I've been a little busy the last few days, but here are a few quick takes...
Jay Norvell: Sorry to see you go. I understand why you left, as the opportunity to be a real offensive coordinator (not just one in name only) is the next step on the road to becoming a head coach. But this one hurts Nebraska... a lot. I've felt that Norvell was the best coach on the staff for some time now. One of the best minds and one of the best people as well. Nebraska will probably find another "recruiter" to replace him, but what they really need is another great coach. Too bad you couldn't have been a true coordinator for Nebraska; I really think Bill Callahan gets overwhelmed at times during the game and this leads to questionable playcalling. I had hoped that if Norvell hadn't gotten the promotion he wanted, that Callahan would have handed Norvell the clipboard and let him run with it. Sadly, that won't happen now.
Husker Hoops: I missed the game, so when I saw the crawl on ESPN2 that said that Kansas went on a 39-8 run to open the game, all I could do was wince. Almost as bad as the one after last year's KU game in Larryville. Disappointing? You bet. But unlike 70-10, this one isn't so difficult to explain. Kansas did everything right, and Nebraska apparantly did everything wrong. Kansas is a top 10 team, though they haven't played that way a whole lot (last time was against Florida).
Mav hockey: Nice weekend against the Yoopers of Northern Michigan. I caught the Friday night game, and you could sense a different attitude in this team. They hit harder and passed the puck better than they have in recent memory. Goaltending was pretty solid too. The next two weeks against top-ten Michigan State and Notre Dame could be considered make-or-break series, either putting them in position for a first-round bye in the conference playoffs or to have to scramble for home ice in the first round.
I too am sorry to see Norvell go. This more than any other transfer or loss this year says to me that Callahan doesn't inspire loyality.
ReplyDeleteThe Kansas basketball game showed a couple of things. a) We don't have any players who can consistently score. What shots Nebraska got off in the game weren't on target. b) Doc Sadler must be a great motivator. Nebraska played really hard in the second half. It was clear that KU was phoning it in, but Nebraska did out score them by 7 in the second half.
Comparing Sadler to Callahan it seems clear that Sadler is a coach who lacks some team depth and talent. I don't know that the same can be said about Callahan. People (you know they are) would like us to believe that Callahan lacks the talent to win. I just don't know if its the player's talent that's lacking.