Pelini needs to follow his own advice with social media beehive

“There is no place like Nebraska,” or so say the fight song lyrics. On two occasions this past offseason and at various other times in his five-year tenure as Husker head coach, Bo Pelini has spoken of the challenge Nebraska football coaches face in keeping their players on an even keel amid constant fan rabidness.

Seems a good challenge to have.

“LSU is into it, Oklahoma was into it,” Pelini said in a Lincoln Journal Star blog entry. “But the constant seven days a week, 365 days a year, it’s different here than those places. It’s not as constant a barrage of it at some of the other places I’ve been. It’s kind of compartmentalized a little bit where the players aren’t slammed over the head with it every day of the year. That is a challenge here.

“But it just is the way it is. It’s not going away. And believe me, the fans’ passion for it, and the media, that’s a positive. But there are issues with that, too, that relate to our football team and how you keep them focused and heading in a certain direction.”

With some Husker fans, that statement goes over like a turd in a punchbowl. However, two things are equally true. Pelini came to Nebraska in 2008 looking to breathe life back into a program that became dormant under former head coach Bill Callahan, who went 27-22. The Huskers have gone 39-16 in Pelini’s four seasons but have yet to make the jump from good to great and for a program that has not won a conference title since 1999 that makes for an impatient fan base, which has very little in the first place.

In Pelini’s initial press conference he spoke with high expectations and after Nebraska demolished Arizona 33-0 in the 2009 Holiday Bowl, Pelini proclaimed that “Nebraska is back and we’re here to stay.” There is nothing wrong with having confidence but the pitfall is that if the team fails to live up to its advanced billing, criticism will follow.

As a broad generalization, however, while Nebraska fans are very knowledgeable, they do tend to overreact such as getting too high after wins but overly cynical after the team loses.  

Pelini, however, can’t control what media and fans think and how it impacts his team or certain players on the team. Part of his job is to manage the issue and with the advent of internet message boards, blogs and social media, the problem is much tougher to manage than it was 20 years ago.

By his own admission, Pelini is “old school” and longs for the days where leading a college program involved coaching young men and preparing them for the future.

I’m not necessarily saying that Pelini was right to say what he did but let’s face it; the same fans that are mad at him for sharing his opinions are also the same fans that thought Tom Osborne, Frank Solich and Callahan were milquetoast in their interviews. Just remember, you were the same ones that lauded Pelini for his brutal honesty. However, in every walk of life I have discovered that people who want you to “be honest” really don’t want the truth. They want the truth according to them.

The part of Pelini’s comment that truly resonates is where he mentions how LSU and Oklahoma fans are whereas with Nebraska, fans talk Husker football 365 days per year. What makes Nebraska different from most places is that there is no other Div. I-A college football program in the state, which means no competing loyalties to divert attention. Also, there are no professional sports. Husker football to Nebraskans is their NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA rolled into one. In Oklahoma, you not only have OU football but there is also Oklahoma State and on the professional sports side there is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Granted, OU football will always be ticket No. 1 in Oklahoma even with the rise of OSU and the Thunder, it means there are other teams to divert fans attention.

LSU football does not have any competing loyalties within the state when it comes to college football but you also have two professional sports teams (New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Hornets) to divert attention. The Saints have certainly attracted their share by winning the Super Bowl in 2009 and having the recent Bountygate scandal.

It appears to me in this article that Pelini is simply stating; the negativity the fans voice towards the players can be a bit overwhelming. Let’s also remember that while most Husker fans see Osborne as this iconic figure, those same fans wanted to run him out of town on various occasions.

While I enjoyed watch the team win three National Titles in the 1990s, the negative side is that fans expectations have become skewed. Though I agree that 2012 represents a crossroad for Pelini, the same fans that point out that he enters Year #5 are also the same fans that forget that Osborne took seven years to win a conference title and 21 years to win a National Title.

However, maybe Pelini needs to take the same advice he offered his players, and stop reading all of the social media. If you’re just reading Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald and seeing the same complaints from the same ten people all the time, it doesn't necessarily reflect the views of the entire state. If you’re making $3 million a year, you need to grow some thicker skin and stop paying attention to the criticisms of every single armchair quarterback in America.

NCAA firm but fair in Penn State punishment

The NCAA played the role of judge, jury and executioner Monday.

Penn State football, a longtime powerhouse that was once one of the cleanest, most admired programs in college sports, escaped the so-called death penalty from the NCAA but was dealt a heavy blow that will cripple it for years to come.

