For what its worth, Callahan story in the NY Times

[skerfan1705]

I don't have one bit of sympathy for Callahan! He took everything that made this school stand out from others..threw it out the window...put what he thought would work best into play and when it all fell apart...well he patted himself on the back and laughed all the way to the bank...

He played games to keep them close...not to win and he showed very little class in the process.

I will admit...there were some wins out there that were fantastic (Alamo Bowl 2005 and Texas A&M in 2006) but those happy memories are washed out by demorilizing loses to KU, Texas Tech, and of course Missouri....

Thank GOD he left when he did.

 

[Landlord]

I too, blame Pedersen more than anyone. I think Callahan did actually want to be here, but was very misinformed of how seriously the fans took this program, and how much heat he would be under for doing things "differently". But, despite the criticism, I think he accomplished the main thing he was brought in here to do, which was renovate the offense.

It's just a shame it had to happen the way it did.

 

[WVhuskerXX]

Yea for as much as I'm going to get roasted for saying this. I believe had Callahan actually had a defensive Co he would have been a legend on campus. He could recruit, he could coach an offense, the only thing he didnt have was a defense. I'm I gald he is gone of course. Pelini is better then he ever was but just a different point of view

Maybe, but against the big boys his offense struggled.

 

[dergibog]

None of us found out that Callahan would be a poor fit until the 2007 season. I wouldn't even say it was a mistake by any means. What other options were out there for us? This was a step in the process for Nebraska and we're here now...maybe not the easiest step, but it wasn't a disastrous one either.

I disagree. I knew it was a mistake day one when he said "My vision for the program is to maintain and continue the success and win a national championship." It rang hollow then, and even more now. I'm glad he's doing better now. I'd be really curious to hear what he would change if he had it to do over.

 

[melscott62]

this guy was available as well.

 

[ESPY]

Yea for as much as I'm going to get roasted for saying this. I believe had Callahan actually had a defensive Co he would have been a legend on campus. He could recruit, he could coach an offense, the only thing he didnt have was a defense. I'm I gald he is gone of course. Pelini is better then he ever was but just a different point of view

Callahan never would've been a "legend." That's a huge stretch. And even with a good def coordinator, he would not have succeeded like real Husker legends Devaney and Osborne. Sure, he could recruit and he was a mastermind with the WC offense, but therein lies the problem. The WC offense generally does not win national championships. Running attacks do, and that was the one area Callahan's offense did not emphasize enough. Look at the offenses of the most recent national champions and who they've beaten in the title game, & you'll notice the WC never finishes on top. The vast majority of the time it's the team with the best running attack that takes the trophy.

 

[sd'sker]

Yea for as much as I'm going to get roasted for saying this. I believe had Callahan actually had a defensive Co he would have been a legend on campus. He could recruit, he could coach an offense, the only thing he didnt have was a defense. I'm I gald he is gone of course. Pelini is better then he ever was but just a different point of view

Callahan never would've been a "legend." That's a huge stretch. And even with a good def coordinator, he would not have succeeded like real Husker legends Devaney and Osborne. Sure, he could recruit and he was a mastermind with the WC offense, but therein lies the problem. The WC offense generally does not win national championships. Running attacks do, and that was the one area Callahan's offense did not emphasize enough. Look at the offenses of the most recent national champions and who they've beaten in the title game, & you'll notice the WC never finishes on top. The vast majority of the time it's the team with the best running attack that takes the trophy.

another reason Callahan would not have been legendary is because i do not think he planned on staying at Nu for too long.

 

[zoogs]

Yea for as much as I'm going to get roasted for saying this. I believe had Callahan actually had a defensive Co he would have been a legend on campus. He could recruit, he could coach an offense, the only thing he didnt have was a defense. I'm I gald he is gone of course. Pelini is better then he ever was but just a different point of view

Callahan never would've been a "legend." That's a huge stretch. And even with a good def coordinator, he would not have succeeded like real Husker legends Devaney and Osborne. Sure, he could recruit and he was a mastermind with the WC offense, but therein lies the problem. The WC offense generally does not win national championships. Running attacks do, and that was the one area Callahan's offense did not emphasize enough. Look at the offenses of the most recent national champions and who they've beaten in the title game, & you'll notice the WC never finishes on top. The vast majority of the time it's the team with the best running attack that takes the trophy.

I don't know about legend, but it's too bad Callahan never had a "pound the rock" campaign. It's too bad he didn't focus on the O-line. It's too bad he's not the reason behind NYJ's running success right now.

 

[knapplc]

What is all this revisionist history about Bill Callahan?!??!?

Callahan came here because he needed a job after getting fired by Al Davis. We needed a coach after getting embarrassingly turned down by several candidates. That's the sum total of the reason he was here.

Bill Callahan treated our history with contempt, or at best with indifference. He eliminated access to the program from our most cherished asset - our former players. He forced a square peg into a round hole by making players who didn't have the skill set necessary for his offense run his offense, with disastrous results in his first year. He ended our bowl streak, he was responsible for several of the worst losses in modern team history, and he was disingenuous about reasons for those results. What's worse is he didn't show concern for any of these failures, or at least no more concern for them than you would if you wanted your paycheck.

This is by no means a "paycheck job." This is a way of life for a million fans across the country. This is a program comparable to very, very few others in all of college sports. To treat this program, this fan base and these hallowed records with such lack of respect isn't OK.

He was dishonest with the fans about his methods and his results. He blamed his players for the failures of the team. When asked to explain himself and the situation we were in, he famously claimed it was "too technical" for us to understand.

I don't wish ill on him at all, and I'm happy for the success he's seeing now. I wish him all the best and continued happiness for him and his family. But bottom line, I will not ever, ever, ever allow comments apologizing for Bill Callahan's disrespectful tenure at this institution to go unchecked. Ever.

