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Coaching Changes since 1997

Cisco

Red Shirt
5 Year Member
Many may not agree but over time I have come to believe that most of our coaching changes were probably a mistake.

1. Solich - Time has proven that this was a mistake unless you honestly believe that we wouldn't have been better off over the last two decades holding on to Solich and our identity. Given that he's nearing retirement and our struggles since, this seems like a dead argument now.

2. Callahan - Things truly fell apart in 2007 coming into a season with high expectations. Given that we didn't return to our prior identity was it really the best move to let him go. Or would it have been better to try to encourage him to find a new DC and give him more time? At the time I supported letting him go but I'm not sure now. If he could have righted the ship I think there was a fairly high ceiling.

3. Pelini - Following the 408 yards in three quarters against Wisconsin, I told my buddy I was watching the game with in Asheville, NC, that I thought it was time for a change. After about 15 minutes the realization of who would be doing the hiring for his successor set in and I leaned back over and said "nevermind." With all the issues with Bo, I think we'd have still been better off keeping him, at least for the time.

4. Riley - This one is tougher. I wasn't big on the hire at the time. But I think it's difficult to say what he would have done with a different AD vs what was going on and the lack of everyone being on the same page and no interference.

I think history has proven that coaching changes are tough on this program. The amount of players from outside the region means a lot of instability and attrition when you remove the relationships of the staff.

Which brings us to now. Objectively this regime has been a disaster thus far. But given the repeated pattern of firing coaches and it only getting worse, how long can we afford to keep losing?

If we go 1-6 or 2-5, I don't see anyway we can afford to not have a winning record in 2021. At the same time I know stability is the best thing for the program now.
 
A big part of the problem has been letting TO hire. He could coach but he can't hire a HC or AD. FS wasn't the best choice. Bo was the cheap option. SP was also high on TO's hires for AD.

Frost is TO approved. Not that Frost wasn't everyone approved at the time. He was legit the best option, so everyone thought.

I think we're Minnesota now. Glory is in the past.
 
A big part of the problem has been letting TO hire. He could coach but he can't hire a HC or AD. FS wasn't the best choice. Bo was the cheap option. SP was also high on TO's hires for AD.

Frost is TO approved. Not that Frost wasn't everyone approved at the time. He was legit the best option, so everyone thought.

I think we're Minnesota now. Glory is in the past.

TO’s “hires” (FS and BP) did way better than the other ones.
 
It doesn't help that everytime we change coaches they go with a completely opposite system to the last coach and they need to completely rebuild the roster with guys that fit their scheme. That blows 4 or 5 years and that's about the time the fans lose patience and we do a full reboot again.

Either we need to stay with a coach long enough to make it over the hump, or we find new coaches that are not going to flip the system again. When Wisconsin changed coaches, the new coach stayed with Wisconsin's identity and didn't try to remake it into something else.

Build on what you have.
 



Many may not agree but over time I have come to believe that most of our coaching changes were probably a mistake.

1. Solich - Time has proven that this was a mistake unless you honestly believe that we wouldn't have been better off over the last two decades holding on to Solich and our identity. Given that he's nearing retirement and our struggles since, this seems like a dead argument now.

2. Callahan - Things truly fell apart in 2007 coming into a season with high expectations. Given that we didn't return to our prior identity was it really the best move to let him go. Or would it have been better to try to encourage him to find a new DC and give him more time? At the time I supported letting him go but I'm not sure now. If he could have righted the ship I think there was a fairly high ceiling.

3. Pelini - Following the 408 yards in three quarters against Wisconsin, I told my buddy I was watching the game with in Asheville, NC, that I thought it was time for a change. After about 15 minutes the realization of who would be doing the hiring for his successor set in and I leaned back over and said "nevermind." With all the issues with Bo, I think we'd have still been better off keeping him, at least for the time.

4. Riley - This one is tougher. I wasn't big on the hire at the time. But I think it's difficult to say what he would have done with a different AD vs what was going on and the lack of everyone being on the same page and no interference.

I think history has proven that coaching changes are tough on this program. The amount of players from outside the region means a lot of instability and attrition when you remove the relationships of the staff.

