My thoughts

zoogs

Assistant Coach
Hey guys,

It's been a wild ride these past two weeks and I've been very busy with schoolwork so I haven't had a chance to hang around the boards. Maybe a good thing, too, considering depressing atmosphere. Schoolwork is depressing enough without all of Husker nation tearing itself to pieces. But I thought I'd weigh in with my two cents:

This season is rapidly spinning out of control, and it's up to our players to turn this thing around. I have the utmost respect for Bill Callahan and what he brings to this program, and he is not a quitter. Getting blown out by USC, torched by Ball State, then blown out by Missouri on the road and OK State at home - that's got to be unfathomably hard on all of our guys.

This is a team whose spirits are in the gutter, and that's the main reason we are playing uninspired football right now. Not because our guys aren't good enough. Not because our recruits aren't being developed properly. Not because our coaches aren't scheming correctly, although all of these unknowns may play a part. I believe the #1 reason is the attitude and emotion of the team. These are things that are taking a beating now, and everyone has to dig deep and come up with some determination, resolve, and confidence. That's not something we as fans can do for them, by tossing money around or calling for anyone's head.

So much of college football is determined by energy, momentum, and emotion. These are all factors working against us right now, so brace yourselves - we could either turn it around, or be in for one ugly, ugly season. And there's nothing the fans can do to tip the scales, so keep your fingers away from those 'Fire ----' and 'Bench -----' triggers.

At first, the complaints were, why are we starting guys like McKeon and Ruud? Yes, the armchair coaches all seemed to have a better evaluation of talent than the Husker staff in those weeks. Okay, so we wound up with McKeon and Octavien benched, along with other movements in the starting lineup. So if those level-headed folks who only pass their expert judgments based on results, who's calling for Dillard or Brandenburgh's head? How about Cortney Grixby? Yeah, we sure know what we're talking about.

Now, I'm a fan of Nebraska football. When Frank Solich was fired, I wasn't happy, but I forgot about it and picked up next season rooting for our new coach and our new guys, because that's what I do as a fan. I don't think knee-jerk reactions are appropriate in most any situation, especially in the middle of the season, but if Steve Pederson is fired now, then what's done is done and I hope our new AD is successful. Whoever he is.

And I'm a believer in Callahan. I think he's a solid coach, highly knowledgeable, an extremely talented recruiter, a fantastic face for our football program, and more than anything, he's bleeding Husker red. I do think we'll be looking at a new DC and OC next year, but would be extremely disappointed if Callahan didn't stay on. Look guys, we've found ourselves one heck of a coach who loves this place and loves these players. But that's just my opinion.

A final reminder: college athletics is wild. That a school strung in the middle of the Great Plains of nowhere with no cesspool of high school football talent in its backyard, could go on a 35-year run of dominance, is a testament to that. That the University of South Florida is ranked #2 in the BCS is another testament to that. Every team goes through its ups...and its downs (USC 90's, ND now).

Don't forget - we are the best fans in football. We've had some forty years of extremely fair weather. And now our title may be put to the test. Are we going to cower at the first signs of a serious spell of unfair weather?

Here's to a much better finish to the season.

N.B. By the way, this is not a time for saying, "I told you so!" just because you've been wanting Pederson fired or certain players benched for a long time (like Grixby, eh?). It's incredibly stupid to try to claim any personal victories; honestly, what is there you want to prove? We're all Husker fans here, so what happens, happens, and all we can do is hope for the best.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Good Post Brother Zoog.

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of Callahan, but I like your overall sentiments.

 
Yeah, I think most of this board is anti-Callahan, but I'll stand by him. Nobody denies that before this season, our three year transition from option to WCO was pretty successful with improvements each year. And this year has fallen under some unusual circumstances which I already commented on. Basically, I think some unfair blame is being spread around but again, just my opinion.

Overall, I find it really saddening that in this time of extreme difficulty for this team and all its players, a lot of people are celebrating.

 
First of all, he's not a solid coach, maybe a solid assistant coach at best, but cannot, and I do mean, cannot be a HC.

He inherited a very good football team from Coach Gruden, and managed to make it to the superbowl, where he faced gruden, and was completely outcoached. I will never forget John Lynch, coming to the sideline, and telling Gruden, "he's running everything, just like you said".

That was the first glimpse of his inability to, "improvise, adapt, and overcome"

He then managed to take a team, that went to a Superbowl, and proceeded to drive it straight into the ground, going 4-12 the next season.

Then, one of the darkest days since Dr Tom said he was retiring, when I'd heard that Callahan was going to be the coach of our beloved huskers.

I could spend the rest of this post, rehashing the painful years of his tenure, but I don't need to.

He's a bad coach, unable to think on the fly, unable to adapt to changing situations, and when his inability to adapt gets his tail handed to him, makes hamfisted excuses for his failures...

 
Back
Top