Eichorst statement on Bo

[Abdullah the Butcher]

Eichorst said he has had nothing to do with the improving public image of coach Bo Pelini, who has boosted his popularity since his blowups both during and after last season's loss to Iowa. "Bo's the same guy that I met when I arrived on campus," Eichorst said. "I see those sort of qualities from him on a day-to-day basis. What's out there in the community and the perception and all that other sort of stuff is certainly hard to control. He's a good ball coach, a good person. He's serious about his craft and very disciplined in his approach and we're lucky to have him at Nebraska."

 

 

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=bigten&id=100856

[Guy Chamberlin]

In a world of carefully crafted PR, that sounded both off-the-cuff and sincere.

[Landlord]

People should know by now that Eichorst doesn't really 'play the game' the way most people do. He's a candid and casual guy.

 

 

 

And he's also right. We could do very, very, very much worse than Bo Pelini.

[Thanks_Tom RR]

People should know by now that Eichorst doesn't really 'play the game' the way most people do. He's a candid and casual guy.

 

 

 

And he's also right. We could do very, very, very much worse than Bo Pelini.

Landlord, no...[he says reaching out to LOMS in an utlimately futile attempt to quell his comrade's voice, knowing the complete clusterf* those words will cause].

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Eichorst has never struck me as a guy who enjoys to "play the game" the way most other athletic directors do. He's a very behind the scenes, hands-off, type of leader and I think it has benefited him and any other university that has employed him. I think it's very true that the Bo Pelini all of us know is very different than the Bo Pelini that Shawn knows. Why that's the case is anybody's best guess, but the reality is that it is that way: we know very little about Bo Pelini other than what we read about or what we see on TV.

 

Hoping this latest stint of humor carries itself into next season and beyond.

[RedDenver]

Eichorst is a lawyer. I think he knows how to play the game just fine.

 

I've been in favor of keeping Bo as the coach, but this recent PR campaign and Eichorst's comments just strike me as manufactured and insincere.

[kchusker_chris]

I've been in favor of keeping Bo as the coach, but this recent PR campaign and Eichorst's comments just strike me as manufactured and insincere.

 

I don't think it's manufactured, it's just the off season mood/environment. The stress is limited. This board was talking about the same PR campaign last year at this time. Jack run, phone prank and harlem shake. This year it's cats and twitter.

 

It's no different than my wife having all summer off (teacher). She's the same damn woman in June as she is in April, but I guarantee you that she's much more pleasant to be around in June. I like to think that the real her is the June her, but we both know that April b!tch is lurking around every corner. In reality she's probably somewhere in between. Bo's no different.

[Branno]

 

 

I've been in favor of keeping Bo as the coach, but this recent PR campaign and Eichorst's comments just strike me as manufactured and insincere.

I don't think it's manufactured, it's just the off season mood/environment. The stress is limited. This board was talking about the same PR campaign last year at this time. Jack run, phone prank and harlem shake. This year it's cats and twitter.

 

It's no different than my wife having all summer off (teacher). She's the same damn woman in June as she is in April, but I guarantee you that she's much more pleasant to be around in June. I like to think that the real her is the June her, but we both know that April b!tch is lurking around every corner. In reality she's probably somewhere in between. Bo's no different.

This.

 

I think this is just one of many sides to Bo. How many people have to talk about this side of Bo until it stops being called manufactured and insincere?

[RedDenver]

 

I've been in favor of keeping Bo as the coach, but this recent PR campaign and Eichorst's comments just strike me as manufactured and insincere.

 

I don't think it's manufactured, it's just the off season mood/environment. The stress is limited. This board was talking about the same PR campaign last year at this time. Jack run, phone prank and harlem shake. This year it's cats and twitter.

 

It's no different than my wife having all summer off (teacher). She's the same damn woman in June as she is in April, but I guarantee you that she's much more pleasant to be around in June. I like to think that the real her is the June her, but we both know that April b!tch is lurking around every corner. In reality she's probably somewhere in between. Bo's no different.

 

That's a good point, but it seemed more natural and less forced last year IMO.

[Count 'Bility]

My big boss missed out on some event in AZ a while back that he usually attends while down there. But he got to have breakfast with Eichorst and some other folks as a "makeup". He came away very impressed. I was on the fence about Shawn after his handling of the Pelini-job fiasco at the end of last year, and that instance may have very well showed some inexperience on his part. But this guy now things Shawn is not nearly as luck to be at NU as NU is to have him. He just fits the mold of Nebraska so perfect in how he conducts business. And that in his opinion, Bo's job was never in jeapordy, which is why Shawn never addressed it. That he was quite ignorant to all the speculation swirling until it blew up to a point that it was literally affecting performance. Cant say I disagree. The team and staff as a whole appeared to play that Gator Bowl with a mindset that they got to take a breath after the statement of support.

 

We'll see where it goes, but I'm really starting to believe in Eichorst after what I've heard. I know we all love Osborne and this family thing we got going here, but sometimes it does take an outside influence to push things over the top. To bring in some new ideas.

[Stumpy1]

I don't think Bo's actions are 100% PR stunts but just him opening up and letting the public see a little more of his personal side. I have been lucky enough to sit and BS with him and Carl, when he was coaching here, during our boy's football games and Bo came off as someone that doesn't talk much but doesn't act like he is better then you.

