[Husker] caution

[Bob Beach]

On 2/2/2005 at 7:26 PM Neal Smith wrote:

>Point 1.  Texas won the Rose Bowl this year and has one of the top
>programs in the country.
> 
>Point 3.  Name one blue chip that wanted to come to NU that TO passed on. 
>NU missed out on a lot of blue chippers under TO because the perception
>was that he ran an outdated offense.  However, the proof of the pudding is
>in the eating.  I will eat TO anytime! 





     I am as big of TO fan as there is.  I appreciate what he did while at NU.  It is pretty obvious he has to be ranked as one of the greatest college coaches of all time.  Of course we will never know but I have often wondered how TO would fare today assuming he would keep doing things just as the did.  That means running the same offense and defense and etc.  I am sure many would come back and ask why should we expect anything different?  Maybe things wouldn't have been any different.  I am not saying they would be different but I just wonder sometimes.  I don't have the time to get real detailed here but things like Osborne's teams featured out conditioning their opponent and having them worn down in the fourth quarter.  I don't believe that would happen today.  Other programs have caught up to the Huskers in conditioning, training tables, and the like.  Could TO have continued to recruit top offensive players if he continued to run the power I/option?  I personally don't think so.  Offenses go in cycles, see the wishbone for one, and offenses of the early 21st century are more wide open.   As I said, we'll never know but changing with the times is necessary in most any field.  Maybe TO would have changed.  Who knows?


Bob Beach