10 Quick Thoughts on This Year and Next . . .

[HuskerinSunDiego]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

 

[Joe_5700]

I can agree with #4 but also factor in an injured Crick as well as JP's first year on D-line. I think Crick was injured from game 1. In regards to #10, did Pelini run over your dog?

 

[robsker]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

I'll attempt to answer #9 --- and it is pure guess work to be sure. Having seen this in other settings, it might be applicable here. Then again, perhaps not. Yes... Bo is fiery, but is fiery in the negative sense, with a chip on a shoulder, us against the world, screw them sort of way. In fact, I am more inclined to say that Bo is more characterized by anger and discontentment than he is characterized by being fiery. But whatever...

Rarely does the negative sort of fire (anger... whatever you wish to call it) lend itself to good leadership and motivating your people. Short term it may... sometimes. And the degree that it works to motivate the people under you is typically proportional to the personalities and maturity of the people you lead. Long term, such a leadership "style" rarely works. More often, your people play under stress, fear of failure, fear of reprimand, and ridicule and they play tight, tentative, and play not to make mistakes rather than playing with fire and passion. In this case, players get pulled from their positions, or inexplicably disappear entirely from participation --- and, when this happens and, at the same time, the very players removed are replaced with players that the opposition exploits and the team performs poorly... then all of this adds up to a group of players that are walking on eggshells and playing w/o fire.

Sure Bo is fiery... but his team is rarely fired up. Why? My explanation is a possibility... but we really do not know. That said, what we do know is that NU typically plays flat, plays w/o passion, and is under-prepared, unfocused and certainly is among the nations biggest under achieving teams. We can only guess as to why...

 

[HuskerShark]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

1. Agree, but I think it will come with time

2. Maybe, but I doubt it. His time will come though...

3. Not sure if I would word it like that, but kind of...

4. I think we are just very young in the secondary, and have a lack of talent at every level of the defense.

5. I agree, but recruits will make us better.

6. I think he has learned a lot this year in how he handles the press and his sideline demeanor, so he is coming along.

7. I agree. Beck has shown a lot of creativity with the offense.

8. I think we lack a lot of talent and depth and are waiting for our stellar recruits from the last year or two to mature.

9. Because he was super fiery his first 3 years and that wasn't good enough for most people, so they told him to cool it. Now you see Emotionless Bo on the sidelines...

10. I don't think he would.. Nor do I think LSU would hire him.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

Robsker,

That is the best insight that I have read on any board this year. EXCELLENT post, and right on the money. You seriously answered some of my questions.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

In regards to #10, did Pelini run over your dog?

I don't hate Bo. I surely don't want him fired, as nobody would ever come to NU after Solich AND Pelini got the axe after 9+ win seasons. However, my gut instinct is that Pelini is not happy here. If he bolted for another program, we'd have plenty of people lining up to take the job. Sorry, long since tired of Bo and his drama queen act. Tired of always having to worry about his emotional state.

 

[HuskerCarter]

So we get rid of Bo and then what?

Hire Nutt after he retires this year? Nutt can't live up to the Huskers expectations of an instant MNC title.

Leach? The guy has a bigger doghouse than Bo.

Mangino? That man doesn't need to be any closer to Omaha steaks.

Im sorry, but your only salvation for a turn around Husker program to the glory days is Urban Meyer.

 

[ladyhawke]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

*I've heard this 'doghouse' comment repeatedly throughout the board. Do we have any proof to substantiate this claim or is it just hearsay? (Just curious)

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

*Besides the 'doghouse rumor' does anyone know why Jamal isn't playing?

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

*I don't know about anyone else but I haven't seen that fire in a long time. Does anyone else feel like Bo's been 'shut down' by the administration? That maybe he's walking on eggshells so he doesn't get out of control and lose his job? I miss Bo's fire. Anyone else notice this or is it just me?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

*Nah, Bo wasn't fond of Louisianna and Mrs. Bo hated it from what I read when they first came here. If anything, I think Bo would take the Ohio State job-he is one of the top three contenders for that job by the way.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

So we get rid of Bo and then what?

Hire Nutt after he retires this year? Nutt can't live up to the Huskers expectations of an instant MNC title.

Leach? The guy has a bigger doghouse than Bo.

Mangino? That man doesn't need to be any closer to Omaha steaks.

Im sorry, but your only salvation for a turn around Husker program to the glory days is Urban Meyer.

I'm not here to start a "fire Bo" thread. Just being realistic on how I perceive Bo's lukewarm desire to the Husker's coach. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

*I've heard this 'doghouse' comment repeatedly throughout the board. Do we have any proof to substantiate this claim or is it just hearsay? (Just curious)

REPLY: These guys were good players last year. This year, our secondary has been terrible, yet these guys don't see the field? Just speculating, but it seems reasonable.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

*I don't know about anyone else but I haven't seen that fire in a long time. Does anyone else feel like Bo's been 'shut down' by the administration? That maybe he's walking on eggshells so he doesn't get out of control and lose his job? I miss Bo's fire. Anyone else notice this or is it just me?

REPLY: I highly doubt that TO put the reigns on Bo. I honestly think that Bo has become somewhat lost, and isn't exactly sure what to do.

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

*Nah, Bo wasn't fond of Louisianna and Mrs. Bo hated it from what I read when they first came here. If anything, I think Bo would take the Ohio State job-he is one of the top three contenders for that job by the way.

