Have people forgotten?

The thing that I think everyone else forgets is that recent history supports the individuals that are looking for a quick win. Only 1 championship (BCS) coach since 2000 has taken longer than 4 years to get his first trophy, and that's Mack Brown. He took 8 years...but was winning 11 games by year 2, and 11-13 games until he finally won the big one.

Coaches win quick today. It doesn't take em long to get to 11 wins. The list is long. Peterson, Patterson, Kelley, Kiffin, Dantonio, Bielema, Petrino, Harbaugh, etc. I mean Art Briles turned around Baylor! And it's not like coaches haven't turned around a program in worse shape. Look at Oklahoma the 4 years before Stoops got there. Or Alabama, or USC. The Huskers weren't exactly a parted out car. They weren't what Les Miles inherited at LSU, or Coker at Miami...but there's plenty of coaches that have taken teams coming off 3, 4, and 5 win seasons in the prior couple of years of them taking over (5 of the 9)...and gotten them to a championship level in a few years.

It's not crazy for people to desire this. We watch a coach win the BSC every year that has been in their position less time than Bo now has.

2000 Oklahoma - Stoops (year 2) - 5-5, 3-8, 4-8, 5-6 (17-27: 38%)

2001 Miami - Coker (year 1) - 5-6, 9-3, 9-4, 11-1 (34-14: 71%)

2002 Ohio State - Tressel (year 2) - 10-3, 11-1, 6-6, 8-4 (35-14: 71%)

2003 LSU - Nick Saban (year 4) - 10-2, 9-3, 4-7, 3-8 (26-20: 57%)

2004 USC - Pete carrol (year 4) - 6-5, 8-5, 6-6, 5-7 (25-23: 52%)

2005 TExas - Mack Brown (year 8) - 8-4, 10-2, 8-5, 4-7 (30-18: 63%)

2006 Florida - Urban Meyer (year 2) - 10-2, 8-5, 8-5, 7-5 (33-17: 66%)

2007 LSU - Les Miles (year 3) - 10-3, 8-5, 13-1, 9-3 (40-12: 77%)

2008 Florida - Urban Meyer (year 4) - 10-2, 8-5, 8-5, 7-5 (33-17: 66%)

2009 Alabama - Nick Saban (year 3) - 4-9, 6-6, 10-2, 6-7 (26-24: 52%)

2010 Auburn - Gene Chizik (year 2) - 9-3, 11-2, 9-4, 5-7 (34-16: 68%)

2011 Alabama - Nick Saban (year 5) - 4-9, 6-6, 10-2, 6-7 (26-24: 52%)

2012 Nebraska - Bo Pelini (year 5) - 5-6, 8-4, 9-5, 5-7 (27-22: 55%)

 
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I recall some words Tom used, long ago. A paraphrase: I don't mind losing so much, as long as every member of the team has played to the best of their ability. If we have given it all we have, and played well, and still lost, we have still accomplished something.

That's a rough paraphrase, but you get the idea. I'd like to think we can still expect that sentiment over a "win at all costs, immediately" attitude. Otherwise, we risk landing on the same merry-go-round that Texas A&M currently occupies. I am not comparing us to them, in terms of greatness (there is no comparison). But, they adopted a "win in the first few years" mindset and are currently paying off three different head coaches, all of whom were expected to "get it done", to compete for championships immediately.

To me, nothing could be more potentially damaging to a program like ours.

Frank Solich is too close, in the rearview mirror, for me to get impatient just yet. I know it's been discussed here, but so has almost everything else. Bo's numbers are not what we'd "love" to see. But the picture is bigger than the last few years.

 
I don't want to put too much emphasis on this, but I'd say this is a fairly important year for Bo Pelini. I don't think there's a single guy left on this roster that isn't his recruit, and although they've made coaching changes and this is the second year for Tim Beck, it's going to be important to see what kind of a product is on the field. Are we athletically matched with other prominent B1G teams, are we still showing overall signs of improvement, do we have sufficient depth in important areas like the OL and DL, etc.