The university agreed to an unprecedented $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award - the price it will pay for having looked the other way while Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them.

The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories from 1998-2011, wiping out 111 of head coach Joe Paterno’s wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football.

I’m stunned, yet I think it was the right thing to do. The stripping of wins was what really struck me. What that said was, the NCAA felt that Penn State and Paterno were protecting the legacy of the program and the coach. The NCAA obviously wanted to make certain it was torn down. The school did that as well by taking down the statue on Sunday. Curiously, I didn’t hear anyone from the NCAA say if tearing down the statue was part of the penalties.

The NCAA needed to send a message to its members that this type of behavior in order to protect a sports program is not acceptable. If you commit a crime but don’t break company rules, your boss can still punish you. This is the worst scandal in the history of college sports.

So what are the ramifications of the scholarship reductions? Penn State can only offer 15 new scholarships per year for four years. Schools can usually offer 25. Penn State can only have 65 scholarships for football players each year for four years. Schools can usually have 85. I have no idea how Penn State ever rebuilds from this.

Penn State is not USC or Texas. The Trojans and Longhorns can attract talent because they’re in Los Angeles and Texas, where there is so much talent that kids can be convinced to stay in the state. Pennsylvania has talent but not that kind of talent. Penn State will not be able to afford to miss on any player they recruit. Getting Pennsylvania kids to stay in-state is going to be extremely difficult for the next four years. After that they’re still going to have problems because the program will have been awful for four straight years.
The fourth year of punishment is what boggled my mind. I thought they’d get whacked and take a decade to get back to respectability like Oklahoma did.

As for removing Paterno’s statue, I don’t see how it can go up anywhere on campus. His inaction and obstruction have destroyed Penn State. The entire athletic department is going to be seriously harmed by this because of the money that the football program won’t be bringing in for many, many years. They’re going to be bad for a very long time and I would not be surprised to see fan apathy set in quickly and their attendance reflect that.

The next question is, what does the Big 10 Conference do? Does it perhaps remove Penn State from the conference? Keep in mind, the Big 10 champions itself on being “more than just football.” Plus, Penn State is competitive in other sports and the academic reputation of the university is still extremely good. This simply means that Penn State will be at the bottom or near the bottom of the conference in football for several years. Until relatively recently the conference had Northwestern in that role, now it’ll be Penn State.

The only time I’ve ever seen a school booted out of a conference is when the Big East did it to Temple. The only reason the Big East booted Temple out of the conference is that the school accepted being bad at football and despite abysmal attendance weren’t willing to spend the money necessary to change that. Penn State will try to be good for the next four years and after that. They’re just not likely to win a whole lot of games despite how hard they try and the resources they spend to win.

When I look at the totality of the punishment levied against Penn State, I’d say it was fair. The only part that I somewhat question is vacating 111 wins. Perhaps the fact that Paterno was chasing the all-time wins record contributed to him and the university powers-that-be turning a blind eye. However, why punish the players for their efforts on the field?

I wish Paterno was still alive to take his punishment along with his beloved Penn State. I feel bad for Paterno’s wife to have to live through all this. It has been hard on her and she has my thoughts and prayers. Joe Paterno was the rise and fall of Penn St he could’ve taken care of this the minute he found out. I hate being mean and talking badly about the nonliving, but his wife is the one that will suffer for her remaining years.

As a Nebraska fan and alum, I would die if anything like this came out on NU but I also know that if something like this happened Tom Osborne would’ve done the right thing along with Frank Solich or Bo Pelini or Bill Callahan. Yes, Callahan had his flaws as a head coach, too many to list. However, at least by principle, he stood for the right things. They know right from wrong and to fire an assistant coach would be a far less impact of trying to keep it secret for so many years. How did Penn State think they could do this? Did they not realize these kids would grow up and start talking? To me it just put printed STUPID on Paterno’s back along with the whole university.

Iowa the closest to Nebraska's new rival

Storied programs are known fo having rivals but considering this is Nebraska’s second year in the Big 10, the question of “who is Nebraska’s rival?” is not the easiest question to answer.

When I think of rivalry, I mostly think of a few things: a) There is definite polarization as in there’s no way in hell you could root for the other team, b) The game usually means something when the two teams play, c) Fans will watch the game even if they don’t care about either team and d) The game carries equal meaning for BOTH teams.

