Stew Mandel (SI) and Bruce Feldman (CBS) Talk Nebraska

[kchusker_chris]

I think they blew it out of the water, except for thinking that there were coaches out there (there are, but none that will go to Nebraska, especially with the openings coming up). I'm curious as to who Bruce Feldman thinks what available coaches are a good fit for Nebraska that would come to Nebraska. I would've been interested on what he thought about that. Maybe they've got a time crunch, but c'mon...expand? Give an example? That said...

 

Last chance, Bo. Last chance.

 

Here's something else...

 

Look at what Bo is doing. Daring administration to fire him. Acting like an ass. Again. Even though he's apologized again and again, keeps saying he's working on it. Fine. If you're in Bo's shoes, what would you do? Resign to take a new position, probably for less money? Or get your $7+ million out of your current employer first, and then move on to your new position?

 

Bo's the coach at Nebraska. Will back him until he's not. But things just seem way too weird anymore. Lets face it, fans are biased. But when you hear impartial opinions on the program, it does start to make you wonder. It does for me, anyway.

If there's any truth to the bolded then he's checked out. Not a good place for Nebraska if so. I've been that employee w/ a payout sitting there, daring a company to fire me. It sucks for everyone. If you don't want to be there, and with everything that's happened in the last few weeks it's hard to believe Bo truely want's to be here, then it's not a good situation for anybody.

[TheSker]

Look at what Bo is doing. Daring administration to fire him.

It has been said Pelini "dared" the administration to fire him. Pelini did not use the word "dare", but the word has appeared in the media. That word is as much sensationalism as the speculation surrounding Pelini's job security was.

[funhusker]

If his "daring' the admins to firing him equals attitude and emotion to a fault, I can live with that discomfort (I'll admit, I prefer 'lively' Bo)

 

However, the only questionable action I witnessed on Friday was the fake punt. Am I the only person to be more upset about that than the hat incident? When I saw that, that is the only time I thought "yep, he's trying to get fired"

 

hindsight 20/20 I guess. I hope Bo is our coach for a long, long time assuming 9 wins (8 with the roster clusterf*&cj they had) is the floor!

[TheSker]

However, the only questionable action I witnessed on Friday was the fake punt. Am I the only person to be more upset about that than the hat incident? When I saw that, that is the only time I thought "yep, he's trying to get fired"

Here's a perspective on the fake punt......opportunity was there. http://hailvarsity.com/2013/12/tale-of-the-tape-iowa/

[sd'sker]

Mandel: 'I think the utlimate sign of Nebraska fitting into the Big Ten is that their expectations are lower.'

that hurts, but it does seem like most teams just want to get to the rose bowl in the B1G.

 

and if knapp really wanted to bring the SEC into this, a better comparison would be between mizzou and neb. a couple old conference foes who went to different conferences and seem to now have different identities. one team hopes to get to 9 wins and the other has a chance to compete for an mnc and could end up a top 3 team. talk about lowering expectations vs. rising to the occasion.

[Foppa]

If his "daring' the admins to firing him equals attitude and emotion to a fault, I can live with that discomfort (I'll admit, I prefer 'lively' Bo)

 

However, the only questionable action I witnessed on Friday was the fake punt. Am I the only person to be more upset about that than the hat incident? When I saw that, that is the only time I thought "yep, he's trying to get fired"

 

hindsight 20/20 I guess. I hope Bo is our coach for a long, long time assuming 9 wins (8 with the roster clusterf*&cj they had) is the floor!

 

Down 7, deep in your own territory, after a meltdown...Bo wasn't catching anyone off-guard. Where's all the trick plays when the other team actually isn't expecting it? And even if he did, why the hell wasn't your rugby-style kicker reading the continuously, notoriously bad attempt at the teams' ability to playing short bus special teams and just kick the damn ball?!?

[Saunders]

Hogwash.

 

They talk about Bo being "Un-Nebraska." FFS, have they never heard of Bob Devaney? And for all of the protestations that Devaney's era was 40 years ago, he was AD as recently as 1993. For a fan base who vividly recalls and frequently references the 1970s and 1980s, that is not that long ago. Maybe to a younger generation, but this isn't a young fan base only.

 

Out of curiosity, did Auburn "fit into the SEC" last year with lower expectations when they went winless in conference play?

Knapp, the vast majority of fans have no idea what Bob was like. If he came back from the dead and coached again, many Nebraska fans would be pooping bricks about 3 games into the season.

[robsker]

The only thing I didn't understand was how shocked they were that the administration didn't fire Pelini. I don't think he has done anything worth termination. Has he toed the line? Absolutely! But it would have to be egregious, in my opinion, in order to let a coach that wins 9-10 games every year go.

 

His lack or restraint on the sidelines, his temper tantrums, his tape, his interviews, and all this together leading to NU having a horrible national reputation as a result of Pelini's poor,poor representation of the university indeed warrants his firing.

