Culture Fix

[husker2612]

Physically? Yes.

Emotionally? No.

Agree, yes he is gone. Those saying since he is gone everything should just be perfectly fine again. You honestly think a guy who was here for 7-8 years, in constant contact with almost every single player on the team for 5-6 years, can just leave and nothing he did or said stays with any of those players? That is just illogical to think. I will guarantee there are still some if not many players that are still holding loyal to Bo. They still hold an us vs the world mentality. If everyone on that team is not on the same page, especially if some of those guys are captains and starters, it kills the moral of the team.

 

[Geezer'sker]

Oh, please. Some of our fans have to be some of the biggest babies around. It would behoove a few of you to grow a pair and recognize that the job of the player and coach is not to coddle you and tell you how great you are. You also need to learn a little history about an acerbic Bob Devaney. I can only imagine how you would have ripped Bob up one side and down the other when, after losing to Indiana, he had about enough of Husker fans and said, "I know the fans are with me, win or tie." It wasn't a cute little quote...it was a shot at the fans.


T.Tom,
I usually enjoy reading your posts because they always present an interesting perspective (even if sometimes wrong . But a very minor point. I don't believe Bob D. ever played Indiana in his time here. I do remember that quote from him however.

 

[Geezer'sker]

T.Tom,
I usually enjoy reading your posts because they always present an interesting perspective (even if sometimes wrong . But a very minor point. I don't believe Bob D. ever played Indiana in his time here. I do remember that quote from him however.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

T.Tom,
I usually enjoy reading your posts because they always present an interesting perspective (even if sometimes wrong . But a very minor point. I don't believe Bob D. ever played Indiana in his time here. I do remember that quote from him however.

I think it was 66 or 67. I will have to ask my friend who played on that team.

 

[jlb321]

I am still blaming Solich .... in a few years I will move on to blaming Cosgrove ..... then Callahan .... then eventually to Pelini

A number of years before I get to Riley

 

[Yossarian23]

I think it was 66 or 67. I will have to ask my friend who played on that team.

1968. Kansas State.

Reference to Quote

Indiana Series History

 

[HuskerLegion]

I don't think the player mentality is the only issue. I do not think it isn't helping anything. My guess is if there is as big an issue with player mentality as some say, it is with the Seniors and Juniors. These guys were under Bos influence the longest. Once these guys are out we should start seeing drastic improvement by year 3. If not, it isn't the players or the talent, it is the coach. We shouldn't need 5-7 years to see if this is going to work or not

I would say its probably an issue with RS freshman through seniors possibly even a few true freshman. These guys are recruited years before they sign in many cases. Bo has completely destroyed the culture that was in place for decades. That is what I take from what Eric said. What a mess.

 

[usejsch]

From "ecrouch" on RSS

"People that want to say that Bo shouldn't be mentioned and that we need to turn the page need to understand one thing. Bo instilled a culture at Nebraska. One that runs deep. One that is toxic and anti-Nebraska. To think that a new coach comes in and just totally erases everything the players have learned is wrong. I know players on the team. I can't speak for all the players but the ones I know still have a Bo mentality. The screw the Husker fans mind set. I can hear it when talking to them. Try to tell them or explain to them how they sound and the defensiveness starts. To think that a coach can come in and wipe this clean is crazy. Some of these guys were recruited and courted by the former staff 5-7 years ago and have built a relationship in the player's most impressionable years. I think the play on the field is obviously not good enough and that the coaches have to shoulder much of the blame for that but to think this was an easy fix is wrong. I think it is only fair to give the coaching staff the time needed to find their guys and work the culture back the way it should be. I'm guessing with some of the depth and injury issues this team is facing and the kung fu mind grip that Bo has on some of the players it might take longer than most are ready to wait.

And stop comparing other first year coaches and stuff like that. Every situation is different. Every place has its own problems and issues some which are better or worse than others. Yea, Jim H. is doing good at Michigan. Brady Hoke looked real good at the start too (11-2), who cares. He finished 5-7. EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT."