Michigan-Ohio State, Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Oklahoma and others fit that description. OK, sure, you can say Harvard-Yale but how many people are going to drop whatever they are doing to watch that game?

For years, Nebraska was rivals with Oklahoma. The interesting thing is that OU has generally considered Texas its biggest rival but Nebraska-Oklahoma was the traditional game that took place the day after Thanksgiving. Plus, both teams were good at the same time for many years, combining for 12 National Championships (OU has seven, NU has five) and dominated the Big Eight conference, which later expanded to the Big 12. However, the breakup of the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry created a much bigger stir with Nebraska fans than Oklahoma.

With that expansion, both teams played each other two years out of every four since Nebraska is in the Big 12 North and Oklahoma is in the Big 12 South. Since 1993, the two clubs have only shared three good seasons (2001, 2010 and to a lesser extent 2006). The two teams met in the Big 12 title game in 2006 and 2010. OU suffered some fallow years from 1994-1998 before Bob Stoops arrived to resurrect the program. Nebraska suffered mostly subpar years from 2002-2007 but while the Huskers have become good under head coach Bo Pelini they have not made the leap to great.

Colorado, Kansas State and Missouri had elements of the notion “rivalry” with Nebraska the last 15 or so years as the meetings have been testy at times. Bill McCartney was known for “red lettering” Nebraska on the schedule but a large segment of Husker fans even to this day did not consider it a rivalry. They won’t any time soon because Colorado is now a member of the Pac 12 and Missouri is in the SEC.

So now that Nebraska has vacated the Big 12, which team will become its biggest rival? Last season, you could have made an argument for Ohio State because of their recent conference dominance and the fact that Pelini played there in the 1980s. However, the two programs have very little history against each other, having played head-to-head just twice and those meetings came in 1955 and 1956. Though the two team staged an epic matchup last year in Lincoln with the Huskers coming back from a 27-6 deficit to win 34-27.

You could make an argument for Michigan because of the recent history involving Nebraska’s 2005 Alamo Bowl 32-28 win that represented the height of the Bill Callahan era and split 1997 national championship. The Wolverines were in a downslide in going 15-22 the last three years after the ill-fated move of firing head coach Lloyd Carr and replacing him with Rich Rodriguez. Brady Hoke was hired to replace the since fired Rodriguez and the Wolverines went 11-2 last season. However, Michigan and Ohio State have each other, in which case Nebraska won’t resonate as strong with either program.

Penn State has possibilities for the Huskers being rivals with because the two teams share some nonconference history. Remember 1982 in Happy Valley when Nebraska fought back from a 21-7 deficit and finally pulled into the lead on an 80 yard drive with 1:18 remaining? Yet, the Nittany Lions drove right back and handed the Cornhuskers their first and only loss of the season when Penn State completed a controversial pass deep into Nebraska’s end zone with just four seconds left on the clock. Penn State tight end Mike McCloskey, who was the receiver of the game winning catch, admitted he was out of bounds on the play and should have been ruled ineligible 16 years later. If the catch had been flagged properly, Nebraska’s position for National championship consideration would have been much stronger.

Then there was 1994 when both teams were unbeaten but Nebraska was voted National Champion in both the AP and coaches poll. Keep in mind, Penn State’s move to the Big 10 prevent both teams from playing each other because at the time the Big 10 and Pac 10 champion was automatically tied to the Rose Bowl. However, it should also be noted that Nebraska beat two top five teams (Colorado and Miami) while Penn State did not. The two teams also played a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003.

However, Penn State has far bigger issues. Need we say more?

Wisconsin and Nebraska have the geographic proximity and similar color scheme (red) to be rivals. The Badgers were the most aggressive, at least publicly, as head coach Bret Bielema contacted the Big Ten office about scheduling an end-of-year series with Nebraska just hours after the Huskers were voted into the league. ESPN.com quoted Bielema as saying: “With Coach (Tom) Osborne’s and Coach (Barry) Alvarez’s history, maybe we can start a little trophy game. Call it the Alvaborn Cup or something like that. We don’t have a season-ending finale game, so maybe we can start a tradition here.”

Osborne and Alvarez are both former head coaches turned athletic directors at Nebraska and Wisconsin respectively. Alvarez also played linebacker for Nebraska in 1960s. Wisconsin could use a regular rival on the final Saturday of the season, now that the Minnesota game has been moved earlier as opposed to the day after Thanksgiving. Wisconsin, however, will always have Minnesota as its border rival but considering how bad Minnesota has been, Wisconsin would love a good rival to latch on to.

