Saturday, October 11, 2008
Great Game.
Bo Pelini is right--there are no "moral victories" at Nebraska.
That said...that was one hell of a moral victory. Nebraska's game plan on both sides of the ball was phenominal. Hats off.
That said...that was one hell of a moral victory. Nebraska's game plan on both sides of the ball was phenominal. Hats off.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football
Monday, September 22, 2008
"In Carl We Trust"
This was on KETV last night, and is an absolute must-see for Husker fans. It's hilarious. Matt Schick interviews Carl Pelini, and it is all about how Carl feels bad that all the hype and stories are about "Coach Pelini," and how he thinks that his little brother Bo should get some attention. The best part is the very end of the video.
Also--Matt Schick is hilarious. If anyone has listened to him fill in on Unsportsmanlike Conduct, you know what I'm talking about. And this piece he lined up is just more evidence. The guy definitely needs his own radio show or something. Keep up the good work, Matt.
That goes for Channel 7 in general. They've got solid, young talent on their newscasts, and as evidenced by the Millard tornado episode, seem to be much more on top of things than compared to other broadcasts (*cough* WOWT, *cough*).
fin.
Also--Matt Schick is hilarious. If anyone has listened to him fill in on Unsportsmanlike Conduct, you know what I'm talking about. And this piece he lined up is just more evidence. The guy definitely needs his own radio show or something. Keep up the good work, Matt.
That goes for Channel 7 in general. They've got solid, young talent on their newscasts, and as evidenced by the Millard tornado episode, seem to be much more on top of things than compared to other broadcasts (*cough* WOWT, *cough*).
fin.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Carl Pelini, KETV, Matt Schick, Nebraska Football
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Bo Pelini Gets His Own TV Show, Hilarity Ensues
A new segment for Heavy Soul to look forward to: The Nebraska Football Show Recap.
You won't get one this week--sorry, but we're busy catching up from the long weekend--but this probably needs to happen. We watched this week's episode, and it was pretty awesome. Coach Pelini looks like having to go over film from the weekend's games is possibly the worst thing that he could be a part of.
That's not to say it's not good, nor does that say he does a bad job. Quite the contrary. It's entertaining for several reasons:
-Refreshing honesty. There are SEVERAL instances where someone on the defense misses an assignment, and Coach Pelini quickly acknowledges the mistake, followed by a "that said, I take a lot of blame on that. I need to communicate better with these guys, and it's something that we'll work on this week." (Not a direct quote, but it is along those lines.) Pretty great stuff, and a stark difference of Coach "Throw the players under the bus" Callahan.
-Grumpiness. If you watch it, take special note of Coach Pelini before each commercial break. He is literally doing everything he can not to get up and walk off the set. In fairness, "grumpiness" probably is the wrong word. In fact, we're quite sure he's probably just not used to it. It's just funny to watch him start to stand up the second the film is done from each of the four quarters, then physically restrain himself from doing so. Also funny: him looking off set, waiting for ANYBODY to give him the OK to get the hell out of there.
-Grumpiness (for real). Apparently the Coachspeak goes out the window when he disagrees with a call. In fact, he flat-out will say when the official made a bad call, or "not how I would call it." Awesome. (Also file under "Refreshing honesty.")
-Plain polos. Remember last year when Coach "I'm officially done being the coach here, even if there's still a few weeks of the season" Callahan wore the plain clothes to press conferences, and people freaked out about it? The media would actually ask him questions about it? Well, apparently Pelini found the only thing outside Shawn Watson and Ted Gillmore to keep from the Callahan era: wearing whatever the hell clothes he wants. The only difference: no one has the balls to call him on it.
Anyway, it is yet another great change from the past 4 years. We'll recap these in far more thorough fashion starting next week.
You won't get one this week--sorry, but we're busy catching up from the long weekend--but this probably needs to happen. We watched this week's episode, and it was pretty awesome. Coach Pelini looks like having to go over film from the weekend's games is possibly the worst thing that he could be a part of.
That's not to say it's not good, nor does that say he does a bad job. Quite the contrary. It's entertaining for several reasons:
-Refreshing honesty. There are SEVERAL instances where someone on the defense misses an assignment, and Coach Pelini quickly acknowledges the mistake, followed by a "that said, I take a lot of blame on that. I need to communicate better with these guys, and it's something that we'll work on this week." (Not a direct quote, but it is along those lines.) Pretty great stuff, and a stark difference of Coach "Throw the players under the bus" Callahan.
-Grumpiness. If you watch it, take special note of Coach Pelini before each commercial break. He is literally doing everything he can not to get up and walk off the set. In fairness, "grumpiness" probably is the wrong word. In fact, we're quite sure he's probably just not used to it. It's just funny to watch him start to stand up the second the film is done from each of the four quarters, then physically restrain himself from doing so. Also funny: him looking off set, waiting for ANYBODY to give him the OK to get the hell out of there.
-Grumpiness (for real). Apparently the Coachspeak goes out the window when he disagrees with a call. In fact, he flat-out will say when the official made a bad call, or "not how I would call it." Awesome. (Also file under "Refreshing honesty.")
-Plain polos. Remember last year when Coach "I'm officially done being the coach here, even if there's still a few weeks of the season" Callahan wore the plain clothes to press conferences, and people freaked out about it? The media would actually ask him questions about it? Well, apparently Pelini found the only thing outside Shawn Watson and Ted Gillmore to keep from the Callahan era: wearing whatever the hell clothes he wants. The only difference: no one has the balls to call him on it.
Anyway, it is yet another great change from the past 4 years. We'll recap these in far more thorough fashion starting next week.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football, The Nebraska Football Show
Thursday, August 21, 2008
9 Things to Get Excited About NU Football
In an attempt to harness my exuberance for the upcoming collegiate tackle football season, here are 9 things from the preseason to be excited about:
9. THE RUNNING BACK COMPETITION. Did anyone seriously see this one coming when Marlon Lucky announced he was coming back for his senior season? Sure it was nice to see Roy Helu Jr. and Quentin Castille emerge on the scene as a true freshman, but we've seen that before (see Glenn, Cody; Horne, David; Evans, DeAngelo) and it hasn't always panned out on a long-term basis. So when Helu exploded during spring ball, it was comforting to this fan's eye to have the added depth, but to see him listed as sharing the RB1 duties most definitely surprised me.
Helu's quick rise certainly meant Castille's plummet, right? Apparently shedding anywhere from 12-30 pounds gave Q some buoyancy on the depth chart. More than one report I've read this summer has suggested that Castille's svelte figure and the coaching staff's commitment to the running game have ensured that he does not lose any carries from last year.
And that's not even the end of the story. It would be unfair to end this discussion
without throwing Marcus Mendoza's name into the mix. Although Mendoza has always been a burner, he's also been the runt of the running back stable (despite looking like a 36-year old accountant from suburban Houston complete with clear braces and awesome barely there mustache). I had no problem relegating him to special teams until I read about how much he torched the first team offense as a scout teamer last year. I know that doesn't speak highly of our then faded Blackshirts, but he did make the travel squad for two games before Callahan made a wise decision to maintain his redshirt.
Not only the depth of this position, but the variety of skill sets possessed by these ball carriers will be a key to re-establishing the running game this season.
GET EXCITED!
8. RICKY MOTHERGRABBING HENRY. Shame on me for not being excited for Ricky Henry to make his second attempt at being a Husker. I think intelligence is a virtue for an offensive lineman and when it was unsure if Henry would qualify after his stint at North Dakota College of Science and Football, I was less than indifferent on him joining the team. I was led astray by my own goddamned overanalysis. I overlooked one important difference: BOOK SMARTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOTBALL SMARTS! What an idiot! What's the difference, you ask? Book smarts entail knowing the proper way to use a slide rule. Football smarts, specifically for a lineman, entail using force to put a defender on their ass regardless of your knowledge of the playbook. Ricky M. Henry has football smarts.
When Andy Christensen pulled a Christian Peter at the Brass Rail this off season, Nebraska lost a good lineman. Not necessarily great, but Christensen had starts under his belt and was versatile along the line. Ricky Henry, mohawk on head and Copenhagen in lip, is after just two weeks establishing himself as a motivating force on the line and is challenging for a starting position at left guard. I can only imagine it's like seeing Eric Naranjo drive to our middle school football games in full uniform and grinding his cigarette into the grass with his cleats. Scary dude.
GET EXCITED!
7. LINEBACKERS COACH MIKE EKELER. Everything I've heard about this
dude is awesome. Great family man. Loud. Former special teams standout, albeit at k-state. Homegrown. Coached high school as a volunteer. Young. Hell of a recruiter, as evident by his willingness to put a semi-temporary tattoo of Will Compton's name on his shoulder in time for a in-home visit. Handsome. Good sense of humor (he can quote each of the 84 words of Carl Spackler's Dalai Lama soliloquy at will). Sensitive...er, I mean tough. Forgive my man crush. Granted, he has his work cut out for him this year, I can't imagine him being less successful than some of his predecessors (I'm looking in your direction, Mr. Cosgrove).
GET EXCITED!
6. RETURN OF THE WALK-ON PROGRAM. Brett Maher should be Ohio University or Colorado State's starting kicker this year. Damon Bechtold would most likely get some field time there as well. But they won't, because they turned down scholarships to walk on at Nebraska.
Good for them. Matt Holt has built himself a home with the number two defense as an outside linebacker. Not bad for a kid who received 0 stars from Rivals and didn't even get a profile with Scout. Also watch for David Pillen, son of Clete, to letter about three times. He's listed as a long snapper and with the top two long snappers gone after this year, he's got three, maybe four letters just waiting for him.
GET EXCITED!
5. TWO WHITE GUYS STARTING AT RECEIVER. No other team in the Big XII can claim that. And I'm fine with having our top two guys filling the role of possession receivers. Peterson established himself as a legitimate redzone threat last year with five TD grabs. I bet Pete's cousin will match that number if not nudge it up a bit this year. If Swift successfully catches 41 footballs during games on plays that aren't negated by penalty, then he will be the sole leader of the all-time receptions record at the University of Nebraska. That will put him ahead of Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Rodgers, which if you use the Communicative Property of Addition will reward Nate Swift the 2008 Heisman Trophy. Congratulations, Nate.
GET EXCITED!
4. KHIRY COOPER. Am I the only one who thinks this kid looks like a nephew of Flava Flav, if Flav was just a regular guy from Shreveport?
