Dan Wetzel's Yahoo column....

[melscott62]

This is why sportswriters not associated with Nebraska should not cover Nebraska.

He obviously didn't know about the giant problems Nebraska had at defense last year, and Gill couldn't have righted the defensive woes like Pelini did. Pelini may have fewer years of general "coaching" experience, but he has been the DC at 3 major BCS schools: Nebraska, OU, and LSU. It's ridiculous to claim that Gill would have been the better choice. Gill was an "assistant" when Nebraska won 3 national titles, but Pelini was a coordinator during his dominant championship run at LSU.

Gill may have gotten a good Buffalo team to start winning, but he hasn't proven yet that he can maintain winning teams. If he tanks it next year and Buffalo goes 6-6 or worse, will there still be all this talk about Gill being the possible better hire? I don't think so.

Given Nebraska's defensive woes and lack of passion, Pelini is the obvious better choice. Gill as head coach this year? I don't see us going better then 6-6.

i wouldnt go that far...... you have no idea who turner brings in as defensive coordinator. and I think its clear turner is a fine coach.

Who ever he brought in at Def Coor wouldn't be of the caliber of Bo. If i were to guess I think Gill could have gotten us to 7-5.

Gill is a good coach, and once he repeats his success with Buffalo for another year or two, he'll make it to the big time. I just think he's still got a ways to go before then.

wasnt pelini hired here the first time under similar situations? and I'm not saying turner is better either... just that he could have won more than 6 games

 

[melscott62]

Using the "Ask Dan" function on the webpage, I have submitted the following to Mr. Wetzel:

Not necessarily a question, per se but more of an observation. Your "Best Fit" article on Gene Chizik does raise good questions as to why Turner Gill did not get hired at Auburn, however your points of defense seem to be lacking in insight.
As a native Nebraskan and someone who has followed the program religiously (obviously) quite longer than you, I can say the questions raised about Gill not being hired by Nebraska as the Head Coach last year at around this time show a lack of research and, as stated above, insight. One needn't look too deeply into the situation to see that, at that particular point in time, Gill was not the best candidate to make an immediate impact as the next coach of the University of Nebraska. Gill is most certainly an incredible prospect and, as you look back on his body of work as a coach, you can say he has been quite successful. Having coached National Championships at Nebraska and talents such as Tommie Frazier, it is clear the man is talented and knowledgeable. Taking his experience into account should raise an immediate answer as to why he was not hired at Nebraska: offense. Gill played quarterback, coached quarterbacks and had a primary focus on the offensive side of the football.

Did you bother to look into the type of season Nebraska had put together that resulted in the firing of Bill Callahan? The woes were on the *defensive* side of the football and Callahan was ultimately fired because he was either unwilling or unable to separate business from his friendship with Kevin Cosgrove, the Defensive Coordinator. There was a direct relationship between the complete lack of defensive effort by the Cornhuskers last season and the firing of Bill Callahan. Much to many Husker fans' dismay, the offense consistently put up points and should have won many games handily, were a defensive unit even *fielded* at the same time. Even cursory examination of just the 2007 Nebraska/Colorado game would have yielded that much.

In his press conference to name Bo Pelini as head coach at Nebraska, Interim AD Tom Osborne clearly pointed out as much, stating the decision came down to the defensive side of the ball. Bo Pelini, as I am sure your research for this article had uncovered, is a defensive coach with great success not only as coordinator at Nebraska but at Oklahoma and LSU as well. Of course this happened after being named, however the National Championship garnered by LSU last year and the falloff of their defense during this season attest to Pelini’s abilities. The turnaround at Nebraska is quite clear as well, even at the time you wrote your article. Of course one part of your argument is right, only time will tell if the Pelini hire was the right one to help Nebraska get back on the right track for the long-term.

Another point you have overlooked, either purposefully or accidentally, is the relationship between Tom Osborne and Turner Gill. Both men are cut from the same cloth, devout Christians who have the unique ability to inspire others around them to be better men. This is something Gill had honed at his time at Nebraska under Osborne’s tutelage. Osborne was even the best man at Turner’s wedding. To even imply that Gill was not hired at Nebraska due to race is the pinnacle of ignorance, given not only their relationship but the regard in which Gill is held within the state itself. Especially when taken into account the fact Osborne was intimately involved in the selection process of the new head coach.

While I do feel the point of race is important, especially when talking about equal opportunities (which is what the system should be all about, not equal *numbers* of coaches from all ethnic backgrounds) for minority coaches, not just African-American coaches, it gets easily muddled in this day-in-age. A point most writers seem to overlook is that if Turner Gill gets hired as a head coach at a different program there are still the same amount of African-American head coaches in the FBS. Perhaps the reason is due to what most writers feel as “justice” and would no doubt be a feel good story. Turner is someone I root for on a daily basis because he is such a great individual, so I can see where others would do the same.

