I freely admit it; I'm not on the "Fire Shawn Watson" bandwagon like a lot of people are. I do accept the excuses (injuries, lack of depth) that are offered up as a rebuttal to the "get rid of Watson" campaign that many wage. I'm not totally dismissing the arguments against Watson. He doesn't appear to have the ideal background for Bo Pelini's vision for the offense, and his results have been spotty at times. But for whatever reason, I think that Bo Pelini (and Tom Osborne, for what it's worth) don't seem to in a hurry to dump Watson. And frankly, those are the two gentlemen who have the most skin involved in this decision. They also likely have forgotten more about football than any of us will ever know.
I don't view the fact that Watson remains on the staff is any sort of indication of a lack of caring, a lack of concern, or a lack of backbone on the part of either of those men. If they really thought Watson was the issue, he wouldn't be on the staff anymore. That being said, I think Watson's candidacy for so many jobs this offseason is a sign that Watson is looking to move on, and yes, that might be at the encouragement of Pelini.
So will Watson be around by the time next fall rolls around? It's pure speculation on my part, and I don't have a solid feel for it, but I lean towards not. The one thing we know of is that Watson has been searching for other jobs, and at some point, one will open up. When Joe Moglia was announced as the next Omaha Nighthawks coach, I thought that this might be the opening for an amicable departure for Watson. But Moglia indicated that he's looking for pro experience in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. Moglia's answer doesn't eliminate Watson, but it does make it doubtful he'd move up I-80.
I'm not bothered that Watson could return in 2011; I don't believe that's considering the results of the final month to be acceptable. And those results were just downright awful, no excuses. But there were some pretty good offensive performances in September and October. I sense from some fans that they simply want someone to be punished for what happened to the offense. I don't want someone punished, I want whatever went haywire to get resolved. Maybe that's work in the training room. Maybe that's increased competition at certain positions, such as quarterback and possibly offensive tackle. Maybe it's just hitting the reset button and just starting over to reinstall this offensive system.
And yes, maybe in the end, it also means a new offensive coordinator for the Huskers.
5 comments:
Wow...I'm pretty impressed that anyone in their right mind can blame our offensive play calling on the "training" and competition on our team...so lets just resort back to "starting all over again" makes total sense wow...you are one clever beep! Great stupid article
Pelini wants a 50% Spread Passing and 50% Spread Zone Read Offense? I can't print my response.
Sounds suspiciously similar to the West Coast. No blockers, no attack scheme, no coordinated offensive attack - just run fast and win one-on-one match ups with the defense when possible.
Hmmm... we've been doing that for a while now. Works great against the SCLSU Muddogs but not so good against Texas, the SDSU Jackrabbits or anyone else who's watched the tape, has comparable talent or stays on assignments.
Washington learned real easy to track Martinez, cover the gaps and stay on assignments. The rest was easy and we were naturally lame-duck.
The fact of the penalties, fumbles, dropped passes, weird play calling (drop back pass in the end zone with no back field protection?!?!?), play action pass on third and long late in the game... and on and on. Our offense doesn't know or play the basic game - penalties, fumbles and a lost look doesn't lie.
Why would we not expect the penalties, fumbles and reliance on one-on-one naked runs and passes without any recognizable attack scheme to do anything but pick up right where we left off this year?
Sure we'll have some big wins with an under-prepared and under-talented competitor but we'll never know what we're expecting or facing each week with anyone because we have no attack scheme or a rolling identity and our players (penalties, fumbles, lost look) are untrained.
Our problem is not talent, lack of depth or lack of experience. It's a lack of game skills.
I love Pelini, we all do; but if he doesn't get out of his DC role and start Head Coaching the team, he's in my hot seat.
There is something very wrong in Lincoln. Everybody senses it but nobody on the inside will give up anything. Pelini's complete autonomy and arrogance is very unsettling. Milliken and Pearlman are politicians and will wait until the dust settles to offer their 20/20 hindsight. What really troubles me is TO's calm. He's probably just looking 'down-the-road' and wants to keep things cool and calm. Watson has had his chance. The fact that he's continually looking for a new job doesn't speak well to any real commitment. Pelini will only talk about what he wants to. Unfortunately, his dogged determination and stubbornness may prove to be his Achille's Heel. What makes him so great as a defensive wizard also hurts him in being able to rapidly adapt to a game situation. There is also something unsettling and clandestine with having his brother under his watch. Carl has spoken many times about breaking away and doing this own thing...that it is hard to take crap from his younger brother. If Watson stays, this will be Bo's undoing. Actually, I'm not sure he really is 100% committed to a long term relationship. Tressel won't coach forever at Ohio State. Where there's smoke there's fire. The rumors surrounding Pelini's desire to coach at OSU have solid foundation. Next year will be a very difficult year for us. We're looking at 5 regular season losses...at the very least. I'll bleed corn oil until I die...but the handwriting is on the wall. Watson must go for the good of everyone.
Queue the black helicopters... Looks like ignorance and conspiracy theories are the order of the day.
Well what have we here. A bunch of whiners me thinks. Nothing is more dangerous than someone who thinks they know a lot more about a topic than they do. It was the first year of a new offense with a true freshman quarterback. To say there was no game plan is quite ignorant. Heavy on the rant. There are a lot what if's. I think the coaching staff made a bold jump, it almost paid off. A healthy Martinez and you all would be signing a differant song. Yes the offense was inconsistant not unusual for a first year offense. next year they will be better. With more depth at QB. TO is quite fond of the direction this offense is taking, said so about the same sort of offense when Tebow ran it at Florida, oh ya to a national championship! You all are quite probably the descendants of thoose who called for TO's head a few decades ago! Watson will leave maybe after next year when his offense has a much better year and you all will jump on that band wagon. I have faith in TO, Bo and Watson. They will all do what is best for the team. This is my humble opiniion, unlike the doomsday posts that preceeded, I admit I could be wrong. One thing I know NU football is better off with TO, & BO and Watson than it would be with any of these naysayers. GBR Keep the faith. The future is so bright I gotta wear shades.
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