It's simple. Upstairs, you see that the tight end is lined up incorrectly and there is no motion. You call down, "Call a time out and ensure that Tommy keeps the ball on the ground. No pass, run the ball." Third down and run the ball.

Clock winds down and even if you don't get the first down, you have two choices on forth. Keep the clock running and snap at the last second and run. Or, you line up for a field goal. Either way, clock reads, at most, 20 seconds, but more likely, 10-15 seconds. Illinois has to march 80+ yards in less than 20 seconds - for a touchdown; not a field goal.

I'm sorry, but no seasoned coach overlooks that. One that has a staff of very tenured coaches. One that spent time in the NFL and should understand the situation and how to control the clock.

Ok, Tommy was supposed to run on third and he passed instead. Time out. "Tommy, you run the ball on forth down; you run as if no one is to catch you. You burn as much time off the clock and regardless of the outcome, take time off the clock and give your defense very little time to make a mistake." "Got it?"

I go back to third down. "Time out before the actual play. Let's make sure Tommy understands the situation..." What do you think coach?

 

[puddinhead0404]

If there is acknowledgement of this culture problem and the staff wants to fix it then why is Alex Lewis still captain? Culture didn't make coaching decisions that lost games.

 

[sfrost]

I don't know who he is but I do know that if he gets upset at a few players who have a screw the fans mentality he would have hated Bob Devaney. I would have loved for him to tell Bob how he sounded when going off on the fans. Being a fly on the wall in that situation would be fun!

Yea cuz Bo= Bob. Nice try

 

[bigboxes]

Yea cuz Bo= Bob. Nice try

Thank you. Come over here and slum it with us freeloaders anytime!

 

[Tulsa Tom]

1968. Kansas State.

Reference to Quote

Indiana Series History

Yep...this is correct. I was thinking he told me Indiana but it must have been K-State. Bob loved hanging with the reporters because they would only print what he told them. But he had no love for the fans during those 6-4 years. He often spoke quite colorfully with his players of his disdain for them...particularly after they started the petition.

 

[Bay_Area_Husker]

If the team were 5-0, I don't think we would be talking about the long shadow of Bo Pelini.

Bo Pelini didn't continue throwing bombs against Illinois.

Bo Pelini didn't drop passes against Miami.

I suppose a case can be made that the team's lack of focus and heart toward the end of many games is a legacy problem.

The shifting expectations for this team baffle me…

Last year: MR will easily win 9 games.

After BYU: We have too many injuries to compete.

After Miami game: MR has no athletes. How can he cook a gourmet meal with Pelini's garbage groceries?

After Illinois: Bo Pelini has poisoned the minds of the players.

 

[crinin the thane]

Oh, please. Some of our fans have to be some of the biggest babies around. It would behoove a few of you to grow a pair and recognize that the job of the player and coach is not to coddle you and tell you how great you are. You also need to learn a little history about an acerbic Bob Devaney. I can only imagine how you would have ripped Bob up one side and down the other when, after losing to Indiana, he had about enough of Husker fans and said, "I know the fans are with me, win or tie." It wasn't a cute little quote...it was a shot at the fans.

I have no problem with saying, "Don't listen to the crazy fans. They will jump on our bandwagon when we win. We have to worry about us."

Some of us need to grow up.

Nice to see another adult on the board.

 

[dinglefritz]

Yea cuz Bo= Bob. Nice try

Yep according to Tom. Anybody that says that "Bo is gone from the program" is an idiot. We have two team captains supposedly with pics of Bo in their lockers and both of them saying that "I play for me and my family and not the fans". Bo's stench still permeates the program so whether he's physically in Lincoln or not, he's still in the program. Its going to take time to clean up the mess.

 

[dinglefritz]

Yep...this is correct. I was thinking he told me Indiana but it must have been K-State. Bob loved hanging with the reporters because they would only print what he told them. But he had no love for the fans during those 6-4 years. He often spoke quite colorfully with his players of his disdain for them...particularly after they started the petition.

