From: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=1464341
HOUSTON - "Nebraska is stuck in traffic."
The press conference moderator made the announcement at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, just as coach Bill Callahan, Cory Ross, Daniel Bullocks and Seppo Evwaraye were expected to be on the podium at Big 12 media days.
Because of a night class on Tuesday for Ross and Bullocks, the Husker entourage had flown to southern Texas early Wednesday. The group showed up 15 minutes late, thanks to Houston traffic that makes Los Angeles look like Dodge Street.
So much for good omens.
That, of course, is what you look for at these media things, in mid-July, weeks before the pads and fur fly. You look for signs. Body language. Tone of voice. Confidence. Swagger. You look and listen for hints of change, that things will be different, good or bad, for your Big 12 team of choice.
For Callahan and Co., the question as they follow 5-6 was simple: Has Callahan changed? Does he understand the landscape of his job? Is he more equipped to lead a college football program? Is he different?
Yes. And no.
A year ago, Callahan burst through the Big 12 doors with a swagger. He had a confident, but not quite arrogant, NFL air. He didn't wave it in your face. But he wasn't afraid to discuss his knowledge or experience.
He raised eyebrows with comments like "We take what we want." You know the rest. Other things were said. There were awkward moments. It made you feel Callahan was a rookie on the college scene, naive to the Husker culture.
Well, guess what? He was. Maybe it should have been expected.
So here came the second go-around. All antennae were upright. Had Callahan learned some hard lessons? Has he been humbled? Will he adjust his schemes, or go with the exact same plans that puzzled longtime observers in the Big 12?
You be the judge as we offer up the best of "Callahan Meets the Media," year two:
• On what he learned last year: "You learn constantly. I learned quite a bit from a technical standpoint. We are not going to change things, in terms of what we're doing. We just have to do them better.
"We aren't changing a thing, in terms of our system. We now have players who have been in it, who know it, who can teach it to others.
"When you come into a situation like this, take over a program, that's your adopted family. We did the best we could. It wasn't good enough. You try to work on your roster, add talent. We did that. How good are they? I don't know."
• On how long it will take to bring Nebraska back: "I don't know. Our goal is to bring Nebraska back to national prominence, being in the national hunt on a yearly basis. But when you go through a transition period, it's tough. It takes time. To earmark when and where it will happen, is hard to do."
• On Joe Dailey being the problem last year: "I don't ever point the finger at a player. I take it upon myself. As a coach, I have to make better adjustments."
• On whether he's going to coach differently this year: "As a coach, you want to coach more confidently, and more intelligently, every year. I'm going to keep working hard. The last time I checked, hard work still wins."
• On last year's Orange Bowl: "I've studied that tape several times. USC's offense is practically the same offense we run. It gives me great hope. The way they executed that offense, it was the same plays, same concepts, same techniques we use. Can the West Coast offense win in college football? I think it's pretty clear it can."
• On going to a zone defense: "You've got to get good at one thing and be able to hang your hat on it, especially in crunch time. You have to have something the players are comfortable with and be able to adjust in it."
• On new quarterback Zac Taylor attending Peyton Manning's quarterback camp this summer as an instructor: "It was a great experience for him, to not only gain instruction and watch one of the best pro quarterbacks, but to also teach things. If you are teaching something to someone else, you are becoming more confident in what you are doing."
• On the absence of a depth chart in NU's press guide: "We told our team that things are wide open. We'll put out a depth chart as we progress through training camp."
• On the Oklahoma game last year: "It was a frustrating night. Personally, I made an inappropriate comment that I would like to apologize for. I did not mean any offense to the people of Oklahoma. I apologize for that.
"Last year was disappointing. I'm awfully disappointed at how last season ended."
• On where Harrison Beck fits on the depth chart: "The players really like him. (But) I'm going to be real reserved with that, and let it play out. One thing I learned in professional football is, be patient. A lot of things can change in five or six weeks."
• On whether he would be reluctant to play true freshmen: "High school coaches do a great job of going to camps, going to clinics. Their knowledge of the game is so much better. It allows those kids to mature and grow quicker.
"I have no problem playing freshmen. That's why I would like to see that fifth year (of eligibility), so you could play a freshmen late in the season (rather than worry about a redshirt). With rookies in the NFL, you would always see them develop late in the year and be a factor."
• On the Big 12 North race: "The division has five starting quarterbacks returning, but we don't. They are all capable of taking a game over. I think it's huge. I can't compare Zac to them. We'll just have to see."
There you go. He was more understated. He could still charm. He's not changing his system. It will work better with more experienced, and better, players.
The Big Red Machine will have new parts this season. And the same driver. Time will tell if they will remain stuck in traffic.