Speaking of which, Nebraska will play Iowa the day after Thanksgiving in what will be called the Heroes Game. The two teams have played each other 41 times, however, all but six (including last year’s 20-7 win by Nebraska) came in the pre-Bob Devaney era (1960).

The two states are neighboring and there is a genuine dislike between the two fans bases but this series, to me, is more of Iowa being the new Colorado in that the Hawkeye fans view as a rivalry more so than Nebraska.

Essentially, I view Iowa as the new Colorado. However, it will be different in this way, while CU would only occassionaly win the game and was thus not a real rival, Iowa’s rivalry will be tied to how close Nebraska is to them. Yes, Nebraska boarders Colorado but Boulder seemed light years away from Lincoln. Nebraska shares the Missouri River with Iowa and there are major metro areas on each side and more natural competition for fan support. So, Iowa seems much more natural then CU ever was as a rival.  

Penn State will be a lightning rod for the foreseeable future

If there is one thing that bears watching outside the confines of Nebraska football is, “how will fans around the nation receive Penn State when it plays its games on Saturdays?”

Of course, Husker fans will root against Penn State on November 10 when the Nittany Lions come to Lincoln. Since Penn State (like Nebraska) is in the Big 10 Conference, that’s all the excuse Husker fans need to root against Penn State. I could also bring up Mike McCloskey’s catch when he was “clearly” out of bounds in 1982 but how many fans under age 35 really remember that play? Then there was the 2002 game where Penn State routed the Huskers 40-7 in Happy Valley where various Nebraska fans were treated rudely by Lions fans.

In case you have been living in an igloo the last six months, Penn State has been a lightning rod because of the child abuse sex abuse scandal centered on former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual assault of at least eight underage boys on or near university property. After an extensive grand jury investigation, Sandusky was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009, though the abuse may date as far back as the 1970s.

Per the findings of the investigation, several high-level school officials were charged with perjury, suspended, or dismissed for allegedly covering up the incidents or failing to notify authorities. In the wake of the scandal, school president Graham Spanier was forced to resign, and head football coach Joe Paterno was fired late in the season. The trial of Sandusky on 52 charges of sexual crimes against children started on June 11. Four of the charges were subsequently dropped, leaving 48 counts remaining. On June 22, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 out of 48 counts of sexual abuse. Sandusky faces a minimum sentence of at least 60 years — at his age, effectively a life sentence.

The discovery of Sandusky’s crimes triggered a criminal investigation by the local United States Attorney, as well as a Department of Education probe into Penn State's response. Both investigations remain ongoing. The report of an independent investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh and his firm stated that Spanier and Paterno, along with athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz, had known about allegations of child abuse on Sandusky's part as early as 1998, and were complicit in failing to disclose them. In so doing, Freeh said, the four men “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.”

I don’t think Paterno is an evil person, and for most of his life lived with integrity but his mishandling of the Sandusky case has came back to haunt him, big time. He misused his power and influence. It’s sad for all the young boys who were abused and by Penn State as whole keeping this issue hidden since 1998 is just plain unacceptable. By doing so, they allowed more young boys to be abused.

The report stated they found no evidence that any of the leaders, Paterno, Spanier, and so on, ever sat down with Sandusky. It was discussed doing that, but no one did. Did it bother Paterno that Sandusky still had an office there, was still doing work for his foundation? Paterno can’t answer that question now, but how could he allow that to happen on his watch?

I am sure all Universities are redoing their policies and procedures as we speak. The number one lesson is, don’t cover up, take action quickly, call the authorities right away, and let the chips fall where they may. They should have told Sandusky immediately that he is not allowed back on campus, even way back in 1998. Back then the Campus Police did basically a cursory investigation. That should not have been handled by them, it should have been an outside investigation. Plus, nobody asked or appeared to be concerned about the boys. They were more concerned about saving Sandusky’s reputation and of course their own.

As the season nears I wonder how college fans around the country (not Nebraska fans or fans of other Big Ten teams) will view the Penn State football team? Will they have distain for the program and root against them or will they feel for the kids and new coach and root for them?

They are opening against an excellent Ohio team that would appear to be the favorite to, at minimum, win the MAC Eastern Division. Therefore, opening the Bill O’Brien head coaching era with a loss is not out of the question. 