You are so full of sh##. Bob Devaney went out of his way to court the fans and media alike. He NEVER would have done or said the crap that Pelini has. The only similarity of Bob to Bo was a quick temper. The DIFFERENCE was that Bob got over it quickly and let it go. Bob was a fun loving lovable guy that would get mad, forgive and get over it. Pelini is none of that. As far as being an adult goes, how about a coach that pits players against the fans and administration? Is that a grown up attitude? I think not. The coach needs to be telling the players, "the critics you read on social media and the net are NOT representative of the vast majority of fans. You know that because you meet them around town and they LOVE you and want nothing but the best for you". Instead we had some juvenile nut job telling them "F### the fans" and the AD is a "c###". Adult my ass.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Nice to see another adult on the board.

The problem is that so many people develop a skewed history without looking at the real facts. The mantra that Bo was the devil incarnate, that he brought the players into his evil empire from which they cannot be exorcised, that Mike Riley now will need years to install a kingdom of pleasantries and love of fans is hyperbole at its best. If today's fans talked to players from the '67 and '68 teams they would hear about a coach who was not coddling of the fans and in many ways despised them. Devaney had a temper and when that '68 petition with 1000's of names came to light, he wasn't all "awwwweee...shucks" about it. He was ticked off and let people know it. And trust me, the players weren't feeling, "Let's go win one for the fans!" after they heard the boos, received the nasty letters, and dealt with the spiteful comments when out in public.

 

[otismotis08]

If there truly is such a culture problem, then fix it...immediately if not sooner.
Alex Lewis...you're no longer captain, the bench is your friend for now.
Rally the staff, admin, former players, etc. and drill the culture into these guys nonstop.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Just found this nugget this morning. Talk to a few player from that time and you will hear worse:

"In the late 60's, fans wanted Devaney out after 6-4 seasons in 1967 and 1968. "In 1968 they had the petition out to fire all the coaches," says former Husker Jerry Murtaugh.

"Thank God they kept coach Devaney. Without him, what would we have been? Same thing with coach Osborne. They wanted his head. What would we have been without coach Osborne?"

Not only did the fans turn on the coaches, they also took their frustrations out on the players.

"Getting the boos, getting letters from people telling me how worthless I was and how worthless the coaches were," says Murtaugh."

I can only imagine what stupid things would be said about the "Devaney culture in the locker room" in '68 if there were message boards around.

 

[SDhusker12]

Yea cuz Bo= Bob. Nice try

Speaking solely on demeanor, I see Tom's comparison. I dont think he was referring to coaching record.

 

[jeans15]

If there is acknowledgement of this culture problem and the staff wants to fix it then why is Alex Lewis still captain? Culture didn't make coaching decisions that lost games.

A lot of posters on here will never admit that.

 

[HuskerO]

Just found this nugget this morning. Talk to a few player from that time and you will hear worse:

"In the late 60's, fans wanted Devaney out after 6-4 seasons in 1967 and 1968. "In 1968 they had the petition out to fire all the coaches," says former Husker Jerry Murtaugh.

"Thank God they kept coach Devaney. Without him, what would we have been? Same thing with coach Osborne. They wanted his head. What would we have been without coach Osborne?"

Not only did the fans turn on the coaches, they also took their frustrations out on the players.

"Getting the boos, getting letters from people telling me how worthless I was and how worthless the coaches were," says Murtaugh."

I can only imagine what stupid things would be said about the "Devaney culture in the locker room" in '68 if there were message boards around.

So what was Devaney telling his players in the locker room about the fans back in '67 and '68?

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Told them to ignore the fans because they were ridiculous. I'm sure the language was fairly salty. The particulars are long gone from the guys I know...but it wasn't, "The majority of fans that meet you around town just LOVE you and want the best for you."

 

[puddinhead0404]

A lot of posters on here will never admit that.

