Controversy goes National

[carlfense]

Nebraska's Unsettling Behavior

 

Staff changes have been on the horizon at Nebraska since a dreadful conclusion to a once-promising 2010 season, one that disintegrated in a haze of sloppy, penalty-filled play, a woeful offense and — most shocking and troubling of all — a lack of intensity. These changes were coming, sooner or later; if you had predicted that they would occur prior to the start of the 2011 season, I would have said sooner, not on national signing day.

 

The reports rolled in with the Letters of Intent: Bo Pelini himself visited offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s top recruit; wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore, who doubles as Nebraska’s recruiting coordinator, was nowhere to be seen; and in one of the more passive-aggressive digs you’ll find between two coaches, Indiana’s Kevin Wilson let the cat out of the bag about Pelini and Nebraska’s pursuit of his newly-hired defensive backs coach.

 

Wilson’s decision to publicize Nebraska’s interest in Corey Raymond got this ball rolling — strangely enough, there was nothing too out of the ordinary about his arrival and the departure of Marvin Sanders, the well-respected former defensive backs coach who left the program amid reports of off-field and family issues. Raymond was merely replacing Sanders, who was no longer part of the program; what was strange, after all, was the timing.

 

How long had Pelini been aware that Sanders wasn’t going to return in 2011? It wasn’t a new development, to say the least: Pelini knew this would be the case, as did Sanders, when each was recruiting players late during the most recent recruiting cycle. One such recruit, Charles Jackson, was perturbed to hear — after he had signed with the Cornhuskers – that the coach he believed would lead him through the paces come the fall was no longer a member of the Nebraska coaching staff.

 

That move is only a precursor to grander changes yet to come. One thing is clear: Pelini is not happy about the direction this offense has taken under Watson, and cannot be pleased with the lack of development from the Nebraska wide receivers and the passing game at large. The latter regression falls on Watson and Gilmore, with the embattled receivers coach under fire for failing to create a working rotation at receiver, not to mention failing to develop some of his charges into pass-catchers competent enough to work on a major, conference title-worthy level.

 

The big question is who’s next: it might be Scott Frost, the former Nebraska quarterback and current Oregon assistant, as well as former Kansas offensive coordinator and current Notre Dame assistant Ed Warinner. If Nebraska can give Frost what he wants — a chance to come home, for starters, but also at least a share of play-calling duties — it will signal the complete transition from the West Coast offense to the spread; this past fall saw Watson dabble in both systems, never finding rhythm in his play-calling or in his offense’s consistency.

 

So the big question is who’s next. Of nearly equal importance, however, is the timing. Can Pelini and Nebraska merely offer an apology, saying that while the timing was poor, it was not done with any malice or forethought? Pelini could certainly offer an apologia, though he wouldn’t meant it, of course. An apology would ring sour: there’s simply no way that these weren’t preordained decisions, these coaching moves, decisions made likely after an ugly Holiday Bowl loss and tabled for the month of January while the Cornhuskers looked to close strong on an already impressive recruiting haul.

 

Most shocking of all is our, well, shock. Perhaps some of us believed that Nebraska was one of the F.B.S. programs that always shot straight, especially now that Tom Osborne has involved himself in the day-to-day workings of the athletic department — and the football team in particular. It’s foolish, however, to think that Nebraska wouldn’t do the same thing that rivals in and out of its conference have been doing for generations.

 

There’s nothing in the N.C.A.A. rulebook that prohibits a team from doing just this after signing day, of course. The only people hurt in this case are the prospects who felt misled and the coaches who opted to take one for the team — like Watson or Gilmore — while they could have been shopping their resumes for a job at another program. Yes, Nebraska’s behavior was a bit shady, a bit unsettling and a bit out of character, but it was nonetheless within the rules of conduct, if not the rules of etiquette.

 

So not altogether shady, but unsettling. Now, if Pelini doesn’t make the most of these impending moves, hiring the best offensive assistants he can find to help further his goal of leading Nebraska to a national title, it will all be for naught: if he fails in that goal, the decision to make these late coaching changes will come back to haunt Pelini on the field, where his Cornhuskers will continue to stumble on one side of the ball, and off the field, where important recruiting relationships have already been put to the test.

 

Now, cue the "Bo did nothing wrong" crowd.

[Vuren]

tl/dr BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

butthurt they are.

[carlfense]

tl/dr BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

butthurt they are.

Far from it. Myerberg is one of the most unbiased CFB writers out there. I look forward to his team by team breakdown every spring.

 

Circle the wagons/Nothing to see here type talk should be beneath us.

 

Simply put, Nebraska (and especially the FANS!) should be better than this.

[huskerdan64]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

[VA Husker Fan]

tl/dr BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

butthurt they are.

Yes, of course, anyone who writes anything unflattering about Nebraska must be "butthurt".

[bulletbait]

:ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh :ahhhhhhhh

 

Fixed that for you.

[ESPY]

Great article. Hits the heart of the matter IMO.

 

Bo is operating within the rules of conduct....at the expense of incoming recruits and outgoing coaches.

 

Best part of the article...