There will be several camps: 1) Those who will revile pretty much everything having to do with Penn State, 2) Another that minimizes what happened, and, 3) Those who nuance it taking the view that the perpetrators are gone, so move on. However, I think outside of Penn State most people are pretty turned off by the football program. Bottom line, Penn State football will be a divisive issue for a long time to come. A cloud of disgrace will haunt the program and team for years, right or wrong.

I would suspect that most college football fans will root against Penn State for the next couple of years, or so.

Unless it directly involves Nebraska, I don't care about Penn State one way or another.

Vegas odds for Husker win total 8.5

In the gambling world you frequently hear sports media types say, “For entertainment purposes only,” when it comes to point spreads on a particular game or a team’s projected win-loss total entering the season.

Entering the 2012 campaign, Las Vegas odds makers have Nebraska’s win total at 8.5 for the present time. While the Huskers 2012 schedule has its landmines, at this juncture, I would lean toward betting the over. Eight wins or fewer would be a disappointment, to be brutally honest.

The defense took a step back last season and the cynics would say that the Huskers are losing their top three players (DT Jared Crick, LB LaVonte David and CB Alfonso Dennard). Those players were never on the field at the same time.

David had a spectacular season, one of the best by a linebacker in Nebraska history. He will be missed. If not for him, the Huskers could have easily been 7-6 last season instead of 9-4. Crick, however, missed all of four games with a torn pectoral muscle and even the games he played Crick was a shadow of his old self. Dennard missed the first three games because of a hamstring injury but the loss of fellow cornerback Prince Amukamara meant that teams would not throw at Dennard anyhow. 

I believe the Huskers will sharpen their teeth again defensively in 2012 because those same players who were thrust into bigger roles sooner than anticipated will be better and if anything the defense will have more cohesion.

On the offensive side, you know full well that running back Rex Burkhead will get his yards but there is a difference between being the focal point of the offense and being the offense. Too often last season he was the latter. As long as quarterback Taylor Martinez stays healthy, nine wins should be the minimum expectation. If Martinez can continue to improve as a passer and if the receivers make routine catches, then ten wins is a strong possibility. Eleven wins would be a great season but for that goal to be reached the team will need to have a plus-turnover differential, which means getting timely takeaways on defense and protecting the ball on offense.

The two-week stretch that stands out is Sept. 29 at home against Wisconsin and Oct. 6 at Ohio State. While Montee Ball returns at running back the former is expected to take a step back but is also the favorite by default to win the Leaders division because Ohio State is not eligible to play in the Big Ten Title Game or a bowl game based on NCAA sanctions. The Buckeyes, however, are expected to improve significantly under new head coach Urban Meyer after suffering their first losing season since 1998. Meyer has a career record of 104-23 and there’s no reason to think he won’t get results at Ohio State.

This game will be a very telling point of Nebraska’s Big Ten season. If the Huskers go to Columbus and get their doors blown like they did in 48-17 and 45-17 losses to Wisconsin and Michigan respectively, then the 2012 season is looking a lot like the 2011 campaign when the Huskers went 9-4. If the game is close either way or if Nebraska wins decisively, then an 11-plus win season is possible.

How much will Beck evolve as a playcaller?

Perhaps the most scrutinized aspect of offensive football is play-calling.

For years, Nebraska fans clamored for a pass-oriented offense because, “it seems like all we do is run between the tackles.” You heard this argument through much of the Tom Osborne and Frank Solich eras. After Solich was fired, Nebraska did the unthinkable, hired Bill Callahan and adopted the West Coast Offense. Despite what some people think, the West Coast Offense is not exclusively “passing offense.” It is a philosophy and an approach to the game than it is a set of plays or formations. Traditional offensive thinking argues that a team must establish its running game first, which will draw the defense in and open up vertical passing lanes downfield. The West Coast Offense takes the opposite approach – pass to set up run.

Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense differs from traditional offense by emphasizing a short, horizontal passing attack to help stretch out the defense, thus opening up options for longer running plays and longer passes that can achieve greater gains. The West Coast Offense as implemented under Walsh features precisely run pass patterns. With the defense stretched out, the offense is then free to focus the remaining plays on longer throws of more than 14 yards and mid to long yard rushes. Paul Brown, the head coach of the Massillon Tigers, the Cleveland Browns, and founder of the Cincinnati Bengals, was the originator of this playbook; however, he did not name it the West Coast Offense.