Which brings us to now. Objectively this regime has been a disaster thus far. But given the repeated pattern of firing coaches and it only getting worse, how long can we afford to keep losing?

If we go 1-6 or 2-5, I don't see anyway we can afford to not have a winning record in 2021. At the same time I know stability is the best thing for the program now.

Frost deserves 5 years in my opinion. He deserves 5 years with full control of his coaching staff. I don’t care if we don’t win another single game, he gets that. He’s a native Nebraskan who won a national championship here. He didn’t get the job because he was from Nebraska, he took the job because he was from Nebraska. He was fully qualified and one of the hottest names in the game when we hired him. This doesn’t excuse him from how bad we are, that’s on him. 100% on him. But he deserves 5 years to get this thing rolling. If he can’t, we will need to move on.
 
Frost deserves 5 years in my opinion. He deserves 5 years with full control of his coaching staff. I don’t care if we don’t win another single game, he gets that. He’s a native Nebraskan who won a national championship here. He didn’t get the job because he was from Nebraska, he took the job because he was from Nebraska. He was fully qualified and one of the hottest names in the game when we hired him. This doesn’t excuse him from how bad we are, that’s on him. 100% on him. But he deserves 5 years to get this thing rolling. If he can’t, we will need to move on.
We’re stuck with giving him five seasons because the program went all in. That doesn’t mean he “deserves” a damn thing, because he hasn’t accomplished a damn thing. The team is worse now than his first season, and that’s really saying something.
 
I would agree, but apathy is settling in....that’s worse than anger. When folks stop caring, you have MASSIVE problems...
 
Frost deserves 5 years in my opinion. He deserves 5 years with full control of his coaching staff. I don’t care if we don’t win another single game, he gets that. He’s a native Nebraskan who won a national championship here. He didn’t get the job because he was from Nebraska, he took the job because he was from Nebraska. He was fully qualified and one of the hottest names in the game when we hired him. This doesn’t excuse him from how bad we are, that’s on him. 100% on him. But he deserves 5 years to get this thing rolling. If he can’t, we will need to move on.
Good post. Frost will get things going and he needs to be given a full 5 years to make it happen.
 



He deserves a 5 year run, but would he just develop an identity, and stick with it. he wants Oregon speed with Husker Power. they don't mesh, and I doubt they ever will. He wants a QB that is the focal point but yet limits them they both don't know to either to tuck and run or throw. find an identity and go with it. Solich, in his defense, had an identity " yadda yadda yadda, QB Keeper".
 
I'd love to say five years no matter what, but if we have four years of losing seasons, I don't know if there will be a fifth. No one besides a Husker legend would survive four losing seasons.
 
Frost deserves 5 years in my opinion. He deserves 5 years with full control of his coaching staff. I don’t care if we don’t win another single game, he gets that. He’s a native Nebraskan who won a national championship here. He didn’t get the job because he was from Nebraska, he took the job because he was from Nebraska. He was fully qualified and one of the hottest names in the game when we hired him. This doesn’t excuse him from how bad we are, that’s on him. 100% on him. But he deserves 5 years to get this thing rolling. If he can’t, we will need to move on.

This right here is the biggest problem. He "deserves" five years not because he's a good coach but because he's a native Nebraskan. That is just pure ignorance and sickening homerism. Scott Frost deserves the same treatment as Mike Riley. He is a horrible football coach and in less than three years has turned Nebraska from a bad lower-tier B1G program to a national laughing stock and the worst program in the entire league. There is not one thing, not a single one, that has shown he (or this staff) has the ability to make Nebraska even a middling program. You cut your losses before it becomes a bigger problem. 2 more years of this crap show and the Nebraska we know will be gone. The only thing this program has to hang onto at this point is the passion of the fan base and the support but people are on the verge of not caring. When that's gone it's going to be really hard to get it back.
 
