espn's ivan maisel lists the top 10 worst coaches

[AR Husker Fan]

I found a bit of his logic lacking.

The above e-mailers mentioned the impressive strides he's made in recruiting. There's a reason for that. Because of the drastic personnel makeover Callahan had to undergo to run his desired style of offense, he was able to go into the living rooms of blue-chip athletes around the country with the promise of instant playing time. Over a longer period of time, however, it's unrealistic to think Nebraska will be able to remain a true, national recruiting force like USC. This is nothing against Nebraska; it's just reality. Given the choice between spending four years in L.A., Florida or Lincoln, Neb., which do you think a five-star receiver from Virginia is going to choose? And the fact is, Callahan is going to be almost entirely dependent on these types of recruits because 6-foot-5 pro-style quarterbacks and 4.4 receivers aren't exactly growing on trees in Nebraska's backyard.

In that same article, he notes that there is a good chance Nebraska could win the Big XII, and also notes that Callahan is a "pro" coach. What do recruits want most, other than early playing time? To play for a winner and to become prepared to "go to the next level". So, if his assessments are correct on those points, then his assessment of a lack of continued recruiting sucess is not. I don't see both arguments as being compatible. More like mutually exclusive...

 

[Redman]

It took TO 6 years to beat OU, Callahan just needs to find his groove and then I think people may look back at this time of questioning and laugh about it.

since he has averaged 5 losses a year, callahan hasn't turned anything around yet.

I guess you're perception of turning things around and the program picking up momentum don't match.

The Big 12 isn't quite as inept as the Big 8 was back then, either, so whats the point. Osborne had teams that would go 9-3, lose to OU, the good team they played in nonconference and then the bowl game. After he beat OU in 78, things turned around for him. Similar to what I am suggesting. Once Callahan gets that first big win, it will come easier after that. If it doesn't happen in the next season, then perhaps it might not, who knows.

i'm not saying that he a good coach or a bad coach but with the exception of nebraska fans and callahan's "old friends" the national perception of him is that he lacks coaching ability. people look at how he took the raiders from a superbowl to the worst team in the league, they look at how we have struggled since he has been here, and they question his calls in games like ou, usc, and auburn.

Gruden is/was seen as an amazing coach many. Look at the status of the Bucs the last couple of years. Going from great to mediocre or terrible in a year in the pros happens frequently. So I see that aspect of BC's pro career as a mute point. In the grand scheme of things, only a small number of coaches have ever one a NC. Even fewer coaches have one it in the 1st four years they have coached a team. Even fewer have one it within 5 years of a complete overhaul of a teams ideology. I wonder how someone like Pete Carroll would have done with such a drastic switch? (no real way to know, but I still wonder)

I do agree that it is time for him to put it on the line. To put the "playing it safe" plan on the bench. He needs a big win this season. Hey, we all need a big win this season. He has done the recruiting, he has implemented of his offense, so now it is time to prepare the players and win a big one.

 

[Bugeater]

Guys, let's get back on topic - and that is the list of the 10 allegedly worst coaches in college football, and the "reasoning" used by the author of the article. Otherwise, I think this thread can be considered to have run it's course and will be locked.

A apologize for that, but I just won't stand for the Solich bashing from those sheep. If you or another mod would PM me with a password to the Woodshed I'll gladly rip them to shreds there. That is if they have to balls to show up since Trainwreck isn't there to protect them.

 

[Bugeater]

What in the wide world of sports are you talking about? :wacko:

Trust me, he knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. That's all that matters.

 

[Necava Husker]

I found a bit of his logic lacking.

The above e-mailers mentioned the impressive strides he's made in recruiting. There's a reason for that. Because of the drastic personnel makeover Callahan had to undergo to run his desired style of offense, he was able to go into the living rooms of blue-chip athletes around the country with the promise of instant playing time. Over a longer period of time, however, it's unrealistic to think Nebraska will be able to remain a true, national recruiting force like USC. This is nothing against Nebraska; it's just reality. Given the choice between spending four years in L.A., Florida or Lincoln, Neb., which do you think a five-star receiver from Virginia is going to choose? And the fact is, Callahan is going to be almost entirely dependent on these types of recruits because 6-foot-5 pro-style quarterbacks and 4.4 receivers aren't exactly growing on trees in Nebraska's backyard.

In that same article, he notes that there is a good chance Nebraska could win the Big XII, and also notes that Callahan is a "pro" coach. What do recruits want most, other than early playing time? To play for a winner and to become prepared to "go to the next level". So, if his assessments are correct on those points, then his assessment of a lack of continued recruiting sucess is not. I don't see both arguments as being compatible. More like mutually exclusive...

