Crux of the Decision

[TLS2]

I decided to write this little blurb in response to several people who post things like:

"I don't think Pelini is the best choice."

"I don't think Gill is ready."

"The LSU fans don't want Pelini, should we?"

"They may be good at X and Y, but what about recruiting? Can they handle a D-1 team?"

Etc., etc., etc....

Bottom line is this. There is no coach who we can be guaranteed will be a success at Nebraska. There is no way to predict it, there is no way to be certain. How are any of you certain––or even knowledgable enough to assume––that Bo Pelini or Turner Gill are not ready to be the head coach at Nebraska? I realize that some arguments can be made, but at best what you're typically doing is pointing out uncertainties, which are not, unfortunately for you, quite the same as arguments against them. Bo has no head coaching experience. Reversing your logic I can then say that Bill Callahan is a better choice than Bo Pelini because he has that. If you want to move the argument into who is best for Nebraska specifically, you've wandered into dark, murky waters. It depends what you mean by "best."

Which coach can any of you point to and authoritatively prove will win games? Is there a single one?

What I'm saying is this. We won't know until we find out. The best thing we can do is trust Tom Osborne to make the best decision he can. No matter what candidate you select for scrutiny, there will always be some facet of their career that one can point to and say, "Aha! He'd be a terrible coach because his defense gave up forty points in 1984!"

I would personally be optimistic with either Bo or Turner. I'd be doing jumping jacks if we got both. As I see it our team needs are as follows.

1) A coach with experiences or at the very least a deep regard for our traditions, including blackshirts, walk-ons, physical football, and winning.

2) A strong motivator.

3) A teacher of fundamentals who can also scheme with the best of them, and get athletes to play tough, physical football.

There are others you can point to, but as I see it these are at least near the very top, if not the most vital. According to the way I see our needs, both Bo Pelini and Turner Gill would be reasonable choices, and I'd have little reason to doubt their ability to succeed. There may be others, but all this talk about who and who isn't ready is ignorant, uninformed, and ultimately speculative drivel. Their records speak for themselves.

X

I disagree.

(Most humbly and this is not a personal attack on you by any means, just an observation)

If this were a board where we were talking facts and statistics I would be right there with you. BUT THIS IS A RUMOR BOARD!! This is THE place where people can do exactly that: Speculate to their hearts desire. Bring in ALL of the rumors they've heard and even make some up just for the fun of it!

THIS IS A PLACE TO HAVE SOME FUN!! I mean really! After the four years we've had I think we're entitled. Like you have said yourself, 'AS I SEE OUR NEEDS' Isn't this just speculation on your part? Yes, it is but that's ok. That's what this board is for! So relax, have some fun! You wrote a very intelligent piece here but don't ruin it by insulting the rest of us who just want to be a part of this unfolding drama. We are not ignorant, we are not uninformed and this is not drivel. Speculative yes, drivel no! It's simply what it is...people wanting their OPINIONS heard. GBR!!!

What I was more or less getting at is there are a few people who continually spout some gut feeling about the new coach without providing a a shred of evidence to support it. I have no problem with opinions, and I'm pretty involved with all the speculation and hear-say myself. But with the Bo/Turner experience question, I just don't think it holds much water. They've been successful coaches. Yes, it can be questioned whether or not they could hack it at Nebraska, but the same question can be posed of any other coach in the United States, save for one, and he just so happens to be our Athletic Director.

X

Thank you for responding and I apologize for not responding back in a timely manner.

What a refreshing response. I so appreciate your point of view and your willingness to continue a debate in an educated manner, so thank you. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

 

[TLS2]

First, in my opinion, making up rumors "just for the fun of it" is stupid.

Second, none of us really know who the best candidate is, nor do we have enough knowledge or information to make that decision. I get amused by all of these "I don't think _______ is ready yet", or "I don't have _____ in my top three".

Any information those of you on this board have is purely cosmetic. Some of you witnessed one great performance by a certain coach's team, or you saw a different guy maybe react to one bad call in a way that turned you off. I'm certain that T.O. is taking a thorough approach to this search, and he wants to find the best coach for Nebraska. There are certain traits and things he's looking for in filling this position.

I totally agree with you that making up rumors 'just for the fun of it' is too stupid but SOOO funny! This board has some of the best comic relief on it I've read in a long time!! Again, after what we've been through it's great to laugh again!