Asked by
Husker Max
Was the firing of Bo Pelini the right move?
71%
Yes
WINNER
59
29%
No
17
71%
Yes
29%
No
Coach Bo was consistent and may have struggled against top competition. However, with more time we had a staff that was loyal, committed and working for NU for the long haul. Figure of those 7 years 4 were wasted getting the talent back onto the field so BO has only had about 3 years with his players. He was far from maxed out and yes he needed some staff changes, but overall he would've done this when the time was right. Bad firing......IMHO.
Reply
Bo's loyalty is a strength, but when his Assistants like Beck and Papuchis are not meeting expectations...he should have replaced them. Instead his loyalty prevented him from making the difficult decisions and I think this was ultimately a key reason to his demise. He would have been great to keep as Head Coach so long as he was committed to continuous improvement which I'm not convinced he was.
Nebraska is delusional if they expect to get anyone to come in (away from a proven reject with experience (aka- Glenn Mason) or an under qualified up-and-comer that hasn't been offered an opportunity yet (aka- Scott Frost). No matter how you slice it, all of us will be forced to watch 5 or 6 years of 6-6 Nebraska football as our recruits bail, our current players are as restless as ever, and anyone that has an opportunity to play on Sundays now have a clear decision. What's even more painful is how promising our team looked for 2015 and 2016 from a talent and development perspective. I might make my wife happy and tune out for a few years because I just can't take it anymore.
Reply
We all know the pros/cons list for Bo. I think it comes down to one thing that has ALWAYS worked for NU in the past. Longevity. It takes time. We want our instant gratification and if the next coach doesn't get a title in the first 4 years, we'll fire him too… Joining the likes of other northern football teams like Notre Dame and Michigan.
Reply
Bo had seven years, and he wasn't getting any better. If the next coach has us competitive in big games, then we won't have to win titles right away. But he has to be competing for them. In a very winnable Big Ten West that's very doable. Bo had seven seasons to turn do this and failed miserably. Time for change.
Bo would have made the necessary changes to win championships and he would have gotten better recruits to come in and play for NU.The plane, the extra money for recruiting and recruiting staff was not in place for Bo long enough to see the benefits.
Reply
Bo did it right, especially off the field. How many players have had trouble with the law and are still with the program? How many graduated? Recruiting was improving, results were improving. Not to mention, the players loved him. That speaks volumes!
Reply
The team wasn't improving. Is finishing third in possibly the worst division in college football a sign of improvement?
I vote NO, unless Bo refused to consider replacing both Beck and Papuchis. When Bo took control over either the offense or the defense they performed. When he was hands off, the coordinators failed their mission.
Reply
Bo is a quality guy who was building a quality program. A quarterback coach would have been a good improvement and would have paid for itself over the long haul. I hope the decision to change directions turns out to be the right one. Thanks Bo for all you did for NU.
Reply
Hard to justify 9-3 firing. Bo waa also given 7 years and never won a conference championship. I see both sides and the chips will fall where they may
Reply
I am a true husker and an alumni, I used to financially support my Alma mater, till the Pelini dismissal. Took TO 20 yrs to get a NC, and TO 8 yrs for a conference title. Had Nu not been hosed by the big 12 officials in the championship game and put the extra second on the clock. it would of been different. Embarrassed to be a Husker today....
Reply
I think we could have got bye with getting a new OC Tim Beck sucks we run it down the field getting good yardage and then we get to the red zone and start thowing? Why? A new OC and let Bo work more with the defense and were good. I just hope this was the right move, for the players you know were just fans but the are losing a mentor also. I love our team i allways will and lets hope for the best since its done now.
Reply
Was Bo a great coach? No. Did he have the potential to be one? I believe so. It's a damn good thing our athletic directors in the '70's and '80's didn't listen to the disgruntled fans back then or we wouldn't have those nice shiny trophies from the '90's.
Reply
Bo needed new coordinators! Bo said he would not fire anyone to save his job so if Eichorst gave Bo the option of replacing some coordinators and Bo refused then I'm ok with the firing but if they went top down mentality then I'm disappointed in the firing.
Reply
This is his second set of coordinators. What makes you think a THIRD set would be any different?
Lot of young talent, would have been nice to see QB and the defense develop more. Lot of sophomores out there starting, and often times there's a big jump in the understanding of the game and in physical development in that age group as they make the transition from so. to jr. year.
Reply
We won the games we were supposed to win and lost the ones we should have won, and failed to be competitive for the ones we could have won.
ReplyI agreed with the AD'S reasoning
Reply1. Frequent angry outbursts on the sideline. 2. Vulgar language 3. The ill speaking of some Nebraska fans. 4. The inability to take Nebraska to an elite level. (The 3 blowout losses to Wisconsin were terrible and telling)
ReplyI voted for this side only because there is no "HELL YES" option.