 

SE will have my vote of confidence as soon as the Huskers get a hockey team.

[kchusker_chris]

And that in his opinion, Bo's job was never in jeapordy, which is why Shawn never addressed it. That he was quite ignorant to all the speculation swirling until it blew up to a point that it was literally affecting performance. Cant say I disagree. The team and staff as a whole appeared to play that Gator Bowl with a mindset that they got to take a breath after the statement of support.

 

I can't believe this after the statements post Iowa. I agree they played the Gator bowl knowing they had a job next year. If they didn't get fired post-Iowa there was little to nothing that would get them fired post-Gator. But there is no way he was ignorant to the speculation. And maybe in Shawn's eyes Bo's job wasn't in jeopardy, but it was obvious after Iowa Bo didn't share that same security. Shawn screwed the pooch royally on that one. If he'd fired Bo post-Iowa, I'd say he handled the situation perfectly - didn't show support for a coach that he didn't support - only to can him at season's end. But if you're going to keep Bo after everything that happened Thanksgiving weekend, it's absolutely ridiculous not to show your support before that. What could it possibly hurt if you know you're keeping him? If he was 100% keeping Bo, it could do nothing but help. Instead he watched Bo act like a clown and THEN showed support. Both guys lost that battle. Both looked like amateurs. Bo certainly didn't help Shawn with his actions. Shawn certainly didn't help Bo with his.

[Saunders]

 

And that in his opinion, Bo's job was never in jeapordy, which is why Shawn never addressed it. That he was quite ignorant to all the speculation swirling until it blew up to a point that it was literally affecting performance. Cant say I disagree. The team and staff as a whole appeared to play that Gator Bowl with a mindset that they got to take a breath after the statement of support.

 

I can't believe this after the statements post Iowa. I agree they played the Gator bowl knowing they had a job next year. If they didn't get fired post-Iowa there was little to nothing that would get them fired post-Gator. But there is no way he was ignorant to the speculation. And maybe in Shawn's eyes Bo's job wasn't in jeopardy, but it was obvious after Iowa Bo didn't share that same security. Shawn screwed the pooch royally on that one. If he'd fired Bo post-Iowa, I'd say he handled the situation perfectly - didn't show support for a coach that he didn't support - only to can him at season's end. But if you're going to keep Bo after everything that happened Thanksgiving weekend, it's absolutely ridiculous not to show your support before that. What could it possibly hurt if you know you're keeping him? If he was 100% keeping Bo, it could do nothing but help. Instead he watched Bo act like a clown and THEN showed support. Both guys lost that battle. Both looked like amateurs. Bo certainly didn't help Shawn with his actions. Shawn certainly didn't help Bo with his.

 

Yup. He let him dangle in the wind, and it made them both look bad.

[Redux]

Correct me if Im wrong but his job is to decide the fate of athletics? In this instance who the football coach should be. If he felt Bo was still the man for the job post Iowa, why make a big ordeal out of it? Its not like it was his job to retain him THEN sell him to the fans, "Hey Husker Nation I know youre upset at Bo hut I just retained him so please forgive him and dont hate me! We will now be putting up Pro Bo billboards all over Lincoln so you can all choke on my support for him!"

 

He didnt fire him, so no big story. Im sure Bo knew where his job sat regardless what the public thinks they knew.

[tmfr15]

Some of these conversations are kind of silly in my estimation.

 

Is Bo a good person?

I can't even believe that this is being debated. What we know of Bo is what we view through the public prism. I see no reason to believe that he's anything but a good person.

 

Is Bo a good coach?

You don't get to where Bo has gotten without being a good coach. He comes from a good coaching tree and has had success at multiple places. He knows his stuff.

 

Is Bo a hot head or a jerk?

No. He's neither. We all know that Bo is ultra competitive and that he wants to win and be successful. There should be no debate on this issue. When off the field, Bo has done more that enough to prove that he's not a hot head generally speaking. He has had many many many good encounters with Husker fans. And I think he has fun with some of the PR stuff, like the soldier and wife reunion thing. And the Twitter cat thing and the list could go on and on, all the way back to the My Carlfriend is back t-shirt gimic of year one or two. When Bo gets on the field and the action heats up, his temper heats up, particularly if he believes that we are getting the shaft out there. I appreciate his passion and only wish he would dial it back a notch or two or walk away before he gets to that other level of pissed. I appreciate that it's hard for him to do that, in part because my temper can get away a bit in high intensity situations too.

 

Will Bo be successful here?

I think, by many standards, he has been successful. I believe we were competitive in every single game last year, even UCLA. That was simply a tale of two halves. It happens. Other games were close. Iowa pulled away in the second half, but we were competitive. Bo has yet to get the Huskers to take that next step.... win the conference title, but his level of success warrants more time and he is getting it. The only reason that there was even talk of firing Bo last year was because of the way things went down on the sideline and in the press room after Iowa.

 

What would it take for Bo to get fired?

If Bo has a losing season or a .500 season, he won't keep his job. I think Tom articulated that standard as AD and I think SE will apply that standard. That being said, I simply don't see us having a losing or .500 season. We've got a good team here. Maybe good enough to win the conference title this year or next year. I am hoping we break through and then all this Bo talk can go away.