We've had some rough luck in certain areas over the last few years, and I'm not suggesting this is the year we decide whether to Keep Pelini or not, but we should at least be at the point where we feel comfortable things are moving in the right direction.

 
For years everyone in my family used the phrase "Osborne is no Devaney". We were convinced Nebraska would never be great again. We also discussed how it is nice that Nebraska is ranked in the top 20 and it could be worse, as we had family in other states with losing or completely irrelevant college football teams. Then in 1983 we thought the stars aligned and a few great players would bring a national championship, although we thought the 1983 season was a fluke due to great players. We completely expected the return to rankings in the 8 to 20 range. Fifteen years later we realized Osborne was the greatest coach of all time.

I would rather keep a coach that wins at least 9 games every year than have a revolving door of coaches hoping to win a national championship. I also like the Nebraska culture that is maintained with a long term coach. The loss of the Nebraska feeling is one of the things I hated most about BC. Now if Bo only wins 8 games .....

 
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knapplc said:
Power-I said:
TO wasn't making 3 million dollars a year, complaining about the attitude of the people who were paying him. He also didn't regularly lose games by 30 points, and drop a game per year to some cellar dweller.

In his first 7 seasons, TO lost 4 total games by more than 2 TD's. Pelini lost 3 by more than 2 TD's last year alone.

Times aren't the same, and those two coaches certainly aren't the same.
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Tom kept the train rolling. Bo is trying to rebuild the entire rail line from scratch.

Have people forgotten? The four years prior to Dr. Tom taking the helm Nebraska went:

1968-1971: 39-6-1 with back-to-back national championships in the final two years

The four years prior to Bo taking the helm Nebraska went:

2004-2007: 27-22, not even going to a bowl game two of the last three years

Nobody disputes that Dr. Tom is a genius, and nobody disputes that Bo's rebuilding project is taking longer than anticipated. But let's not pretend that they inherited similar programs. Tom got a Ferrari. Bo got a parts car on blocks.
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this this this..... and lets also not forget that hes TO. one of the best ever. nebraska fans need to understand bo is never going to be TO. I doubt we ever have another coach of his caliber. we need to be happy if we can get anyone remotely close

 
Power-I said:
TO wasn't making 3 million dollars a year, complaining about the attitude of the people who were paying him. He also didn't regularly lose games by 30 points, and drop a game per year to some cellar dweller.

In his first 7 seasons, TO lost 4 total games by more than 2 TD's. Pelini lost 3 by more than 2 TD's last year alone.

Times aren't the same, and those two coaches certainly aren't the same.
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I don't give a sh#t. I am all about the W's and Bo's W/L numbers stack up decently with T.O.'s first 4 years as a head coach. Oh....oh wait....lest you forget, Bo took over a program in shambles. I agree, the times weren't the same. T.O. took over a talented team during that time....Bo on the other hand, not so much.

 
melscott62 said:
knapplc said:
Power-I said:
TO wasn't making 3 million dollars a year, complaining about the attitude of the people who were paying him. He also didn't regularly lose games by 30 points, and drop a game per year to some cellar dweller.

In his first 7 seasons, TO lost 4 total games by more than 2 TD's. Pelini lost 3 by more than 2 TD's last year alone.

Times aren't the same, and those two coaches certainly aren't the same.
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Tom kept the train rolling. Bo is trying to rebuild the entire rail line from scratch.

Have people forgotten? The four years prior to Dr. Tom taking the helm Nebraska went:

1968-1971: 39-6-1 with back-to-back national championships in the final two years

The four years prior to Bo taking the helm Nebraska went:

2004-2007: 27-22, not even going to a bowl game two of the last three years

Nobody disputes that Dr. Tom is a genius, and nobody disputes that Bo's rebuilding project is taking longer than anticipated. But let's not pretend that they inherited similar programs. Tom got a Ferrari. Bo got a parts car on blocks.
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this this this..... and lets also not forget that hes TO. one of the best ever. nebraska fans need to understand bo is never going to be TO. I doubt we ever have another coach of his caliber. we need to be happy if we can get anyone remotely close
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Dangit...I didn't see your post knapp....I didn't even need to post my statement lol crap.