Reason to be excited about Khiry Cooper #1: Turned down 5th round MLB draft choice money to play sports for the University of Nebraska. This coupled with the fact that he will play baseball for the University of Nebraska collegiate baseball team should lead you to deduce that he is a heck of an athlete. Reason to be excited about Khiry Cooper #2: He will give us our most dangerous return threat since DeJuan Groce (hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio).
GET EXCITED!
3. BO PELINI IS UNDEFEATED AS HEAD COACH OF NEBRASKA. Frank Solich's hiring was overshadowed by the fact that Dr. Tom was retiring. Bill Callahan's hiring was mired in the controversy following Solich's firing. Not in my lifetime has a new Nebraska football coach been this widely anticipated and welcomed. I am encouraged by what former players who had never met Pelini have had to say. I like what his current players have to say about him.
GET EXCITED!
2. CHALLENGING HOME SCHEDULE.
--Western Michigan is no joke, maybe. Prognosticator Phil Steele has WMU ranked 40th to NU's 43rd. Then again, Athlon has WMU 82, NU 41 and Lindy's has WMU 107 and NU 51. Two years ago, this would be a cupcake, but following a near upset from Ball State at home last year anything can happen.
--San Jose State should be significantly easier, but they are coached by the reputable Dick Tomey.
--New Mexico State could prove hazardous with Hal Mumme's, "F--- it, I'm going deep!" offense led by ball launcher Chase Holbrook, especially with last year's high propensity to suck defense.
--Virginia Tech, now absolutely obliterated by suspensions and injuries, is still Virginia Tech. A winable game, but probably a loss. Big recruiting weekend.
--Missouri will be a challenge, to say the least. But, they haven't won here since any of us have been alive. Not that I'm promoting anything less than the epitome of good sportsmanship, but it would be good to hear Blaine Gabbert booed. You broke my heart, Fredo.
--Baylor should cap off a nice two game winning streak. Yay, winning streaks.
--Kansas will be worse than they were last year. Kansas will not hang 76 points on us. At home. Under Bo Pelini. That, my dear friends, I can assure you.
--Colorado is always a fun game to go to. Whether it's a blowout or not. It always has the feel of a vacation game.
GET EXCITED!
1. DAN TITCHENER COULD BE THE BEST PUNTER IN THE NATION. You would expect something sexier to garner the number one spot, but this isn't a countdown, just a list. He kicks the ball hard and far and where he wants it to go.
GET EXCITED!
9. THE RUNNING BACK COMPETITION. Did anyone seriously see this one coming when Marlon Lucky announced he was coming back for his senior season? Sure it was nice to see Roy Helu Jr. and Quentin Castille emerge on the scene as a true freshman, but we've seen that before (see Glenn, Cody; Horne, David; Evans, DeAngelo) and it hasn't always panned out on a long-term basis. So when Helu exploded during spring ball, it was comforting to this fan's eye to have the added depth, but to see him listed as sharing the RB1 duties most definitely surprised me. Helu's quick rise certainly meant Castille's plummet, right? Apparently shedding anywhere from 12-30 pounds gave Q some buoyancy on the depth chart. More than one report I've read this summer has suggested that Castille's svelte figure and the coaching staff's commitment to the running game have ensured that he does not lose any carries from last year.
And that's not even the end of the story. It would be unfair to end this discussion
without throwing Marcus Mendoza's name into the mix. Although Mendoza has always been a burner, he's also been the runt of the running back stable (despite looking like a 36-year old accountant from suburban Houston complete with clear braces and awesome barely there mustache). I had no problem relegating him to special teams until I read about how much he torched the first team offense as a scout teamer last year. I know that doesn't speak highly of our then faded Blackshirts, but he did make the travel squad for two games before Callahan made a wise decision to maintain his redshirt.Not only the depth of this position, but the variety of skill sets possessed by these ball carriers will be a key to re-establishing the running game this season.
GET EXCITED!
8. RICKY MOTHERGRABBING HENRY. Shame on me for not being excited for Ricky Henry to make his second attempt at being a Husker. I think intelligence is a virtue for an offensive lineman and when it was unsure if Henry would qualify after his stint at North Dakota College of Science and Football, I was less than indifferent on him joining the team. I was led astray by my own goddamned overanalysis. I overlooked one important difference: BOOK SMARTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOTBALL SMARTS! What an idiot! What's the difference, you ask? Book smarts entail knowing the proper way to use a slide rule. Football smarts, specifically for a lineman, entail using force to put a defender on their ass regardless of your knowledge of the playbook. Ricky M. Henry has football smarts. When Andy Christensen pulled a Christian Peter at the Brass Rail this off season, Nebraska lost a good lineman. Not necessarily great, but Christensen had starts under his belt and was versatile along the line. Ricky Henry, mohawk on head and Copenhagen in lip, is after just two weeks establishing himself as a motivating force on the line and is challenging for a starting position at left guard. I can only imagine it's like seeing Eric Naranjo drive to our middle school football games in full uniform and grinding his cigarette into the grass with his cleats. Scary dude.
GET EXCITED!
7. LINEBACKERS COACH MIKE EKELER. Everything I've heard about this
dude is awesome. Great family man. Loud. Former special teams standout, albeit at k-state. Homegrown. Coached high school as a volunteer. Young. Hell of a recruiter, as evident by his willingness to put a semi-temporary tattoo of Will Compton's name on his shoulder in time for a in-home visit. Handsome. Good sense of humor (he can quote each of the 84 words of Carl Spackler's Dalai Lama soliloquy at will). Sensitive...er, I mean tough. Forgive my man crush. Granted, he has his work cut out for him this year, I can't imagine him being less successful than some of his predecessors (I'm looking in your direction, Mr. Cosgrove). GET EXCITED!
6. RETURN OF THE WALK-ON PROGRAM. Brett Maher should be Ohio University or Colorado State's starting kicker this year. Damon Bechtold would most likely get some field time there as well. But they won't, because they turned down scholarships to walk on at Nebraska.
Good for them. Matt Holt has built himself a home with the number two defense as an outside linebacker. Not bad for a kid who received 0 stars from Rivals and didn't even get a profile with Scout. Also watch for David Pillen, son of Clete, to letter about three times. He's listed as a long snapper and with the top two long snappers gone after this year, he's got three, maybe four letters just waiting for him.GET EXCITED!
5. TWO WHITE GUYS STARTING AT RECEIVER. No other team in the Big XII can claim that. And I'm fine with having our top two guys filling the role of possession receivers. Peterson established himself as a legitimate redzone threat last year with five TD grabs. I bet Pete's cousin will match that number if not nudge it up a bit this year. If Swift successfully catches 41 footballs during games on plays that aren't negated by penalty, then he will be the sole leader of the all-time receptions record at the University of Nebraska. That will put him ahead of Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Rodgers, which if you use the Communicative Property of Addition will reward Nate Swift the 2008 Heisman Trophy. Congratulations, Nate.
GET EXCITED!
4. KHIRY COOPER. Am I the only one who thinks this kid looks like a nephew of Flava Flav, if Flav was just a regular guy from Shreveport?
Reason to be excited about Khiry Cooper #1: Turned down 5th round MLB draft choice money to play sports for the University of Nebraska. This coupled with the fact that he will play baseball for the University of Nebraska collegiate baseball team should lead you to deduce that he is a heck of an athlete. Reason to be excited about Khiry Cooper #2: He will give us our most dangerous return threat since DeJuan Groce (hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio). GET EXCITED!
3. BO PELINI IS UNDEFEATED AS HEAD COACH OF NEBRASKA. Frank Solich's hiring was overshadowed by the fact that Dr. Tom was retiring. Bill Callahan's hiring was mired in the controversy following Solich's firing. Not in my lifetime has a new Nebraska football coach been this widely anticipated and welcomed. I am encouraged by what former players who had never met Pelini have had to say. I like what his current players have to say about him. GET EXCITED!
2. CHALLENGING HOME SCHEDULE.
--Western Michigan is no joke, maybe. Prognosticator Phil Steele has WMU ranked 40th to NU's 43rd. Then again, Athlon has WMU 82, NU 41 and Lindy's has WMU 107 and NU 51. Two years ago, this would be a cupcake, but following a near upset from Ball State at home last year anything can happen.
--San Jose State should be significantly easier, but they are coached by the reputable Dick Tomey.
--New Mexico State could prove hazardous with Hal Mumme's, "F--- it, I'm going deep!" offense led by ball launcher Chase Holbrook, especially with last year's high propensity to suck defense.
--Virginia Tech, now absolutely obliterated by suspensions and injuries, is still Virginia Tech. A winable game, but probably a loss. Big recruiting weekend.
--Missouri will be a challenge, to say the least. But, they haven't won here since any of us have been alive. Not that I'm promoting anything less than the epitome of good sportsmanship, but it would be good to hear Blaine Gabbert booed. You broke my heart, Fredo.
--Baylor should cap off a nice two game winning streak. Yay, winning streaks.
--Kansas will be worse than they were last year. Kansas will not hang 76 points on us. At home. Under Bo Pelini. That, my dear friends, I can assure you.
--Colorado is always a fun game to go to. Whether it's a blowout or not. It always has the feel of a vacation game.
GET EXCITED!
1. DAN TITCHENER COULD BE THE BEST PUNTER IN THE NATION. You would expect something sexier to garner the number one spot, but this isn't a countdown, just a list. He kicks the ball hard and far and where he wants it to go. GET EXCITED!
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football, Punting
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Tunnel Walk: Spring Game
Here it is, Husker fans: where the hype hits the field for the annual Red and White Spring Game.
As you can tell from this blog and other media sources across The Good Life, the excitement for new head coach Bo Pelini is at fever pitch. The same can be said for the Spring Game: with a sell-out and tickets going for $85 at Ticket Express, it's safe to say that people are kind of fired up.
(Side note: Tunnel Walk gives an enthusiastic two middle fingers up to Ticket Express. Don't use them.)
Also with much hype comes...The Tunnel Walk! We know how excited Husker fans get waiting for us to put out the newest edition of The Walk, so the wait is over.
And because the Spring Game is just a glorified practice, we're treating The Tunnel Walk in the same fashion. So temper your expectations, and here we go....
Kickoff Classics: Start Me Up vs. Crazy Train
Assuming you make it into the stadium for kickoff, which can admittedly be daunting, especially if the game starts before noon or after six, either The Rolling Stones’ last big hit ‘Start Me Up’ or Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ will be blaring for some 165-pound orphan to put his boot to the leather prior to kickoff.
