Pelini, Unity and 2013 Expectations

[TAKODA]

Pssssh! Bo would have to be pretty dismal to get fired after the Solich ordeal. How many coaches came to apply after Solich was released?

Tough to get a nationally respected coach to want to come here if they have to do better than 9 or 10 wins a season with the recruiting areas we are successful in. I am not saying it can't be done, but don't think the phone would be ringing off the wall either. Of course, with this new AD (SE), possibly he allows a new head coach to bring in whomever he wants without keeping any or all of the previous staff. We had a guy in the wings that was interested (before Bo) but my understanding was he was not going to be allowed to bring his entire staff he wanted at that time, thus we hired a different "D" minded coach in Bo. I get frustrated when we lose games we expected to be in too and I have no answer for those. I just hope Bo delivers so he can get all the naysayers off his back. He is not perfect and his sideline behavior sometimes makes me cringe, but he is honorable and his players like him.

 

[Hercules]

I would be pretty surprised if this was the year Bo got 11 wins. We should have six heading into November, but November is a crapshoot. We could go 5-0 or 0-5.

I'm guessing we'll end up with 8 wins at the end of the regular season. UCLA, Northwestern, Michigan and Penn State should all be able to have their way with our defense. I will gladly eat my words, but I can't imagine this inexperienced, unproven group is going to be any better than last year's squad that gave up 63 to OSU and 70 to a really mediocre Wisconsin offense. Despite what should be a very good offense, I think 2013 is a building year. I'm hoping we see progress on defense similar to what we had in 2008, which would set up for a conf. championship run in 2014 (hopefully Braxton Miller does something stupid and goes pro after this year).

As much as I respect your opinion, and enjoy reading your posts, I do have to with all due respect disagree about this team only having 8 wins at the end of the regular season. Too much leadership on offense, and just ENOUGH playmaking on D will help us squeak out 2 more hard wins. A season comparable to last, but with some definite growth of the defensive side of the ball.

I really hope you're right. I'd love to see us return to the conference championship game and take a good shot at Ohio State. I'm going to have a pretty lukewarm attitude until the UCLA game is decided. If we can figure out a way to win that game, I'm going to become pretty optimistic about reaching 10 or 11 wins.

I really miss watching the defense just fly around the field. 2009-10 were pretty fun years. I hope Bo can figure out how to re-create that in the next few seasons.

 

[Army_Allen]

I agree and I actually think that we do get 11 this season. And I'll more than applaud Bo when that happens. But to act like another year of 9 wins and 3 blowouts wouldn't be discerning is just as crazy as the notion that Bo is just a God awful coach.

Sometimes I wish Bo got fired or quit so less knowledgeable people like... uh, someone, would understand consistent 9 win seasons is NOT easy.

You know how many coaches would accept a job where 9 wins is "unacceptable"?

Why do you keep lingering on the wins? that's not my end game. It's the blowouts that are unnerving and unacceptable. And to question my intelligence for my opinion on the issue is a bit of a cheap shot. Keep it to what we're talking about.

OK hot shot.

So say we fire Bo.

Who do you propose we hire after firing a coach that has done what (4 other teams?) have done over the last 4 years?

Keep in mind what happened last time we fired a coach that was winning.

So now I'm a hot shot? Ok. It's not my job to pick a replacement, and like I said I want Bo to do great because I like the guy an think he does things the right way. Do i think he's flawed? Yeah. He can't keep the team together well in my eyes. He's started recruiting better, while not getting any high profile guys (no VV doesn't count), he's gotten consistently good classes the past two years. He's fiery and I love that about him, I wasn't even upset with the TA&M game and how he was. But the blowout losses gotta stop Wisconsin was the game that this all really got me to this mentality. We had the better team but for whatever reason, we got SMOKED. That's not ok whether it's a perfect season til then, or a winless one. And to have that twice? Maybe three times if Devin Gardner or Denard played in the Michigan game, or even four if Coulter played more in the NW game.