 
Enhance89 said:
Chaddyboxer said:
I don't give a sh#t.
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I love the honesty. I don't know why, but I laughed out loud when I read this.
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I really don't. I fear if we lose Bo.....NEB may not find a better coach.....for not some time or maybe EVER. As fans, we gotta give Bo time. Patience Husker fans....patience.

I didn't mean to come off sounding like a d!(k, just being honest. Power-I provided some facts that I will not deny, yet his post doesn't tell the whole story IMO.

 
I'm trying to count the times we've lost by 30+ without looking. Oklahoma and someone else in '08, Texas Tech in '09 (though I think that might've been more like 20 points), Wisconsin and Michigan in '11. 5 that I recall, and 4 of those came either in Bo's 1st year of coaching or his 1st year of coaching in a new conference.

 
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Chaddyboxer said:
Enhance89 said:
Chaddyboxer said:
I don't give a sh#t.
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I love the honesty. I don't know why, but I laughed out loud when I read this.
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I really don't. I fear if we lose Bo.....NEB may not find a better coach.....for not some time or maybe EVER. As fans, we gotta give Bo time. Patience Husker fans....patience.

I didn't mean to come off sounding like a d!(k, just being honest. Power-I provided some facts that I will not deny, yet his post doesn't tell the whole story IMO.
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This. I mean, who has taken over a situation like Bo came into, and done as well? Very few. And certainly not with the specifics that Bo has had to go through. Bo was challenging for conference championships within two years of taking over. Had the conference switch not come when it did, I believe he may have even won one. But the way things were stacked against us in '10 going through the final season in the Big XII, and then to come in to a different conference, and I'm not sure any of us really knew how difficult the trek through our first season would be, and come through still with a 9 win season. I'm willing to give Bo the latitude he needs right now. We've had circumstances that neither Bob Devaney nor TO had to go through in their tenure, and Bo's still done what only 5 other coaches have ever done, take their first head coaching job, and coach their first four seasons to 9 wins or greater. Yeah, I think we all should be willing to cut him a lot more slack than we have. Championships or not, if he keeps winning 9 games a season, you don't fire the guy. No rational successful coach is going to come in for cutting a guy like that. And TO certainly won't cut him with a record like that. Don't know whether our next AD would, but I doubt it. We'll see what the next couple of years bring, but Bo is still building. As long as I see that, I have confidence that the winning and championships will come.

 
'08 Missouri 35 points

OU 34 points

'09 noone beat us by 30

'10 Noone beat us by 30

'11 Michigan beat us by 31

 
Chaddyboxer said:
I really don't. I fear if we lose Bo.....NEB may not find a better coach.....for not some time or maybe EVER. As fans, we gotta give Bo time. Patience Husker fans....patience.

I didn't mean to come off sounding like a d!(k, just being honest. Power-I provided some facts that I will not deny, yet his post doesn't tell the whole story IMO.
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That's the basis for almost every argument against firing Bo. It's not wins, or the positive things he's done for the program. It's not about graduation rates, or changes he's made, or recruiting, or potential. It all comes back to Peterson and his poor decision in coaching hire. Can't you people come up with a better reasoning beyond fear?

Chaddyboxer said:
I don't give a sh#t. I am all about the W's and Bo's W/L numbers stack up decently with T.O.'s first 4 years as a head coach. Oh....oh wait....lest you forget, Bo took over a program in shambles. I agree, the times weren't the same. T.O. took over a talented team during that time....Bo on the other hand, not so much.
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There is a very large difference between year after year of top 10 ranked teams, and 4 years of 25ish ranked teams with blowout losses. If Bo was finishing in the top 10 year year...these convo's would be far more 1 sided than they currently are.

 
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