While both are seemingly appropriate for such malnourished foot-to-football contact, The Tunnel Walk feels that a tale of the tape needs to be done in order to establish The Official Tunnel Walk Kickoff Anthem.
Motivational Purpose (fans): Start Me Up seems to be approachable for the octogenerarians, and of course the boomers in the stands love the Stones. Crazy Train motivates people to hang themselves. Advantage: Start Me Up
Motivational Purpose (special teamers): The Tunnel Walk seems to feel that most special teamers would be fired up if Enya was played prior to the kickoff, but thankfully for everyone involved it’s not. For sheer make-you-wanna-run-through-a-wall-ability, we gotta give it to The Dark Prince. Advantage: Crazy Train
Guitar Skills: This is not a slight to Keith Richards in the least, as the Tunnel Walk is a huge fan of his licks, particularly on “Tumbling Dice”, “Honkey Tonk Woman”, and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”, but guitarist Randy Rhoads was on the fast track to becoming the greatest metal guitarist in history before he died in a plane crash. Crazy Train is his swan song and signature riff, while Start Me Up is maybe in the top 20 of best Stones’ guitar songs. Advantage: Crazy Train
Extracurricular Activities of Artists: Ozzy Osbourne once bit the head off of a bat, pissed on the Alamo, snorted ants for the hell of it, and tried to kill his wife. All this and he still had time to father two of the most annoying children on the planet. But then there is Keith Richards, who snorted his dad’s ashes, has been banned from entire countries numerous times, arrested for drugs more times than Robert Downey Jr., and fallen out of a tree that he was sitting in for no apparent reason. Throw in the rest of the Stones, and this one is probably no contest. Advantage: Start Me Up
Careers: Ozzy was in Black Sabbath and a bunch of solo stuff, and also had a very popular reality show. The Stones are the fucking Stones. Advantage: Start Me Up
Most Effective at Psyching Opponents Out: Start Me Up kind of fires people up in a non-menacing way, like ‘Pump up the Jam’ without the Techno or ‘Rock and Roll, Part II’ without the pedophilia. Crazy Train tells opponents that their kick returner will be decapitated. Big Advantage: Crazy Train
Originality: Start Me Up gets played at practically every sporting event, and while Crazy Train is hardly obscure, after all, it has been covered (and well) by Tom Jones, The Tunnel Walk feels a little less pervasive. Advantage: Crazy Train
So there you, have it, by a slim 4-3 margin, your winner of the Kickoff Classic: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne, which would certainly get Tom Osborne’s approval.
Top 5 Beers of Spring
1. Sam Adams Boston Lager
2. Blue Moon
3. Old Style
4. Busch Light (perfect for grilling)
5. O’Douls (because Spring is the perfect time to quit drinking, you know, if you were so inclined.
6. Bonus: Top snack of Spring: Cheetos with hot sauce. Seriously.
Other Spring Position Changes of Note, besides Cody Glenn
1. Greg Sharpe to really good play by play guy
2. Steve Pederson to antichrist
3. Iowa State to official Big 12 doormat, replacing Baylor
4. Danny Woodhead to NFL
5. Coach Mike Anderson from also-ran to semi-god of Haymarket Park
Rosey, Don’t Let The Door Hit You In The Ass On The Way Out
Ah, spring. Hope springs eternal, does it not? Indeed.
There’s a lots of reasons for optimism this Husker season. Gone are the no-looking-back-while-defending-the-pass-while-playing-roughly-80-pounds-overweight defense. Gone is Bill Callahan and his inability to fire up a meth head hopped up on a case of Red Bull (and his “too complicated for you!” shit attitude). Gone are Steve Pederson and his North Platte-rep-killing.
This all should be enough. However, there’s one extra treat for you, Husker fan: no more Jim Rose.
Jim Rose and his own special brand of complete insanity and lunacy can be found on 1110 KFAB on their “Good Morning Show.” Thankfully, it will not be gracing the broadcast booth at Memorial Stadium.
In fact, the only thing that concerned us about Rose “leaving” the booth was that the hilarious skits on Unsportsmanlike Conduct would fade away. Well, they haven’t. It’s literally the best of both worlds-situation here, folks.
We were going to do some more on this part of the Tunnel Walk; however, upon beginning to fire up the ol’ Google, we found this. This is the home page for one Jim Rose, who lives in Wickford, RI. It might tip the unintentional comedy scale all the way past 10. It will take you about 3 minutes to look at everything on his site, so make sure to do so. You’ll be happy you did.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Adrian Fiala!
Prediction
Prediction time! Considering it is impossible to predict the final score of a inter-squad practice, we will say this: Tunnel Walk is a pretty big fan of Coach Pelini splitting the teams up equally. It should be a lot of fun to watch, and we think there will be a lot of pent up aggressiveness on display after 4 years of Cosgrove systematically ripping these players' will to live away.
So who wins? You, Husker fan. Enjoy watching your beloved Cornhuskers take the field with some pride once again.
See you in the fall.
As you can tell from this blog and other media sources across The Good Life, the excitement for new head coach Bo Pelini is at fever pitch. The same can be said for the Spring Game: with a sell-out and tickets going for $85 at Ticket Express, it's safe to say that people are kind of fired up.
(Side note: Tunnel Walk gives an enthusiastic two middle fingers up to Ticket Express. Don't use them.)
Also with much hype comes...The Tunnel Walk! We know how excited Husker fans get waiting for us to put out the newest edition of The Walk, so the wait is over.
And because the Spring Game is just a glorified practice, we're treating The Tunnel Walk in the same fashion. So temper your expectations, and here we go....
Kickoff Classics: Start Me Up vs. Crazy Train
Assuming you make it into the stadium for kickoff, which can admittedly be daunting, especially if the game starts before noon or after six, either The Rolling Stones’ last big hit ‘Start Me Up’ or Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ will be blaring for some 165-pound orphan to put his boot to the leather prior to kickoff.
While both are seemingly appropriate for such malnourished foot-to-football contact, The Tunnel Walk feels that a tale of the tape needs to be done in order to establish The Official Tunnel Walk Kickoff Anthem.
Motivational Purpose (fans): Start Me Up seems to be approachable for the octogenerarians, and of course the boomers in the stands love the Stones. Crazy Train motivates people to hang themselves. Advantage: Start Me Up
Motivational Purpose (special teamers): The Tunnel Walk seems to feel that most special teamers would be fired up if Enya was played prior to the kickoff, but thankfully for everyone involved it’s not. For sheer make-you-wanna-run-through-a-wall-ability, we gotta give it to The Dark Prince. Advantage: Crazy Train
Guitar Skills: This is not a slight to Keith Richards in the least, as the Tunnel Walk is a huge fan of his licks, particularly on “Tumbling Dice”, “Honkey Tonk Woman”, and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”, but guitarist Randy Rhoads was on the fast track to becoming the greatest metal guitarist in history before he died in a plane crash. Crazy Train is his swan song and signature riff, while Start Me Up is maybe in the top 20 of best Stones’ guitar songs. Advantage: Crazy Train
Extracurricular Activities of Artists: Ozzy Osbourne once bit the head off of a bat, pissed on the Alamo, snorted ants for the hell of it, and tried to kill his wife. All this and he still had time to father two of the most annoying children on the planet. But then there is Keith Richards, who snorted his dad’s ashes, has been banned from entire countries numerous times, arrested for drugs more times than Robert Downey Jr., and fallen out of a tree that he was sitting in for no apparent reason. Throw in the rest of the Stones, and this one is probably no contest. Advantage: Start Me Up
Careers: Ozzy was in Black Sabbath and a bunch of solo stuff, and also had a very popular reality show. The Stones are the fucking Stones. Advantage: Start Me Up
Most Effective at Psyching Opponents Out: Start Me Up kind of fires people up in a non-menacing way, like ‘Pump up the Jam’ without the Techno or ‘Rock and Roll, Part II’ without the pedophilia. Crazy Train tells opponents that their kick returner will be decapitated. Big Advantage: Crazy Train
Originality: Start Me Up gets played at practically every sporting event, and while Crazy Train is hardly obscure, after all, it has been covered (and well) by Tom Jones, The Tunnel Walk feels a little less pervasive. Advantage: Crazy Train
So there you, have it, by a slim 4-3 margin, your winner of the Kickoff Classic: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne, which would certainly get Tom Osborne’s approval.
Top 5 Beers of Spring
1. Sam Adams Boston Lager
2. Blue Moon
3. Old Style
4. Busch Light (perfect for grilling)
5. O’Douls (because Spring is the perfect time to quit drinking, you know, if you were so inclined.
6. Bonus: Top snack of Spring: Cheetos with hot sauce. Seriously.
Other Spring Position Changes of Note, besides Cody Glenn
1. Greg Sharpe to really good play by play guy
2. Steve Pederson to antichrist
3. Iowa State to official Big 12 doormat, replacing Baylor
4. Danny Woodhead to NFL
5. Coach Mike Anderson from also-ran to semi-god of Haymarket Park
Rosey, Don’t Let The Door Hit You In The Ass On The Way Out
Ah, spring. Hope springs eternal, does it not? Indeed.
There’s a lots of reasons for optimism this Husker season. Gone are the no-looking-back-while-defending-the-pass-while-playing-roughly-80-pounds-overweight defense. Gone is Bill Callahan and his inability to fire up a meth head hopped up on a case of Red Bull (and his “too complicated for you!” shit attitude). Gone are Steve Pederson and his North Platte-rep-killing.
This all should be enough. However, there’s one extra treat for you, Husker fan: no more Jim Rose.
Jim Rose and his own special brand of complete insanity and lunacy can be found on 1110 KFAB on their “Good Morning Show.” Thankfully, it will not be gracing the broadcast booth at Memorial Stadium.
In fact, the only thing that concerned us about Rose “leaving” the booth was that the hilarious skits on Unsportsmanlike Conduct would fade away. Well, they haven’t. It’s literally the best of both worlds-situation here, folks.
We were going to do some more on this part of the Tunnel Walk; however, upon beginning to fire up the ol’ Google, we found this. This is the home page for one Jim Rose, who lives in Wickford, RI. It might tip the unintentional comedy scale all the way past 10. It will take you about 3 minutes to look at everything on his site, so make sure to do so. You’ll be happy you did.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Adrian Fiala!
Prediction
Prediction time! Considering it is impossible to predict the final score of a inter-squad practice, we will say this: Tunnel Walk is a pretty big fan of Coach Pelini splitting the teams up equally. It should be a lot of fun to watch, and we think there will be a lot of pent up aggressiveness on display after 4 years of Cosgrove systematically ripping these players' will to live away.
