Not long after taking over as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator to replace Shawn Watson, Tim Beck indicated the Huskers are starting with a clean slate on offense.
After two consecutive years that saw the team fall short in the Big 12 title game, Watson resigned and is now the quarterbacks coach at Louisville. Beck had been Nebraska’s running back coach the previous three seasons.
Neither Beck nor head coach Bo Pelini have been openly definitive about what direction the offense will go other than “being multiple.” That statement can mean any number of things. Part of the criticism of Nebraska’s offense, even dating back to the Bill Callahan era that spanned from 2004-2007 was that the unit had no identity. Were they a running team? Were they a passing team? How quickly some people forget that the Huskers had a true identity for 30-plus years under Tom Osborne and Frank Solich as an option team that run the ball down opponents’ throats. That offense was the greatest thing known to man from 1993-1997 when the Huskers went 60-3 and won three National Championships. Then in 2002-2003 when the team went 17-10, the offense was stale.
More than likely, Beck’s version of the Nebraska offense will include a steady diet of zone reads but after that, who knows? Given how a suspect offense wasted outstanding defensive efforts in back-to-back conference title game losses, change was necessary. Change, however, requires patience as players and coaches make the adjustments. Will the players be fully comfortable with the changes in time for their first season in the Big Ten? Will fans be patient?
Husker fans being patient? Good luck. The dynamic behind the concept of change after the fact is that most people will back change until Nebraska does not win big. Then the complaining will begin. It may start with a trickle, but it will grow. That is until the Huskers start to win big again.
Just as an example, ask any random Husker fan about Coach Osborne now and you hear words like “legend” and “icon.” In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, those same bipolar fans were saying things to the effect of, “The game has passed him by” or “Option football is dead. The defenses are now to fast to run that type of offense against.” See seven consecutive bowl losses. However, Osborne stuck to his guns, and went on to coach Nebraska to three national titles.
As for coach Beck, Husker fans love him now because he’s not Watson. Just wait until the first time Nebraska’s offense struggles, you’ll hear plenty of groaning.
This change isn’t about having a good offense this season. It’s about having a killer offense for the next ten years or more.
Maybe it will happen fast. Or, more likely, it will take some time to iron out the kinks in the new offense. Keep in mind, it would time whether Pelini hired Tim Beck or Urban Meyer or Tom Osborne to be his offensive coordinator. This kind of overhaul doesn’t happen all at once, and fans throwing temper tantrums about it won’t make it happen any faster.
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