In closing I would just like to raise a particular question: as a journalist, is not the point of the profession what most refer to as “journalistic integrity?” To have a voice that can reach many people is an awesome power, one that should not be taken lightly. I would challenge you to, the next time you write an article that calls into question the integrity of the University of Nebraska and therefore the inhabitants of the state itself (which, even if your overall intent was to question the decision by Auburn officials to pass over Gill for a candidate that seems to be a notch below him when resumes are compared, a resounding theme of the article did, in fact, question Nebraska and imply race as a deciding factor), put forth more effort in research and attempt to capture as much of the true story as possible. This would ensure meeting the standard of journalistic integrity to which you no doubt hold yourself.

about the only thing i would have added is the fact that turners resume was not better than bo's.

 

[newenglandhusker]

about the only thing i would have added is the fact that turners resume was not better than bo's.

I thought about that. I was going to add it along with adding the fact that Turner is much more loyal than to take over a program and leave 2 years later. I think that is implied in the part about Osborne and Gill but I was already long-winded enough.

 

[Cali Sker (in Boston)]

Wetzel seems to be all peeved about there not being many black HCs in college football, then seems to be saying that Auburn hiring Gill would help out with that. But Gill's already a HC, so not so much there, Dan. And to even suggest that Turner got a raw deal during the Neb hiring process demonstrates nothing but ignorance. I've read enough FireJoeMorgan.com to realize that sports writers can just write whatever they want without having to worry about little things like fact checking, but it still pi$$es me off when they do it.

Times like these make me wish we had a big middle finger clickable smiley on here...

EDIT: only admin have the middle finger powers rawhide

 

[zoogs]

^ the stupidest thing is when that he seems to believe Gill has the better resume, having been the school's star quarterback and all.

 

[Dundermifflinite]

^ the stupidest thing is when that he seems to believe Gill has the better resume, having been the school's star quarterback and all.

I have to agree. And might I add, if coaching experience and loyalty to school were factors, should we not have re-hired Frank Solich? Also, prior to Buffalo, Turner didn't even have coordinator experience. The previous year, he served as Player Personal Director for the Green Bay Packers. Was he the most qualified candidate for the Buffalo job?

Point being, there are multiple dynamics behind the reason for our hire, or any hire for that matter.

 

[zE bOp]

Wetzel seems to be all peeved about there not being many black HCs in college football, then seems to be saying that Auburn hiring Gill would help out with that. But Gill's already a HC, so not so much there, Dan. And to even suggest that Turner got a raw deal during the Neb hiring process demonstrates nothing but ignorance. I've read enough FireJoeMorgan.com to realize that sports writers can just write whatever they want without having to worry about little things like fact checking, but it still pi$$es me off when they do it.

Times like these make me wish we had a big middle finger clickable smiley on here...

EDIT: only admin have the middle finger powers rawhide

Well, the whole subject of the lack of black HCs in the NCAA has come up again the last few weeks. I forget exactly what tipped it off this time, but the losses of 3 guys--Wellingham, Croom, and another guy(?)--has been a focus of discussion.

So, since it's a hot topic again, everybody's writing about it whether they have their facts straight or not.

I'm not saying it isn't a valid topic, just that it's hot again right now.

 

[walksalone]

I think the author has somewhat of a point. Let's face it when talking strictly about head coaching experience, Bo didn't have as good of resume as Gill. However, we all know that resume had little to do with the decision to hire Bo over Gill. I think TO made it clear we hired a defense first coach because this is what we needed most at this point in time.

The author has somewhat of a point?!?!??!

That he's an f'tard and no idea of what he's talking about?

Ok, do a wikipedia search of both gentleman, and you'll see that Bo has a longer, more impressive resume than TG.

Don't get me wrong, I want the best for TG, and I hope he succeeds, but this also needs to be said. He needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a "Big Time" job.

Sidenote: I also sent an email to F'tard Wetzel, letting him know that Gill's resume was better than Bo's was the asinine comment of the year...

 

[mmmtodd]

I think the author has somewhat of a point. Let's face it when talking strictly about head coaching experience, Bo didn't have as good of resume as Gill. However, we all know that resume had little to do with the decision to hire Bo over Gill. I think TO made it clear we hired a defense first coach because this is what we needed most at this point in time.

The author has somewhat of a point?!?!??!

That he's an f'tard and no idea of what he's talking about?

Ok, do a wikipedia search of both gentleman, and you'll see that Bo has a longer, more impressive resume than TG.

Don't get me wrong, I want the best for TG, and I hope he succeeds, but this also needs to be said. He needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a "Big Time" job.