So who wins? You, Husker fan. Enjoy watching your beloved Cornhuskers take the field with some pride once again.
See you in the fall.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nebraska Football, Spring Game, The Tunnel Walk
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
In Defense of Kool-Aid Drinking Husker Optimism...
So apparently I wasn't paying attention to blog traffic lately (or apparently the comments), but this post about a former Husker--who played in 3 national championships, no less--is saying that "he wouldn't be surprised" to see Nebraska in a BCS game this season.
I saw that this post was linked here, here, here, and here. Apparently some don't share in the optimism (although some do).
First of all, I totally get that. I believed and believed and believed until my belief turned blue the past 3 years or so with Callahan. Every year was "the year," every year was going to be better, blah blah blah. So for a Husker fan to start pounding his chest talking about how great of a year it's going to be does seem a bit...desperate. Totally understand.
However, there are legitimate reasons to ignore those feelings of betrayal and to go ahead and hook back up with that cheating girlfriend/boyfriend that is overhyping the Huskers in the spring.
1. Talent. Talent. Talent. So much of this coaching/AD/philosphy change (er, change back) has been talked about, you all know all the talking points. But the big one is recruiting. How many times have you heard "we don't care about stars, we'll know a good football player when we see him"-type quote over the past few months? 1,000? 10,000? I certainly agree that Callahan lived and died off of star ratings on Rivals, which is ridiculous.
However, it should not be overlooked. When you look at the Rivals' team rankings over the past few years, it matches up with the top 25 pretty well:
USC - Top 5 recruiting class past 5 years
LSU - Top 10 recruiting class 4 of 5 years
Florida - Top 10 recruiting class 4 of 5 years
Georgia - Top 10 class 6 straight years
Texas - Top 10 6 straight years
OU - Top 10 4 of 5 years
And on and on. You get the point. Or do you? What's the point again? Oh, I remember: Nebraska has had a top 20 recruiting class the past 4 or 5 straight years. Now, I know this is confusing. You're saying to yourself "well, we sure as shit didn't have a top 20 team in any of those years." And you're right. However, there's a reason for that--none of the young talent got to play.
As has been my completely unfounded theory, Vrzal told me after seeing several practices so far this season "you would not believe the talent that has just been wasting away down there the past few years." I don't need to go on; I already typed about this in the first post. The fact is, however, that there is a ton of talent on this team that just never was A) Used, B) Motivated, C) Developed.
By all accounts, Bo Pelini and his staff A) use everybody as much as possible, whether that's at their "natural" position or not, B) motivates like few others do, and C) have a track record of developing talent.
The biggest thing in my opinion, however, was where the info was coming from. For anyone that has talked football with Vrz, they know that he is always from the "hope for the best, but expect the worst" camp--particularly the past few years. I remember specifically last year when everyone was fired up about the upcoming season, he predicted they'd be lucky to win 7. And this wasn't a Callahan thing; he has never predicted the Huskers would be better than an 8-win team since I've known him (circa 2000).
On top of that, the guy knows what a great team looks like. I mean, the guy played on the best team in the history of college football. He practiced against the best players in the nation every day for 5 years. I believe this is why he was never high on big Husker predictions; I mean, what's going to impress you when you've lived/played/seen the best?
So for him to talk this highly about a team with a guy who has never been a head coach in his first year HAS to tell you how great the team looks already.
I think when you couple this with every interview you read/hear from a current Husker--all the "we actually look forward to practice" quotes, and you hear how excited these guys are to play for this staff and to make up for last year...if there's as much talent on this team as I believe there to be, finally matched up with coaches that understand college football and have a penchant for coaching up their players, why would it be so crazy to think this team can win a lot of ball games and sneak into a BCS game?
I could cite a bunch of other things here, but what it comes down to is this: if you continue the success of the offense had once Ganz became quarterback, and add to it a radically improved defense, you should easily see a Top 20 team. Think about it: the Ganz-run offense AVERAGED 54 points a game. 54! They scored 39 on one of the best defenses in the country last year. So if Bo can just get his defense to only give up 4 or 5 touchdowns--which is insane and I do not think that will happen, it will be better--we should win most of the games we play.
So, jilted lovers that are Nebraska fans, I understand your trepidition. And I understand that people who think that the Huskers will win 9 or 10 are out of touch and are reminded "this ain't the '90's anymore, you suck!" However, I humbily submit to you the post above.
I think the Huskers will shock the world and be a legitimate Top 20 or higher in 2008.
I saw that this post was linked here, here, here, and here. Apparently some don't share in the optimism (although some do).
First of all, I totally get that. I believed and believed and believed until my belief turned blue the past 3 years or so with Callahan. Every year was "the year," every year was going to be better, blah blah blah. So for a Husker fan to start pounding his chest talking about how great of a year it's going to be does seem a bit...desperate. Totally understand.
However, there are legitimate reasons to ignore those feelings of betrayal and to go ahead and hook back up with that cheating girlfriend/boyfriend that is overhyping the Huskers in the spring.
1. Talent. Talent. Talent. So much of this coaching/AD/philosphy change (er, change back) has been talked about, you all know all the talking points. But the big one is recruiting. How many times have you heard "we don't care about stars, we'll know a good football player when we see him"-type quote over the past few months? 1,000? 10,000? I certainly agree that Callahan lived and died off of star ratings on Rivals, which is ridiculous.
However, it should not be overlooked. When you look at the Rivals' team rankings over the past few years, it matches up with the top 25 pretty well:
USC - Top 5 recruiting class past 5 years
LSU - Top 10 recruiting class 4 of 5 years
Florida - Top 10 recruiting class 4 of 5 years
Georgia - Top 10 class 6 straight years
Texas - Top 10 6 straight years
OU - Top 10 4 of 5 years
And on and on. You get the point. Or do you? What's the point again? Oh, I remember: Nebraska has had a top 20 recruiting class the past 4 or 5 straight years. Now, I know this is confusing. You're saying to yourself "well, we sure as shit didn't have a top 20 team in any of those years." And you're right. However, there's a reason for that--none of the young talent got to play.
As has been my completely unfounded theory, Vrzal told me after seeing several practices so far this season "you would not believe the talent that has just been wasting away down there the past few years." I don't need to go on; I already typed about this in the first post. The fact is, however, that there is a ton of talent on this team that just never was A) Used, B) Motivated, C) Developed.
By all accounts, Bo Pelini and his staff A) use everybody as much as possible, whether that's at their "natural" position or not, B) motivates like few others do, and C) have a track record of developing talent.
The biggest thing in my opinion, however, was where the info was coming from. For anyone that has talked football with Vrz, they know that he is always from the "hope for the best, but expect the worst" camp--particularly the past few years. I remember specifically last year when everyone was fired up about the upcoming season, he predicted they'd be lucky to win 7. And this wasn't a Callahan thing; he has never predicted the Huskers would be better than an 8-win team since I've known him (circa 2000).
On top of that, the guy knows what a great team looks like. I mean, the guy played on the best team in the history of college football. He practiced against the best players in the nation every day for 5 years. I believe this is why he was never high on big Husker predictions; I mean, what's going to impress you when you've lived/played/seen the best?
So for him to talk this highly about a team with a guy who has never been a head coach in his first year HAS to tell you how great the team looks already.
I think when you couple this with every interview you read/hear from a current Husker--all the "we actually look forward to practice" quotes, and you hear how excited these guys are to play for this staff and to make up for last year...if there's as much talent on this team as I believe there to be, finally matched up with coaches that understand college football and have a penchant for coaching up their players, why would it be so crazy to think this team can win a lot of ball games and sneak into a BCS game?
I could cite a bunch of other things here, but what it comes down to is this: if you continue the success of the offense had once Ganz became quarterback, and add to it a radically improved defense, you should easily see a Top 20 team. Think about it: the Ganz-run offense AVERAGED 54 points a game. 54! They scored 39 on one of the best defenses in the country last year. So if Bo can just get his defense to only give up 4 or 5 touchdowns--which is insane and I do not think that will happen, it will be better--we should win most of the games we play.
So, jilted lovers that are Nebraska fans, I understand your trepidition. And I understand that people who think that the Huskers will win 9 or 10 are out of touch and are reminded "this ain't the '90's anymore, you suck!" However, I humbily submit to you the post above.
I think the Huskers will shock the world and be a legitimate Top 20 or higher in 2008.
Labels: Behind Enemy Lines, Bo Pelini, Corn Nation, Nebraska Football
Friday, April 04, 2008
Former Player: "Don't be surprised to see the Huskers in a BCS bowl game"
Last night I got the chance to hang out with one of Heavy Soul's favorite former Husker walk-ons/bar proprietors Matt Vrzal after he filled in for Matt Hoskinson on his and Joel Mackovicka's Husker radio show on 1620 The Zone. As I was driving out to the Icehouse (where their show does their live broadcast), Vrz had this to say (and I apologize if this is even the slightest bit off, but like I said, I was driving):
"I'm going to go on record here and say this: don't be surprised to see the Huskers in a BCS bowl game. I'm not saying they're playing for the National Championship. But I would not be surprised to see them make a BCS game."
Naturally, I was very surprised by this. For one, Vrz has never been a shiny optimist when it comes to Husker predictions. In fact, when everyone was trying like hell to buy into the Callahan era and were predicting big things last season, he was one who said we'd be lucky to win 7. So I asked him about his bold prediction when I got there, and he had this to say:
"Fratty, I'm telling you, I would not be surprised. There is so much talent on that team it is scary. I've been to a bunch of practices, and there is some SERIOUS talent on that team. And the coaches are legit."
Now, that was not a direct quote whatsoever, but that was the gist of it. He also echoed much of what has already been said, but that because practices were so much like NFL practices, there was just tons of talent rotting on the bench as no one that wasn't at least 2nd string really got any reps under Callahan-run practices.
So there you are, Husker fan. Throw trepidation and cautious optimism to the wind! It's going to be a great year!
"I'm going to go on record here and say this: don't be surprised to see the Huskers in a BCS bowl game. I'm not saying they're playing for the National Championship. But I would not be surprised to see them make a BCS game."
Naturally, I was very surprised by this. For one, Vrz has never been a shiny optimist when it comes to Husker predictions. In fact, when everyone was trying like hell to buy into the Callahan era and were predicting big things last season, he was one who said we'd be lucky to win 7. So I asked him about his bold prediction when I got there, and he had this to say:
"Fratty, I'm telling you, I would not be surprised. There is so much talent on that team it is scary. I've been to a bunch of practices, and there is some SERIOUS talent on that team. And the coaches are legit."
