Bo Speaks to Local High School Coaches

knapplc

knapplc

International Man of Mystery
Pelini lauds high school coaches at NCA clinicBy BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Bo Pelini’s first in-person evaluation of Ndamukong Suh went something like this:

You stink.

It occurred not long after Pelini was hired as Nebraska’s football coach in December 2007, when Suh had just finished his sophomore season.

In the one-on-one meeting, Suh told Pelini he was thinking of transferring. He didn’t want to go through a coaching change, and he didn’t know who Pelini was.

“Honestly, I didn’t know who Ndamukong Suh was,” Pelini said. “I didn’t really care.

“I said, ‘Hey, if you want to leave, go, because you aren’t any good, anyway. I just watched your tape. You stink. You want to be good, get your butt back here.”

Pelini paused.

“Thank God he stayed, huh?”

Some 2,500 high school coaches erupted in laughter, all the while appreciating Pelini’s upbeat, passionate message Tuesday in his keynote address at the Nebraska Coaches Association’s annual clinic.

Leadership means being honest and building trust.

“I think that was first time in his life, or the first time in his college career that somebody had really told him the truth,” Pelini said. “He looked at me like I had three heads.”

Suh, of course, went on to a decorated Nebraska career and was the No. 2 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

And Nebraska’s program, meanwhile, is finally developing the culture Pelini envisioned when he was hired. A culture of setting high standards and taking ownership. A culture of players being held accountable for their actions, and, more importantly, holding each other accountable.

“I really believe that’s why our program is headed in the right direction,” Pelini said. “For the first time, I felt like after that (Holiday) bowl game, and leading up to the bowl game, that our culture was starting to take hold. Our kids understand what it means to put a hard day’s work in. They understand what it means to play for the guy next to him, and the guy next to him, instead of for himself.”

As an example, Pelini told of how two senior players showed up to a fellow position player’s individual meeting with Pelini. The player was in the coach’s office because he’d missed class.

“They basically said, ‘Coach, that’s not going to happen anymore,’ ” Pelini said. “When that starts happening, when that starts taking hold, when people on the football team start taking leadership (roles), it becomes a great thing. If it’s always coming from me, we have a problem. It’s when it’s important to the kids, when they start stepping up and saying, ‘That’s not OK.’

“Believe me, when I got here, it wasn’t like that. It was in disarray. There wasn’t a lot of communication.”

Pelini said the first thing he had to do was establish trust and build relationships with athletes.

Like with Suh.

“Unless you really understand who they are, you’re never going to understand what buttons to push,” Pelini said. “If you don’t gain trust, I can promise you, they’re not going to do what you ask them to do. I always tell them this: I will have your back no matter what, but I expect you to have mine.”

Pelini recalled his job interview with athletic director Tom Osborne, and his answer when Osborne asked him about his coaching philosophy. Pelini said his job wasn’t to win football games. It was to prepare players for the rest of their lives. By doing so, he was also preparing them to win on Saturdays.

“It goes hand in hand,” Pelini said. “The same things that are going to allow them to have success are the same things that are going to allow them to be a man.

“When I go recruiting kids, I don’t tell them about how much they’re going to play or how many championships they’re going to win, how many All-American honors they’re going to get. I tell them, ‘We’re going to give you an opportunity, we’re going to prepare you, we’re going to have your back, we’re going to give you every opportunity to make sure you’re ready for that next step in your life.

“I also say if you’re not ready to come out and hit and compete and get after it on a daily basis, you’re coming to the wrong place, because we’re going to ask you to compete in every area of your life. And if you’re not, we’re going to take our foot and kick it square up your you-know-what.”

Pelini told the coaches he appreciates everything they do.

“You guys have the kids at such an impressionable age,” he said. “You touch so many lives. It’s a heck of a lot more important than what I do. Let’s face it. You guys don’t get rewarded the way I do. You don’t get the thanks that is really necessary.”
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I wonder what keep Ndamukong Suh here after hearing Pelini say that he stinks? He could've went back home and played for Oregon State but stayed at Nebraska. Maybe it was to prove Pelini wrong

 
knapplc said:
He's a competitor. He showed that pretty clearly in the past two years.
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Well thats a given but most people will get defensive take the easy way out and quit/transfer where else Suh took it and proved Pelini wrong and I'm sure hearing Pelini tell him that he stinks motivated him to improve his game.

I'm just glad to see Pelini alive to tell this story :lol:

 
"Unless you really understand who they are, you're never going to understand what buttons to push," Pelini said. "If you don't gain trust, I can promise you, they're not going to do what you ask them to do. I always tell them this: I will have your back no matter what, but I expect you to have mine."

You stink. [to Suh]

"Honestly, I didn't know who Ndamukong Suh was," Pelini said. "I didn't really care.
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The statements in bold are contradictory. The second are umm...exaggerations Pelini both cared and knew about Suh.

Heck, even I joe-average-fan, can look up his recruiting numbers.

And that is why I am optimistic about the defense this season - coaching.