Not going to make it any easier to get that "buy in" from the players when they don't believe you can make decisions that lead to winning games.

 

[SnohomishRed]

I read that on RSS and agree 100%. Anybody who doesn't think that culture and team chemistry isn't a huge factor in a teams success and failures doesn't know a thing about team sports. There are so many factors that play into what has gone on this year that you cant blame just one thing. There have definitely been coaching issues, but to put it on that alone is very short sighted. These coaches have a culture to change and that isn't happening overnight either. Too many people want to deal in absolutes and blame one thing. That's not the case here. Depth issues, coaching, injuries, leadership (coaching and player), chemistry, new system, etc are all key factors. It is just too easy to point out one thing.

Yet when coaching decisions have directly led to at least 2 of the losses you begin to wonder. Bo was fired because of his toxic mentality and his inability to win big games or even show well in big games.

If you have ever taken over a division or group of people after the previous boss was fired you would then know:
* Some people like him/her and are resentful of the change
* Some did not and are looking at the chance a new chance
* Some were neutral

The loyal to previous guy group needs to be addressed very quickly either they come around or you replace them - really no in between - If Riley had done this and we have a losing record because of it - This would still be the correct call. If Riley is not fixing this and letting this attitude fester and loses games because of it then its on him.

There is not some alternate world where when someone is fired there is not a culture and mentality issue that must be fixed - there is are these problems always - That is why a new guy was hired in the first place, to fix these problems.

 

[HuskerTimOmaha]

Nobody ITT is connected like @ecrouch and yet, there are losers discounting what he has to say. I shouldn't be surprised but for some reason, I am.

 

[Archie Graham]

Nobody ITT is connected like @ecrouch and yet, there are losers discounting what he has to say. I shouldn't be surprised but for some reason, I am.

Whatever man. Bo wasn't so bad. This is all hyperbole.

 

[sfrost]

Speaking solely on demeanor, I see Tom's comparison. I dont think he was referring to coaching record.

And really demeanor has nothing to do with it. I never said anything about his demeanor. I was talking about the mentality he instilled in his players. The us against the world mentality where players start to look at the fans as the enemy. Plus, I don't think that Bob would call his AD a ****. They are not even close to the same and shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. @Tulsa Tom

 

[bigboxes]

And really demeanor has nothing to do with it. I never said anything about his demeanor. I was talking about the mentality he instilled in his players. The us against the world mentality where players start to look at the fans as the enemy. Plus, I don't think that Bob would call his AD a ****. They are not even close to the same and shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. @Tulsa Tom

Next thing you know they'll be comparing Bo to Jesus Christ.

 

[Husker Psycho]

If there truly is such a culture problem, then fix it...immediately if not sooner.
Alex Lewis...you're no longer captain, the bench is your friend for now.
Rally the staff, admin, former players, etc. and drill the culture into these guys nonstop.

Exactly. Problem solved.

We have some very smart members-fans here.

 

[HuskerO]

Told them to ignore the fans because they were ridiculous. I'm sure the language was fairly salty. The particulars are long gone from the guys I know...but it wasn't, "The majority of fans that meet you around town just LOVE you and want the best for you."

Telling players to ignore the fans because they are being ridiculous is a far cry from what Bo Pelini was instilling into our players.

You're sure the language was fairly salty? You're just speculating and being very vague.

No one is saying that every other coach other than Bo (including Riley) have said; "The majority of fans that meet you around town just LOVE you and want the best for you." There a big difference in how Bo talked about the fans / Nebraska to his players compared to BD, TO, FS, BC and MR. Again, those 5 may have said that the fans are being ridiculous, but big difference from how Bo was presenting the issue to the players.

 

[otismotis08]

Weekly guest lecturers...former players and coaches bringing the fire and brimstone.

 

[otismotis08]

To quote Herman Cain's (grandfathers) words...

"Them that’s going, get on the wagon! Them that ain’t, get out of the way!"

