Watson a candidate for the Miami(OH) head coach position

[Pedro Guerrero]

There are coaches with shortcomings on this staff, but if they were to go they would be weeped for by many who would not even acknowledge the possibility of shortcomings, when in reality such a move could really stand to benefit us.

 

There is a thread about one of those coaches right now as he heads to Indiana.

[knapplc]

.... it looks like Watson is doing everything he can to leave this year, and probably will succeed.

 

Did you ever wonder why that is? And did you ever wonder why Nebraska isn't throwing money at Watson to keep him here? Watson is making $380K here as OC. Chuck Long makes $350K at Kansas, and if they can afford that, we can definitely afford more. If we're truly interested in keeping Watson around, we'll make it worth his while to stay. The fact that we're not locking him down with a salary boost has got to tell you something.

 

Oh, it does. Not sure you could entice Watson to stay regardless, and not sure Bo would have it regardless. Hard to say just by looking at the situation but hard to argue against what is happening either. Bo is going to need to change up his handling of the situation if we're ever to hope for improvement. Although if Gilmore and Cotton both leave, and we bring in stud position coaches for each, I think it would be a huge boost all on its own.

 

Agreed on the position coaches, but you're going to have to give solid explanation on what Bo has done wrong here before I'll buy into it. Bo's the head coach, and calls the shots. If Watson doesn't like the offense Bo runs, there's the door. What's wrong with that? Should Bo just kick him out on the street, or should he publicly support Watson like he does and do everything in his power to help him find a job, notably a promotion to HC somewhere, helping him further his career? I respect that Bo hasn't fired Watson, that Bo has consistently maintained public support of Watson despite horrific games by his unit, and that he reacts poorly to insinuations that Watson isn't a good coach. That kind of public support is invaluable to Watson's career. I don't think Bo should change anything about that.

[suh_fan93]

With Ganz, here is what I am talking about. His production was stellar, yes. But you were talking about a situation where a staff benefits from some stud player walking through the door and carrying them. It's not like Cam Newton or Vince Young walked through the door. Ganz had no physical tools, but took his time learning the offense and really got it down. And he was a gamer, love that guy. He flourished because of the system, not in spite of it.

 

The issue here is that you don't like Watson and you won't feel better until I say something bad about him. And you are hurt that I am saying bad things about Bo. I am just trying to paint a realistic picture of the situation. We can surely do better than Watson, and Bo is a great defensive coach and I am very glad he is our HC. But IMO at least, his calls regarding the offense have really hampered us this year, and so did the decision to bring in Barney Cotton in '07/08. Which I recognize could have very well *not* been Bo's. It is just what it is.

I should clarify, I don't like Shawn Watson from an offensive coordinator standpoint and I have cited numerous reasons a few times in this thread for that. This has nothing to do, as I have also stated on here before with him personally. I'm sure he's a really good guy in fact. Anyway...you seem to spend a lot of time defending a coach who has obvious shortcomings yet when any sort of blame is talked about...a certain head coaches name seems to always come up in all of your posts...

 

Also Joe Ganz had no physical tools? Are you serious? I don't credit the system for Joe Ganz's success like you do, I credit Joe Ganz. He was talented! Don't say Joe Ganz flourished because of the system (I know, I know, because of Shawn Watson right?) and discredit the real reason he flourished, his god given ability as a football player.

 

Again, do you not think Shawn Watson should shoulder any of the blame or be held accountable for any of Nebraska's offensive shortcomings???? Your going to pin it all on Bo Pelini, Barney Cotton and Ted Gilmore? Watson has nothing to do with any of Nebraska's problems offensively?????

 

Come on...

[zoogs]

Knapp, I think Watson is taking the door that Bo is leaving open. It *looks* like that, at least. I think Bo made a mistake in cramming this change through too quickly. I think Bo made a mistake at the end of the year sticking to Taylor. Bo in the beginning made the Taylor call on the basis that he makes defenses defend 11-on-11. He doesn't have that, and he never even considers Green? I think these are changes that have hurt our ability to operate on offense this year, but I don't think these are HUGE deals necessarily, so I am not calling for Bo's head or anything close to it. Simply things I hope to see change.

 

newearth,

[knapplc]

Knapp, I think Watson is taking the door that Bo is leaving open. It *looks* like that, at least. I think Bo made a mistake in cramming this change through too quickly. I think Bo made a mistake at the end of the year sticking to Taylor. Bo in the beginning made the Taylor call on the basis that he makes defenses defend 11-on-11. He doesn't have that, and he never even considers Green? I think these are changes that have hurt our ability to operate on offense this year, but I don't think these are HUGE deals necessarily, so I am not calling for Bo's head or anything close to it. Simply things I hope to see change.