ReplyPelini's hotheaded act has gotten old, as well as his lack of being competitive in big games, Getting blown out time and time again and losing to Minnesota 2 years in a row? Ridiculous. Pelini just isn't a good game day coach. Always unprepared when it matters most.
ReplyHe didn't embrace the fans, he fought them. He didn't win big games. The program was stagnant.
ReplyHe should have fired at least either OC or DC last year.
ReplyHe is a good coach. But Nebraska needs one that will be consistently in the running for a national championship and always in the top ten. The fans deserve this. We gave him a chance. What I don't like about it is that they didn't let him coach his last game. He deserved it.
ReplyI don't mind losing, it's the way we lost that I couldn't stand. I like Bo and think he is a hellva coach (look what he did with special teams this year), but he needed to surround himself with better coaches. Bo's biggest fault was being too loyal. Osborne went 9-3 plenty, but never got smacked around like we have. There is a difference.
ReplyThought Bo won a lot of games against lesser appointments, he was just over .500 against teams with winning records, and 5-16 against teams which finished the season ranked. He had no signature victories, and got blown out on a regular basis. Its time for Nebraska to move on.
Replyit was time
ReplyBo couldn't win the big ones.
ReplyThe program isn't in any better shape in year 7 than it was in year 2 with Pelini at the helm. Nebraska needs a really really strong recruiter to make it back into the top 10 of college football.
ReplyWe need to compete for championships, not mediocrity.
ReplyBo was not the right face of the program....He was done when he said the program was going in the right direction after yet another blow out loss to Wisconsin. Also, his "angry little man" approach to press conferences and other interviews was embarrassing. Additonally, while we did get 9 wins per season, it was against teams that, frankly speaking, did not matter in the scheme of things. Bottom line, he hurt the "Brand" of NU and that had to stop, whatever the price....
ReplyHe was not able to have his team ready to play in the big games. He seemed to have a NFL mentality about losses. Good couch just not who Nerasable needs to lead them to championships.
ReplyI liked Bo, but for me the single most important factor would be being absolutely OWNED by Wisconsin. Losing a close game, or even winning a close one does not offset the THROTTLING that Whisky can just seemingly do at will
Reply9 wins over mediocre caliber teams is not impressive. Not looking competitive against like-talented or slightly more talent teams is not impressive. Most of all 7 years and no rings to show for is why he deserves to go. You wouldn't get away with this at OU, Texas, Bama, or Ohio State. Why should Nebraska think any differently?
Replyconsistent blow out losses against above average teams.
ReplyThe program record the past 7 years speaks for itself; not just the win/loss, but the lopsided defeats by quality programs.
ReplyHe hitched his wagon to two inexperienced coordinators and refused to get rid of them. His inexperience at being a head coach and misguided loyalty cost him his job. He won't be so arrogant at his next job. I wish him Godspeed.
Reply"Stay the course" it was clear that player development was not taking place, it was clear that Pelini needed to bring in fresh blood who were skilled in developing talent, it was clear he planned to stay the course with who he had on staff. Time to move on as Nebraska Football was clearly off course under Pelini.
ReplyThis was the best move for Nebraska. I am tired of getting destroyed by anyone who has a decent team. We have not just been losing but getting blown out!
ReplyHis consistent loses and the manner of how it happened was what cost him his job. Bo is a great defensive coordinator but head coach is a touch business and, in the end could not do it.
ReplyHis sideline antics were not the behavior of a leader. The man is a coordinator not a head coach. Had he been willing to change up his staff, perhaps he could've remained as coach.
Reply7 years to conquer temper has lead to unpredictable play and collapses - of course you will lose focus if you get yelled at that way - I could not recommend my son to play for him. Too many bad loses to ranked teams and general lack of on field discipline - he was the face of the university to the nation and it is not what I want representing Nebraska
ReplyMuch to like about Bo. But his and his team's inconsistency and lack of excellence even when plenty talented signaled that the peak had been reached, and it was not enough.
Replythe paradox is that a program like Clemson is Ok with a 9-3 season beating the rival en-route And Nebraska a program that is accustomed to using the top 10 as being a measuring stick for a programs success
ReplyBeating the teams you're supposed to beat and losing (ugly) to equal or better teams, year after year, is a coaching problem, period.
ReplyGOOD ..BUT STOP LOSING THE big GAME
ReplyOff the field issues weren't consistent with the University or culture of Nebraska. I think he is a good coach but struggled to attract top coordinator talent, IMHO.