 

Living out of state, I encounter fans who, when they see i am an NU fan say "how can you like that program, their coach is a jerk and they are among the scum of college football." It happens all the time. Bo has given NU a very bad reputation based upon his childish, unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

The results on the field are not the point. The national perspective of NU football as being numbered among the scum of college football (based upon perspectives of guys like Bo, Carl, Suh, Incognito, Dennard --- but, most notably and consistently --- Bo) is why the commentators are shocked (justifiably) that NU did not send Pelini packing.

[RedDenver]

The only thing I didn't understand was how shocked they were that the administration didn't fire Pelini. I don't think he has done anything worth termination. Has he toed the line? Absolutely! But it would have to be egregious, in my opinion, in order to let a coach that wins 9-10 games every year go.

 

His lack or restraint on the sidelines, his temper tantrums, his tape, his interviews, and all this together leading to NU having a horrible national reputation as a result of Pelini's poor,poor representation of the university indeed warrants his firing.

 

Living out of state, I encounter fans who, when they see i am an NU fan say "how can you like that program, their coach is a jerk and they are among the scum of college football." It happens all the time. Bo has given NU a very bad reputation based upon his childish, unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

The results on the field are not the point. The national perspective of NU football as being numbered among the scum of college football (based upon perspectives of guys like Bo, Carl, Suh, Incognito, Dennard --- but, most notably and consistently --- Bo) is why the commentators are shocked (justifiably) that NU did not send Pelini packing.

This is all anecdotal. I also live outside Nebraska, and few even remember who our coach is. Mostly they remember us getting shellacked by Wisconsin last year. My brother lives in Los Angeles and the Huskers are highly thought of there. But we're still just sampling a tiny portion of the college football fanbase.

[robsker]

The only thing I didn't understand was how shocked they were that the administration didn't fire Pelini. I don't think he has done anything worth termination. Has he toed the line? Absolutely! But it would have to be egregious, in my opinion, in order to let a coach that wins 9-10 games every year go.

 

His lack or restraint on the sidelines, his temper tantrums, his tape, his interviews, and all this together leading to NU having a horrible national reputation as a result of Pelini's poor,poor representation of the university indeed warrants his firing.

 

Living out of state, I encounter fans who, when they see i am an NU fan say "how can you like that program, their coach is a jerk and they are among the scum of college football." It happens all the time. Bo has given NU a very bad reputation based upon his childish, unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

The results on the field are not the point. The national perspective of NU football as being numbered among the scum of college football (based upon perspectives of guys like Bo, Carl, Suh, Incognito, Dennard --- but, most notably and consistently --- Bo) is why the commentators are shocked (justifiably) that NU did not send Pelini packing.

This is all anecdotal. I also live outside Nebraska, and few even remember who our coach is. Mostly they remember us getting shellacked by Wisconsin last year. My brother lives in Los Angeles and the Huskers are highly thought of there. But we're still just sampling a tiny portion of the college football fanbase.

 

Of course it is anecdotal. That said, look at the national media and see how NU is portrayed there and, in particular, how Bo is presented. Bo is close to, if not literally, presented in the national sports media as the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach. The vast majority of what is presented is direct, or thinly veiled, criticism of what is wrong about NU. It is not good to see NU presented nationally in such light and so widely viewed in such a negative way.

[knapplc]

Hogwash.

 

They talk about Bo being "Un-Nebraska." FFS, have they never heard of Bob Devaney? And for all of the protestations that Devaney's era was 40 years ago, he was AD as recently as 1993. For a fan base who vividly recalls and frequently references the 1970s and 1980s, that is not that long ago. Maybe to a younger generation, but this isn't a young fan base only.

 

Out of curiosity, did Auburn "fit into the SEC" last year with lower expectations when they went winless in conference play?

Knapp, the vast majority of fans have no idea what Bob was like. If he came back from the dead and coached again, many Nebraska fans would be pooping bricks about 3 games into the season.

 

Happy 3,333 posts, BTW.

 

I think Bo's demeanor fits in with the Nebraska zeitgeist far better than people think. We're still a largely rural state, more Blue Collar than White Collar. Maybe not in Omaha (whose media has the least connection to Pelini, not unsurprisingly), but most of the rest of the state. That's not to say Nebraskans are happy their coach said the things caught on tape, or had the petulant meltdown at the presser, but I think much more is being made of that in Omaha and nationally than folks here really care. We care, just... not that much.

 

 

 

Answering some other things said in this thread about the media:

 

The national storyline about Bo is just as robsker said, "the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach." People could maybe quibble with a word here or there, but that's not an unfair or unrealistic description.

 

It's also tissue-thin. It's a 24-hour news world. Today this is Bo's description. In 2009 it was definitely the media's perception of who Bo was.

 

In April, 2013 and months beyond, he was the example of all that was right with college football after Jack's Spring Game run. Those storylines change faster than the weather in Nebraska, where today it's 65 degrees and tomorrow tops out at 25.