 

Bo is definitely leaving the door open. It was open last year as well when there was a much quieter effort to help Watson find another gig. Watson isn't going to get fired - yet. But Bo is definitely not holding on to him with both fists, and that is most certainly not a mistake. Watson is a flawed coach, and nobody knows that more than Bo. Watson had half a foot out the door last year, it was just a matter of finding another job. He couldn't, and Watson was here again for 2010. There aren't many programs where Watson would have retained his job after last season (see UCLA's changes after one year with Neuheisel), but Nebraska isn't like other programs - especially with T.O. in the AD's Chair. Yes, that door is definitely open. It's propped open with a big, red wedge.

 

Green wasn't considered because Watson hasn't gotten him ready yet, in two-plus seasons. Lack of growth by our QBs is a huge problem here. The offense Bo is trying to run is far less complicated than Watson's preferred offensive schemes. Bo's system is easier to pick up but as hard or harder to defend. The fact that an OC at one of the premier programs in the country hasn't wholeheartedly bought into this system, learned it backwards and forwards, and developed his QBs to excel in it, is one of the major reasons why that door is open.

 

It's funny that you pin Cody's lack of participation on Bo, not Watson. To use a racing analogy, it would be like blaming the driver for not using his backup car after a crash, when the head of the pit crew has had over two seasons to fix up the spare, yet hasn't. When your backup car doesn't have an engine through neglect of the Chief Mechanic, that's not the driver's fault. It's only the driver's fault that he hasn't fired the Chief Mechanic. The driver can only use the tools he has, and if he has to duct-tape his primary car together, that's sometimes better than running with a completely faulty car.

[zoogs]

Green was a project that needed a redshirt year in the worst way, and never had the chance. Green, also, is not that bad. He has improved quite a bit as a passer since arriving on campus, and should have had the chance to show he could be a better option than injured Taylor, that we all saw in that CCG. To use your racing analogy , the OC has only to use the tools he is given, and he's hamstrung when an unknown but functional backup car is passed over for the much faster starter car that has flat tires.

 

I guess we are both assuming a little about Green and why he wasn't considered.

 

I think Sam McKewon hit the nail on the head with this:

 

The 2007 season has grown in the minds of some Nebraska fans to Keyser Soze status. I see that year lurking around message boards and news stories as if it's precise, all-encompassing rebuttal to any complaint or concern raised about NU's inconsistent play in 2009 and 2010.

 

It's a little like the last handful of Husker hoops fans who find it useful to drag Barry Collier's beaten carcass into any conversation about Doc Sadler.

 

If we must revisit the Callahan era even again, I'll continue to point to the truly most damning season: 2004.

 

That's when Billy C willfully turned a 7-4 team into a 5-6 bunch by refusing to budge from the idea that Nebraska - come hell or high - had to execute his version of the West Coast Offense even though NU lacked a quarterback good enough to do it.

 

Hence, the Huskers lost to Southern Mississippi and Iowa State – two inferior squads – because Joe Dailey threw 42 passes in both games. Out of those 84 throws, Dailey completed just 41. Those two games cost NU a bowl berth – and probably, in the long run, cost Callahan his job. Arrogance, ego, defeat.

 

Forget the collapse, folks. Remember the stubbornness.

[suh_fan93]

Again, do you not think Shawn Watson should shoulder any of the blame or be held accountable for any of Nebraska's offensive shortcomings????

 

Your going to pin it all on Bo Pelini, Barney Cotton and Ted Gilmore?

 

Watson has nothing to do with any of Nebraska's problems offensively?????

 

*crickets*

[knapplc]

Green was a project that needed a redshirt year in the worst way, and never had the chance. Green, also, is not that bad. He has improved quite a bit as a passer since arriving on campus, and should have had the chance to show he could be a better option than injured Taylor, that we all saw in that CCG. To use your racing analogy , the OC has only to use the tools he is given, and he's hamstrung when an unknown but functional backup car is passed over for the much faster starter car that has flat tires.

 

I guess we are both assuming a little about Green and why he wasn't considered.

 

I'm not assuming at all. I'm basing my analysis on what I saw on the field. I think you're assuming, because you have a preconceived notion that "It's not Shawn Watson's fault" and you're fitting the facts into that argument. If your starting point was "What's wrong here" rather than, "Where else can I lay the blame other than Watson" you'd see things clearer.

 

The facts do not support the contention that Green "is not that bad." He's tentative, he's unsure, he shows a lack of ability to read a defense, he does not truly "read" the Zone Read play, and he has not developed in two seasons with the 1's and 2's like he should. Your attempt to hijack the analogy is critically flawed by the simple fact that it's Watson's job to get Green ready, not Bo's. I led the "Redshirt Cody" bandwagon last year, and it didn't happen - too bad. He got thrown in the fire, and our Quarterbacks Coach needed to make him functional. He failed to do that, and that can ONLY be blamed on Watson, not Bo. Green is not functional. He's predictable and he's hesitant.

