tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13652090.post6543271943624264156..comments2023-06-08T08:10:31.126-05:00Comments on Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Nebraska Football Is Not BackHusker Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764508184267042143noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13652090.post-61639619717084614982009-07-30T13:48:07.014-05:002009-07-30T13:48:07.014-05:00We would be no better off than we are now. I firml...We would be no better off than we are now. I firmly believe that. Right now we are in the upper half of the north (but not dominate) and we are in the midst of rebuilding the defense. If Solich had remained, we be in the upper half of the north (but not dominate) having to rebuild the offense. <br /><br />Based on what I saw in 2003 and at Ohio since he has gotten there, the offense would have eventually been his demise here. The Solich offenses at NU got progressively worse as they became distant in time from the Osborne era. He squandered the talent of Newcombe to ensure that Crouch never felt like running home to cry on Petito's shoulder.<br /><br />I know there is this sentiment among some of the fan base to completely rewrite history and pretend Solich was nails as Nebraska's head coach. He wasn't. He is a great assistant. The job he has now is probably more appropriate to his skills as a head coach than Nebraska was. <br /><br />Let's not forget that he let some things slip under his watch. He had a defensive coordinator with huge personal problems drive the blackshirts off the rails. The S&C program was becoming a joke. Maybe he did have some older assistants that did not want to get out on the road and recruit anymore. But he let this happen on his watch. Its like he was passed out behind the wheel pointed the wrong way or something.<br /><br />Callahan had many (many) faults as head coach at Nebraska. Too many to list. What he did do -- and something that I hope those that seek to castigate his name by calling him a fraud realize -- is that he rebuilt, from the ground up, an offensive system here that is versatile and can be recruited for. <br /><br />Now the program has good head coach, defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator. Are we back? Hell no, but our trajectory is headed that way more so than it has at any time since Osborne retired.The Voice of Reasonhttp://www.huskers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13652090.post-78513403416174572812009-07-29T08:02:18.867-05:002009-07-29T08:02:18.867-05:00You remind me of Kevin Bacon in Animal House...sta...You remind me of Kevin Bacon in Animal House...standing in the middle of the street with people flying by...telling everybody to remain calm.<br /><br />Good luck with that.<br /><br />PS - the whole "co champs" thing is pretty cute, I must admitAJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109278191657786290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13652090.post-51480837277507368302009-07-29T06:43:44.867-05:002009-07-29T06:43:44.867-05:00It's an entertaining argument, and there is no...It's an entertaining argument, and there is no right answer. My speculative opinion is that NU would have won the Big XII North in 2004 and 2005, as those were a couple of really down years for the north division. After that, it starts getting really fuzzy because you are speculating on who a Frank Solich would have recruited. I'm currently of the opinion that the overall talent level at NU might have been better in 2004 than in 2008, but others could argue the reverse legitimatey.<br /><br />Would NU be at the OU/UT level in the Big XII today? I don't know, and it's pure speculation. I do reject the idea that there was no way Solich could get a team to that level; the 2001 team was mostly Solich recruits. David Sokol recently gave his thoughts as to the premature dismissal of Solich, suggesting that the "can't recruit" opinion was the result of <a href="http://huskermike.blogspot.com/2009/06/sunday-night-beer-leadership-from-sokol.html" rel="nofollow">some assistant coaches who weren't putting in the effort they needed to</a>.<br /><br />That's my opinion, for whatever it's worth.Husker Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05764508184267042143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13652090.post-48997137201448263432009-07-29T00:12:39.898-05:002009-07-29T00:12:39.898-05:00I know this opens a whole can of worms and it does...I know this opens a whole can of worms and it does no good to travel down this road but I will anyway.<br /><br />How do you think Nebraska football would have been different if cooler heads would have prevailed in 2003? I don't know that we would be much more than a 9-4 team going into 2009 but I do not believe we would have not had to go through the pain of 2004 or 2007 either. <br /><br />Maybe it's best that things happened the way they did. Maybe Nebraska needed what they went through to take the next step back back to being an A level football team. Maybe with the old regime we would have been a good but not great team year in year out. Now in 2009 Nebraska is again on the doorstep of being a very good team again.<br /><br />I agree they aren't there yet and it may be they won't get there for awhile if at all and we will ahve to endure yet under yet another coaching change. We don't know. But I feel better than I have felt about Nebraska since the 2001 season. <br /><br />I think another nice but hardly world shattering 9-4 season is on the horizon. Then in 2010 we'll know a lot more. With an experienced team and a schedule that looks as if it was put together by Bill Snyder. If Nebraska is still not a player by then it's time to start to worry... a little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com