Anyhow, the Callahan era saw the Huskers go 27-22 and you heard fans say, “we need to get back to running the ball and being physical.” Current head coach Bo Pelini has constantly stated that he wants the offense to be “multiple.” Pelini kept Shawn Watson as offensive coordinator and as a result Nebraska tried to blend the West Coast Offense with option football and that philosophy led to not having a true offensive identity. With Tim Beck at the helm, Nebraska is still looking to be proficient at both the run and the pass but with more of an emphasis on the former.

While most fans remember the Osborne era for the wishbone option, people also forget that before 1980 he actually preferred a mixture of run and pass. He simply adopted the wishbone option because defenses were having trouble defending conference rival Oklahoma’s version. Osborne’s version of the option later was run out of the I-formation with a Power I look as well.

In 2011, with the possible exception of the Huskers 48-17 loss when running back Rex Burkhead had just six carries in the first half, Beck was very conservative in his play calling. The mentality of ramming it down their throat was certainly there and it seemed like this happened regardless of whether the Huskers were leading or trailing.

I watch certain strong offensive teams such as Oklahoma State and Boise State and they are always attacking on the offensive side. I’m certainly in favor of a strong running game but it just irks me when the defense knows what type of play the offense are bringing on a regular basis. I’m the first to admit the Nebraska offensive line might not be as dominant as it was in the 80’s and 90’s and the Huskers do not have the best passer in the world in quarterback Taylor Martinez. Based on that shouldn’t the Huskers at least try to catch teams off guard a little bit?

It seems like the Huskers have this habit of Burkhead/Martinez right followed by Burkhead/Martinez left and then a third and eight pass that the offense gets pressed into unfavorable down and distance scenarios. This seems to be especially true when the game is tight and the offense is in need of some big plays. Instead, there are often too many scenarios that involve three and out with two running plays and a pass. If you have a weak passing offense, why not use it when teams are not expecting it? Honestly, the idea of “run to set up pass” is an outmoded idea. The pass can set up the run equally well if not better because regularly completing passes on first down would eventually make a run up the middle on first down worth a few easy first downs.

Keep in mind though; Beck was in his first season as offensive coordinator in which case that presents a scenario with growing pains similar to a first-year quarterback. Oklahoma State and Boise State also had attacking style offenses because they had four-year starters at quarterback with 28-year old Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore. Colt McCoy was also a four-year starter at Texas and in his fourth year especially, the Longhorn offense took a similar approach as Oklahoma State and Boise State.

I think you’ll see more aggression this year on offense from the Huskers but I think staying creative in the run game, getting two viable backs in the lineup at one time with the shotgun option game, and attacking through play action is the key for Nebraska.

Unlike Paterno, Osborne's legacy still intact

Sometimes the present in other places can make you think of the past within your circle.

Remember years ago when, as Nebraska fans, we would gnash or teeth at why various people around the nation defined him more by his defense of running back Lawrence Phillips than his sterling 255-49-3 record that included 13 conference titles and three national titles?

More on that scenario in a moment but since last Friday’s ESPN report on CNN, reports have shown that former Penn State head coach was a much bigger enabler in what has become the “Penn State scandal” that anyone wished to believe.

Various reports have surfaced and have indicated high-ranking university officials, including Paterno and Graham Spanier, the former Penn State president who served as Nebraska’s chancellor from 1991-95.

The report becomes a serious indictment of Paterno because they have strongly suggested he influenced a top university official to avoid notifying child welfare authorities of a 2001 incident in which then-graduate assistant Mike McQueery witnessed Jerry Sandusky, who was Penn State’s defensive coordinator, abusing a boy in a locker room shower.

CNN reported that Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz discussed and later rejected plans to alert authorities about the shower incident. Citing emails from 2001, CNN reported that Curley wrote that he changed his mind after speaking with Paterno.

On June 23, Sandusky was found guilty of sexually abusing 10 boys and was convicted on 45 of 48 charges. Those offenses only scratch the surface in describing the lives he damaged along the way.  

The motivation, according to the findings of the investigation, was simple and unconscionable: “avoid the consequences of bad publicity.”

During his 61 years at Penn State, Paterno became a beloved figure well beyond his 409-136-3 record. He and his wife, Sue, donated more than $4 million to Penn State, and funded the school's library that bears their names. Paterno died of complications from lung cancer on January 22, 2012.