ReplyIn some ways I think Bo is the modern day Marty Schottenheimer. A guy who always made their team choke up and play too tight in big games. Bo, also was a hot head, and after last year I think his comments about fan and daring the administration to fire him. Coaches not putting players in a position to succeed. no identity as a team or program. Lastly lack of development, I think this team hit a point and didn't develop anymore. When Ameer went down, Newby wasn't really the answer was he? I don't blame Newby. I feel he was never developed or put in to get meaningful snaps. We saw this with out QB.
ReplyIt seems like the program was in idle.
ReplyAs much as we don't like to think it, college football is business. I wouldn't keep a sales guy employed in my business if (a) he only closed the "low hanging fruit" sales opportunities, and (b) he continually embarrassed my company. Good guy, good values, just not able to be a consistently positive influence on his players, both on the field execution and mentally, to compete with any but middle of the road teams.
ReplyToo many bad losses and the defense was pathetic. I would have settled for a change at DC but this forces the issue.
ReplyI just didn't see us every winning the important games under Pelini, we weren't even close on most of them. the players seem to be "ok" with 9-3 and not competing for a title, not even the west division title. but the university and fans should not be ok with that. we can, and should, do better.
ReplyThis should have been done last year - Bo hit his ceiling, and it was obvious he was not getting us over the hump anytime soon. The OC and DC had to go, and if Bo wanted to remain loyal, it was his ass on the line. Thanks for the 7 years in Lincoln, but, time for a change.
ReplyWe are not getting any better. 9 win seasons does not make a championship team. Winning the big games does that. It is time to move on. Keep in mind 4 of those nine wins are, for the most part, sure wins. It takes more than that and the Huskers can do a lot better. This is a coaching problem, not a player problem.
ReplyGood is not good enough, need to win some games against top 25 teams. Also too many blowouts. The Nebraska facilities are top notch, Talent is not far off, but the coaching is subpar.
ReplyIf Bo was unwilling to replace coordinators or assistants the AD has no choice. Blow out loss (70-21) to a 7-5 Wisconsin team should have been the end of Tim Beck and John Papuchis but NU had to suffer 2 more seasons of inept schemes with great talent.
ReplyWe deserve better than 3 or 4 really bad losses every year. I am sick of hearing the announcers try and hold back their laughter when we play games with any national implications and lose by 35 points.
ReplyOMG this staff was a sham.
ReplyI like BO as a person and a coach but it just wasn't clicking. After 7 years and 2 sets of coordinators, BO has given us nothing to show that he is capable of taking us to the National championship. At some point in time, you have to take a step back and look at the big picture of what BO has and has NOT done while he has been here. While BO does win 9-10 games a season, they are mostly wins against poor-mediocre teams. It seems that we as a team choke in big games and get blown out in them often. That all comes back to coaching. I like BO a lot and wish him the best where ever he goes. In the end, it's all just business.
ReplyIt was time!
ReplyNo signs of bringing Huskers back to relevancy!
ReplyIt was time , LOVE BO and the job he did after he who shall not be named screwed the pooch, but man the losses and they were monumental losses. Good Luck to him. GBR
ReplyAfter 7 yrs the Nebraska Cornhuskers are still irrelevant in college football and trending down. It is a tough move to say the least and everyone including myself wishes Bo and his family nothing but the best, but the fit just wasn't quite there and as a program none of us should be happy with being irrelevant.
Reply9 wins isn't the issue. It's how you win/lose that's important and shows progress/regress. 26-25 against all teams with winning records, regardless of conference/ranking isn't a sign of a program on the rise. Each year we knew what would happen - an ultimate breakdown and blowout loss somewhere. Time to make a move.
ReplyJust couldn't get over the hump. I don't think that Pelini's temper did him any favors either. Eichorst is right to look for a different energy.
ReplyThe problem went a lot deeper than some defensive staff changes (and btw, Bo really was the DC there, with Papuchis coaching in name only); the offensive scheme is broken too, with poor results in the last month; recruiting, the lifeblood of any program, has been mediocre since he got there (no Top 20 classes), and Bo has done himself no favors with the Big 12 and Big 10 refs over the years. He'd had plenty of chances, we were showing no signs of competing with Top 20 schools, and it was time to move on. And if these players loved Bo so much, why did they continually lay down in big games? Jerry Kill's players fought Wisconsin to the bitter end, and they had significantly less talent on the roster. Why did only Nebraska routinely give up 600 rushing yards to Bucky?
ReplySide act getting old. Feel sorry for the players, Bo is loved, but we can't continued to get blown out in big games.
ReplyWithout willingness to make improvements where needed....Bo's program was stagnating (even regressing) over the last few years. It's tiresome to watch getting embarrassed in big games and the same mistakes happening over and over and over again. Change was needed.
ReplyWithout a doubt...3-4 losses per year is unacceptable. Pelini's defensive stats vs Top 40 competition were eerily similar to the Cosgrove experiment!!!
Reply