Those were gifts of games that could have been ugly, and MSU and PSU while maybe not blowouts could have been losses just as easily. While hypothetical they were very possible and really masked how poorly we played last year. How would you have viewed last season if the refs get that fumble call right in that PSU game and we lose? and then If the refs don't save us in the MSU game? we're down to 8 wins, 6 if Hoke and Fitz had brains. How would you view last season then? I know it's a lot of ifs but last season we had a lot of luck to do what we did.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

So now I'm a hot shot? Ok. It's not my job to pick a replacement, and like I said I want Bo to do great because I like the guy an think he does things the right way. Do i think he's flawed? Yeah. He can't keep the team together well in my eyes. He's started recruiting better, while not getting any high profile guys (no VV doesn't count), he's gotten consistently good classes the past two years. He's fiery and I love that about him, I wasn't even upset with the TA&M game and how he was. But the blowout losses gotta stop Wisconsin was the game that this all really got me to this mentality. We had the better team but for whatever reason, we got SMOKED. That's not ok whether it's a perfect season til then, or a winless one. And to have that twice? Maybe three times if Devin Gardner or Denard played in the Michigan game, or even four if Coulter played more in the NW game.

Those were gifts of games that could have been ugly, and MSU and PSU while maybe not blowouts could have been losses just as easily. While hypothetical they were very possible and really masked how poorly we played last year. How would you have viewed last season if the refs get that fumble call right in that PSU game and we lose? and then If the refs don't save us in the MSU game? we're down to 8 wins, 6 if Hoke and Fitz had brains. How would you view last season then? I know it's a lot of ifs but last season we had a lot of luck to do what we did.

Can't keep the team together? Its his fault that we are stacked in talent in the RB position, which has caused two highly recruited kids to transfer? His fault that Rome was a puss and didn't want to fight for his position, while being a bust. I, for one, do not think we had the better team in the CCG. The previous match we had with Wisconsin shows that. We had to come back from a double deficit. Its not luck, but our defense played above and beyond that game. Wisconsin proved that you need a defense to win games. They exploited us just like many of us hoped they wouldn't have. Had more teams used the lack of speed on the outside and our poor open field tackling, we would have had a 7 win season. I am not taking wins away from our guys, but we have to feel pretty damn good to have the record we did with the lack of talent on defense. Blame Bo for it, because it is his fault. He is the head coach, BUT he is the reason we had the record we did. Its the coaching and leadership on the field that helped us overcome our lack of talent on the field.

MSU and PSU should have been losses.... were they? No. Next...

You think we would have lost if Hoke would have put in Gardner? We also shut Robinson down, while slowing down our pace on offense. LOL.

To call last years record luck, your taking all credit away from the players who played the game. Luck is what you have in the casino. Those kids played their f'ing asses off and won those games FAIR AND SQUARE.

 

[Army_Allen]

So now I'm a hot shot? Ok. It's not my job to pick a replacement, and like I said I want Bo to do great because I like the guy an think he does things the right way. Do i think he's flawed? Yeah. He can't keep the team together well in my eyes. He's started recruiting better, while not getting any high profile guys (no VV doesn't count), he's gotten consistently good classes the past two years. He's fiery and I love that about him, I wasn't even upset with the TA&M game and how he was. But the blowout losses gotta stop Wisconsin was the game that this all really got me to this mentality. We had the better team but for whatever reason, we got SMOKED. That's not ok whether it's a perfect season til then, or a winless one. And to have that twice? Maybe three times if Devin Gardner or Denard played in the Michigan game, or even four if Coulter played more in the NW game.

Those were gifts of games that could have been ugly, and MSU and PSU while maybe not blowouts could have been losses just as easily. While hypothetical they were very possible and really masked how poorly we played last year. How would you have viewed last season if the refs get that fumble call right in that PSU game and we lose? and then If the refs don't save us in the MSU game? we're down to 8 wins, 6 if Hoke and Fitz had brains. How would you view last season then? I know it's a lot of ifs but last season we had a lot of luck to do what we did.