Yeah, Mandel is reaching. He is one of those guys who just can’t admit when he is wrong. His backpedaling explanation is weak at best. To his credit, he did publish a couple of pretty good emails from true Husker fans. GBR!!

 

[skersOVRsc]

Guys, let's get back on topic - and that is the list of the 10 allegedly worst coaches in college football, and the "reasoning" used by the author of the article. Otherwise, I think this thread can be considered to have run it's course and will be locked.

A apologize for that, but I just won't stand for the Solich bashing from those sheep. If you or another mod would PM me with a password to the Woodshed I'll gladly rip them to shreds there. That is if they have to balls to show up since Trainwreck isn't there to protect them.

Why dont you give me a little knowledge of how things work........

 

[AR Husker Fan]

Guys, let's get back on topic - and that is the list of the 10 allegedly worst coaches in college football, and the "reasoning" used by the author of the article. Otherwise, I think this thread can be considered to have run it's course and will be locked.

A apologize for that, but I just won't stand for the Solich bashing from those sheep. If you or another mod would PM me with a password to the Woodshed I'll gladly rip them to shreds there. That is if they have to balls to show up since Trainwreck isn't there to protect them.

Done. Thanks.

 

[junior4949]

I found a bit of his logic lacking.

The above e-mailers mentioned the impressive strides he's made in recruiting. There's a reason for that. Because of the drastic personnel makeover Callahan had to undergo to run his desired style of offense, he was able to go into the living rooms of blue-chip athletes around the country with the promise of instant playing time. Over a longer period of time, however, it's unrealistic to think Nebraska will be able to remain a true, national recruiting force like USC. This is nothing against Nebraska; it's just reality. Given the choice between spending four years in L.A., Florida or Lincoln, Neb., which do you think a five-star receiver from Virginia is going to choose? And the fact is, Callahan is going to be almost entirely dependent on these types of recruits because 6-foot-5 pro-style quarterbacks and 4.4 receivers aren't exactly growing on trees in Nebraska's backyard.

In that same article, he notes that there is a good chance Nebraska could win the Big XII, and also notes that Callahan is a "pro" coach. What do recruits want most, other than early playing time? To play for a winner and to become prepared to "go to the next level". So, if his assessments are correct on those points, then his assessment of a lack of continued recruiting sucess is not. I don't see both arguments as being compatible. More like mutually exclusive...

Well, Mizzou could win the Big 12 as well but it's unlikely. I believe it's very unlikely that Nebraska wins it this year as well. BC is a pro coach, but so is Wade Phillips; Dave Campo; etc. Pete Carroll had virtually instant success at the college level. He has the trophies. If you're a recruit basing everything strictly on their tenures at their respective colleges and getting into the pros, I think you definitely give the nod to Carroll. Look at the players he's gotten into the NFL. Charlie Weiss had instant success at the college level. Face it, BC didn't have instant success. From the outside media's perspective, he really hasn't had any success at the college level heading into year 4. His road record for the most part is pathetic. Let's face it, 6'5" pro style QBs for the most part are babies and are soft. It's going to take a lot to pull them into an atmosphere that entails cold weather and maybe even snow. They're going to go to coastal colleges and bathe in the sun.

When John Robinson returned to USC after being a washed up pro coach, he didn't have much success there. From the outside looking in, it's easy to see where the media is coming from with regards to Callahan. Maybe it's not fair to compare him to Pete Carroll or Charlie Weiss or Bob Stoops, but none the less it's going to happen. So far in the rivals rankings of the new recruiting class for next year, Nebraska is ranked 4th out of the Big 12 schools behind Texas, OU, and A&M I believe. This is probably about where we're going to finish again this season.

If we don't see some things happen this year, I think we all need to take a step back and assess the situation. Maybe it all starts at the QB position. Why in year 4 are we still utilizing a bandaid QB? I don't want to stir the hornets nest claiming Keller is no good because that's not what I'm saying at all. I think we all know if Beck had stayed Keller would never have come to NU. Keller is a bandaid simply because he only has one year of eligibility here. Why did Beck tuck tail and run? Why did Freeman decommit and choose KState? Because so much hinges on the QB position in the West Coast Offense, we're not living the days of having a guy like Matt Turman come in and everything be okay.

Mandel is probably premature on his ruling with BC because he should have at least held judgement until after this season. A lot of things could go NU's way this year, and then all of this is a mute point. If BC has another year like last year with losses to USC, Texas, etc., then the judgment is probably warranted. Just like it's been beaten to death many times, we're not living in an era having a TO or Bowden or Joe Pa stick around forever and the fan base having faith. We're in the era of firing a coach of 5 or 6 years (Coker @ Miami) who had one of the greatest runs ever in college football and had the trophy because of one or two disappointing seasons.

