[Husker] Press Conference (LONG)

[David Strong]

Tremendous post.

On Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 9:32 PM, Skylar Dodds <sklarbodds at cox.net> wrote:

> It's getting more and more clear that I don't share any opinions of other
> Husker listers in regards to Dirk C, Bo's terrible behavior or TM's
> performance up to the OSU game.
>
> In fact, I would argue (and could collect some pretty convincing stats)
> that
> TM was regressing for something like 9-10 games in a row,  The 1st 4 games
> (and really the last 5 - 7 of last year) he was terrible with decision
> making, Jr high level footwork, at or below 50% passing, no scrambling or
> evasive ability, repeated fumbling (thought Rabbit's feet now rub HIM for
> good luck based on the fumbles he's lost), he looked horrific running the
> option, etc. etc.
>
> Now all that being said, I have no idea if Carnes was any better or worse.
> I wish we got to see some meaningful snaps for him tho, if for no other
> reason because you never know if a running QB will get hurt.  I also know
> that TM was not our only problem (who would have ever imagined a Bo Pelini
> defense that couldn't stop anyone).   But Dirk's article was on the spot.
> Bo had hung his hat on TM being the QB.  He 'ran off' Green, moved Turner
> to
> WR, bet on a QB with top MLB draft baseball skills and a super agent on his
> right hand and we're left with TWO scholarship QBs on the roster.  That is
> a
> SCARY depth situation.  It's not like a QB has never gotten hurt before.
> It's not like HIS QB had never gotten hurt before.
>
> TM is what he is.  He's never going to be the media darling or even the
> favorite guy on the team (believe me, that right now is Rex Burkhead by
> FAR).  He's never going to sling the ball around like Brady or Manning or
> whatever and he doesn't have to be.  He just has to take care of the ball
> and deliver occasionally in the passing game (and 50% or below is NOT
> delivering) to keep defenses honest.  I hope he turned a corner Saturday
> (and I also hope Beck turned one too in how he calls the game for TM), but
> his last 10-12 games have still left me skeptical we won't see the kind of
> consistency we need.  I HOPE I am wrong.  I REALLY REALLY REALLY DO.
>
> He is what he is.  He's a track STUD.  He can go 20 yards in one direction
> faster than pretty much anyone else he's ever going to share the field
> with.
> UP UNTIL LAST SATURDAY, AKA WHEN THE ARTICLE HAD BEEN WRITTEN, ALL OF THESE
> THINGS WERE TRUE (and to be fair, one game doesn't change a 17 game track
> record, but it gives you hope).  At the time it had been written, many fans
> were getting tired of the TM experiment.  No small reason was because we
> have a stable of young RBs and WRs with a level of talent we haven't seen
> since the triplets and our offense would probably be pretty good if we just
> had a guy who could consistently get the ball into the hands of the guys
> who
> can make plays.
>
> Look, here's the REAL problem with Bo's tirade.  It's not that he was
> sticking up for his players, he should do that.  But you can stick up for
> your players and still act like an adult.  He could have accomplished the
> same thing if he had just done something like the following:
>
> DC: "hey Bo, what impressed you most about Taylor tonight?"
> BP: "Man, he really came through.  He showed a lot of poise and maturity in
> a big game when a lot of media members were questioning his ability and
> mental toughness."
>
> DC: "Who did?"
> BP: "You did.  I read your article. Friday.  We knew what we had all along
> in Taylor and you got a glimpse of that tonight."
>
> DC: "What did you think of the crowd at the end of the first half?"
> BP: "Well frankly, the crowd is going to do what it's going to do, but at
> that point, we hadn't given them much to cheer at."
>
> DC: "Did that motivate the players?"
> BP: "Our team is plenty motivated, we don't need outside help for that.  We
> just needed to play better and we did in the 2nd half and the crowd got
> behind us."
>
> With that, he sticks up for his guys, gets in a dig about the article that
> was proven wrong.  That's how I would expect anyone in the office to behave
> or in customer service somewhere or a company spokesman, etc.  Can you
> imagine if the President or a CEO of a large company (which let's face it,
> NU football program IS) went on a tirade like that in the press?  He'd be
> fired/impeached/whatever before the next news cycle, FACT.
>
> Bo makes almost $3 mil a year for the largest public organization in the
> state.  It's in fact in his CONTRACT that he has to represent the
> University
> in a positive and professional manner.  He is getting paid to do something
> that he is falling drastically short.
>
> Now, here's the worst part of it all.  We just had our largest comeback in
> the history of the program and almost every single fan is talking about
> this.  That's not Dirk's fault or the OWHs fault or Lee's fault or any of
> those 'evil' press members that try to represent a faction of the fan
> base's
> opinion.  It's ABSOLUTELY 100% BO'S FAULT.  We should be talking about how
> it seemed Taylor turned a corner and how SJ Baptiste passed the eyeball
> test
> and made plays to fill the opposite corner spot we've been so desperate to
> fill.  We should be talking about the incredible efforts from Rex and
> LaVonte who as much as anyone put the entire team on his back and willed
> them to victory Saturday.
>
> But instead, message boards are filled with discussion about a f'ing press
> conference that 90% of fans don't even watch (I always do after big games
> because I love to see the coaches and players demeanors).  Whether you like
> it or not, whether Bo had the right or responsibility to go after Dirk, BO
> and NOBODY ELSE made this the story.  A few national stories have been
> written and it was discussed on College Football Live and Rome and THAT is
> a
> problem, especially for a team that MUST recruit nationally to stay
> relevant.
>
> I know some of you will take this as a 'soft' or 'cry baby' stance, but I
> don't care.  I care about the Huskers and everything that effects them good
> or bad.  I have the emotional maturity (and I don't think most sports fans
> do) that I can discuss both the good and the bad of the team without having
> my emotions hurt.  I don't have to have everything be perfect on my team to
> love and support them.  Humans/coaches/players and by extension football
> programs are flawed. I don't ever feel the need to fight someone who
> disagrees with me.  I may think less of their cognizant abilities, but I
> respect that there will always be other opinions than mine and that's ok.
> Someone who MUST have sunshine all the time can support this team just as
> well as someone who is critical about what's going on.  I can buy Husker
> gear, go to Husker games, cheer my ever loving ____ off and at the same
> time
> when I get home talk with friends and internet folks about things that
> could
> have gone better or whether or not I would play certain players if I were
> the coach.
>
> Anyhow, that was WAY longer than I intended it, but I hope you got
> something
> out of it and I hope you took the time to read it.
>
> --
> Skylar
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: husker-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:husker-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf
> Of
> Steven
> Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 7:04 PM
> To: Husker List
> Subject: [Husker] Press Conference
>
> Bo Pelini handled the press conference perfectly.  The article Friday
> was classless and Dirk C from the World Herald is out of his league when
> it comes to division 1 football player management.  He took pot-shots at
> a young guy who is really improving week by week. TM was at one point 10
> for 10 and ended the night as the Big Ten offensive player of the week.
> I just don't understand the constant criticism of Bo Pelini's coaching
> style and team management.  I seriously hope that the staff doesn't
> speak to the media, or even make the players available for abuse. I
> would force the media to make their own judgements by watching the on
> field results.
>
> GO BIG RED!
>
> Steven K
> Class of 1983
> Proud Member of the Oklahoma Cornhusker Club
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