 

The guy responsible for developing the quarterbacks isn't hamstrung by anything - all he has to do is his job. Cody got reps with the 1's and 2's for two full seasons. There's no excuse for his play late this year. Every QB Coach in the country gets raw prospects. QB Coaches at programs like Nebraska should be don't have this kind of lack of production.

[irafreak]

Sorry but none of our QB's can run the system that SW used with Joe Ganz. So why keep a guy that doesn't run the style of offense to match the quarterbacks we are recruiting now. Bo clearly knows what he wants and Green is unable to be a gamechanger in the Bo/Watson jumbled mess of a system and that is why Taylor starts. Green could develop into a fine qb in the right system. We get an OC that jives with Bo's direction and we can plug in our guy.

 

I also think Bo leaves Taylor in the CCG to develop him for the future. I mean all we need is a 60 yard field goal to get to OT. I still have no problem with leaving the kid in the game. Just call plays that don't hinge everything on him being able to be a pocket passer.

[knapplc]

Sorry but none of our QB's can run the system that SW used with Joe Ganz. So why keep a guy that doesn't run the style of offense to match the quarterbacks we are recruiting now. Bo clearly knows what he wants and Green is unable to be a gamechanger in the Bo/Watson jumbled mess of a system and that is why Taylor starts. Green could develop into a fine qb in the right system. We get an OC that jives with Bo's direction and we can plug in our guy.

 

I also think Bo leaves Taylor in the CCG to develop him for the future. I mean all we need is a 60 yard field goal to get to OT. I still have no problem with leaving the kid in the game. Just call plays that don't hinge everything on him being able to be a pocket passer.

 

See, I think Green can do it - I just think he's not being taught to do it. Green's high school system wasn't so horrifically different than what Bo wants to run that he cannot adjust. Green has natural running ability and can pass. He threw for over 3,000 yards his senior year of high school, yet has not only not learned this system, he's regressed. He is clearly not being coached up - or we would have to presume that he's uncoachable/resisting the coaching he's being given, and there's been nothing provided to support that. In fact, all we hear is how Cody is a team player, how Cody is working hard, how Cody is doing everything he can. There's a problem here, and it's either Cody, his coach or the head coach. The two most likely people to blame are Cody or Watson, but for whatever reason Bo keeps getting thrown in there.

[zoogs]

My starting point is "what's wrong here" - rather than "Wats wrong here." (I don't think this is your starting point, to be clear).

 

The story on Green as far as I have heard, is that he has made a good amount of progress, but has been flaky on the field. Not a gamer type yet, too much deer in the headlights. Is that just who Cody is? IMO, it can be attributed partly to his haphazard handling, but not every kid is a gamer either. But he was a heck of a long-term project coming in, missed out on a development year, which I consider nobody's fault. If you really believe that Green needed that redshirt year, you should recognize the setback he had in not getting it. Your expectations for a QB coach here are a bit unreasonable.

 

Green at this point is a 3rd stringer that has only had spot playing time his entire two years here, playing time in which he got the hook again and again and again. I think that's messed with him a little, but this is just speculation. Now maybe what I heard about Cody's growth as a passer is off the mark, but I will certainly take those evaluations of QBs in practice over my own watching his limited plays. But supposing our 3rd option at QB in a given year is just bad; what of it, even then? Fire Ron Brown for J.T. Kerr, or Tim Beck for Collins Okafor. Some recruits just wash out. But I don't think Green is at that stage yet.

 

As much as you call your observations facts, they are only observations based on the same limited, bird's eye view that we all have. That is what I mean by assumptions (on both our parts). For all we know, Watson could have been ready to start or send in Cody against Oklahoma but Bo intervened because he had that much faith in Taylor.

 

Every QB Coach in the country gets raw prospects.

 

Every prospect is raw in one sense or another, but Cody and Taylor and Jamal, coming in, are different kinds of raw.

 

Again, do you not think Shawn Watson should shoulder any of the blame or be held accountable for any of Nebraska's offensive shortcomings????

 

If you're out of things to blame Watson on, throw something else out there and I will respond to the best of my ability on that situation. I really do not *know* very much, though.

 

If you just want me to say something bad about Shawn, those sunglasses of his just do not work at all. You'd think he would know better.

 

I also think Bo leaves Taylor in the CCG to develop him for the future. I mean all we need is a 60 yard field goal to get to OT. I still have no problem with leaving the kid in the game. Just call plays that don't hinge everything on him being able to be a pocket passer.

 

Leave a guy in there to develop him for the future? ... and I think you mean, just call plays that don't involve Taylor at all. I agree. But why leave him in there if that's the case.

 

Green's high school system wasn't so horrifically different than what Bo wants to run that he cannot adjust. Green has natural running ability and can pass. He threw for over 3,000 yards his senior year of high school, yet has not only not learned this system, he's regressed.