Sidenote: I also sent an email to F'tard Wetzel, letting him know that Gill's resume was better than Bo's was the asinine comment of the year...

this whole ordeal dumbfounds me...mscotts post clearly lays out what i wish i could say/do, but dont have the time, or more likely, the energy for. im glad he made his points. this is just another journalistic hack job used to get attention and ad sells...and the sorry part is that its working. i can hope and dream all day long that mr. wetzel sees such an intelligent, well thought out, and most obviously truthful rebuttal to his nationally misguided musings. the sad thing is, his "mailbox" is probably full of subject lines of "you moron" this and "idiot" that that he might never get the chance to see an honest layout. and yes...i most certainly would have added the hat to the end of the story. probably 2, just another one in another shape and size...

im new around here, and not even sure if theres a "contest" or what not for this, but i send up melscott62's rebuttal as a post of the year. :thumbs

 

[junior4949]

I think the author has somewhat of a point. Let's face it when talking strictly about head coaching experience, Bo didn't have as good of resume as Gill. However, we all know that resume had little to do with the decision to hire Bo over Gill. I think TO made it clear we hired a defense first coach because this is what we needed most at this point in time.

The author has somewhat of a point?!?!??!

That he's an f'tard and no idea of what he's talking about?

Ok, do a wikipedia search of both gentleman, and you'll see that Bo has a longer, more impressive resume than TG.

Don't get me wrong, I want the best for TG, and I hope he succeeds, but this also needs to be said. He needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a "Big Time" job.

Sidenote: I also sent an email to F'tard Wetzel, letting him know that Gill's resume was better than Bo's was the asinine comment of the year...

Ok, what position was Nebraska hiring someone for? If memory serves me correctly, they were hiring a head coach rather than a coordinator. Pointing strictly to resume on who had the most head coaching experience, who do you suppose was the most qualified? Hmmm, Pelini with one game under his belt or Gill with a couple of years under his belt? Now, let's cast that aside which clearly shows Gill as having the better resume for a HEAD COACHING position and dig deeper. Gill has been a coach at two schools with many years being spent at Nebraska. Bo has bounced around like a pinball. Strictly speaking from Nebraska's standpoint where coaching tenures last decades rather than a few years, who again shows more willingness to hang around? Again, Gill gets the nod.

I think TO made the right decision in hiring Bo over Gill. However, the author does have a point in Gill having the better resume. You say Gill needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a Big Time job, but you completely ignore that Bo only had been HC for one friggin game. It's not like Gill was a flop as a coordinator when he was at Nebraska before. You're basically discounting Gill's abilities because he's stuck with a program while rewarding Bo because he leap frogged from job to job. Has he ever even stayed more than a couple of years at any program he's ever been at? I don't agree with the author in presenting it as a race induced hiring. However, he does have some merit in some of the things he states.

 

[Overland Park Husker]

Wetzel seems to be all peeved about there not being many black HCs in college football, then seems to be saying that Auburn hiring Gill would help out with that. But Gill's already a HC, so not so much there, Dan. And to even suggest that Turner got a raw deal during the Neb hiring process demonstrates nothing but ignorance. I've read enough FireJoeMorgan.com to realize that sports writers can just write whatever they want without having to worry about little things like fact checking, but it still pi$$es me off when they do it.

Times like these make me wish we had a big middle finger clickable smiley on here...

EDIT: only admin have the middle finger powers rawhide

Well, the whole subject of the lack of black HCs in the NCAA has come up again the last few weeks. I forget exactly what tipped it off this time, but the losses of 3 guys--Wellingham, Croom, and another guy(?)--has been a focus of discussion.

So, since it's a hot topic again, everybody's writing about it whether they have their facts straight or not.

I'm not saying it isn't a valid topic, just that it's hot again right now.

You're thinking of Grimace from KSUcks

 

[rkhufu7]

I think the author has somewhat of a point. Let's face it when talking strictly about head coaching experience, Bo didn't have as good of resume as Gill. However, we all know that resume had little to do with the decision to hire Bo over Gill. I think TO made it clear we hired a defense first coach because this is what we needed most at this point in time.

The author has somewhat of a point?!?!??!

That he's an f'tard and no idea of what he's talking about?

Ok, do a wikipedia search of both gentleman, and you'll see that Bo has a longer, more impressive resume than TG.

Don't get me wrong, I want the best for TG, and I hope he succeeds, but this also needs to be said. He needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a "Big Time" job.

Sidenote: I also sent an email to F'tard Wetzel, letting him know that Gill's resume was better than Bo's was the asinine comment of the year...

Ok, what position was Nebraska hiring someone for? If memory serves me correctly, they were hiring a head coach rather than a coordinator. Pointing strictly to resume on who had the most head coaching experience, who do you suppose was the most qualified? Hmmm, Pelini with one game under his belt or Gill with a couple of years under his belt? Now, let's cast that aside which clearly shows Gill as having the better resume for a HEAD COACHING position and dig deeper. Gill has been a coach at two schools with many years being spent at Nebraska. Bo has bounced around like a pinball. Strictly speaking from Nebraska's standpoint where coaching tenures last decades rather than a few years, who again shows more willingness to hang around? Again, Gill gets the nod.

