Sporting News: Bo Pelini, Huskers confident 2012 can be their year

[Nevada Husker]

I know and understand everyone's skepticism...I think we all have the right to be at this point...but I got to admit, this particular off season has got me juiced. There is just something different about how these guys are coming off...even Bo.

I truly think Bo has been putting in some extra hours at the "Wizard of Oz" school of coaching and leadership and I think it is going to start paying off. That, and the last two hires Bo has made has really impressed me thus far...great strides in the right direction.

Pelini will never admit it, but his change in demeanor and rosy proclamations are because he is feeling the hot seat and knows he has no choice but to produce this year. What that definition of producing is this for 2012 is open for debate, but I would think he should be no more than a game back of the Leaders division winner. Coming in middle of the pack again will leave certain boosters asking for a change. No excuses now, these are his recruits & coaches.

 

[The Dude]

I can't believe there's even been hints of Bo being close to being on the hot seat at this point. Completely ridiculous.

 

[Chaddyboxer]

Wrong.

It's perfectly reasonable to expect improvement from underclass players. Not all do of course but most? Yep.

We're loaded to the gills with players who "should" get better this year. Bell, Tmart, JT, Green, Abdullah, Carnes, etc and that's just the offensive skill players. The Oline is overflowing with them too.....Sirles, Quale, Pensick, Moore, Long, Cotton & a lot of talented redshirts last year.

The defense as well with Ankrah, Cooper, Evans, Green, Guy, Jackson, Randle, Richards, Roach, Rome & Washington.

Mix those with battle tested veterans like SuperRex, Reed, Caveman, Steiney, Cotton, Tmart, Carter, Blatchford, Choi, Compton, Cooper and so on and I just don't get the Debbie Downer disease that's so rampant. I don't see how a reasonable poster can ignore the incoming talent and numbers of the Oline (finally!) which is such a huge, huge variable in getting wins. Defensively we just have to replace "one" great player. Crick was essentially hurt all year & Fonzy was healthy for less than half of last year. So again, we're talking "one" player. I think Bo is easily up for that.

Add in year two for our OC & Bo taking control of the defense again and.....well, I think we're getting close to where we should be.

Haha....I just can't help myself.

:koolaid2:

the one downside to all the sunshine and lollipops is so many of these guys have never played a down next to the other guy.......that is huge. and some have never played a down in regular season competition.....not uncommon you say? OK, but with so much inexperience, looking to make a title game is in reality a wet dream. :leghump:

So... aim low?

Look, nobody really thinks we'll win a MNC this year. But you gotta shoot for perfection if you want to be great.

no need to aim low, but professing to play for a MNC is a little much this early in the season with so much work needing to be done....nothing wrong with keeping it real....win the Legends Division?.........that would be great and doable......anything over that would be realistically totally unexpected.

There's nothing wrong with saying you want to play for the MNC.

exactly.....WTH is people's problems with confidence...."oh, but it's outright ridiculous to say things like that!" BULLLSH#$!!! It's called confidence and attitude. GET SOME! If the team doesn't have it...they WON'T WIN GAMES!!! PERIOD!

 

[Polarhusker]

I know and understand everyone's skepticism...I think we all have the right to be at this point...but I got to admit, this particular off season has got me juiced. There is just something different about how these guys are coming off...even Bo.

I truly think Bo has been putting in some extra hours at the "Wizard of Oz" school of coaching and leadership and I think it is going to start paying off. That, and the last two hires Bo has made has really impressed me thus far...great strides in the right direction.

Pelini will never admit it, but his change in demeanor and rosy proclamations are because he is feeling the hot seat and knows he has no choice but to produce this year. What that definition of producing is this for 2012 is open for debate, but I would think he should be no more than a game back of the Leaders division winner. Coming in middle of the pack again will leave certain boosters asking for a change. No excuses now, these are his recruits & coaches.

Oh do tell??? How do you know this????

 

[hskrfan4life]

I honestly want Nebraska to be relevant again. I want to be able to shut up those Husker haters. I want to see us win the Big 10 this year. I am just waiting for that "big" win we need. I want ESPN constantly talking about us. I WANT A DAMN NATIONAL TITLE!

 

[bshirt]

I can't believe there's even been hints of Bo being close to being on the hot seat at this point. Completely ridiculous.

Yeah, we fire our HC "again" for only winning 9 or 10 games we'll be fully certified for the most stupid fan base in America.

 

[Saunders]

I can't believe there's even been hints of Bo being close to being on the hot seat at this point. Completely ridiculous.

Yeah, we fire our HC "again" for only winning 9 or 10 games we'll be fully certified for the most stupid fan base in America.

If Pelini gets fired for anything but a losing season, then Nebraska will never, ever, be elite again.

