np_husker
Starter
IRVING, Texas — It was 10 minutes before Nebraska's turn on the Big 12 stage and some press wiseguy said, “Where's the truck driver?''
Truck driver?
“That's what we call Bo Pelini,'' the wiseguy said. “With that sweat shirt, he looks like a truck driver.''
I don't know many truck drivers who can draw up a zone blitz. I do know that the Nebraska head football coach looks and sounds more like the hard-nosed gym teacher who would eat your doctor's excuse and march you out to do jumping jacks. Never mind your crutches.
As he enters his second season at NU, Pelini has established a clear identity. He is a sweat shirt in this fashion show of a league. He is against the grain. He is whole grain.
In a no-huddle league, he's no-nonsense. In a conference that often resembles ballet, Pelini would like to turn games into ultimate fighting.
Truck driver. Gym coach. Defensive guru. Tough guy.
The Big 12 needs a tough guy.
This is a league with pretty boy Mike Gundy, who looks like a GQ model. There's eccentric Mike Leach, who is farther out there than Lubbock, Texas. There are offensive geniuses up and down the block, some real and some like Dan Hawkins, who either can't find a quarterback or doesn't recognize one.
Big 12 Saturdays are a ton of fun. But something's missing. As the late, great Nebraska assistant Mike Corgan used to say, “Football is a nasty game for nasty boys.''
Pelini brings a little nasty to the party.
His old Youngstown, Ohio, chum Bob Stoops used to be the tough guy. Stoops still has that swagger — and the defense. But Stoops has become polished over the years and somewhat defensive with the media. Pelini is Stoops without the polish.
Polish is overrated.
Great defenses aren't.
Which is why Pelini's image should help solidify Nebraska as a Big 12 contender for years to come.
Spread offenses are a dime a dozen in the Big Dozen. Sometimes to move up fast you have to throw 'em a curve ball. Pelini's off-speed formula — defense and a physical, ball-control running game — is proven.
It says here that this is the best formula for Pelini success at NU. Can he recruit Colt McCoys and Dez Bryants to Lincoln? You can't always count on it. Can he coax boffo defensive talent to play for a great defensive mind with NFL ties?
What do you think?
The Big 12 media is playing along marvelously. They have made Pelini the “defensive guy'' in the league, the lonely guy in the foxhole trying to take on the wave of no-huddle warriors.
Pelini should take that image and run with it. Be the defensive guy. Be the tough guy.
Not every recruit wants to line up in the slot and run wind sprints during games. There are nasty boys who want to play a nasty game.
The topic came up over and over on Monday, and Pelini played it perfectly.
“These offenses, they aren't reinventing the wheel,'' Pelini said. “It's not magical. I think people put too much into what's going on.
“It's not about out-scheming people. It's about out-executing them. I ultimately believe a lot of people have lost sight of that. It's not about tricking somebody. It's about dominating somebody.''
Case in point: last year's Nebraska-Missouri game. Pelini drew up a defensive scheme in which he tried to hide a pass rusher to keep the Tigers' offense guessing. It didn't work. By the way, Mizzou just scored again.
Pelini blamed it on execution, but he put the blame on himself for trying to give an accelerated scheme to players who were still learning to execute his way.
Here's the interesting part: Pelini told me on Monday that, in the days after the MU game, defensive coaches from Texas and Oklahoma State called him to ask about the scheme. Who beat the stripes off the Tigers the next two games? Guess.
Scheme does matter. Talent matters more. When Pelini gets both, watch out. That seemed to be his underlying message.
“We're going to play good defense at Nebraska,'' he said. “I'm very confident of that. We're not going to be satisfied until we are a dominant defense.''
Pelini wasn't full of sound bites. He used phrases like “a hard day's work'' and “putting money in the bank.'' He didn't have them rolling in the aisles. He had their attention.
There was the guy from Manhattan, Kan., who wanted to know if Pelini and Bill Snyder had made up from the incident in 2003. Pelini called the matter “my mistake'' and said the two had moved on. The K-State writer tried to press further.
“It's a dead issue,'' Pelini snapped.
“Um, thank you,'' said the writer.
Then there was the writer from Texas who wanted to know how much better the South Division is than the North. Tired question, but Pelini added a fresh spin.
“Is it?'' Pelini said. “That was last year. This is a new year.''