HOUSTON - "Nebraska is stuck in traffic."
The press conference moderator made the announcement at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, just as coach Bill Callahan, Cory Ross, Daniel Bullocks and Seppo Evwaraye were expected to be on the podium at Big 12 media days.
Because of a night class on Tuesday for Ross and Bullocks, the Husker entourage had flown to southern Texas early Wednesday. The group showed up 15 minutes late, thanks to Houston traffic that makes Los Angeles look like Dodge Street.
So much for good omens.
That, of course, is what you look for at these media things, in mid-July, weeks before the pads and fur fly. You look for signs. Body language. Tone of voice. Confidence. Swagger. You look and listen for hints of change, that things will be different, good or bad, for your Big 12 team of choice.
For Callahan and Co., the question as they follow 5-6 was simple: Has Callahan changed? Does he understand the landscape of his job? Is he more equipped to lead a college football program? Is he different?
Yes. And no.
A year ago, Callahan burst through the Big 12 doors with a swagger. He had a confident, but not quite arrogant, NFL air. He didn't wave it in your face. But he wasn't afraid to discuss his knowledge or experience.
He raised eyebrows with comments like "We take what we want." You know the rest. Other things were said. There were awkward moments. It made you feel Callahan was a rookie on the college scene, naive to the Husker culture.
Well, guess what? He was. Maybe it should have been expected.
So here came the second go-around. All antennae were upright. Had Callahan learned some hard lessons? Has he been humbled? Will he adjust his schemes, or go with the exact same plans that puzzled longtime observers in the Big 12?
You be the judge as we offer up the best of "Callahan Meets the Media," year two:
• On what he learned last year: "You learn constantly. I learned quite a bit from a technical standpoint. We are not going to change things, in terms of what we're doing. We just have to do them better.
"We aren't changing a thing, in terms of our system. We now have players who have been in it, who know it, who can teach it to others.
"When you come into a situation like this, take over a program, that's your adopted family. We did the best we could. It wasn't good enough. You try to work on your roster, add talent. We did that. How good are they? I don't know."
• On how long it will take to bring Nebraska back: "I don't know. Our goal is to bring Nebraska back to national prominence, being in the national hunt on a yearly basis. But when you go through a transition period, it's tough. It takes time. To earmark when and where it will happen, is hard to do."
• On Joe Dailey being the problem last year: "I don't ever point the finger at a player. I take it upon myself. As a coach, I have to make better adjustments."
• On whether he's going to coach differently this year: "As a coach, you want to coach more confidently, and more intelligently, every year. I'm going to keep working hard. The last time I checked, hard work still wins."
• On last year's Orange Bowl: "I've studied that tape several times. USC's offense is practically the same offense we run. It gives me great hope. The way they executed that offense, it was the same plays, same concepts, same techniques we use. Can the West Coast offense win in college football? I think it's pretty clear it can."
• On going to a zone defense: "You've got to get good at one thing and be able to hang your hat on it, especially in crunch time. You have to have something the players are comfortable with and be able to adjust in it."
• On new quarterback Zac Taylor attending Peyton Manning's quarterback camp this summer as an instructor: "It was a great experience for him, to not only gain instruction and watch one of the best pro quarterbacks, but to also teach things. If you are teaching something to someone else, you are becoming more confident in what you are doing."
• On the absence of a depth chart in NU's press guide: "We told our team that things are wide open. We'll put out a depth chart as we progress through training camp."
• On the Oklahoma game last year: "It was a frustrating night. Personally, I made an inappropriate comment that I would like to apologize for. I did not mean any offense to the people of Oklahoma. I apologize for that.
"Last year was disappointing. I'm awfully disappointed at how last season ended."
• On where Harrison Beck fits on the depth chart: "The players really like him. (But) I'm going to be real reserved with that, and let it play out. One thing I learned in professional football is, be patient. A lot of things can change in five or six weeks."
• On whether he would be reluctant to play true freshmen: "High school coaches do a great job of going to camps, going to clinics. Their knowledge of the game is so much better. It allows those kids to mature and grow quicker.
"I have no problem playing freshmen. That's why I would like to see that fifth year (of eligibility), so you could play a freshmen late in the season (rather than worry about a redshirt). With rookies in the NFL, you would always see them develop late in the year and be a factor."
• On the Big 12 North race: "The division has five starting quarterbacks returning, but we don't. They are all capable of taking a game over. I think it's huge. I can't compare Zac to them. We'll just have to see."
There you go. He was more understated. He could still charm. He's not changing his system. It will work better with more experienced, and better, players.
The Big Red Machine will have new parts this season. And the same driver. Time will tell if they will remain stuck in traffic.