 

[nebcountry]

I don't enjoy an "us versus them" mentality when it comes to the players and fans. And it will be hard to eradicate, especially with the get-in-your-face, vocal fans. Posting something on one of many message boards is a drop in the bucket compared to textual onslaughts on a player's twitter/facebook page. And no sarcasm or facetiousness, but I really hope that people aren't yelling crap at games and antagonizing the players in person.

"Us versus them" isn't good, but it's not losing games.

 

[Archie Graham]

I don't enjoy an "us versus them" mentality when it comes to the players and fans. And it will be hard to eradicate, especially with the get-in-your-face, vocal fans. Posting something on one of many message boards is a drop in the bucket compared to textual onslaughts on a player's twitter/facebook page. And no sarcasm or facetiousness, but I really hope that people aren't yelling crap at games and antagonizing the players in person.

"Us versus them" isn't good, but it's not losing games.

It isn't that simple. Yes Riley and his staff have made mistakes. However, you wouldn't even be noticing them if our team had more talent, had a deeper roster, didn't have injuries at key roster positions, didn't crap their pants and stop playing for one or more quarters (just like they did with Bo), etc. Riley and his staff have made mistakes that have lost games; however, we have lost the games because the major of error is extremely small thanks to Bo. I can handle that for now. Years 3-4 is a totally different story. We will see.

 

[HuskerTimOmaha]

 

[Husker Psycho]

PELINI 2... the sequel.

Same plot as the first Pelini horror movie. An active participant(s) inside the Nebraska football program is attempting to sabotage the program... unfortunately there is no one in a position of authority in the program who is adult enough or who has enough courage to deal with the problem. Oh the horror.

In theaters now.

 

[nebcountry]

It isn't that simple. Yes Riley and his staff have made mistakes. However, you wouldn't even be noticing them if our team had more talent, had a deeper roster, didn't have injuries at key roster positions, didn't crap their pants and stop playing for one or more quarters (just like they did with Bo), etc. Riley and his staff have made mistakes that have lost games; however, we have lost the games because the major of error is extremely small thanks to Bo. I can handle that for now. Years 3-4 is a totally different story. We will see.

I wouldn't say it's a simple problem or there's a singular cause. This recipe for disaster is multi-faceted. And we have to get out of this recipe. We just have different opinions.

I can make the following statement and not feel the need to make 5 more statements discounting my first statement:

The coaching staff is ultimately responsible and should be held accountable for the performance of the team.

 

[Tulsa Tom]

Telling players to ignore the fans because they are being ridiculous is a far cry from what Bo Pelini was instilling into our players.

You're sure the language was fairly salty? You're just speculating and being very vague.

No one is saying that every other coach other than Bo (including Riley) have said; "The majority of fans that meet you around town just LOVE you and want the best for you." There a big difference in how Bo talked about the fans / Nebraska to his players compared to BD, TO, FS, BC and MR. Again, those 5 may have said that the fans are being ridiculous, but big difference from how Bo was presenting the issue to the players.

1. Do you think Bob had good things to say about the fans when a) he ripped them publicly, b) they started a petition to have him fired, c) players talked about nasty letters telling them how worthless they were, and d) Osborne didn't want to leave the press box after a loss because that meant dealing with the angry hordes. Do you really think he had anything good to say about them in '68?

2. If you don't think Devaney used salty language you know nothing about Bob Devaney.

3. The quote above comes from Dingle. I and a few others here laughed pretty hard when thinking about someone like Devaney saying that.

 

[Husker Psycho]

To quote Herman Cain's (grandfathers) words...

"Them that’s going, get on the wagon! Them that ain’t, get out of the way!"

Dear 5,

I have a huge favor to ask you. Would you mind getting your suitcase together, getting in your car and driving up to Lincoln to take care of this problem for us (the Nebraska football program). We currently have no one to do the job so we REALLY need your help.

We cant pay you, even for gas, account we spent all our money on Nebraska sweatshirts. However we can offer you our eternal gratitude.

Thanks in advance.