 

['SkersRule]

I can't believe there's even been hints of Bo being close to being on the hot seat at this point. Completely ridiculous.

Yeah, we fire our HC "again" for only winning 9 or 10 games we'll be fully certified for the most stupid fan base in America.

If Pelini gets fired for anything but a losing season, then Nebraska will never, ever, be elite again.

Spot on. It is amazing to me at how many ridiculously short-sighted fans we seem to have.

 

[kchusker_chris]

if we have 2 more seasons in a row like last - it will be a very different tenure for Bo than it was for Frank. Frank had a rough season and turned it around. Other than the number of wins, I don't even see a comparison between the two situations. Things were on the upswing when Frank got let go. He'd just proven his hire for DC was a home-run. Bo will have had essentially 5 straight years where nothing got better (or worse) despite changing coordinators and staff. If we are still losing a game or two we shouldn't, getting blown out by the only elite teams we play - but still getting 9 wins I don't think Bo will have a lot to back his argument to stay. Bo made his changes last year and this. He'll get 2 to see if that pays off. 9 wins with 4, hard fought losses would help his argument that his changes are starting to pay dividends. 9 wins with 3 blowouts and a home-loss to a team you should have beat will not be enough however. Everyone just looks at the number 9 - but there's more to it than that.

 

[H2h]

if we have 2 more seasons in a row like last - it will be a very different tenure for Bo than it was for Frank. Frank had a rough season and turned it around. Other than the number of wins, I don't even see a comparison between the two situations. Things were on the upswing when Frank got let go. He'd just proven his hire for DC was a home-run. Bo will have had essentially 5 straight years where nothing got better (or worse) despite changing coordinators and staff. If we are still losing a game or two we shouldn't, getting blown out by the only elite teams we play - but still getting 9 wins I don't think Bo will have a lot to back his argument to stay. Bo made his changes last year and this. He'll get 2 to see if that pays off. 9 wins with 4, hard fought losses would help his argument that his changes are starting to pay dividends. 9 wins with 3 blowouts and a home-loss to a team you should have beat will not be enough however. Everyone just looks at the number 9 - but there's more to it than that.

Agreed. People get too caught up on the final number, it's how you got there, I dare say its the process.

 

['SkersRule]

if we have 2 more seasons in a row like last - it will be a very different tenure for Bo than it was for Frank. Frank had a rough season and turned it around. Other than the number of wins, I don't even see a comparison between the two situations. Things were on the upswing when Frank got let go. He'd just proven his hire for DC was a home-run. Bo will have had essentially 5 straight years where nothing got better (or worse) despite changing coordinators and staff. If we are still losing a game or two we shouldn't, getting blown out by the only elite teams we play - but still getting 9 wins I don't think Bo will have a lot to back his argument to stay. Bo made his changes last year and this. He'll get 2 to see if that pays off. 9 wins with 4, hard fought losses would help his argument that his changes are starting to pay dividends. 9 wins with 3 blowouts and a home-loss to a team you should have beat will not be enough however. Everyone just looks at the number 9 - but there's more to it than that.

Agreed. People get too caught up on the final number, it's how you got there, I dare say its the process.

Okay you two it is challenge time. Please list all the FBS head coaches who have won nine or more games each of the past four seasons. I only say four seasons because that's how long Bo has been a head coach.

 

[The Dude]

if we have 2 more seasons in a row like last - it will be a very different tenure for Bo than it was for Frank. Frank had a rough season and turned it around. Other than the number of wins, I don't even see a comparison between the two situations. Things were on the upswing when Frank got let go. He'd just proven his hire for DC was a home-run. Bo will have had essentially 5 straight years where nothing got better (or worse) despite changing coordinators and staff. If we are still losing a game or two we shouldn't, getting blown out by the only elite teams we play - but still getting 9 wins I don't think Bo will have a lot to back his argument to stay. Bo made his changes last year and this. He'll get 2 to see if that pays off. 9 wins with 4, hard fought losses would help his argument that his changes are starting to pay dividends. 9 wins with 3 blowouts and a home-loss to a team you should have beat will not be enough however. Everyone just looks at the number 9 - but there's more to it than that.

Of course there's more to it than that. He's also had two 10 win seasons.

 

[T_O_Bull]

Can' believe HuskerHacker isn't over here with his wet blanket attitude.

T_O_B

G>B>R

 

[Goal-line]

Unless the O line learns to block about a thousand times better and the D line learns to tackle about a thousand times better, it is going to be the same old song, different verse, 9-4!

 

[Enhance]

Anybody who thinks Pelini feels like he's in the "hot seat" is completely clueless to the current state of Husker football. Completely clueless.

Does he need to fix the poor team performances like they had against Wisconsin and Michigan? Yes.

Is he going to get fired for another 9 or 10 win season the next couple of years? No.