I agree or hires have been bad. But we do have a Head Coach now and need to give him at least 3 more years to prove up, more if we still operate under the pandemic. However DEFENSE wins the game, they can't score they can't win. We already have seen how wholesale changed destroy our team, time for smaller tweeks, get the defense set. Start with our secondary Bootle got a Black shirt what a joke..he's made what 4 5 good plays and screwed the pooch consently. We need a secondary coach who can COACH, suppose to have speed? what are they guys playin 5 to 10 yards off their man? Can SOMEBODY teach them to turn their head and LOOK for the ball. Damn coach might help getting interceptions and cut down the interference calls. So I say go after a Secondary coach who can coach. Tell your Defensive line coach he's on the bubble do your job or be ready to look for another job. Loyalty is great BUT this is a job, if your NOT doing the job your not gonna have a job, plain an simple
 



Many may not agree but over time I have come to believe that most of our coaching changes were probably a mistake.

1. Solich - Time has proven that this was a mistake unless you honestly believe that we wouldn't have been better off over the last two decades holding on to Solich and our identity. Given that he's nearing retirement and our struggles since, this seems like a dead argument now.

2. Callahan - Things truly fell apart in 2007 coming into a season with high expectations. Given that we didn't return to our prior identity was it really the best move to let him go. Or would it have been better to try to encourage him to find a new DC and give him more time? At the time I supported letting him go but I'm not sure now. If he could have righted the ship I think there was a fairly high ceiling.

3. Pelini - Following the 408 yards in three quarters against Wisconsin, I told my buddy I was watching the game with in Asheville, NC, that I thought it was time for a change. After about 15 minutes the realization of who would be doing the hiring for his successor set in and I leaned back over and said "nevermind." With all the issues with Bo, I think we'd have still been better off keeping him, at least for the time.

4. Riley - This one is tougher. I wasn't big on the hire at the time. But I think it's difficult to say what he would have done with a different AD vs what was going on and the lack of everyone being on the same page and no interference.

I think history has proven that coaching changes are tough on this program. The amount of players from outside the region means a lot of instability and attrition when you remove the relationships of the staff.

Which brings us to now. Objectively this regime has been a disaster thus far. But given the repeated pattern of firing coaches and it only getting worse, how long can we afford to keep losing?

If we go 1-6 or 2-5, I don't see anyway we can afford to not have a winning record in 2021. At the same time I know stability is the best thing for the program now.
Callahan and Riley had to go. They not only sucked, but the players quit on them and recruiting classes were falling apart.

Bo should not have been fired, but Eichdork hated him.

Solich is the tough call. Yes, his overall record looks pretty good now. But after three national titles in four years, Solich won one DIVISION title in six years and lost seven games in year 5. Imagine Clemson, Alabama, or Ohio St. having that type of dropoff in six years with new coaches. Would the coach there get a 7th year? Solich also had some trouble recruiting skill position players the last few years.
 
This right here is the biggest problem. He "deserves" five years not because he's a good coach but because he's a native Nebraskan. That is just pure ignorance and sickening homerism. Scott Frost deserves the same treatment as Mike Riley. He is a horrible football coach and in less than three years has turned Nebraska from a bad lower-tier B1G program to a national laughing stock and the worst program in the entire league. There is not one thing, not a single one, that has shown he (or this staff) has the ability to make Nebraska even a middling program. You cut your losses before it becomes a bigger problem. 2 more years of this crap show and the Nebraska we know will be gone. The only thing this program has to hang onto at this point is the passion of the fan base and the support but people are on the verge of not caring. When that's gone it's going to be really hard to get it back.

I totally understand where you are coming from. I’m far from a homer though. Fire him tomorrow for all I care. This is big time college football, I’m not into charity. I think this program needs some stability. Even if Frost continues to fail and we fire him after year 5, I like our chances better in a coaching search than sacking another coach after 3 years.
 

Callahan and Riley had to go. They not only sucked, but the players quit on them and recruiting classes were falling apart.

Bo should not have been fired, but Eichdork hated him.

Solich is the tough call. Yes, his overall record looks pretty good now. But after three national titles in four years, Solich won one DIVISION title in six years and lost seven games in year 5. Imagine Clemson, Alabama, or Ohio St. having that type of dropoff in six years with new coaches. Would the coach there get a 7th year? Solich also had some trouble recruiting skill position players the last few years.
I disagree about Pelini. He had to go because he gave the university a huge black eye. His temperament and mouth were toxic.
 

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