I think TO made the right decision in hiring Bo over Gill. However, the author does have a point in Gill having the better resume. You say Gill needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a Big Time job, but you completely ignore that Bo only had been HC for one friggin game. It's not like Gill was a flop as a coordinator when he was at Nebraska before. You're basically discounting Gill's abilities because he's stuck with a program while rewarding Bo because he leap frogged from job to job. Has he ever even stayed more than a couple of years at any program he's ever been at? I don't agree with the author in presenting it as a race induced hiring. However, he does have some merit in some of the things he states.

WORD!

 

[caveman99]

I think the author has somewhat of a point. Let's face it when talking strictly about head coaching experience, Bo didn't have as good of resume as Gill. However, we all know that resume had little to do with the decision to hire Bo over Gill. I think TO made it clear we hired a defense first coach because this is what we needed most at this point in time.

The author has somewhat of a point?!?!??!

That he's an f'tard and no idea of what he's talking about?

Ok, do a wikipedia search of both gentleman, and you'll see that Bo has a longer, more impressive resume than TG.

Don't get me wrong, I want the best for TG, and I hope he succeeds, but this also needs to be said. He needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a "Big Time" job.

Sidenote: I also sent an email to F'tard Wetzel, letting him know that Gill's resume was better than Bo's was the asinine comment of the year...

Ok, what position was Nebraska hiring someone for? If memory serves me correctly, they were hiring a head coach rather than a coordinator. Pointing strictly to resume on who had the most head coaching experience, who do you suppose was the most qualified? Hmmm, Pelini with one game under his belt or Gill with a couple of years under his belt? Now, let's cast that aside which clearly shows Gill as having the better resume for a HEAD COACHING position and dig deeper. Gill has been a coach at two schools with many years being spent at Nebraska. Bo has bounced around like a pinball. Strictly speaking from Nebraska's standpoint where coaching tenures last decades rather than a few years, who again shows more willingness to hang around? Again, Gill gets the nod.

I think TO made the right decision in hiring Bo over Gill. However, the author does have a point in Gill having the better resume. You say Gill needs to maintain this level of success before he's considered for a Big Time job, but you completely ignore that Bo only had been HC for one friggin game. It's not like Gill was a flop as a coordinator when he was at Nebraska before. You're basically discounting Gill's abilities because he's stuck with a program while rewarding Bo because he leap frogged from job to job. Has he ever even stayed more than a couple of years at any program he's ever been at? I don't agree with the author in presenting it as a race induced hiring. However, he does have some merit in some of the things he states.

Turner was a head coach all of 2 years, before that he didn't have any Coordinator experience. He only had Asst. Coaching experience, never called plays or ran an entire unit. How much weight do you put on those 2 years he had running the whole show. He showed initial signs of success by taking Buffalo from 1 win to 2 wins in his first year and then up to 5 wins in his second year, but is that enough when you compare Bo's 5 years in CFB running defenses? Not to mention Bo also had Asst. Coach time, his was in the NFL though. I would say Bo's resume was stronger, but that is just my opinion.

 

[Overland Park Husker]

Bo has bounced around like a pinball. Strictly speaking from Nebraska's standpoint where coaching tenures last decades rather than a few years, who again shows more willingness to hang around? Again, Gill gets the nod.

Let's see here:

1. He gets hired on at NU for D-Coordinator

2. Gets fired after one deuche-bag hired another to be head coach at NU.

3. Reeling from this surprise move, he turns to his friend and fellow coach Bob Stoops and accepts a role as Co-defensive coordinator at OU.

4. Oppurtunity comes knocking at LSU to be a D-coordinator (not sharing the role with another).

5. Stays there for a few years 'til someone offers him his dream job and he takes it.

Can't say I blame Pelini for moving around seeing as he didn't have much of a choice.

 

[huzkerbob]

It was a puzzling snub, Nebraska’s defense being that Gill hadn’t turned the corner at UB. He has now, but the Nebraska decision haunts him because according to the Birmingham News, Auburn is whispering that if Gill was so great, why didn’t his alma mater hire him?

Those Alabama fruit loops can not be trying to lay even PART of their lame a$$ hire at our feet, can they?

If he was so great why didn't we hire him? Because we had a competent AD, who looked past personall connections to find the best fit for the university. Not the boosters! I hope Auburn doesn't win a conference game in the next decade. Serves them right!

P.S. The poster who said that Buffallo's win against Ball was "flukey". Did you see that game? If they had won by 3 you might have an argument. But not when they won by 18! Give the guys some credit, they earned that win.