Can't keep the team together? Its his fault that we are stacked in talent in the RB position, which has caused two highly recruited kids to transfer? His fault that Rome was a puss and didn't want to fight for his position, while being a bust. I, for one, do not think we had the better team in the CCG. The previous match we had with Wisconsin shows that. We had to come back from a double deficit. Its not luck, but our defense played above and beyond that game. Wisconsin proved that you need a defense to win games. They exploited us just like many of us hoped they wouldn't have. Had more teams used the lack of speed on the outside and our poor open field tackling, we would have had a 7 win season. I am not taking wins away from our guys, but we have to feel pretty damn good to have the record we did with the lack of talent on defense. Blame Bo for it, because it is his fault. He is the head coach, BUT he is the reason we had the record we did. Its the coaching and leadership on the field that helped us overcome our lack of talent on the field.

MSU and PSU should have been losses.... were they? No. Next...

You think we would have lost if Hoke would have put in Gardner? We also shut Robinson down, while slowing down our pace on offense. LOL.

To call last years record luck, your taking all credit away from the players who played the game. Luck is what you have in the casino. Those kids played their f'ing asses off and won those games FAIR AND SQUARE.

Not going to continue to talk with someone who's not even trying to view more than their own viewpoint.

 

[NebraskaHarry]

I for one thinks it's a little early to be talking about firing coaches. Hypothetically or not.

 

[True2tRA]

What I can't understand is how the f#*k anyone with a sane mind can even be arguing with Army Allen? Every point he has made here has been absolutely valid and he is simply stating what the majority of Husker Nation is feeling about Bo. If some of you stopped being such a PPP (Pelini Peter Puffer) and listen to what he is saying objectively you might learn a thing or two.

The expectations were high for Bo. The expectations are high at Nebraska. Nine wins is not the expectation here. If you think so, then Bo might need to talk to you because Bo himself expects to win more games than that. We play for Championships. Those are Bos own words......

Is Bo failing miserably? No. Is there a lot of areas Bo could improve on? Hell yes. Is Bo a good dude? Yes. Is Bo a great representative of this state,it's work ethic, and it's integrity? Yes. All of these things Army Allen has said. He likes Bo. Hell, I like Bo. But recruiting failed for the first few years. These blowout losses are f'ing ridiculous......how can you even debate that. Losses are going to happen, but no well coached team loses in that fashion guys. There's no debating that.

All the guy has said is he likes Bo, he thinks Bo is doing things the right way, but we have a lot of work to do, and we expect some results on Gameday? That's not a lot to ask. Geez just read what someone else is saying for once instead of getting all huffy puffy the second someone mentions that Bo has failed in a few key areas.

 

[JJ Husker]

I for one thinks it's a little early to be talking about firing coaches. Hypothetically or not.

^^^That. I'm with you. Is it really constructive for 90% of these threads to devolve into the W-L record and then start speculating on Bo's status? Swear to God I'll rabbit punch the next person that suggests we fire a coach after a 9 or 10 win season. I hate the blowout losses as much or worse than the next guy but we go through the Solich-Callahan debacle again over my dead body.

Edit- I take no responsibility for changing my mind after the next blowout loss.

 

[Fuzzy]

The firing the coach people are grasping at straws and looking for anything and everything to get rid of Bo Pelini.

"Bo Pelini cut me off on the interstate with his Ford Expedition, Fire him!"

 

[True2tRA]

Secondly, we are gonna kick some serious Big Ten a$$ this year so f#*k all the drama. Let's get ready to watch this team tear some throats open and sh#t down people's necks.

 

[True2tRA]

I for one thinks it's a little early to be talking about firing coaches. Hypothetically or not.

^^^That. I'm with you. Is it really constructive for 90% of these threads to devolve into the W-L record and then start speculating on Bo's status? Swear to God I'll rabbit punch the next person that suggests we fire a coach after a 9 or 10 win season. I hate the blowout losses as much or worse than the next guy but we go through the Solich-Callahan debacle again over my dead body.

