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December 3rd, 2007
Time for another Big Red Roundtable
Whenever big news strikes, you can count on the Husker bloggers to weigh in. Here's the latest installment of the Big Red Roundtable for your reading pleasure. Other bloggers' links will be added to the end of this as they become available.
1. The 2007 season finished with a disappointing 5-7 record. Very few people expected this. What went wrong?
At the risk of offending PETA for continuing to beat a dead horse, I'll just sum it up this way. Callahan preferred loyalty over employment. By keeping Cosgrove on his staff, Callahan showed friendship is thicker than a paycheck. Defensive issues were the major cause of the downfall this season, but that's only part of the equation as to why the Bill Callahan experiment came to an end. Rather than write a novella, I'll just leave it at that. Next question!
2. Bo Pelini takes over as head coach. Good move or
bad?
Not just a good move, but a great move. The defensive background and intensity that Pelini brings to the Nebraska program is exactly what the Dr. (Tom) ordered. We all remember how successful Bo was in turning around the defense in 2003 and now he has the chance to do the same with the entire team. I like the fact that Bo will be calling the defense and it sounds like Shawn Watson has a decent chance of remaining on the staff as offensive coordinator. That should ease the offensive transition to what Pelini wants to do, which as he said would be multiple sets. Bo will be hungry to prove wrong all those who doubted his ability to be a head coach. His blue collar work ethic and no nonsense persona is a perfect fit in the state of Nebraska. Out of the candidates mentioned, I thought Bo would have the best chance of uniting the Husker fan base and getting this program moving in the right direction. Everything happens for a reason. Osborne loses his gubernatorial bid. Pelini isn't hired by Syracuse or Pittsburgh or anyone else. The stars aligned for Nebraska fans on this one.
3. Nebraska fans were divided after the last coaching
change. Do you see fans finally uniting?
In a word, yes. There will always be some fans who aren't happy for one reason or another, but Bo will get the team playing physical and with intensity and the results on the field should be something Husker fans can be proud of. Those who aren't supporting Bo should really question why they consider themselves a Husker fan in the first place. After all, it was Tom Osborne who hired him and I'm pretty sure T.O. has the best interests of the program at heart. Who are we to question the man who represents what Nebraska football is all about? Moving on...
4. How would you like to see Bo Pelini fill out his
coaching staff? Anybody or anything in particular you
are looking to see?
Recipe for success: 3-4 former Husker coaches, 2-3 holdovers from the current staff, fill out the remaining positions with the best available candidates, and mix. I would like to see Shawn Watson stay on, echoing the thoughts of many players. It would help the transition to a new staff, and really, when you think about it, the offensive issues can be tweaked rather than overhauled. Watson proved to be better at mixing up the play calls than was Callahan anyway. On the defensive side of the ball, a big name defensive coordinator who is also a good recruiter of talent from the south would be preferable. Phil Bennett's name has been mentioned as well as some of Pelini's fellow LSU staff members. We will probably have some names announced by the time you all read this. (Ron Brown has officially accepted a role as tight ends coach. Thanks for the memories Joe Rudolph. We hardly knew ya.)
5. What do you think the expectations are for Bo
Pelini? Do you think he needs to win x amount or do x
by a certain date?
As Bo said in his press conference on Sunday, no one's expectations will be higher than his own. After a disappointing 5-7 season here at Nebraska, it would be hard for Bo not to show big improvements in the categories of effort and intensity. Obviously the style of play will be something that is noticeable immediately and one area of improvement that is a must. Husker fans would love to see a team that creates turnovers, plays team defense, and one that is very physical. There's no reason that the Huskers can't win the Big 12 North title next year. Missouri and Kansas figure to be good again, but both teams will be losing key players and I have a hard time believing either is on the path of a dynastic run. More than wins and losses though, it comes down to how the team plays. I would look for the Huskers to make a big leap forward in competitiveness because there is talent on the team now. In many ways, that talent has not been developed and utilized effectively. We've got guys like Rickey Thenarse and Major Culbert that should have been seeing more playing time. Pelini will be able to recognize this talent and utilize it to Nebraska's advantage. It should be an exciting season for fans of the Blackshirts.
Read what other Husker bloggers are saying in response to these questions at the following links: CornNation, MidWestCoastBias, Husker Mike's Blasphemy, DoubleExtraPoint, Big Red Analysis, Hi Plains Drifter, Husker Guy.
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