[Husker] Coaching Staff, Recruiting, SOS, Etc...

[andy at knipp.com]

Like Skylar, I certainly have ot agree that this is a pretty good post 
(meaning I agree) considering I have not agreed with Jeff on anything 
for several years, that is saying something. :-)



>On The New Coaching Staff:
>
>================================
>
>I am generally pleased with the Bo Pelini hire, and I came out 
publicly
>at one time that he was my candidate. In the end I was hoping that 
the
>hire would have been Jim Grobe. I just feel that Grobe is a guy that 
has
>won, as a HEAD COACH, at every place he has ever coached. That aside, 
I
>think Pelini should be just fine. I must admit however that I am a
>little disappointed in some of the assistant coach hires - it really
>does just feel like 2003 all over again. We will have to wait and see
>how the rest of the staff comes out, and how they actually perform, 
but
>as of right now I would give it a B, maybe a B-minus. 
I happen to agree. I like Bo, but still thought Grobe was my #1 
choice. Bo was 1a and Turner 1b. As to the assistants, I am surprised 
that so many of the old guard have returned. You also need to look at 
each individual one as to if he was a good hire. Cotton is a good OL 
coach who also has been OC. I like Watson as the OC and Cotton as the 
OL. Brown and Turner Gill were 2 of the best recruiters in the old 
guard (former TO staff). Brown also was very good at teaching WR to 
block, they could catch too, but blocking was their forte, TE coach 
works. Gilmore and Watson work nicely as the other O coaches. 

On the D, I like Sanders, I will be interested to see what the 
responsibilities are. Bo has to realize that he is a HC and not a DC, 
so I would like to see Sanders as the DC (with a  significant amount of 
input from Bo). Carl Pelini was the DL coach at Ohio. So it is not just 
that he has the same name. The other 2 from LSU I have no idea about, I 
can only hope that the grad student makes the same transition that Tim 
Albin did when he joined the staff. 

I also wonder where the last coach will fall. RB coach ? See if NU can 
steal Mackovicka from VA (I think he is the RB coach there). You won't 
see Tom Rathman on the staff, why leave the NFL for college ? Besides, 
unless Lane Kiffin were to fire him, history shows Al Davis will not 
let him out of his contract.

>
> 
>
>On Shawn Watson:
>
>================================
>
>I think it was a very, very wise move to retain Watson. I know some
>people have questioned why people think he can coach/coordinate and 
the
>answer is simple - BECAUSE HE CAN! While a part of it was inserting 
Ganz
>into the lineup, look at how much more effective and dynamic the 
offense
>was once Callahan got out of the way and let Watson start calling the
>plays! Watson schemed to highlight Ganz's strengths, including adding
>wrinkles like some option runs out of the spread formation, etc. I 
think
>we will see a far more diverse offensive attack under Watson that 
will
>include some components of the WCO, option, spread, etc. I would also
>anticipate that the terminology will be far less complex and a lot
>easier for players to assimilate to. Don't rush to judgment on Watson 
so
>quickly - we have to see what he can do when he isn't suffocating 
under
>Callahan. 

100% correct.
>
> 
>
>On Recruiting:
>
>================================
>
>Since people hate star systems and we all realize they are totally
>subjective and in many cases arbitrary, let me explain this in a
>different way. When it comes to the athletes we are recruiting, it 
gives
>me a tremendous amount of pause when we start offering scholarships 
to
>players that no other schools are offering or that schools that are 
not
>typically competitive are offering. While every team is a little
>different and they all recruit athletes to fit their systems - I feel
>far more comfortable when we are recruiting athletes that at least 
upper
>division Big 12 schools are also recruiting. I know there are 
exceptions
>to the rule and that player development is speculative at best, but I
>feel a whole lot better bringing in a kid that Oklahoma and Missouri
>might also have recruited rather than a kid that Chadron and Wayne 
State
>recruited. I know that many of us have this love affair with the 
whole
>idea of every kid off of every farm in Nebraska getting a chance to 
play
>at Nebraska, but that just isn't realistic. We need better athletes -
>not 3 or 4 or 5 star athletes, but athletes that other schools - 
schools
>who are watching the same game films as we are, are also interested 
in.
>Period.  


No question NU needs great athletes. No one disagrees. History has 
also shown that very good players may have been marginal prospects. Bo 
has to recruit players that will excel in his system and adjust that 
system to make use of the players he has. 

I also think that NU may take a shot on an in state kid as opposed to 
the same kid living in Texas. Why ? With NU dominating the recruiting 
in NE, it can also get more walk ons. Of a 20 recruit class, it is nice 
to have 3-7 or so local players. 

Ben Cotton certainly deserves a D1 scholarship. Getting an offer from 
Louisville shows that. I will be interested in where Kreikemeier plays, 
No idea. Obviously there is something that made TO and Bo think he will 
be a player.  You can say the same things about Aaron Taylor, plus a 
bunch of guys who never say the field. 

One final note, Bo has always been considered a poor recruiter. I have 
no idea why that is the idea and whether it is true or not. I certainly 
believe he knows the importance of recruiting to the team and will not 
let it go unattended. He certainly does not have the personality of a 
Barry Switzer (reminds of of President Clinton), whether you like him 
or not, people I know that have met him have been mesmerized by him. I 
do not expect Bo to feel as one of the family when he is meeting a 
recruit for the 1st time.

Andy