Turning to Osborne, his biggest negative and positive defining moment came in 1995. On the field, Nebraska field its best team in program history if not college football history. The Huskers went 13-0, smashed Florida 62-24 in the National Championship game and its closest win was by 14 points (35-21 to Washington State). Phillips became an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. During the Huskers’ win over Michigan State in their second game of the season, Phillips had 206 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries. After two games on the season, he was averaging more than 11 yards per carry and had scored six touchdowns. After the team had returned from East Lansing, Michigan, Phillips was arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Kate McEwen, a basketball player for the Nebraska women’s team. Phillips was subsequently suspended from the Husker football team by Osborne. The case became a source of great controversy and media attention, with perceptions arising that Osborne was coddling a star player by not kicking Phillips off the team permanently. Osborne defended the decision, saying that abandoning Phillips might do more harm than good. In Osborne’s view, the best way to help Phillips was within the structured environment of the football program. Osborne reinstated Phillips for the Iowa State game, although touted freshman Ahman Green continued to start. Phillips also contributed against Kansas and Oklahoma.

Osborne, despite pressure from the national media, named Phillips the starter for the Fiesta Bowl, which pitted No. 1 Nebraska against No. 2 Florida for the national championship. In the game, Phillips rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and also scored a touchdown on a 16-yard reception in the Cornhuskers' 62-24 victory. The performance boosted Phillips’s draft stock. With Osborne’s encouragement, he decided to turn pro a year early.

At the time, Osborne’s critics suggested that he re-instated Phillips to “win the National Championship.” Nothing could be further from the truth because WITHOUT Phillips Nebraska smashed two Top 10 opponents (Colorado 44-21 on the road and Kansas State 49-24 at home). If Osborne was so “win at all costs” then why would he bring Phillips back in those games. I’ll concede that Osborne should have thumbed Phillips’ ass off the team but not because he was a “win at all costs coach.” Nebraska beats Florida in the National title game with or without Phillips because the Huskers were a more complete team.

My argument for kicking Phillips off the team was because he had various minor incidents; Osborne gave Phillips every chance he could to rehabilitate himself.

So why do I justify Osborne and not Paterno, you ask?

It’s very simple, while I do not condone any type of domestic abuse, an adult partner might be threatened and in some cases might be scared to go to the authorities but at least they know how to do it. Also, in the case of Phillips and his abuse, McEwen was no angle in this matter either. Osborne stated in his book titled “On Solid Ground” that he had warned both Phillips and McEwen to stay away from each other because their relationship had become toxic. Also, Osborne had taken plenty of chances on at-risk kids like Phillips and made a difference. Unfortunately, Osborne hurt himself in terms of how he was perceived but I don’t think he should be defined by it.

Do Paterno do more good in than his life than bad? Yes. I still believe that. After Paterno’s passing, I blogged on this very sight about how his legacy was complicated:

http://napavince.blogspot.com/2012/01/paternos-legacy-complicated-definition.html

So why is it not so complicated now? I can justify loyal friendship for just about anything. Let’s say Sandusky (for the sake of discussion) gets in a bar-room fight or gets frisky with a woman with unwanted advances or even embezzles money from the University. I can overlook those because no one is defenseless. Those boys he molested were in no position to be defended but Paterno had been made aware on multiple occasions and chose to do nothing.

Well, at least Osborne still has his legacy intact.

Lowered expectations are not necessarily a bad thing

Preseason expectations are always to be taken with a grain of salt but it’s amazing how preview magazines for any sport sway with the wind.

Rewind to last season, Nebraska was heading into the Big 10 coming off back-to-back Big 12 Conference Title Game losses. The Huskers lost 13-12 to Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Title Game and one year later coughed up a 17-0 lead only to lose 23-20 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Title Game.

Granted, the Big 10 had the likes of Ohio State and Wisconsin for “quality at the top” but were also perceived as weaker than say the 2009 Texas team that went 13-1 with the only defeat coming in the BCS Title Game to Alabama. Also, the 2010 Oklahoma team went 12-2. With Ohio State going on probation from the NCAA, it was generally assumed that even though the quality in the middle of the Big 10 was better than the Big 12, the lack of quality at the top would make it easier for Nebraska to win the Big 10. Well, a strange thing happened; the first six quarters the Huskers played in the Big 10 were horrific. There was a 48-17 road loss at Wisconsin and one week later, Nebraska trailed 27-6 I the third quarter to Ohio state only to rally for a 34-27 win on the way to a 9-4 campaign.

The 2012 preseason magazines have Nebraska finishing first in the Big 10 Legends division on the high end to third on the low end with Michigan and Michigan State also being in the picture.

