Thoughts on Pelini and the State of the Program

[Haspula]

We didnt get blown out by Michigan State

 

[JTrain]

I was never sold on Bo Pelini to be our Head Coach. I appreciated the way he coached the defense in 2003 and loved the way the defense played upon his return. But he couldn't put an even-competent offense on the field. And even more disturbingly in my mind, he seemed to lack some fundamental leadership skills that are required to be a big-time college football coach.

...

The key questions to be asked in my view are:

1) Are we making measurable progress and clearly trending upward as a program?

2) Are we convinced that Bo is the caliber of coach who can lead us to a national championship?

3) If we have to replace Bo, can we find someone better?

I don't see the measurable progress I would like to and think we are regressing a bit as a program. Getting blown out in conference championship games is bad enough, but not even making it there is worse. I'm not convinced that Bo can lead us to a national championship and think we can find someone better. And having made that decision, every season we allow Bo to hang around is a waste of time that we could be spending getting a new coach in here and getting the transition underway.

So reluctantly I'm of the opinion that Bo needs to be let go and we need to start over.

You make some decent points. My own opinion is in the middle and I don't mind him getting another year to get the offense and turnovers fixed one way or another and bring it all together.

But here's the thing about all this back and forth stuff. Everyone has their own standards for the team. No one will have success forcing their standards on others, and HuskerBoard is proof of that, as if we needed proof to begin with.

If someone is happy with getting six wins a season, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

If someone won't be satisfied until we dominate every game, go 14-0 and win the national title, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

Either way, they have their own standards and they have every right to them.

And here's another thing. Even the most so-called "anti-Bo" people here were still jumping up and down with glee when Pat Smith made that kick. I don't think some people realize that. It's just that, by the time they get back on the computer to discuss things, they find some of the negatives stand out more. Because we still ultimately barely slipped by a middle-of-the-road Big 10 team in overtime with the help of some terrible special teams. Same type of situation as the Northwestern game. So we should keep in mind that, just because some posters may have lots of criticisms to discuss, it doesn't mean they don't enjoy the wins just like everyone else. But the criticisms are sometimes more fertile for discussion than "great game Ameer" or "Gregory is a beast". Even though we all agree with the latter two statements, our affirmations of them, along with the high fiving, jumping up and down, screaming, hugging, etc. seem more apt for during the game, in the stands or on the couch with friends and family.

So head down to the Chicken Coop and watch the Iowa game. You may high five Hedley and not even know he's the same online persona you thought was the devil.

 

[strigori]

It is looking like its going to be a Florida match up with an SEC team, and one on the upper end of their conference too, I have seen nothing to make me think this team is capable of beating a SEC team with 8 or 9 wins.

Have you watched the SEC? They aren't exactly world beaters this year. Mizzou might be the best team in the conference.

I have. Match ups possibilities i have seen have included Mizzou, LSU, Auburn and South Carolina. I have watched all play multiple times this year, and I do not think this Nebraska team would beat any of them.

 

[I am I]

The days of steamrolling KU, KState, ISU, CU, OSU, and Mizzou by an average of 42-14 are over.

A win is a win. In 3 years we'll remember the Hail Mary against NW, but we won't remember we shoulda lost the game. It was notch in (hopefully)

a 10-3 season.

The teams like tOSU and such are in their groove. We could get there too. We beat the crap out of Purdue and Illinois, like we should. But seriously, lets just win and recruit and play the damn games.

Firing Bo might, MIGHT, solve problems. But keeping him gives us a chance (3 CCG appearances) to be in BCS games. The negatives are there, but so are the positives. I choose to dwell on the positives.

 

[ladyhawke]

I was never sold on Bo Pelini to be our Head Coach. I appreciated the way he coached the defense in 2003 and loved the way the defense played upon his return. But he couldn't put an even-competent offense on the field. And even more disturbingly in my mind, he seemed to lack some fundamental leadership skills that are required to be a big-time college football coach.

...

The key questions to be asked in my view are:

1) Are we making measurable progress and clearly trending upward as a program?

2) Are we convinced that Bo is the caliber of coach who can lead us to a national championship?

3) If we have to replace Bo, can we find someone better?

I don't see the measurable progress I would like to and think we are regressing a bit as a program. Getting blown out in conference championship games is bad enough, but not even making it there is worse. I'm not convinced that Bo can lead us to a national championship and think we can find someone better. And having made that decision, every season we allow Bo to hang around is a waste of time that we could be spending getting a new coach in here and getting the transition underway.