Firing a coach is a tough thing to go through. Especially for a place like Nebraska that has had such a record of continuity. Seeing Solich go was tough. What made it tougher was that the guy that replace him was a huge failure. Bo has not been a failure by any means. He has been successful. Has he reached expectations. No. If you say he has, then please tell me where you were five years ago preaching about how our defense would look last year. Bo has work to do. End of story. I don't think anyone has outright said he needs to be fired. And trust me, it is bullsh#t that we even keep saying Bo and fired in the same sentence. That doesn't need to happen. The question is, can Bo fix the problems? If so, how long will it take? And how long will the people with more authority than you or I give him to make it right? People are impatient nowadays and sometimes expectations can ruin you. Fact is, those expectations aren't going to go away. Bo will have to meet them at some point. We will not watch this program gravitate toward mediocrity.........I think the people who believe that still carry some weight around this program.

 

[True2tRA]

Secondly, we are gonna kick some serious Big Ten a$$ this year so f#*k all the drama. Let's get ready to watch this team tear some throats open and sh#t down people's necks.

Or we could whack them over the head with beer bottles! Whatever it takes!

 

[The Dude]

The worst thing that can happen is to put ourselves into situations where we need last minute heroics to win a bunch of games. Last year we tapped into any reserve luck we had. I don't see those kinds of shenanigans transpiring two years in a row.

 

[NebraskaHarry]

The worst thing that can happen is to put ourselves into situations where we need last minute heroics to win a bunch of games. Last year we tapped into any reserve luck we had. I don't see those kinds of shenanigans transpiring two years in a row.

 

[The King]

This to me is a Conf. Championship or Bo's out of a job kind of year IMO. Even with the loss of these guys, excuses for bad recruiting classes until 2 years ago, and consistent 9 win seasons, there comes a point where you either have to provide something of substance or your out. Now that's not me bashing Bo, and by all means I don't expect a Nat. Championship. But We should have a conference title by now, and while 9 wins each season is great, getting blown out in the fashion we have consistently is not. And I'd give those up 9 wins and all for a few 11-2 seasons or 13-0 ones alongside some 8-4's and some 7-5's as long as we are competitive. But how many times last year alone were we just so inconsistent at times (terrible even) that we played just about every team close.

Realistically, we could have been 6-6 last year and none of our losses I can even say were close except for Georgia who had nothing to play four til they decided they wanted to care about the game again. I'm a huge Bo supporter and thought he was super deserving of the job over Gill, but I'm not going to make excuses for him each season like Iowa does for Kirk (not comparing coaching ability just some fans support for the guys). I don't want Bo to go but I sure as hell don't wanna hear about getting blown out to 3 to four teams a year and being a butt of every B1G teams jokes. So IMO, Bo's gotta win the Conf. Ship this year no matter how good OSU is, and play competitively in every game win or loss with no blowouts or he should go and I'd be fine with another rebuilding stage to find the right guy. I know, off topic, but between this issue, the TM poke, the Stafford exchange and the former players saying there was no unity, you've got to believe it has to fall somewhere on the coach and the players that he recruits.

feel free to move this, just thought it was on topic enough when tying in the Pelini and Unity bit.

This is specifically what I was referring to.

So, if we don't win the conference, we should fire Bo?

You agree with that, True to the Red?

If Bo fails to win a conference championship, he should be fired.

I'll remember that.

And then when half of our players transfer and we are relient on walkons and some scrub head coach and we have a 6-6 season (for real, not hypothetical) and miss a bowl game, you'll be picking your nose wondering why we ever fired Bo.

Jesus christ. He is a first time head coach. Give him time to figure it out.

This IS Nebraska, we know, we get it. But this is the kind of sh#t you have to deal with when you fire winning coaches - none of the big names want to take over a job where you can get fired for winning 9 or 10 games year in and out - and I can only imagine what our coaching pool would look like if it happened again.

You know what our recruiting would like following a 5-7 or 6-6 season with a fresh new head coach that no one has heard of? Yeah, it wouldn't be pretty. Thats why we've been in this mess. Let Bo work out his kinks, and then hopefully, he can get it together.

Side note: If Bo had a 6-6 season and was fired, that would be a lot different than 9-10 wins and firing him. You have to look at the CONSEQUENCES of what happens if you willy nilly fire coaches.

Last time, it gave us Billy C.

Fun times, right?