[Husker] Callahan's college coaching experience

[Steve Reichenbach]

I think that is exactly the key.  Most of the coaches at this level
are very knowledgable and hardworking and that is very true of
Callahan and his staff.  But, the task is so difficult that even with
great knowledge and hard work, there are failures in every aspect ---
recruits don't pan out, coaches and players make mistakes, injuries,
assistant coaches, conditioning staff and trainers, academic issues,
and especially that the other side (who also has very knowledgable and
hardworking coaches) might do a better job.  The key is evaluating
what changes are the most relevant to improvement and then changing
and adapting.

So, administrators and fans have to let coaches learn as long as they
learn fast and well enough.  I wondered this about Craig Bohl.  It
seemed as if he should have been successful, but his last defense here
had real problems.  The next year, Pelini had great success, but most
of the players had another year of experience (it seems to me that
Bohl's last defense had new players at key positions).  Bohl has gone
on to be very successful.  Would Bohl have been a great defensive
coordinator if he'd been given more time?  I know some of NU's most
popular defensive coordinators under Osborne were also heavily
criticized before they were so popular.  Solich seemed to be doing
pretty well (although not as well as Osborne in the mid-1990s) and
seemed to be learning.  I think Husker fans are too critical:  Ruud
and Shanle are too slow, Buckhalter isn't that great --- but these
guys went on to have great success in the NFL.  It's the same with the
coaches, but even worse.

So, I agree completely that the ability and willingness to learn,
change, and adapt are essential requirements in a task set that is so
exceedingly difficult.  But fans have to recognize that there will
be failures and that the difficult process of improvement requires
some patience.


> I don't think it is easy to stay on top, Steve. I think it shows how 
> dedicated and hard working and open to changes the NU staff's have been over 
> the years. Callahan is stubborn and would not change if the opponent hung 
> seventy on them or if the offense couldn't muster anything consistently.
> 
> 
> > This year has been puzzling.  I've been critical of aspects of the
> > coaching before this year, but I think even the most vociferous of
> > Callahan's critics have to be surprised by this year.  I think there
> > isn't just one answer (e.g., that pro coaches like Callahan can't
> > be successful as college coaches), but many issues.
> >
> > First, Callahan and his staff aren't as bad as this year would indicate
> > and the players aren't as bad as this year would indicate.  I think
> > there were a variety of factors within the team:  some coaching
> > mistakes, some players didn't carry the weight they might have, an
> > entirely new defensive line, and some injuries (e.g., Steinkuhler).
> > Then, I think there were mental and emotional letdowns or shortcomings.
> > And, there were many times that game momentum could have gone the other
> > way, so maybe some bad luck too.  I'm not sure I remember opponents
> > getting so many third and longs.
> >
> > Second, I think it is much tougher to contend year after year than
> > many NU fans have come to think.  Many very good coaches have years
> > not so much different than this year.  Paterno had some bad years.
> > Bowden is struggling the last few years.  Florida's lost 3 games with
> > Urban Meyer, South Carolina 3 with Spurrier, Auburn 3 with Tubberville,
> > Alabama 4 with Saban.  These are all very good coaches.  Look at the
> > year Hawkins had at CU last year and this year's not great, though I
> > think he's a very good coach.  I think A&M may have trouble finding
> > a better coach than Franchione.  Carr is on the hot seat at Michigan
> > with 3 losses.  What about Weiss?
> >
> > This year is puzzling, but maybe it's so puzzling because some of
> > our assumptions about how easy it all should be for NU.
> >
> >> Bill was a colllege assistant coach for 14 years.  Illinois,
> >> Northern Arizona, Southern Illinois, and Wisconsin.  I knew he
> >> had college experience, but I had no idea to this extent.  It
> >> makes his failure at Nebraska even more puzzling.