Regarding the "What has Bill Callahan done to say He is a Husker to Me." Bill Callahan wants to win football games, it is ludicrous to argue differently. He, as a head coach, is going to be a product of who is above him. Steve Pederson is to blame for the fall of tradition. Bill will embrace the tradition if he is embraced by the tradition. Many people never gave the man a chance. I don't think it is fair to call his character or where his heart is into the question. He wants to win for these fans, I'm pretty sure he said something to that effect in one of the past few weeks. He is a Husker because he is the head coach right now, and the only way he is staying is if Tom Osborne approves of him. If TO wants him to stay, is he a Husker then? Is Bo Pelini more of a Husker than Bill Callahan?
Thanks for explaining that.
Bill Callahan wants to win football games - Name a coach in any level of any sport that doesn't.
He, as a head coach, is going to be a product of who is above him -
He is the Head Coach, not Steve Pederson. Callahan and Callahan alone runs that program. What evidence can anyone present that would show that Pederson forced Callahan to act in a certain way, or forbade him from reaching out to the past parts of the program? He, as a Head Coach, creates that product from start to finish. He hires the coaches, he dictates the style of offense and defense, he dictates what players get recruited, etc. These are not the duties of an Athletic Director!
Steve Pederson is to blame for the fall of tradition - yes, he is. But he is not SOLELY to blame. Bill Callahan has played his part in that fiasco as well, as outlined in the paragraph above.
Bill will embrace the tradition if he is embraced by the tradition. Many people never gave the man a chance. - I was there at the 2004 Spring Game. Callahan was met with deafening applause at that game. Hell, when the offense shifted on the first series of downs the crowd freaked out! Don't tell me he wasn't embraced here! We gave that guy all the adoration a new HC could possibly hope for! This is not only unfounded, it is profoundly untrue. The bloom ONLY fell off the rose during that debacle of a season and specifically at Texas Tech, and in the failure to properly utilize the players he had, rather than trying to pound a round peg into a square hole that season. Nebraska fans are not stupid, and we do know football. We knew the errors he was making, and could see the fact that he wasn't making corrections. But still, the next season we greeted him with open arms despite the fact that his poor choices destroyed 30+ years of bowl tradition at Nebraska. It has taken FOUR YEARS of continued failures and lack of adjustment and most telling lack of acclimation for fans to completely get off the Callahan bandwagon.
He wants to win for these fans - I could say I'm the Pope, but it still wouldn't make me Catholic. Talk is cheap, and Bill Callahan is a master spin artist. It's just that not everyone is willing to take whatever he says at face value.
He is a Husker because he is the head coach right now - Like I said in an earlier post on a different thread, I sometimes think we could dress a giraffe in a red shirt and call him the Head Coach, and there are Husker Fans out there who would think he's one of us. Simply holding that position does not make a person a Husker. Embracing the traditions, the ideals, and the rich history of this program, and then making a concerted effort to keep them going - that's a huge part of being a Husker that Callahan has never embraced.
If TO wants him to stay, is he a Husker then - absolutely not. Read the above.
Is Bo Pelini more of a Husker than Bill Callahan? - I'm not one of the people hoping for Bo Pelini, but to answer your question, he is not now (as an employee of LSU), but he could be, just like Bill Callahan could be, if he makes the effort to become one.
Anyone want to hire a giraffe as our next Head Coach?