 

Really? Green's HS system is not so different than what Bo wants to run?

 

....I would say it is a world of difference but maybe I'm wrong, I'm far from knowledgeable in this area. And Green regressing, is not true. Green could not pass coming in, he can now - passably. He was not an under center QB coming in, but he is now.

[kchusker_chris]

Shawn (err Zoogies)...are you leaving for Miami (Ohio) or not? Kindly put the rumor to rest so that we don't have you watch (read) you defend yourself for another 20 pages of this thread. Thank you.

 

PS: You spend too much time on HuskerBoard, and not enough time with your "Offensive Coordinating for Dummies" book. Please adjust your priorities accordingly prior to the Washington game.

[Pedro Guerrero]

Shawn (err Zoogies)...are you leaving for Miami (Ohio) or not? Kindly put the rumor to rest so that we don't have you watch (read) you defend yourself for another 20 pages of this thread. Thank you.

 

PS: You spend too much time on HuskerBoard, and not enough time with your "Offensive Coordinating for Dummies" book. Please adjust your priorities accordingly prior to the Washington game.

 

[knapplc]

My starting point is "what's wrong here" - rather than "Wats wrong here."

zoogies. Please. You've spent dozens, if not hundreds, of pages defending Shawn Watson, never once conceding that maybe, just maybe, Watson is to blame for this offense. It's Bo, it's Gilmore, it's Cotton, it's the players, it's the injuries, it's the scheme, it's whatever, anything other than Watson's fault. It's gotten so bad that I think you truly feel as if everyone is just out to get Watson, apparently for the jollies of it. You have to ask yourself this - what does everyone railing at Watson have against the guy? Why would we all call for change if he's truly getting it done? Occam's Razor is your friend.

 

The story on Green as far as I have heard, is that he has made a good amount of progress, but has been flaky on the field. Not a gamer type yet, too much deer in the headlights. Is that just who Cody is? IMO, it can be attributed partly to his haphazard handling, but not every kid is a gamer either. But he was a heck of a long-term project coming in, missed out on a development year, which I consider nobody's fault. If you really believe that Green needed that redshirt year, you should recognize the setback he had in not getting it. Your expectations for a QB coach here are a bit unreasonable.

 

Where do you get the idea that a kid who passed for 3,200 yards and ran for another 1,600 yards as a senior is a long-term project? You throw that out there as if it's true, and it's just your opinion – conveniently, an opinion that helps support your "anyone's fault but Watson's" mentality. The fact that he missed a Redshirt year doesn't mean he should continue to struggle at the end of his second full season practicing with the #1 offense.

 

Green at this point is a 3rd stringer that has only had spot playing time his entire two years here, playing time in which he got the hook again and again and again. I think that's messed with him a little, but this is just speculation. Now maybe what I heard about Cody's growth as a passer is off the mark, but I will certainly take those evaluations of QBs in practice over my own watching his limited plays. But supposing our 3rd option at QB in a given year is just bad; what of it, even then? Fire Ron Brown for J.T. Kerr, or Tim Beck for Collins Okafor. Some recruits just wash out. But I don't think Green is at that stage yet.

Green isn't a third-stringer. No depth chart has ever existed this year which shows Cody as the third string. Cody has been Taylor's backup all year, dating from the W. Kentucky game when he came into the game in our first possession of the second quarter. This is yet another excuse in the "It's not Watson's fault" mantra.

 

As much as you call your observations facts, they are only observations based on the same limited, bird's eye view that we all have. That is what I mean by assumptions (on both our parts). For all we know, Watson could have been ready to start or send in Cody against Oklahoma but Bo intervened because he had that much faith in Taylor.

 

You're having trouble distinguishing between on-field results and inferences. I ONLY have referred to on-field results as facts. And it's telling that, again, you throw Bo under the bus because "it's anyone's fault but Watson's."

 

Really? Green's HS system is not so different than what Bo wants to run?

 

....I would say it is a world of difference but maybe I'm wrong, I'm far from knowledgeable in this area. And Green regressing, is not true. Green could not pass coming in, he can now - passably. He was not an under center QB coming in, but he is now.

 

3,200 yards and 35 TDs as a senior, but he can't pass. 1,600 yards rushing and another 25 TDs, but he's "raw."

 

I think you and I have different definitions of what constitutes a "project" and what "raw" means.

 

The bottom line is, with the ability to put up those kinds of stats, if Watson can't get that kid to produce effectively in a game situation to the point where we can't put him into the game, then he has to shoulder some of the blame. Unless, of course, Bo has been secretly coaching the QBs.

[kchusker_chris]

I think we need to get you 2 a thread all to yourselves. Either that or start a "Watson must go - not to be overtaken by Zoogies/Knapplc" thread.