So reluctantly I'm of the opinion that Bo needs to be let go and we need to start over.

You make some decent points. My own opinion is in the middle and I don't mind him getting another year to get the offense and turnovers fixed one way or another and bring it all together.

But here's the thing about all this back and forth stuff. Everyone has their own standards for the team. No one will have success forcing their standards on others, and HuskerBoard is proof of that, as if we needed proof to begin with.

If someone is happy with getting six wins a season, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

If someone won't be satisfied until we dominate every game, go 14-0 and win the national title, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

Either way, they have their own standards and they have every right to them.

And here's another thing. Even the most so-called "anti-Bo" people here were still jumping up and down with glee when Pat Smith made that kick. I don't think some people realize that. It's just that, by the time they get back on the computer to discuss things, they find some of the negatives stand out more. Because we still ultimately barely slipped by a middle-of-the-road Big 10 team in overtime with the help of some terrible special teams. Same type of situation as the Northwestern game. So we should keep in mind that, just because some posters may have lots of criticisms to discuss, it doesn't mean they don't enjoy the wins just like everyone else. But the criticisms are sometimes more fertile for discussion than "great game Ameer" or "Gregory is a beast". Even though we all agree with the latter two statements, our affirmations of them, along with the high fiving, jumping up and down, screaming, hugging, etc. seem more apt for during the game, in the stands or on the couch with friends and family.

So head down to the Chicken Coop and watch the Iowa game. You may high five Hedley and not even know he's the same online persona you thought was the devil.

Would it kill them to share a little of that glee once in awhile here on the board instead of only showing up when we lose or if they do show up when we win, it's only to complain more?

 

[olddominionhusker]

It is looking like its going to be a Florida match up with an SEC team, and one on the upper end of their conference too, I have seen nothing to make me think this team is capable of beating a SEC team with 8 or 9 wins.

Have you watched the SEC? They aren't exactly world beaters this year. Mizzou might be the best team in the conference.

I have. Match ups possibilities i have seen have included Mizzou, LSU, Auburn and South Carolina. I have watched all play multiple times this year, and I do not think this Nebraska team would beat any of them.

I disagree. I've watched all those teams this year quite a bit and I think we could match up with and beat SC or LSU. Mizz or Auburn would be bad for us and likely double digit losses.

And before anyone points it out yes I know LSU beat Auburn and SC beat Mizz. I watched both games. Just talkin about a matchup with us based on what I've seen of these teams.

 

[Ric Flair]

It's not like I don't think that a lack of leadership isn't part of the reason for the problems. I definitely wish we had somebody like redshirted freshman (last year) Jameis Winston on the sideline. And maybe we do, but we just don't hear about it. It's hard for us to make judgments on leadership because we don't spend time on the sidelines with the team during the game nor do we spend time with the team during practice or in the weight room. Or maybe we don't. But who knows? It's certainly hard for us to make that claim.
So I think the simple answer maybe that, we just panic in certain situations. Most of the time in our blowouts, things happen so quickly that you as a fan are left thinking, "when did all that happen." UCLA this year is a perfect example. We were up 21-3 and then we were down 41-21 before we knew what hit us. Certainly maybe the leadership wasn't as good as it normally is in those situations, but leadership is certainly not the only issue. Football can't be explained with a simple, "x happened because of y" answer. It's more like, "x happened because of y, z, w, and q."

I'm betting, in the blowouts, we:

(1) get out-coached for a couple of drives

(2) panic

(3) execution falls apart

(4) give up

I'm betting in the comebacks, we get out-coached, and maybe panic a little, but come out and execute and then everything is okay.

Now, to be fair, the only game where we got "blown-out" was UCLA this year. And I'm willing to bet that with this defense now with this philosophy, we manage to win that game, or lose by 10 or less. There's a turnaround happening; it's hiding behind a similar record as previous years, but there's an attitude about this defense that makes me think that we'll be okay moving forward.

I don't think we necessarily disagree. When you list your four factors, I'm seeing things that better leadership from the coaching staff and players would help to address.

You make some decent points. My own opinion is in the middle and I don't mind him getting another year to get the offense and turnovers fixed one way or another and bring it all together.
But here's the thing about all this back and forth stuff. Everyone has their own standards for the team. No one will have success forcing their standards on others, and HuskerBoard is proof of that, as if we needed proof to begin with.

If someone is happy with getting six wins a season, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

If someone won't be satisfied until we dominate every game, go 14-0 and win the national title, I may find it annoying but I won't argue with it.