They may not have somebody with the God-given talent of a Suh but they can coach up the talent they have. And even Suh wasn't Suh at one point.

And almost more important - [i bet] the coaches have complete buy-in from the team.

 
huskerjock said:
I wonder what keep Ndamukong Suh here after hearing Pelini say that he stinks? He could've went back home and played for Oregon State but stayed at Nebraska. Maybe it was to prove Pelini wrong
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This:

“I said, ‘Hey, if you want to leave, go, because you aren’t any good, anyway. I just watched your tape. You stink. You want to be good, get your butt back here.”
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huskerjock said:
I wonder what keep Ndamukong Suh here after hearing Pelini say that he stinks? He could've went back home and played for Oregon State but stayed at Nebraska. Maybe it was to prove Pelini wrong
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Pride is one hell of a motivator. I know if someone called me out like that the first thing I'd want to do is prove him wrong, and I bet you that was a big reason for staying. I remeber back around this time or the year before my Dad mentioning he thought Suh was gifted but he was kind of a baby and didn't want to hit people. It really is amazing what a coach can do when he knows the right buttons to push.

As for not knowing who Suh was Pelini may have been exaggerating some, but as an average fan back then I hardly knew who he was and I walked past him every week by Nebraska hall.

 
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All jokes aside, I pretty much had the same opinion that Bo did of Suh after his sophomore year. In his defense though he wasn't the only player I thought this about. It just goes to show you how piss poor of a defensive coach Cozworhtless was.

 
Ponderosa said:
"Unless you really understand who they are, you're never going to understand what buttons to push," Pelini said. "If you don't gain trust, I can promise you, they're not going to do what you ask them to do. I always tell them this: I will have your back no matter what, but I expect you to have mine."

You stink. [to Suh]

"Honestly, I didn't know who Ndamukong Suh was," Pelini said. "I didn't really care.
Click to expand...
The statements in bold are contradictory. The second are umm...exaggerations Pelini both cared and knew about Suh.

Heck, even I joe-average-fan, can look up his recruiting numbers.
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So you're saying that a man who spent the last five years being the Defensive Coordinator at two different schools, focusing and committing to his team (and not really recruiting either) should have had the same knowledge of Ndamukong Suh as a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers who casually follows recruiting?

 
It had to take a special coach and a special player for a conversation like this to have ended as well as it did for both parties.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Ponderosa said:
"Unless you really understand who they are, you're never going to understand what buttons to push," Pelini said. "If you don't gain trust, I can promise you, they're not going to do what you ask them to do. I always tell them this: I will have your back no matter what, but I expect you to have mine."

You stink. [to Suh]

"Honestly, I didn't know who Ndamukong Suh was," Pelini said. "I didn't really care.
Click to expand...
The statements in bold are contradictory. The second are umm...exaggerations Pelini both cared and knew about Suh.

Heck, even I joe-average-fan, can look up his recruiting numbers.
Click to expand...


So you're saying that a man who spent the last five years being the Defensive Coordinator at two different schools, focusing and committing to his team (and not really recruiting either) should have had the same knowledge of Ndamukong Suh as a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers who casually follows recruiting?
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Hmmm...not sure If we are on the same page or not. Sounds like - not.

IMHO, Bo would have far superior knowledge than any fan. Even as a DC for other teams or especially as DC for other teams.

Even if he didn't have a hand in recruiting (which I would doubt) he would still be aware of four and five-star defensive recruits.

And if not, I'd bet my last dollar that he reviewed the roster, talked to his coaches and watched tape before he accepted the job of HC.

Did he know Suh intimately? No. But he knew of him.

Did he care if he lost a recruit (who didn't quit)? Yes.

Did he know how to read him? You betcha.

 
I think what he is saying is that it wasn't like when he accepted the job he was like, "YES! now i get to coach the legendary Suh." BC hell Suh wasn't legendary then. He was just a Soph that had some injuries that wasn't playing anywhere near his potential. About understanding who he was, I think he understood the psychology behind the situation, and that he knows how to push the right buttons to get a player to produce.

 
shyndy said:
I think what he is saying is that it wasn't like when he accepted the job he was like, "YES! now i get to coach the legendary Suh." BC hell Suh wasn't legendary then. He was just a Soph that had some injuries that wasn't playing anywhere near his potential. About understanding who he was, I think he understood the psychology behind the situation, and that he knows how to push the right buttons to get a player to produce.
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Oh I see. Yes I agree. That's what I was trying to say - somewhat poorly I admit.

Pelini and staff molded Suh's raw talent. He saw a four-star Soph under performing and challenged him in a way that he would respond to favorably.

Neither knew the outcome in advance. But yeah, nothing legendary at the time.

That's why I expect good things from the defense this year. The guy can coach.

 
You could throw Dillard's name in there as well. It just took him quite a bit longer to catch on when compared to Suh. Dillard would probably have been a beast and a top two round draft pick had he been coached by the current staff. Talent can only take you so far.

 
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