The writer simply nodded. Seems even sportswriters know, never argue with your gym teacher.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20090727/SPOR...843/0/FRONTPAGE
Truck driver?
“That's what we call Bo Pelini,'' the wiseguy said. “With that sweat shirt, he looks like a truck driver.''
I don't know many truck drivers who can draw up a zone blitz. I do know that the Nebraska head football coach looks and sounds more like the hard-nosed gym teacher who would eat your doctor's excuse and march you out to do jumping jacks. Never mind your crutches.
As he enters his second season at NU, Pelini has established a clear identity. He is a sweat shirt in this fashion show of a league. He is against the grain. He is whole grain.
In a no-huddle league, he's no-nonsense. In a conference that often resembles ballet, Pelini would like to turn games into ultimate fighting.
Truck driver. Gym coach. Defensive guru. Tough guy.
The Big 12 needs a tough guy.
This is a league with pretty boy Mike Gundy, who looks like a GQ model. There's eccentric Mike Leach, who is farther out there than Lubbock, Texas. There are offensive geniuses up and down the block, some real and some like Dan Hawkins, who either can't find a quarterback or doesn't recognize one.
Big 12 Saturdays are a ton of fun. But something's missing. As the late, great Nebraska assistant Mike Corgan used to say, “Football is a nasty game for nasty boys.''
Pelini brings a little nasty to the party.
His old Youngstown, Ohio, chum Bob Stoops used to be the tough guy. Stoops still has that swagger — and the defense. But Stoops has become polished over the years and somewhat defensive with the media. Pelini is Stoops without the polish.
Polish is overrated.
Great defenses aren't.
Which is why Pelini's image should help solidify Nebraska as a Big 12 contender for years to come.
Spread offenses are a dime a dozen in the Big Dozen. Sometimes to move up fast you have to throw 'em a curve ball. Pelini's off-speed formula — defense and a physical, ball-control running game — is proven.
It says here that this is the best formula for Pelini success at NU. Can he recruit Colt McCoys and Dez Bryants to Lincoln? You can't always count on it. Can he coax boffo defensive talent to play for a great defensive mind with NFL ties?
What do you think?
The Big 12 media is playing along marvelously. They have made Pelini the “defensive guy'' in the league, the lonely guy in the foxhole trying to take on the wave of no-huddle warriors.
Pelini should take that image and run with it. Be the defensive guy. Be the tough guy.
Not every recruit wants to line up in the slot and run wind sprints during games. There are nasty boys who want to play a nasty game.
The topic came up over and over on Monday, and Pelini played it perfectly.
“These offenses, they aren't reinventing the wheel,'' Pelini said. “It's not magical. I think people put too much into what's going on.
“It's not about out-scheming people. It's about out-executing them. I ultimately believe a lot of people have lost sight of that. It's not about tricking somebody. It's about dominating somebody.''
Case in point: last year's Nebraska-Missouri game. Pelini drew up a defensive scheme in which he tried to hide a pass rusher to keep the Tigers' offense guessing. It didn't work. By the way, Mizzou just scored again.
Pelini blamed it on execution, but he put the blame on himself for trying to give an accelerated scheme to players who were still learning to execute his way.
Here's the interesting part: Pelini told me on Monday that, in the days after the MU game, defensive coaches from Texas and Oklahoma State called him to ask about the scheme. Who beat the stripes off the Tigers the next two games? Guess.
Scheme does matter. Talent matters more. When Pelini gets both, watch out. That seemed to be his underlying message.
“We're going to play good defense at Nebraska,'' he said. “I'm very confident of that. We're not going to be satisfied until we are a dominant defense.''
Pelini wasn't full of sound bites. He used phrases like “a hard day's work'' and “putting money in the bank.'' He didn't have them rolling in the aisles. He had their attention.
There was the guy from Manhattan, Kan., who wanted to know if Pelini and Bill Snyder had made up from the incident in 2003. Pelini called the matter “my mistake'' and said the two had moved on. The K-State writer tried to press further.
“It's a dead issue,'' Pelini snapped.
“Um, thank you,'' said the writer.
Then there was the writer from Texas who wanted to know how much better the South Division is than the North. Tired question, but Pelini added a fresh spin.
“Is it?'' Pelini said. “That was last year. This is a new year.''
The writer simply nodded. Seems even sportswriters know, never argue with your gym teacher.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20090727/SPOR...843/0/FRONTPAGE
