spoke of his team in terms of a family, and while it's commendable – the way it ought to be – Pelini practices a kind of rough, older brother affection for his players that means chewing them out one play, and hugging the snot out of them a few plays later. He railed at Taylor Martinez on Saturday, and had a long, good joke with him during practice Monday.

 

“One thing about our players - I promise you they know this - I got their back,” Pelini said. “And they understand also that I expect them to have mine.”

 

Said Peso Eric Hagg: “Of course he has it his way, but his way is the best way. So there's no way about arguing it. Whatever you need, he's there to help you.”

 

La Cosa Bostra.

 

Most Husker players would echo those same sentiments. It was telling Monday that former Husker Phillip Dillard, who spent some time inside Bo's doghouse, came his defense on Facebook, applauding his former coach to lighting into Martinez, the mercurial quarterback whose insular nature ultimately needs to change if he's going to be the long-term signal-caller at NU.

 

Ah, Martinez. An example of the lengths to which Bo will go to reach a kid. Rumblings of Martinez's discontent have been there since his arrival in 2009, and while peddled rumors of his exit remain premature, why won't they subside? Saturday's A&M flap aside, Pelini has given Martinez ample room to grow. He's not compelled to speak to the press, and when he does, Bo apparently doesn't know that he makes head-scratching statements like “it's my team; it's no one else's team.” Martinez takes a tongue-lashing and heads right back in the game on a gimpy ankle. T-Magic can take T-Much latitude.

 

But for as tough as Bo's exterior seems, he'll walk the extra mile with Martinez, and I think there's a reason for it: Trust. Bo wants to build it, against long odds, with a kid who seems to lack it for just about everyone not in his small inner circle.

 

Others disagree with me, but I think on the other side of Martinez's seeming petulance lies a potentially-terrific leader. Pelini's trying to get to it and if he does – if he harnesses Martinez's independence and turns it into a generalissimo - Nebraska has its franchise quarterback for three more years. That's worth a lot of wins.

 

Bo won't give up on this kid, and he won't let the kid give up on NU. Yet. Whether this stubborn streak is wise or wasteful remains to be seen.

 

Martinez's status with the Huskers is no small thing, of course, and neither was Bo's performance Monday. It felt, in many ways, like the biggest moment in Pelini's career since his hiring. He wore humility uneasily but sincerely, answering calmly the kind of questions that, just one week ago, would have fetched a “next question” for the interviewer's efforts. Reporters weren't baiting Bo, but they were seizing on a rare moment to get the goods. Not once did Bo fall back on feigned bewilderment, knee-jerk contrariety or my favorite, “What do you think?”

 

In short, he put his cards on the table. I must decide what to make of them in these next weeks.

 

So does Perlman.

 

So does Osborne.

 

So does Martinez.

 

So do you.

 

Which again begs the question why didn't the defense? Is it the scheme? Does Bo put his brightest and best on the D side? Is the offense held to the same standard of excellence? Do none of our qbs possess the necessary leadership skills?

 

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

 

I think you forgot this

 

Nope don't think so. How many times do you see Bo losing it because our offense failed to get a play in on time and had to call timeout. What I am saying is I don't believe our offense spiraled out of control because Bo lost it. Our offense was horrible basically the entire game, aided by horrible officiating of course.

[billdozer15]

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

 

Maybe I'm not reading this right. You're saying the offense collapses because Bo blows a gasket? If so, please explain. Thoroughly.

Knappy i think you are reading it wrong. I think what he is saying is that Bo blew a gasket due to the offense collapsing, not that because Bo blew his gasket the offense collapsed.

[RazzinGTO]

Honestly....I believe our offense collapsing has more to do with Bo blowing a gasket then the other way around.

 

Maybe I'm not reading this right. You're saying the offense collapses because Bo blows a gasket? If so, please explain. Thoroughly.

Knappy i think you are reading it wrong. I think what he is saying is that Bo blew a gasket due to the offense collapsing, not that because Bo blew his gasket the offense collapsed.