Now, that was not a direct quote whatsoever, but that was the gist of it. He also echoed much of what has already been said, but that because practices were so much like NFL practices, there was just tons of talent rotting on the bench as no one that wasn't at least 2nd string really got any reps under Callahan-run practices.
So there you are, Husker fan. Throw trepidation and cautious optimism to the wind! It's going to be a great year!
Labels: 2008 is gonna be great, Bo Pelini, Matt Vrzal, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nebraska Football
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Breaking News: Callahan Was Not A Great Teacher
Interesting--albeit not surprising--article in the World-Herald today (and we can actually link to it!):
Practices under Bill Callahan were way too complicated and no one really taught anyone anything.
Stunning, I know. But I do believe that this kind of article is going to be the norm as the players get used to "the good life" with Bo Pelini and staff. Some excerpts:
The most infuriating:
And on and on.
Again, this is not too surprising. But I do believe that the philosophy of Coach Pelini and staff of "well if they don't get it, we do it again tomorrow," rather than "whoever gets it plays, and whoever doesn't get it we'll address in a meeting room, and assume it will sink in that way."
Yeah...because as everyone knows, the only way to get better at a task is to watch film and read about it rather than practice it.
Welcome, Spring practice starting today with a new staff! I sincerely believe it is going to be a totally different team and year. There's a ton of talent that rotted on the bench last year, apparently because they couldn't do monotonous drills exactly the right way. Not to mention guys were waaaaaay too heavy and slow--I've seen it reported that Zach Potter and Barry Turner are both about 30 pounds lighter than they were last year.
This team is going to fly around the field and force turnovers on defense, and we've got an offensive coordinator that builds his offense around his talent, not his ego. It's going to be a fun year, Husker fan.
Practices under Bill Callahan were way too complicated and no one really taught anyone anything.
Stunning, I know. But I do believe that this kind of article is going to be the norm as the players get used to "the good life" with Bo Pelini and staff. Some excerpts:
The most infuriating:
"Coaches weren't really in teaching mode," safety Larry Asante said.
So whoever understood the information, Asante said, "that's the guy who played."
"There were guys out there lost."...
The problem, Swift said, wasn't so much the volume of material, but how coaches waited until film-room sessions to point out mistakes and answer questions from the previous night's practice.
"You had to watch film (of practice) and kind of correct while you were watching," Swift said. "With the younger guys learning the system, I think it's definitely helpful to correct them right on the spot."
And on and on.
Again, this is not too surprising. But I do believe that the philosophy of Coach Pelini and staff of "well if they don't get it, we do it again tomorrow," rather than "whoever gets it plays, and whoever doesn't get it we'll address in a meeting room, and assume it will sink in that way."
Yeah...because as everyone knows, the only way to get better at a task is to watch film and read about it rather than practice it.
Welcome, Spring practice starting today with a new staff! I sincerely believe it is going to be a totally different team and year. There's a ton of talent that rotted on the bench last year, apparently because they couldn't do monotonous drills exactly the right way. Not to mention guys were waaaaaay too heavy and slow--I've seen it reported that Zach Potter and Barry Turner are both about 30 pounds lighter than they were last year.
This team is going to fly around the field and force turnovers on defense, and we've got an offensive coordinator that builds his offense around his talent, not his ego. It's going to be a fun year, Husker fan.
Labels: Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nebraska Football
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The New York Times Loves Nebraska
...and people love the stories.
Right now, a feature the NY Times did on a recent speaking event for Bo Pelini/Tom Osborne out in Grand Island is the Time's most e-mailed sports story. And they even did another audio slide show, their second Nebraska-themed since November (we linked the one on Nebraska polka here). Good stuff.
Check it out.
Right now, a feature the NY Times did on a recent speaking event for Bo Pelini/Tom Osborne out in Grand Island is the Time's most e-mailed sports story. And they even did another audio slide show, their second Nebraska-themed since November (we linked the one on Nebraska polka here). Good stuff.
Check it out.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football, New York Times, Polka Your Eyes Out (c) Weird Al Yankovic, Tom Osborne
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Drunk In Omaha: Your Sunday Night Links
I thought we could start out the Sunday Night Links with a revisit of one of our most-discussed topics: "Omaha has to be one of the drunkest cities in America, right?" Well, it has finally been answered in a quantifiable manner. And the result?
Yes. Yes it certainly is.
Currently on Men's Health website, they compiled all sorts of data and came up with "America's Drunkest Cities." Here are the Top Ten (er, I guess it could be "Bottom Ten" depending on your outlook):
1. Denver, CO, Overall Score: 100
2. Anchorage, AK, 99
3. Colorado Springs, CO, 98
4. Omaha, NE, 97
5. Fargo, ND, 96
6. San Antonio, TX, 95
7. Austin, TX, 94
8. Fresno, CA, 93
9. Lubbock, TX, 92
10. Milwaukee, WI, 91
Lewis Black once said that Milwaukee is the "drunkest city on the planet." Well not this year, Milwaukee! O! what a city! Other notables:
-Lincoln, NE, 56 (with a 95 rating in binge drinking--shocker).
-Des Moines, IA, 54
-Chicago, IL, 62
-Kansas City, MO, 33
There are also other lists like this one on the MH website, including one called "Is Your City A Debt Trap?" Apparently Lincoln is the 6th-most fiscally-responsible city in America, with the least credit card debt in America and the lowest debt-to-limit ratio in America.
How is this possible? I know, like, 5 people who left Lincoln debt-free. I suppose that they only count permanent residents in this, but then again, I don't think Lincoln would have a 95 on the binge-drinking scale if that were the case.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, would you like to guess what city is the highest? Total shocker: Las Vegas. (Of course we want casinos legalized in Nebraska! They'd be great for the economy!)
On to the links....
--A nice story about Daytrotter, a music studio in the Quad Cities (Rock Island, IL specifically) that is more and more becoming a must-stop for touring musicians to stop by and drop a few tracks. Plus, the story mentions Omaha. It's pretty clear that the Tribune was simply trying to get linked to Heavy Soul to drive up traffic! Well, it worked, Tribune. Now go sell the Cubs to someone who will give a shit, please.
--For myself, this year's Super Bowl is the "well, at least I get to drink beer and make kick-ass chili on a Sunday Bowl." I certainly don't like either team, but they have their redeeming qualities: The Giants road unis are probably a top-3 uni in all of sports; The Pats will hopefully forever banish the 1972 Dolphins and their incredibly overrated coach from studio shows' discussion when some team goes 7-0 to start the season.
However, I came across this story from the Boston Herald via Awful Announcing. Some highlights:
Likewise, 72 percent of Pats fans live in homes worth north of $200,000, compared to 63 percent of Giants yahoos, the Nielsen data show.
Pats fans consistently show better taste than their Gotham counterparts, according to Nielsen.
"Unless you're rich, you drink really overrated beer, read Wine fucking Spectator, only eat organic foods, and drive a Volvo, you're a shitty person. And a loser." Also, and just for the record--here are the prices for 2008 models of the vehicles she mentioned:
Land Rover LR2: $36,819
BMW X3: $41,917
Lexus GX: $47,580 (and P.S., the most expensive Lexus was a lot more expensive than the most pricey Land Rover)
Volvo XC90: $48,132
Understated indeed. I hope $48k will buy you a "sturdy" car.
What a bitch.
-Will Lietch (editor of Deadspin) released a book this week called "God Save The Fan: really long rest of the title." I'm reviewing it for The Reader as we speak. 80 pages or so into it: I give it a really solid "A." It is formatted just like a Klosterman book, and is consistently really funny/thought-provoking. I'd highly recommend it.
-Speaking of Klosterman, he apparently whipped up a eTicket entry about the Patriots and how "perfect" they are for ESPN. It is typical Klosterman, where he takes something he likes and explains the reasons for doing so, then ends the column hoping for the worst outcome for them. I love me some Chuck Klosterman, I really do.
-Here's an article basically saying that the hiring of Tim Beck to Nebraska's staff has saved recruiting in 2008. Three new committs this weekend!
-In further Bo Pelini hiring hoopla, Sipple has a nice column about the sometimes forgotten aspect of Bo's career: he's coached in some big damned games, and has kicked ass while doing so. I really think we might have lucked out here, fellow Husker fans.
-A very good interview with Spin's "Entertainer of the Year," Kanye West.
-Here's your libertarian highlight of the week: Dr. Ron Paul on foreign entanglements: "The Ties That Strangle." The essay summary is "Our founding fathers knew a better way to talk with our neighbors, do honest business with them, cultivate friendship, allow travel and open communication. We should neither initiate violence, nor take sides in conflicts that are none of our business." Just common sense platforms in the vein of our Founding Fathers. Join the revolution!
That's all I've got in me for tonight. I might try to find some more tomorrow morning. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Yes. Yes it certainly is.
Currently on Men's Health website, they compiled all sorts of data and came up with "America's Drunkest Cities." Here are the Top Ten (er, I guess it could be "Bottom Ten" depending on your outlook):
1. Denver, CO, Overall Score: 100
2. Anchorage, AK, 99
3. Colorado Springs, CO, 98
4. Omaha, NE, 97
5. Fargo, ND, 96
6. San Antonio, TX, 95
7. Austin, TX, 94
8. Fresno, CA, 93
9. Lubbock, TX, 92
10. Milwaukee, WI, 91
Lewis Black once said that Milwaukee is the "drunkest city on the planet." Well not this year, Milwaukee! O! what a city! Other notables:
-Lincoln, NE, 56 (with a 95 rating in binge drinking--shocker).
-Des Moines, IA, 54
-Chicago, IL, 62
-Kansas City, MO, 33
There are also other lists like this one on the MH website, including one called "Is Your City A Debt Trap?" Apparently Lincoln is the 6th-most fiscally-responsible city in America, with the least credit card debt in America and the lowest debt-to-limit ratio in America.
How is this possible? I know, like, 5 people who left Lincoln debt-free. I suppose that they only count permanent residents in this, but then again, I don't think Lincoln would have a 95 on the binge-drinking scale if that were the case.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, would you like to guess what city is the highest? Total shocker: Las Vegas. (Of course we want casinos legalized in Nebraska! They'd be great for the economy!)
On to the links....