 

[sd'sker]

What is all this revisionist history about Bill Callahan?!??!?

Callahan came here because he needed a job after getting fired by Al Davis. We needed a coach after getting embarrassingly turned down by several candidates. That's the sum total of the reason he was here.

We should have hired Lane Kiffin...

edit: i did not mean to post it, i was going to say more about hallowed records to hollowed records, but i did post it on accident and can not delete so you get to enjoy a 'facepalm' joke.

 

[Landlord]

Yea for as much as I'm going to get roasted for saying this. I believe had Callahan actually had a defensive Co he would have been a legend on campus. He could recruit, he could coach an offense, the only thing he didnt have was a defense. I'm I gald he is gone of course. Pelini is better then he ever was but just a different point of view

Callahan never would've been a "legend." That's a huge stretch. And even with a good def coordinator, he would not have succeeded like real Husker legends Devaney and Osborne. Sure, he could recruit and he was a mastermind with the WC offense, but therein lies the problem. The WC offense generally does not win national championships. Running attacks do, and that was the one area Callahan's offense did not emphasize enough. Look at the offenses of the most recent national champions and who they've beaten in the title game, & you'll notice the WC never finishes on top. The vast majority of the time it's the team with the best running attack that takes the trophy.

I don't know about legend, but it's too bad Callahan never had a "pound the rock" campaign. It's too bad he didn't focus on the O-line. It's too bad he's not the reason behind NYJ's running success right now.

He did have a "pound the rock" campaign in 2006, even had a big boulder put underneath the stadium for when the players walk out.

 

[zoogs]

Yep All the things I said were things he actually did. For what it's worth, he also actually took credit for losses (I bring up the Big 12 CCG we lost under him again as an example).

I don't understand where some of this hate comes from.

knapplc, a lot of the things Callahan said, are the same type of coach speak that comes from straight-shootin' Bo as well. It's not a bad thing in either case. We've seen these coaches talk about failures of execution, but nobody treats that as throwing kids under the bus. I think I've even seen a coach talk about how something was too advanced so they had to put it in simple terms or something.

Point is, for some, anything and everything that Callahan did was just heinously and unequivocally bad. I don't buy that.

We also like blaming BC for what happened in Oakland, when that was a case of messed up management (I mean, this is the ONLY time we seem to not bash Al Davis, because we'd rather go after BC instead) and overpaid bad-attitude veterans. Any coach that gets out of that black hole is a lucky guy.

 

[knapplc]

I don't understand where some of this hate comes from.

He killed our bowl streak because he was too stubborn to adapt his offense to the personnel we had. You don't find that worthy of disdain?

He locked the doors to our former players and coaches - Award winners, leaders, national champions, men of great integrity, men who knew how to create a winning program. You don't find that worthy of disdain?

He failed to teach the players. Read the Slauson quote again: Slauson said he learned more from Callahan in the past six months than he had ever learned, in anything, including in his four years at Nebraska. How does that not boil your blood, knowing he went 15-17 in conference play in four years?

I could go on. This is why I don't understand where the defense of the guy comes from.

knapplc, a lot of the things Callahan said, are the same type of coach speak that comes from straight-shootin' Bo as well. It's not a bad thing in either case. We've seen these coaches talk about failures of execution, but nobody treats that as throwing kids under the bus. I think I've even seen a coach talk about how something was too advanced so they had to put it in simple terms or something.

There are ways to say the same things with more tact. Callahan didn't attempt to be politick. He just said what he felt was best without regard for how it hurt the program's image.

Point is, for some, anything and everything that Callahan did was just heinously and unequivocally bad. I don't buy that.

Nobody is saying everything he did was bad. Just too many things to stomach.

We also like blaming BC for what happened in Oakland, when that was a case of messed up management (I mean, this is the ONLY time we seem to not bash Al Davis, because we'd rather go after BC instead) and overpaid bad-attitude veterans. Any coach that gets out of that black hole is a lucky guy.

I don't know that I've really seen any Husker fans truly care about what happened in Oaktown. I have always, and will always, blame Al Davis for that sham of a franchise.

 

[Husker_x]

Now that we're a few years down the road from the aftermath and staring down the barrel of a potential title run next season, it's a little easier to put things in perspective. As a lot of people have said, Callahan never should have been hired here to begin with. I believe he is a talented individual who put in the right circumstances could succeed. Nebraska did not present him with circumstances that geared towards his strengths. Many NFL coaches have the same issues transitioning into college, Notre Dame being the most recent debacle.

Partly a bad fit, partly bad coaching, partly stubbornness, the situation was bad when he arrived and deteriorated. Looking back it's hard to imagine how it could have been any different. If he'd kept Bo on staff we might have had something, but What Ifs don't count for much at this point. We got the man we always should have had, and now things are heading in the right direction.

 

[knapplc]

My opinion is that the people who are "defending" Callahan are the typical very nice Nebraska fans that we all know and love. We're a state full of nice people, and nice fans, and we have a hard time really talking ill of a person. To many it seems overly harsh to criticize the guy, so they "put the best construction on everything" surrounding him and his time here.

I can dig that. I think it's admirable. Maybe I'm just not a big enough person to do that, or maybe I'm just too wrapped up in my brand of fandom to emulate them.

I don't have any animosity towards anyone defending Callahan, but I will be realistic about who and what he was to this program.

One great thing I'll say about Callahan that I continue to appreciate is the Breast Cancer fundraising he did with Football 101. I don't know if he is the coach who made 101 a fundraiser, but I do know that it was under his regime, and Bo continues it today. I find that very admirable about Callahan.