Although no one is picking the Huskers to win the National Championship, there are those that are predicting the Huskers to be in the thick of the Big Ten race. Kevin Steele has Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State as co-champs in the Legends; however, he picks the Huskers to come out on top based on tiebreakers. I’d like to know how he arrived at that conclusion in July. USA Today and Athlon have the Huskers as second in the Division with a 10-2 record. Athlon has Nebraska going to a BCS bowl (Fiesta). Lindy's predicts a third place finish in the Legends.

Husker fans like to preach expectations but maybe a perceived lack of national respect is what the team needs. Personally, I felt the expectations for last year were overblown and trumped up to a point where we had nowhere to go but down, this year the team should come out with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Respect is the byproduct of execution.

Last season, Nebraska had high expectations to fill in their first season in their new conference. A little less pressure on the Cornhuskers might be just what they need to sneak into the Big Ten Championship game.

Nebraska’s offense should take a step forward in their second year under offensive coordinator Tim Beck. Finding more linemen will be the key for Nebraska's offense.

The defense had high expectations in 2012 with star players at each level (Jared Crick, Lavonte David and Alfonzo Dennard). The Blackshirts may not have the skilled players they had in 2011 on defense, but more depth will go a long way to providing success in 2012.

The difficult schedule will not be easy for Nebraska, but if they take one game at a time and don’t panic if they lose a game, they should be fine.

My early prediction for the Cornhuskers is 9-3. That could change once summer practice begins.

Tempo is about knowing when to speed up and slow down

After watching the first year of Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s offense, we saw a lot of different things from him. We also saw some similar things that that the Huskers ran the previous year from former coordinator Shawn Watson.

The tempo was at various times different under Beck. Nebraska ran a lot of no-huddle offense, which is not to be mistaken for a hurry up offense. Just because a team is not huddling up before the snap does not necessarily mean they are in a hurry to run plays. The hurry up offense is more reflective of how many (or few) seconds are left on the play clock when the ball is snapped.

Personally, I liked the way Beck went about calling the offense last year in regards to the tempo. I like how Beck would be up in the skybox, see the play develop, and relay the plays from above down to the field. In a way, it was like how the Huskers been running the offense since 2004, but the tempo was much higher, and it showed with how quickly they lined up.

Because of the way Beck and Bo want balance, I think Beck needs to be in the press-box so he can see more, as opposed to previous Nebraska offenses where it wasn't necessary to have someone in the pressbox overseeing every play.

Although it was not on the level of an "Oregon-Blur" offense, I think it suits Nebraska well given its offensive talent is based on a mix of speed and power. It seemed the Husker offense worked more efficient the faster coaches called the plays in, as at the end of the play, guys were looking toward the side-line, read the signs, got the play, and they were lined up ready to go again within seconds as guys subbed in and out quickly.

It's just another way to wear out a defense, and as Husker fans know all about wearing out opposing defenses.

I'm guessing head coach Bo Pelini saw how some offenses ran their spread/no-huddle against him in previous years, especially Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2010, that he decided to incorporate it himself for the offense. Oklahoma State in 2010 was ridiculous against a very solid Nebraska defense, and Oklahoma in the Big XII title game simply wore the Husker defense out, but the offense in the second half didn't do the defense any favors.

I want to see the up-speed tempo continue to keep defenses gassed, off-balance, and would welcome more of it under Beck.

However, I believe if Nebraska is up by 7 or 10 or something to that effect, especially up in the fourth quarter, we need to slow it down, and possibly even come out of a huddle to wind the clock down in our favor. The Huskers should use the tempo to get up in the game, or to come back, but once Nebraska is in a comfortable situation, I think it should use its slowest gear to grind it out and frustrate opponents as to not getting used to the tempo we are running. The Huskers don't need to run a high-tempo offense especially if they are struggling on the road, or trying to close a game out. I think the tempo should be predicated on situation and how the offense is performing.

I thought the no-huddle/hurry up was mostly effective last year. I think Nebraska needs to expand on it and keep making adjustments that both the players and coaches are comfortable with but there are times though when huddling up can be very good for a team too, especially if the game isn't going your way and the players need to refocus. (This is where team leaders really need to make their voice heard).

What I would love to see Nebraska use is a no-huddle/hurry up power rushing offense out of multiple I-formation sets. Have the base plays be ISO, Power O runs, and counters off of those plays. Then have our passing game consist of play-action passes and quick drop backs. Sprinkle in the option here and there, along with some draws and screens.