--A nice story about Daytrotter, a music studio in the Quad Cities (Rock Island, IL specifically) that is more and more becoming a must-stop for touring musicians to stop by and drop a few tracks. Plus, the story mentions Omaha. It's pretty clear that the Tribune was simply trying to get linked to Heavy Soul to drive up traffic! Well, it worked, Tribune. Now go sell the Cubs to someone who will give a shit, please.
--For myself, this year's Super Bowl is the "well, at least I get to drink beer and make kick-ass chili on a Sunday Bowl." I certainly don't like either team, but they have their redeeming qualities: The Giants road unis are probably a top-3 uni in all of sports; The Pats will hopefully forever banish the 1972 Dolphins and their incredibly overrated coach from studio shows' discussion when some team goes 7-0 to start the season.
However, I came across this story from the Boston Herald via Awful Announcing. Some highlights:
Likewise, 72 percent of Pats fans live in homes worth north of $200,000, compared to 63 percent of Giants yahoos, the Nielsen data show.
Pats fans consistently show better taste than their Gotham counterparts, according to Nielsen.
We drink Amstel Light, not Bud Light. Giants fans slug back lots of whiskey.
We are likely to read connoisseur magazines like Wine Spectator. Gotham fans like to pig out on junk food like pretzels, chips and nuts. They’re also less likely to favor organic food than other New Yorkers.
Giants tailgaters are conspicuous consumers who party off the backs of Land Rovers and showy BMW SUVs. Pats fans are more likely to tailgate off the back of an understated Lexus or a sturdy Volvo SUV.
Holy shit. I don't even know where to go with this this. Basically, Ms. Heslam says of not just Giants' fans, but of everyone:"Unless you're rich, you drink really overrated beer, read Wine fucking Spectator, only eat organic foods, and drive a Volvo, you're a shitty person. And a loser." Also, and just for the record--here are the prices for 2008 models of the vehicles she mentioned:
Land Rover LR2: $36,819
BMW X3: $41,917
Lexus GX: $47,580 (and P.S., the most expensive Lexus was a lot more expensive than the most pricey Land Rover)
Volvo XC90: $48,132
Understated indeed. I hope $48k will buy you a "sturdy" car.
What a bitch.
-Will Lietch (editor of Deadspin) released a book this week called "God Save The Fan: really long rest of the title." I'm reviewing it for The Reader as we speak. 80 pages or so into it: I give it a really solid "A." It is formatted just like a Klosterman book, and is consistently really funny/thought-provoking. I'd highly recommend it.
-Speaking of Klosterman, he apparently whipped up a eTicket entry about the Patriots and how "perfect" they are for ESPN. It is typical Klosterman, where he takes something he likes and explains the reasons for doing so, then ends the column hoping for the worst outcome for them. I love me some Chuck Klosterman, I really do.
-Here's an article basically saying that the hiring of Tim Beck to Nebraska's staff has saved recruiting in 2008. Three new committs this weekend!
-In further Bo Pelini hiring hoopla, Sipple has a nice column about the sometimes forgotten aspect of Bo's career: he's coached in some big damned games, and has kicked ass while doing so. I really think we might have lucked out here, fellow Husker fans.
-A very good interview with Spin's "Entertainer of the Year," Kanye West.
-Here's your libertarian highlight of the week: Dr. Ron Paul on foreign entanglements: "The Ties That Strangle." The essay summary is "Our founding fathers knew a better way to talk with our neighbors, do honest business with them, cultivate friendship, allow travel and open communication. We should neither initiate violence, nor take sides in conflicts that are none of our business." Just common sense platforms in the vein of our Founding Fathers. Join the revolution!
That's all I've got in me for tonight. I might try to find some more tomorrow morning. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Labels: Bo Pelini, Boston is becoming exponentionally annoying, Daytrotter, Deadspin, drinking, Kanye West, Nebraska Football, Omaha, Ron Paul, Will Leitch
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Nebraska Recruiting / Shawn Watson Update
**UPDATE** The Lincoln Journal-Star (via the "Life In The Red" blog, which we mentioned was really good earlier this week) is reporting that Shawn Watson has turned down an offer to become Alabama's Offensive Coordinator. I am sure this was quite tempting from a monetary standpoint--it is reported that Nick Saban will pay his OC in the neighborhood of $400K, or almost double what Watson is making. This is fantastic news, friends. Landing Will Compton is good news and all, but Watson sticking around as OC next year is much bigger--in my opinion, anyway. I'm really getting excited about 2008...
So 4-star Missouri recruit Will Compton is supposed to announce his final choice for where he will be playing football at today. Compton originally committed to the Huskers under Bill Callahan, but since he got fired, he has been taking official visits elsewhere.
Word around the campfire is that Compton will be sticking with his Nebraska pledge. While I don't think he is the defensive messiah that people on message boards apparently do, it is a big pledge because it takes him away from Mizzou. Not to mention he was being recruited by big-time names like Notre Dame and Michigan.
It seems as though Bo Pelini's staff has weathered the storm of decommitts that started right after Bo was hired to come back strong on some guys, not to mention bring some guys into the fold that were not being really recruited before.
Here's to another strong recruit, and many more to come!
So 4-star Missouri recruit Will Compton is supposed to announce his final choice for where he will be playing football at today. Compton originally committed to the Huskers under Bill Callahan, but since he got fired, he has been taking official visits elsewhere.
Word around the campfire is that Compton will be sticking with his Nebraska pledge. While I don't think he is the defensive messiah that people on message boards apparently do, it is a big pledge because it takes him away from Mizzou. Not to mention he was being recruited by big-time names like Notre Dame and Michigan.
It seems as though Bo Pelini's staff has weathered the storm of decommitts that started right after Bo was hired to come back strong on some guys, not to mention bring some guys into the fold that were not being really recruited before.
Here's to another strong recruit, and many more to come!
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Will Compton
Friday, December 14, 2007
Lucky Going Pro?
Bo Pelini in an interview with the Lincoln Journal-Star today said that Marlon Lucky is indeed turning in pre-draft paperwork for the NFL Draft:
Pelini said he'll help Lucky submit paperwork to the NFL College Advisory Committee, a group that helps underclassmen gauge their draft status. Pelini said he'll advise Lucky during the process, but that the final decision is Lucky's.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Jan. 15.
Pelini's opinion?
"That's between me and him," Pelini said. "But I do know this: Unless you are a first-round draft pick, you should come back."
Good for Pelini for telling him like it is. I think this is some of the Bo Pelini honesty you always hear about that endears his players to him. I hope Marlon takes heed to his advice. We could certainly use him for one more year.
That said, I'm not surprised at all, really.
What do you think about this?
Labels: Bo Pelini, Marlon Lucky, Nebraska Cornhuskers, You Really Think You Should Do That?
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Looking More and More Sure
The Omaha World-Herald and ESPN are reporting that Bo Pelini is the pick (just a few days after it was reported on Heavy Soul..suck it, World-Herald!).
The Lincoln Journal Star doesn't seem totally convinced yet.
Pelini and Tom Osborne don't seem to have conceded it to be true, either. I'm sure it is a 99% done deal situation we're dealing with, but something doesn't seem totally right yet, if that makes sense.
But I'm going to go ahead and say "welcome" to Bo Pelini and his family. Here's to you bringing us back to glory!
P.S.: In fairly unrelated news, apparently Les Miles is about to announce that he's actually staying at LSU, and he reportedly signed an extension sometime today. I am pretty shocked by this decision--you think he maybe had a contact at Michigan who told him that he might not get the job? So he's acting like a hero by announcing he's staying at LSU? I think that there is something to that story there...
The Lincoln Journal Star doesn't seem totally convinced yet.
Pelini and Tom Osborne don't seem to have conceded it to be true, either. I'm sure it is a 99% done deal situation we're dealing with, but something doesn't seem totally right yet, if that makes sense.
But I'm going to go ahead and say "welcome" to Bo Pelini and his family. Here's to you bringing us back to glory!
P.S.: In fairly unrelated news, apparently Les Miles is about to announce that he's actually staying at LSU, and he reportedly signed an extension sometime today. I am pretty shocked by this decision--you think he maybe had a contact at Michigan who told him that he might not get the job? So he's acting like a hero by announcing he's staying at LSU? I think that there is something to that story there...
Labels: Bo Pelini, Les Miles, Lincoln Journal Star, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska Football Coaching Search, Omaha World-Herald, Tom Osborne
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wish list candidates
Four years ago, Cal's Jeff Tedford was a bit of a hot name. The Detroit Free Press' Michael Rosenberg thinks he's a very viable candidate for the opening in Ann Arbor. Why not here?
And for the love of technology, would someone teach me how to link this properly. I'm trying to add a little professionalism here.
EDIT: There you go, big cat.
And for the love of technology, would someone teach me how to link this properly. I'm trying to add a little professionalism here.
EDIT: There you go, big cat.
Labels: Bo Pelini, Coaching Search, Nebraska Football Coaching Search, Suck it Creighton
Welcome
Just as a quick note to all of the people coming over from different message boards. If you just want to skip down to the good stuff, scroll down to the two posts directly below this one.
First of all, Heavy Soul is a blog written by a bunch of native Nebraskans, living in and out of state, discussing sports, music, pop culture, politics, etc. It's usually all for entertainment.
However, in the case of the coaching search, we do indeed have legit sources, and have been posted about it. We're excited to see so many people check out Heavy Soul--feel free to check out the archives and see just how many man hours that have been wasted by the several contributers to this site for (usually) each other's entertainment (and sometimes the readers of Deadspin and other sports sites, as well). We've been doing it since January 2005, so you've got some reading to do.
Thanks again for stopping by, and keep checking back--we'll update the second we get anything new to pass along.
--Heavy Soul
First of all, Heavy Soul is a blog written by a bunch of native Nebraskans, living in and out of state, discussing sports, music, pop culture, politics, etc. It's usually all for entertainment.
However, in the case of the coaching search, we do indeed have legit sources, and have been posted about it. We're excited to see so many people check out Heavy Soul--feel free to check out the archives and see just how many man hours that have been wasted by the several contributers to this site for (usually) each other's entertainment (and sometimes the readers of Deadspin and other sports sites, as well). We've been doing it since January 2005, so you've got some reading to do.
Thanks again for stopping by, and keep checking back--we'll update the second we get anything new to pass along.