REPLY: Is Bo seriously one of the top 3 contenders for the job? Before this season, I would have been worried had I heard this comment. Today, I wouldn't care if he left. I want a coach who enjoys being at Nebraska and isn't afraid to show it.

 

[GoBlueM]

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

.

2007: #12 class

2008: #10 class

2009: # 8 class

2010: # 20 class

2011: # 21 class

The last couple weren't great, but most players with significant minutes were from top 10-15 classes. Don't underestimate how bad of a coach rich rod was.

 

[np_husker]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

I agree with everything you said and up until recently I agreed with what you say in #10. But at this point I can't see a big time program coming after Bo. If it were to happen I think Bo would be gone in a heart beat.

 

[NUance]

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

I agree. Our offense stumbled yesterday. But quite a few of our drives ended because of things other than playcalling: 1) penalties; 2) dropped passes; 3) O-line break-downs. There's only so much an OC can do when these things keep cropping up every couple of plays.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

Wow, this is a painful comparison. Any sentence with "Cosgrove" in it is painful. Especially when it smacks of the truth. The thing is, we won't have a top-10 team until our line improves significantly. On both sides of the ball.

 

[C N Red]

1. Pelini is too green (and too stubborn) as a coach to realize that he doesn't know everything. He needs to stop putting guys in his doghouse and just let them play (PJ, Jamaal Turner, Osborne).

2. No Jamaal Turner for the last month. Two losses. Hmmm . . . . just wondering if he might have helped (You think?)

3. Brady Hoke made Bo look like an amateur. Seriously.

4. My gut instinct is that the defense is worse this year because Bo gave full control to Carl. Carl's a nice guy, but he ain't Bo.

5. Tired of hoping for a few more recruits to make us better. Michigan didn't get any recruits and Hoke is just fine.

6. Pelini's "me against the Nebraska world" mentality is taking its toll. Unless he reverses ship, we'll never completely turn the corner.

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

9. How does a fiery coach like Pelini have teams that fail to play with fire?

10. If Les Miles retires within the next 5 years, Pelini will run into the arms of LSU (and I don't think I'll miss him).

I'll attempt to answer #9 --- and it is pure guess work to be sure. Having seen this in other settings, it might be applicable here. Then again, perhaps not. Yes... Bo is fiery, but is fiery in the negative sense, with a chip on a shoulder, us against the world, screw them sort of way. In fact, I am more inclined to say that Bo is more characterized by anger and discontentment than he is characterized by being fiery. But whatever...

Rarely does the negative sort of fire (anger... whatever you wish to call it) lend itself to good leadership and motivating your people. Short term it may... sometimes. And the degree that it works to motivate the people under you is typically proportional to the personalities and maturity of the people you lead. Long term, such a leadership "style" rarely works. More often, your people play under stress, fear of failure, fear of reprimand, and ridicule and they play tight, tentative, and play not to make mistakes rather than playing with fire and passion. In this case, players get pulled from their positions, or inexplicably disappear entirely from participation --- and, when this happens and, at the same time, the very players removed are replaced with players that the opposition exploits and the team performs poorly... then all of this adds up to a group of players that are walking on eggshells and playing w/o fire.

Sure Bo is fiery... but his team is rarely fired up. Why? My explanation is a possibility... but we really do not know. That said, what we do know is that NU typically plays flat, plays w/o passion, and is under-prepared, unfocused and certainly is among the nations biggest under achieving teams. We can only guess as to why...

+1 for you sir. I would like to nominate your post for post of the year. I have been thinking this for awhile but couldn't quite figure out how to word it. You did it perfectly!! This is exactly how I find myself feeling now. I found Bo ripping out the players and being fiery good early on in his tenure here. However, now I really believe his act is becoming very detrimental.

There are times that players need to be ripped, but more times than not they need that reinsurance and the "you're okay" pep talk. They showed Brady Hoke talking to his players alot and I never once saw him chewing out a player. He was definitely letting players know at times that they had done something wrong but went about it in a calm and controlled way. You see players nodding there head in understanding. They listen when the coach is calm, but can shut down when he isn't.

If the player doesn't feel like he is going to learn anything from talking to the coach b/c the coach is yelling, they will immediately shut down as soon as the coach starts to talk/yell b/c they know they are only going to get torn down and aren't going to be helped and taught from the experience.

Bo seems to pride himself on being a teacher of young men and says it's more than about football, it's about getting them ready for life. If he trully means this then he just needs to be calm and show poise. Those are two things that will get you further in life than yelling and freaking out. Bo needs to teach in a controlled and more positive manner, not only for the young men under his guidance, but for himself and his future.

 

[Chaddyboxer]

7. Beck will be just fine. This is his first year. There have been some missteps, but I am pleased with his direction.

I agree. Our offense stumbled yesterday. But quite a few of our drives ended because of things other than playcalling: 1) penalties; 2) dropped passes; 3) O-line break-downs. There's only so much an OC can do when these things keep cropping up every couple of plays.

8. The O-line feels like the Kevin Cosgrove defenses: We knew it would never get better until he was gone.

Wow, this is a painful comparison. Any sentence with "Cosgrove" in it is painful. Especially when it smacks of the truth. The thing is, we won't have a top-10 team until our line improves significantly. On both sides of the ball.

I don't understand this o-line bashing!? Is the o-line inconsistent at times? Yes. Have they plowed and created yards against top 10 defenses this year? YES!!!! We ran very well against Ohio St, Michigan St, and Penn St. C'mon people. And Martinez has had solid pass protection this year as well....The o-line isn't the biggest problem.