Either way, they have their own standards and they have every right to them.

And here's another thing. Even the most so-called "anti-Bo" people here were still jumping up and down with glee when Pat Smith made that kick. I don't think some people realize that. It's just that, by the time they get back on the computer to discuss things, they find some of the negatives stand out more. Because we still ultimately barely slipped by a middle-of-the-road Big 10 team in overtime with the help of some terrible special teams. Same type of situation as the Northwestern game. So we should keep in mind that, just because some posters may have lots of criticisms to discuss, it doesn't mean they don't enjoy the wins just like everyone else. But the criticisms are sometimes more fertile for discussion than "great game Ameer" or "Gregory is a beast". Even though we all agree with the latter two statements, our affirmations of them, along with the high fiving, jumping up and down, screaming, hugging, etc. seem more apt for during the game, in the stands or on the couch with friends and family.

So head down to the Chicken Coop and watch the Iowa game. You may high five Hedley and not even know he's the same online persona you thought was the devil.

You make some good points as well. While I have concluded that Pelini can't get us to where we need to go and would reluctantly move on, I don't think that's what Eichorst will do. My guess is that there is a better than even chance that Pelini is back next season.

I enjoyed the win yesterday, just as everyone else did. And I think you may have me confused with someone else, as I don't have any issues with Hedley or even know who he is.

 

[knapplc]

While I have concluded that Pelini can't get us to where we need to go and would reluctantly move on,

 

[knapplc]

 

[Ric Flair]

 

[Ric Flair]

I think the effect of the change in conference is overstated. Football is football and I think the Big 12 is currently a better football conference than the Big Ten. So in my view, our record would be worse if we were still in the Big 12.

No one expects Bo to win conference or national titles every year. No one expects him to immediately be Tom Osborne circa 1994. Those are two of the more ridiculous strawmen that get bandied about here and elsewhere. I think most of us would be happy with something like a conference title every 2-4 years, a national title contender every 4-6 and a national title every decade or so. In the meantime, we would like to see competent leadership, steady progress and to have a general sense that we're moving in the right direction.

 

[ADS]

I think the effect of the change in conference is overstated. Football is football and I think the Big 12 is currently a better football conference than the Big Ten. So in my view, our record would be worse if we were still in the Big 12.

No one expects Bo to win conference or national titles every year. No one expects him to immediately be Tom Osborne circa 1994. Those are two of the more ridiculous strawmen that get bandied about here and elsewhere. I think most of us would be happy with something like a conference title every 2-4 years, a national title contender every 4-6 and a national title every decade or so. In the meantime, we would like to see competent leadership, steady progress and to have a general sense that we're moving in the right direction.

We don't know that, because we had to change our recruiting style over once we joined the Big 10. We couldn't use the 6-7 defensive back look in the Big Ten like we could against the spread teams of the Big 12.

 

[Thanks_Tom RR]

I was never sold on Bo Pelini to be our Head Coach.

So reluctantly I'm of the opinion that Bo needs to be let go and we need to start over.

These are the first and last sentences from the OP. It should be no surprise that this is another 'fire Bo thread' when your original opinion was he should never have been our HC for the beginning.

 

[TAKODA]

Personally; tired of hearing both sides and like Mr. Accountability, I am good with whatever comes about. After the PSU game, I just got the feeling that the decision is already made. I will sit back and let things play out as there is no reason to get all worked up one way or the other because there is nothing anyone can do anyways!

I will support the team (Players and institution) no matter who is at the helm!

 

[Ric Flair]

I was never sold on Bo Pelini to be our Head Coach.

So reluctantly I'm of the opinion that Bo needs to be let go and we need to start over.

These are the first and last sentences from the OP. It should be no surprise that this is another 'fire Bo thread' when your original opinion was he should never have been our HC for the beginning.

I wasn't sold on Bo as the best hire. I liked Brian Kelly and some of the other names that were floating around better. But I remembered Bo's time here in 2003 and was ready to give him a shot. I was excited by the defenses we had in 2009-2010. It looked like we were close to a break-through. Since then I think we've regressed a bit. This season has been a disappointment. The offense was supposed to be a juggernaut. The defense has gone from being one of the worst I've ever seen to showing some signs of promise.

My point is that things change. There have been a number of times during Bo's tenure here when I thought it was unlikely he would be able to get it done here. There have been a number of times when I thought that just given more time he might be able to turn things around. I suspect most of us are in the same boat in that regard, with mixed feelings about the situation and feelings that have fluctuated back and forth a bit over time.