--Heavy Soul
Labels: Awesomeness, Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football, Nebraska Football Coaching Search, Tom Osborne
Short Update...And A Bit More Of The Same
EDIT: From ESPN.com:
According to a source with knowledge of the search, Nebraska has whittled its candidate pool to two people and is close to announcing a new coach. Speculation centers on Buffalo coach Turner Gill as the leading candidate to replace Bill Callahan. A source close to Wake Forest indicated that coach Jim Grobe interviewed with Nebraska in Atlanta on Nov. 26. The source thinks Grobe has a good shot at the job. Apparently, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini didn't knock A.D. Tom Osborne's socks off during the interview and doesn't feel good about it. The school will also interview Brian Kelly from Cincinnati and perhaps TCU's Gary Patterson.
This is not vibing with what we're hearing, obviously. We trust our contact quite a bit, so it means (obviously) one of two things: our contact is being misled, which we doubt, or ESPN is purposely being misled. Although I have personally always thought Turner Gill would get the nod, Heavy Soul is sticking with our source on this one.
Got an update today...sounds like nothing really has changed, although it is within the realm of possibility things could:
"Unless there are contractual snags Pelini will be hired. Therefore I won't say it's 100% because that could happen (although I believe that's already been taken care of and we will know Sunday or Monday once the SEC game is over and Bo can hop on a plane to Lincoln)."
"I will say this...TO is keeping quiet on any final decision he has made...even to those who have helped him in big ways with this search."
So there you have it. We're sticking with our source, although there is still a slight--SLIGHT--chance things could change between today and next week.
Stay tuned to Heavy Soul for the latest, and most up-to-date Husker info ANYWHERE!
According to a source with knowledge of the search, Nebraska has whittled its candidate pool to two people and is close to announcing a new coach. Speculation centers on Buffalo coach Turner Gill as the leading candidate to replace Bill Callahan. A source close to Wake Forest indicated that coach Jim Grobe interviewed with Nebraska in Atlanta on Nov. 26. The source thinks Grobe has a good shot at the job. Apparently, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini didn't knock A.D. Tom Osborne's socks off during the interview and doesn't feel good about it. The school will also interview Brian Kelly from Cincinnati and perhaps TCU's Gary Patterson.
This is not vibing with what we're hearing, obviously. We trust our contact quite a bit, so it means (obviously) one of two things: our contact is being misled, which we doubt, or ESPN is purposely being misled. Although I have personally always thought Turner Gill would get the nod, Heavy Soul is sticking with our source on this one.
Got an update today...sounds like nothing really has changed, although it is within the realm of possibility things could:
"Unless there are contractual snags Pelini will be hired. Therefore I won't say it's 100% because that could happen (although I believe that's already been taken care of and we will know Sunday or Monday once the SEC game is over and Bo can hop on a plane to Lincoln)."
"I will say this...TO is keeping quiet on any final decision he has made...even to those who have helped him in big ways with this search."
So there you have it. We're sticking with our source, although there is still a slight--SLIGHT--chance things could change between today and next week.
Stay tuned to Heavy Soul for the latest, and most up-to-date Husker info ANYWHERE!
Labels: Bo Pelini, Coaching Search, Nebraska Football, Tom Osborne, Who Needs Rivals Message Boards When You Get The Heavy Soul Free?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Nebraska Coaching Search Update
A few "updates" on the circus that is Nebraska Football right now:
**EDIT: It is now being reported that Tom Osborne is going out on the recruiting trail. This would seem to jive with what we are reporting here. I don't see why T.O. would be stopping his interviewing to go out and recruit if he doesn't already feel comfortable with who he has found. Perhaps it will be announced after the SEC Title Game. This would seem to make sense.
1. It is being reported by several places now that they are not, in fact, going to announce anything at the players meeting today at 4:00pm.
2. A contact for Heavy Soul is reporting that he has two very "plugged in" sources saying that Pelini is indeed the guy that will be the head coach at the University of Nebraska. However, working out the contract has been more of a challenge than they originally thought. So the reports that we have been hearing about knowing who the coach is by tomorrow may not, in fact, be true. We might not hear anything official on this until Monday.
3. The Sporting News is reporting that Jim Grobe from Wake Forest was indeed interviewed by Tom Osborne and Harvey Pearlman in Atlanta.
3. All that said, and as I elluded to in the phantom post about the Parker Executive Search firm, all this could be for naught. This is the firm that Minnesota used when searching for a basketball coach this past spring. Needless to say, NO ONE--including Kentucky--knew that Tubby Smith would end up at Minnesota. In fact, Tubby got on a plane (if memory serves correctly) the day after UK lost in the second round of the NCAA (AGAIN) and was announced that afternoon as the Gopher's new coach. The media found out maybe two hours before he was officially announced. An even more extreme example was at Iowa State last year. When ISU called a press conference to announce the new football coach, no one knew who the hell the hired. This search firm is very good, and very professional. There is a hell of a chance T.O. interviewed people in Atlanta that not only no one knows about, and we'll never know about.
Parker specializes in finding candidates that are available, and no one knows about it yet. I'm sure that if people would have known that Tubby Smith was interested in leaving Kentucky, a lot more schools would have called about him. Instead, Minnesota got him LITERALLY without even interviewing him.
And that is the other thing Parker specializes in: they find out everything a candidate wants out of a contract and how much the school looking is willing to put in it, background checks, checking on references, etc. They do all the annoying (and time-consuming) busy work for their clients. So even if they don't have the magic candidate that no one knows about, Osborne and NU could just be using their firm to free up time on their end to be getting other things done. Which makes sense. I have heard a lot of people on the radio and on message boards wondering "why the hell would Nebraska hire this search firm if Pelini is their guy and he wants to come here?" They provide a lot more services than just finding people to interview.
So there's our update...at this point, if you were to ask Heavy Soul, it would say that due to some VERY good inside information, Bo Pelini will be striking fear into Big XII offenses and officials come this time next year.
Stay tuned...
**EDIT: It is now being reported that Tom Osborne is going out on the recruiting trail. This would seem to jive with what we are reporting here. I don't see why T.O. would be stopping his interviewing to go out and recruit if he doesn't already feel comfortable with who he has found. Perhaps it will be announced after the SEC Title Game. This would seem to make sense.
1. It is being reported by several places now that they are not, in fact, going to announce anything at the players meeting today at 4:00pm.
2. A contact for Heavy Soul is reporting that he has two very "plugged in" sources saying that Pelini is indeed the guy that will be the head coach at the University of Nebraska. However, working out the contract has been more of a challenge than they originally thought. So the reports that we have been hearing about knowing who the coach is by tomorrow may not, in fact, be true. We might not hear anything official on this until Monday.
3. The Sporting News is reporting that Jim Grobe from Wake Forest was indeed interviewed by Tom Osborne and Harvey Pearlman in Atlanta.
3. All that said, and as I elluded to in the phantom post about the Parker Executive Search firm, all this could be for naught. This is the firm that Minnesota used when searching for a basketball coach this past spring. Needless to say, NO ONE--including Kentucky--knew that Tubby Smith would end up at Minnesota. In fact, Tubby got on a plane (if memory serves correctly) the day after UK lost in the second round of the NCAA (AGAIN) and was announced that afternoon as the Gopher's new coach. The media found out maybe two hours before he was officially announced. An even more extreme example was at Iowa State last year. When ISU called a press conference to announce the new football coach, no one knew who the hell the hired. This search firm is very good, and very professional. There is a hell of a chance T.O. interviewed people in Atlanta that not only no one knows about, and we'll never know about.
Parker specializes in finding candidates that are available, and no one knows about it yet. I'm sure that if people would have known that Tubby Smith was interested in leaving Kentucky, a lot more schools would have called about him. Instead, Minnesota got him LITERALLY without even interviewing him.
And that is the other thing Parker specializes in: they find out everything a candidate wants out of a contract and how much the school looking is willing to put in it, background checks, checking on references, etc. They do all the annoying (and time-consuming) busy work for their clients. So even if they don't have the magic candidate that no one knows about, Osborne and NU could just be using their firm to free up time on their end to be getting other things done. Which makes sense. I have heard a lot of people on the radio and on message boards wondering "why the hell would Nebraska hire this search firm if Pelini is their guy and he wants to come here?" They provide a lot more services than just finding people to interview.
So there's our update...at this point, if you were to ask Heavy Soul, it would say that due to some VERY good inside information, Bo Pelini will be striking fear into Big XII offenses and officials come this time next year.
Stay tuned...
Labels: Bo Pelini, Coaching Search, Jim Grobe, Nebraska Football, Parker Executive Search, Tom Osborne, Turner Gill
Monday, November 26, 2007
Is Bo A Smoke-Screen? Or Is Turner?
God, this is fun.
So there have been people saying for a while now that Bo Pelini was in line to take over for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and lead us back to the Promised Land, 15-yard personal foul penalty by penalty.
But then there are those who say Turner Gill will be the man. How could Tom Osborne not hire one of his best friends?
Well, here are some interesting updates that I am coming across this evening. Who knows...
--It has been well publicized that Buffalo received an official request for permission for Tom Osborne to talk to Gill officially about the Nebraska job. Now, apparently Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported this morning that Monte Kiffen will come in as the Head Coach, with Turner Gill as Associate Head Coach and take over when Monte hangs it up in 4 or 5 years. Sounded suspicious to me, but now the University of Buffalo has said that Gill's end of the year press conference--scheduled for Tuesday--had been moved back to Wednesday. Now it is being reported that this press conference has been postponed indefinately.
I know there are contributors to this blog that either do not think this will not happen or hope it does not happen--or both. I don't have any idea as to what to think at this point. But it certainly is interesting. Between this coaching search and Kentucky's earlier this year, I don't know that my modem nor my marriage can take much more. The good news is that the Omaha World-Herald thinks this could be wrapped up by Wednesday, meaning I am sure that we'll all know who will be named sometime tomorrow.
So what's everybody think is going to happen? Put your rep on the line in the comments...I'll offer mine. Despite having very good information that says the opposite, I for some reason think that Turner Gill is going to be heavily involved in this process. Or Bo Pelini.
So there have been people saying for a while now that Bo Pelini was in line to take over for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and lead us back to the Promised Land, 15-yard personal foul penalty by penalty.
But then there are those who say Turner Gill will be the man. How could Tom Osborne not hire one of his best friends?
Well, here are some interesting updates that I am coming across this evening. Who knows...
--It has been well publicized that Buffalo received an official request for permission for Tom Osborne to talk to Gill officially about the Nebraska job. Now, apparently Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported this morning that Monte Kiffen will come in as the Head Coach, with Turner Gill as Associate Head Coach and take over when Monte hangs it up in 4 or 5 years. Sounded suspicious to me, but now the University of Buffalo has said that Gill's end of the year press conference--scheduled for Tuesday--had been moved back to Wednesday. Now it is being reported that this press conference has been postponed indefinately.