Now, if Pelini doesn’t make the most of these impending moves, hiring the best offensive assistants he can find to help further his goal of leading Nebraska to a national title, it will all be for naught: if he fails in that goal, the decision to make these late coaching changes will come back to haunt Pelini on the field, where his Cornhuskers will continue to stumble on one side of the ball, and off the field, where important recruiting relationships have already been put to the test.

 

For Bo's sake, this better work.

[carlfense]

Great article. Hits the heart of the matter IMO.

 

Bo is operating within the rules of conduct....at the expense of incoming recruits and outgoing coaches.

 

Best part of the article...

Now, if Pelini doesn’t make the most of these impending moves, hiring the best offensive assistants he can find to help further his goal of leading Nebraska to a national title, it will all be for naught: if he fails in that goal, the decision to make these late coaching changes will come back to haunt Pelini on the field, where his Cornhuskers will continue to stumble on one side of the ball, and off the field, where important recruiting relationships have already been put to the test.

 

For Bo's sake, this better work.

I wholeheartedly agree. It's probably relatively common nationally . . . but I always thought Nebraska had our own higher standards. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case.

[junior4949]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

 

 

Watson made up his mind sometime during the season he wasn't going to be the OC for Nebraska in 2011. Yes, he put his name in the hat for every job out there. He didn't get picked up. While all of this might make Bo look bad, I don't necessarily think any of this was his fault. I believe both Bo and Watson thought Watson would get picked up by someone else making this entire situation avoidable. It didn't happen, thus we have the situation that's upon us.

[ESPY]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

 

 

Watson made up his mind sometime during the season he wasn't going to be the OC for Nebraska in 2011. Yes, he put his name in the hat for every job out there. He didn't get picked up. While all of this might make Bo look bad, I don't necessarily think any of this was his fault. I believe both Bo and Watson thought Watson would get picked up by someone else making this entire situation avoidable. It didn't happen, thus we have the situation that's upon us.

And if that doesn't tell you something about our OC, then I don't know what does.

[carlfense]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

 

 

Watson made up his mind sometime during the season he wasn't going to be the OC for Nebraska in 2011. Yes, he put his name in the hat for every job out there. He didn't get picked up. While all of this might make Bo look bad, I don't necessarily think any of this was his fault. I believe both Bo and Watson thought Watson would get picked up by someone else making this entire situation avoidable. It didn't happen, thus we have the situation that's upon us.

And if that doesn't tell you something about our OC, then I don't know what does.

Naw! Injuries, bad luck, etc. Watson is an EXCELLENT offensive coordinator. Just look at the 2009 Holiday Bowl where he put up 33 on Arizona!

[junior4949]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

 

 

Watson made up his mind sometime during the season he wasn't going to be the OC for Nebraska in 2011. Yes, he put his name in the hat for every job out there. He didn't get picked up. While all of this might make Bo look bad, I don't necessarily think any of this was his fault. I believe both Bo and Watson thought Watson would get picked up by someone else making this entire situation avoidable. It didn't happen, thus we have the situation that's upon us.

And if that doesn't tell you something about our OC, then I don't know what does.

 

 

This isn't exactly the point. I'm sure TO and Bo did everything in their power to get Watson a different gig, but now they're the ones with egg all over their face. I think the media is making a mountain out of a molehill.

[I am I]

i'm just glad Watsgrove is getting publicity for crapping the bed offensively...see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.

 

the last of the C******n regime is finally gone...i predict a MNC within 2 years

[ESPY]

So according to this guy, Watson wasn't out looking for another job? Bo held him back? did this guy even bother to do any investigating for this report, or did he just throw a bunch of stuff together to try and make NU look bad?

 

I do agree that the whole issue could have been handled better by Bo.

 

 

Watson made up his mind sometime during the season he wasn't going to be the OC for Nebraska in 2011. Yes, he put his name in the hat for every job out there. He didn't get picked up. While all of this might make Bo look bad, I don't necessarily think any of this was his fault. I believe both Bo and Watson thought Watson would get picked up by someone else making this entire situation avoidable. It didn't happen, thus we have the situation that's upon us.

And if that doesn't tell you something about our OC, then I don't know what does.

 

 

This isn't exactly the point. I'm sure TO and Bo did everything in their power to get Watson a different gig, but now they're the ones with egg all over their face. I think the media is making a mountain out of a molehill.

I hear ya. That was just my impression of the media taking something out of context to make it fit their agenda.

[robsker]

tl/dr BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

butthurt they are.

Far from it. Myerberg is one of the most unbiased CFB writers out there. I look forward to his team by team breakdown every spring.

 

Circle the wagons/Nothing to see here type talk should be beneath us.

 

Simply put, Nebraska (and especially the FANS!) should be better than this.

 

I absolutely agree. It would be nice to do things right. But.....

 

As to this better work out... or Bo will be in trouble...

 

My take is this... hire an experienced OC and then that new OC chooses their staff of position coaches. If Bo goes with Beck as OC --- well, 1) he is not experienced, 2) he'll have baggage(having been on the outgoing failed offensive staff) and 3) he is not a proven commodity. If Bo goes that route... he.. and we... will likely be in trouble.

 

All is not well in Huskerland