 

[DJR313]

I found a bit of his logic lacking.

The above e-mailers mentioned the impressive strides he's made in recruiting. There's a reason for that. Because of the drastic personnel makeover Callahan had to undergo to run his desired style of offense, he was able to go into the living rooms of blue-chip athletes around the country with the promise of instant playing time. Over a longer period of time, however, it's unrealistic to think Nebraska will be able to remain a true, national recruiting force like USC. This is nothing against Nebraska; it's just reality. Given the choice between spending four years in L.A., Florida or Lincoln, Neb., which do you think a five-star receiver from Virginia is going to choose? And the fact is, Callahan is going to be almost entirely dependent on these types of recruits because 6-foot-5 pro-style quarterbacks and 4.4 receivers aren't exactly growing on trees in Nebraska's backyard.

In that same article, he notes that there is a good chance Nebraska could win the Big XII, and also notes that Callahan is a "pro" coach. What do recruits want most, other than early playing time? To play for a winner and to become prepared to "go to the next level". So, if his assessments are correct on those points, then his assessment of a lack of continued recruiting sucess is not. I don't see both arguments as being compatible. More like mutually exclusive...

Charlie Weiss had instant success at the college level.

What is this success? Making 2 BCS games that you have no business being in(and proving it on the field) does not constitute success. Front-butt walked into a golden situation with Quinn. Look for them to lose 5-6 at least this season.

Let's face it, 6'5" pro style QBs for the most part are babies and are soft. It's going to take a lot to pull them into an atmosphere that entails cold weather and maybe even snow. They're going to go to coastal colleges and bathe in the sun.

How come schools like Michigan, OU, Notre Dame, Penn St seem to attract stud QB's then? I disagree and there is ample evidence to refute what you say. Notre Dame gets colder than Lincoln and they landed quite possibly the biggest QB prospect from southern California(Claussen) in quite a few years.

Maybe it's not fair to compare him to Pete Carroll or Charlie Weiss or Bob Stoops, but none the less it's going to happen.

Caroll was stockpiled with talent for a pro-style offense, had a 4th year Junior running the show(that eventually won the Heisman) and he still struggled his first year with a really weak schedule. Weiss has still yet to prove anything, IMO. Stoops wasn't a pro coach.

So far in the rivals rankings of the new recruiting class for next year, Nebraska is ranked 4th out of the Big 12 schools behind Texas, OU, and A&M I believe. This is probably about where we're going to finish again this season.

Maybe. A&M has 5 or 6 more recruits than NU. NU finished 2nd in the Big 12 in recruiting last year behind only Texas. In 2003, I believe that class finished 6th or 7th in the Big 12. There has been marked improvement and finishing in the top 3 of the Big 12 in recruiting is going to end up paying off.

If we don't see some things happen this year, I think we all need to take a step back and assess the situation. Maybe it all starts at the QB position. Why in year 4 are we still utilizing a bandaid QB? I don't want to stir the hornets nest claiming Keller is no good because that's not what I'm saying at all. I think we all know if Beck had stayed Keller would never have come to NU. Keller is a bandaid simply because he only has one year of eligibility here. Why did Beck tuck tail and run? Why did Freeman decommit and choose KState?

I agree, it is rather unfortunate that in year 4, there is not a "home-grown" starter. I believe that tide is turning. There is Zac Lee, who is a JC, but has 4 to play 3. Patrick Witt, which is a bright kid with ability who was already on campus for spring ball. Then you have the super-stud Gabbert. I think that negative trend is going to disappear with Keller. Beck was an impatient kid and Freeman is a pu&&y. At least it was found out sooner than later.

Because so much hinges on the QB position in the West Coast Offense, we're not living the days of having a guy like Matt Turman come in and everything be okay.

Everything was ok because of the stud running backs and the defense.

Mandel is probably premature on his ruling with BC because he should have at least held judgement until after this season. A lot of things could go NU's way this year, and then all of this is a mute point. If BC has another year like last year with losses to USC, Texas, etc., then the judgment is probably warranted. Just like it's been beaten to death many times, we're not living in an era having a TO or Bowden or Joe Pa stick around forever and the fan base having faith. We're in the era of firing a coach of 5 or 6 years (Coker @ Miami) who had one of the greatest runs ever in college football and had the trophy because of one or two disappointing seasons.

I would agree with that. Him writing a reply column because people called him on it is proof that he was too early. If Nebraska fans were convinced that Callahan belonged on that list, there wouldn't have been the backlash that there was and I think Mandel knows this. I think he was successful in generating a response though. I am sure some other team's fans had something to say about it too. If you throw your lure in the water, you're bound to get a bite.