I know there are contributors to this blog that either do not think this will not happen or hope it does not happen--or both. I don't have any idea as to what to think at this point. But it certainly is interesting. Between this coaching search and Kentucky's earlier this year, I don't know that my modem nor my marriage can take much more. The good news is that the Omaha World-Herald thinks this could be wrapped up by Wednesday, meaning I am sure that we'll all know who will be named sometime tomorrow.
So what's everybody think is going to happen? Put your rep on the line in the comments...I'll offer mine. Despite having very good information that says the opposite, I for some reason think that Turner Gill is going to be heavily involved in this process. Or Bo Pelini.
Labels: As The World Turns, Bo Pelini, Monte Kiffen, Nebraska Football, Tom Osborne, Turner Gill
Tom Osborne and the Mythical Parker Search Firm
Labels: Bo Pelini, Nebraska Football, Parker Executive Search, Tom Osborne, Turner Gill, Unknown Kick-Ass Coach No One Knows About
Friday, November 23, 2007
Let the speculations begin!
Well, Nebraska's defense is looser than this one Houston Rockets Power Dancer I know. And the feeling in Billy C.'s gut must be the same as the one you get awaiting your STD test results--not very hopeful.
So let's get the ball rolling on who will be the next Captain Beefheart on the Big Red Express:
Joe Glenn, Head Coach, University of Wyoming
It's no secret that the Lincoln native and Pius X graduate has wanted the job since T.O. left. Glenn led the University of Montana to a I-AA championship and the University of Northern Colorado to back to back D-II crowns in 96 and 97, so he is no stranger to running a successful pass heavy offense in a cold weather environment. His first gig, AT AGE 27, was head coach of Doane College. Seems like he might have a bit of familiarity with the outlying states as well. From all reports, the guy is as likable as they come. They guy has been coaching for 31 years and is just 58.
Bo Pelini, Defensive Coordinator, Louisiana State University
After suffering through a defensive campaign in '07 the likes of which have never been seen, many want to see a defensive oriented coach come to Lincoln. Despite giving up 500+ yards today to Arkansas, Pelini has the pedigree to fill the role. Insiders say he would be interested in the job if offered. Says his family enjoyed their brief stay in Lincoln. And if fire and intensity was what was lacking from this year's squad, ol' Bo has heaps of both. Funny thing is, that may hold him back from being handed the reins of a major college program. Not the CEO type that many major programs are looking for. Has worked with national championship caliber teams in addition to working on the pro level. One other thing that is biting him in the ass is the fact that he's never been a head coach at any level except for an interim stint at Nebraska for the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Then again, he had never been a coordinator before coming to Nebraska. That worked out ok.
Turner Gill, Head Coach, University at Buffalo
Gill is in the second year of a five year contract at Buffalo. Despite it being his first head coaching stint, Gill has a developed a pretty impressive coaching resume. Served as Player Development Director and Offensive Assistant for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. Spent 1992-2004, or the Glory Days, coaching quarterbacks and receivers at Nebraska. He did spend a year at SMU in 1991, but we won't fault him for that, their logo is too damn sweet. The guy is a proven winner--undefeated as a starter in college, coached three national championship teams, coached a Heisman winner and a runner-up. Hell, he's led Buffalo to a winning conference record, which is more than can be said for a certain team currently hailing from the state capitol of the Cornhusker state. Obviously, Turner would be a fan, and more importantly, an Osbourne favorite. He's exactly the type of person that could assuage the bloodthirsty boosters and fans. Has NFL experience, albeit brief, that seems to lure big time recruits. Still has ties to Lincoln (a board member of the Lincoln Children's Museum).
Craig Bohl, Head Coach, North Dakota State University
I'll be somewhat fair and give this guy kudos for the only time I met him. August 1998, GA Hill and I are walking back to the frat house after buying some smokes. Some bald dude runs by and nearly makes me drop my cigarette. Before I can make fun of him, the dude stops at the crosswalk and starts doing pushups until the light says walk! I greet him with a "Coach Bohl." and he returns the favor, "Gentlemen." while glaring at the cigarette in my mouth. That was cool. But does anyone remember how badly we all wanted that guy out as defensive coordinator? He was like Julch, or Erwin Swinney, but he was the coach! Now what he's done with a school that just moved up to I-AA or FCS (defeated Minnesota, Ball St.) is impressive, but come on. This is the guy who started Pat Ricketts, Scott Shanle, and Erwin Swinney--three of my favorite harrassees of all time. He has a lot of the right characteristics (Lincoln native, coached here, has met me) that I'm looking for in a coach, but I would be severely disappointed if this is what Dr. Tom has in mind for the turnaround.
Tom Rathman, Running Backs Coach, Oakland Raiders
This admittedly would be a stretch, but T.O. has always referred to Rathman as one of his favorite players. Nebraska boy in his 9th year as an NFL assistant. Would definitely bring a dose of hardnosed mentality back to a program in desperate need of some. Won some Super Bowls with the Niners. Defined the big back role in the West Coast Offense. Was offensive coordinator for Tom Brady's high school team in San Mateo, California. Once a had a starring role in a Diet Coke commercial in the early 90's in which NFL players had to chug a 2 liter bottle in order to stop from melting. Would play strongly with the traditionalists, but may be too much of an NFL guy to smoothly transition back to the college game. Also, coaches for the Raiders. See Callahan, Bill.
Brian Kelly, Head Coach, University of Cincinnati
It seems like this guy is the It Coach right now. Rumored for the vacant Michigan position, Kelly is in just his fourth year as a FBS head coach. Spent three years at Central Michigan, turning around a program that few can locate on a map. Prior to leading the Chippewas, dude led Grand Valley State to back to back D-II championships. Is an offensive guy with a pass first mentality. Who cares.
So let's get the ball rolling on who will be the next Captain Beefheart on the Big Red Express:
Joe Glenn, Head Coach, University of Wyoming
It's no secret that the Lincoln native and Pius X graduate has wanted the job since T.O. left. Glenn led the University of Montana to a I-AA championship and the University of Northern Colorado to back to back D-II crowns in 96 and 97, so he is no stranger to running a successful pass heavy offense in a cold weather environment. His first gig, AT AGE 27, was head coach of Doane College. Seems like he might have a bit of familiarity with the outlying states as well. From all reports, the guy is as likable as they come. They guy has been coaching for 31 years and is just 58.
Bo Pelini, Defensive Coordinator, Louisiana State University
After suffering through a defensive campaign in '07 the likes of which have never been seen, many want to see a defensive oriented coach come to Lincoln. Despite giving up 500+ yards today to Arkansas, Pelini has the pedigree to fill the role. Insiders say he would be interested in the job if offered. Says his family enjoyed their brief stay in Lincoln. And if fire and intensity was what was lacking from this year's squad, ol' Bo has heaps of both. Funny thing is, that may hold him back from being handed the reins of a major college program. Not the CEO type that many major programs are looking for. Has worked with national championship caliber teams in addition to working on the pro level. One other thing that is biting him in the ass is the fact that he's never been a head coach at any level except for an interim stint at Nebraska for the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Then again, he had never been a coordinator before coming to Nebraska. That worked out ok.
Turner Gill, Head Coach, University at Buffalo
Gill is in the second year of a five year contract at Buffalo. Despite it being his first head coaching stint, Gill has a developed a pretty impressive coaching resume. Served as Player Development Director and Offensive Assistant for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. Spent 1992-2004, or the Glory Days, coaching quarterbacks and receivers at Nebraska. He did spend a year at SMU in 1991, but we won't fault him for that, their logo is too damn sweet. The guy is a proven winner--undefeated as a starter in college, coached three national championship teams, coached a Heisman winner and a runner-up. Hell, he's led Buffalo to a winning conference record, which is more than can be said for a certain team currently hailing from the state capitol of the Cornhusker state. Obviously, Turner would be a fan, and more importantly, an Osbourne favorite. He's exactly the type of person that could assuage the bloodthirsty boosters and fans. Has NFL experience, albeit brief, that seems to lure big time recruits. Still has ties to Lincoln (a board member of the Lincoln Children's Museum).
Craig Bohl, Head Coach, North Dakota State University
I'll be somewhat fair and give this guy kudos for the only time I met him. August 1998, GA Hill and I are walking back to the frat house after buying some smokes. Some bald dude runs by and nearly makes me drop my cigarette. Before I can make fun of him, the dude stops at the crosswalk and starts doing pushups until the light says walk! I greet him with a "Coach Bohl." and he returns the favor, "Gentlemen." while glaring at the cigarette in my mouth. That was cool. But does anyone remember how badly we all wanted that guy out as defensive coordinator? He was like Julch, or Erwin Swinney, but he was the coach! Now what he's done with a school that just moved up to I-AA or FCS (defeated Minnesota, Ball St.) is impressive, but come on. This is the guy who started Pat Ricketts, Scott Shanle, and Erwin Swinney--three of my favorite harrassees of all time. He has a lot of the right characteristics (Lincoln native, coached here, has met me) that I'm looking for in a coach, but I would be severely disappointed if this is what Dr. Tom has in mind for the turnaround.
Tom Rathman, Running Backs Coach, Oakland Raiders
This admittedly would be a stretch, but T.O. has always referred to Rathman as one of his favorite players. Nebraska boy in his 9th year as an NFL assistant. Would definitely bring a dose of hardnosed mentality back to a program in desperate need of some. Won some Super Bowls with the Niners. Defined the big back role in the West Coast Offense. Was offensive coordinator for Tom Brady's high school team in San Mateo, California. Once a had a starring role in a Diet Coke commercial in the early 90's in which NFL players had to chug a 2 liter bottle in order to stop from melting. Would play strongly with the traditionalists, but may be too much of an NFL guy to smoothly transition back to the college game. Also, coaches for the Raiders. See Callahan, Bill.
Brian Kelly, Head Coach, University of Cincinnati
It seems like this guy is the It Coach right now. Rumored for the vacant Michigan position, Kelly is in just his fourth year as a FBS head coach. Spent three years at Central Michigan, turning around a program that few can locate on a map. Prior to leading the Chippewas, dude led Grand Valley State to back to back D-II championships. Is an offensive guy with a pass first mentality. Who cares.
Labels: Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini, Joe Glenn, New Nebraska Coaches, Other guys
Term Papers