 

It only takes one winning season for that storyline to change. Suddenly they'll dredge up the Jack run, the approbations he's received from dozens of former players, he'll be the toast of the town. But even then, he'll be one "chickensh#t" rant away from Bad Bo again.

 

Is it good to have an overall good reputation, locally and nationally? Yes, absolutely. Do I lose a lot of sleep when that reputation isn't good? For something like tape-gate or the chickensh#t rant, no, not so much.

 

It's all about the perspective. And that perspective changes daily. Hourly.

[gbr93]

Hogwash.

 

They talk about Bo being "Un-Nebraska." FFS, have they never heard of Bob Devaney? And for all of the protestations that Devaney's era was 40 years ago, he was AD as recently as 1993. For a fan base who vividly recalls and frequently references the 1970s and 1980s, that is not that long ago. Maybe to a younger generation, but this isn't a young fan base only.

 

Out of curiosity, did Auburn "fit into the SEC" last year with lower expectations when they went winless in conference play?

Knapp, the vast majority of fans have no idea what Bob was like. If he came back from the dead and coached again, many Nebraska fans would be pooping bricks about 3 games into the season.

 

Happy 3,333 posts, BTW.

 

I think Bo's demeanor fits in with the Nebraska zeitgeist far better than people think. We're still a largely rural state, more Blue Collar than White Collar. Maybe not in Omaha (whose media has the least connection to Pelini, not unsurprisingly), but most of the rest of the state. That's not to say Nebraskans are happy their coach said the things caught on tape, or had the petulant meltdown at the presser, but I think much more is being made of that in Omaha and nationally than folks here really care. We care, just... not that much.

 

 

 

Answering some other things said in this thread about the media:

 

The national storyline about Bo is just as robsker said, "the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach." People could maybe quibble with a word here or there, but that's not an unfair or unrealistic description.

 

It's also tissue-thin. It's a 24-hour news world. Today this is Bo's description. In 2009 it was definitely the media's perception of who Bo was.

 

In April, 2013 and months beyond, he was the example of all that was right with college football after Jack's Spring Game run. Those storylines change faster than the weather in Nebraska, where today it's 65 degrees and tomorrow tops out at 25.

 

It only takes one winning season for that storyline to change. Suddenly they'll dredge up the Jack run, the approbations he's received from dozens of former players, he'll be the toast of the town. But even then, he'll be one "chickensh#t" rant away from Bad Bo again.

 

Is it good to have an overall good reputation, locally and nationally? Yes, absolutely. Do I lose a lot of sleep when that reputation isn't good? For something like tape-gate or the chickensh#t rant, no, not so much.

 

It's all about the perspective. And that perspective changes daily. Hourly.

This 100%. Perceptions of players and coaches change so fast in all sports now a days it's crazy.

[corncraze]

I agree with almost everything Feldman said. I can only hope Eichorst somehow made the right call. However, I am not even convinced that Pelini would stay if he did eventually win us a Conference Championship or BCS bowl. I get the feeling that Bo doesn't even want to be here, hence why people like Mandel are so adamant in saying that Bo has applied to so many other schools. If this is the case, why are we so committed to Bo? If he is not as invested in this program, is a moderate recruiter and has this national image of being a lunatic, what is the advantage of keeping him? Why not just make the move now, especially if it is potentially inevitable?

[tmfr15]

Hogwash.

 

They talk about Bo being "Un-Nebraska." FFS, have they never heard of Bob Devaney? And for all of the protestations that Devaney's era was 40 years ago, he was AD as recently as 1993. For a fan base who vividly recalls and frequently references the 1970s and 1980s, that is not that long ago. Maybe to a younger generation, but this isn't a young fan base only.

 

Out of curiosity, did Auburn "fit into the SEC" last year with lower expectations when they went winless in conference play?

 

I really don't understand all the Devaney talk.

 

When I think of Osborne coaching... well, I remember him being the coach. I know how he acted towards the fans, refs, opposing coaches,, blah, blah blah. Same for Frank Solich and Billy C. I wasn't alive when Bob coached, so I have no idea what that was like.

 

How is Bo like Bob if you don't really have a firm handle on what Bob was like? Isn't that just molding Bob to fit Bo and then saying, see Bo is just like Bob used to be?

[tmfr15]

I agree with almost everything Feldman said. I can only hope Eichorst somehow made the right call. However, I am not even convinced that Pelini would stay if he did eventually win us a Conference Championship or BCS bowl. I get the feeling that Bo doesn't even want to be here, hence why people like Mandel are so adamant in saying that Bo has applied to so many other schools. If this is the case, why are we so committed to Bo? If he is not as invested in this program, is a moderate recruiter and has this national image of being a lunatic, what is the advantage of keeping him? Why not just make the move now, especially if it is potentially inevitable?

 

It does kind of seem this way. Have to agree here.