Was Bill Callahan one good Defensive Coordinator away from putting it all together at Nebraska? Tell us what you think, Common Fans.

@TJBirkelGBR

28 күн бұрын

Short answer: no. Just one man's opinion.

@TheOtherDave148

25 күн бұрын

He was a great recruiter. His personality wasn’t a fit though

@johnfahrer5038

5 күн бұрын

But Bo’s and Frost’s were?

@sorney98

5 күн бұрын

@@johnfahrer5038 Bo sure lot better, least his teams didn't quit so easily

Such an interesting and engaging conversation with Mitch and Brandon. A very unique time for Nebraska football to say the least.

@commonfanGBR

28 күн бұрын

Absolutely fascinating conversation. The Common Fans are going to love it!

Awesome to have Mitch Sherman join us again! In my opinion, he’s the ultimate authority on the botched coaching search that ultimately led to Callahan, and his article in The Athletic with Max Olson from 2021 proves it. GBR 4 Life!

@TJBirkelGBR

28 күн бұрын

Completely agree MattyO! Fantastic conversation with Mitch!

@commonfanGBR

28 күн бұрын

No doubt!

This is an awesome series, good retrospective of that era. I'm like TJ, all I remember is hating Callahan. Our voldemort.

Pederson's mindset with the hire was upgrading the talent on the roster. He had been gone since the national title in 95 and after seeing 1 practice he was stunned at how far the talent on the roster had dropped

Kick ass conversation with Mitch. Privilege to chat with him. Really fun.

Sorry I’m a few days late fellas, but listening as I work now. Fantastic episode today guys!

@commonfanGBR

26 күн бұрын

Thanks Coach! Really appreciate it!

You have to wonder how the start of Bill Callahan’s tenure would’ve been if the transfer portal of today would’ve been available then? Obviously, he could’ve worked on skill players quarterback, receivers for the West Coast offense instead of waiting to get Zach Taylor.

@johnhamilton7797

5 күн бұрын

I think he would have gutted the roster. Dailey would have said adios.

The last 5 minutes were gold lol “I hate Bill Callahan” 😅

@commonfanGBR

20 күн бұрын

😂

Great job guys! This was an absolute fascinating pod. I am learning so much about Nebraska football that I did not know or I was ignorant to during my college/early 20's while watching college football. I can't wait to watch the next one. Side note, I had no idea that Urban Meyer almost ended up in Lincoln. Imagine how the landscape of college football could have changed if that would have happened!?

@commonfanGBR

20 күн бұрын

Thanks so much guys! Really appreciate it. I'm not sure how close to "almost" the Urban thing was, but that would have been something!

The wheels certainly seemed to fall off in 2007, but I think one thing that gets lost is that it was a challenging schedule in hindsight. I think it was our highest Strength-of-schedule rating until 2017, 10 of the 12 teams we faced went to a bowl game, and 4 of the teams that beat us finished in the top 10. So you figure that maybe you are losing 4 already (Texas was the only close score and we were 20th in the preseason where 9-4 is a fairly expected outcome) and that leaves the Oklahoma State (which they all pointed to), the Texas A&M, and Colorado games as the key ones for possibly making us a bowl eligible/.500+ type team. I think each of those games we gave up 3 turnovers and had zero takeaways. The optics were bad and while I dont know that we become national title contenders under Callahan, I do think another season may have been warranted and maybe he would have been humbled enough to make some changes he had refused to do up to that point.. I dont think it is out of the realm of possibility that a 2008 Callahan led team would have seen us have a similar type record that Pelini achieved. That said, it could have made him harder to remove and maybe still doesnt get us headed in the right direction as a program.

Hiring his buddy Cosgrove, who had terrible defenses and Wisconsin, is enough to tell anybody he was never Head Coaching Material

@commonfanGBR

28 күн бұрын

Definitely wonder what might have happened with a different DC.

@jdp0359

28 күн бұрын

@@commonfanGBR If one is in such a position of such authority you aren't paid to neglect your authority.

@jdp0359

28 күн бұрын

Callahan was a good recruiter and offensive line coach. He wasn't close to being a good head coach.

@commonfanGBR

27 күн бұрын

@@jdp0359 Spot on.

Why was it inevitable before the USC game in 2007? That game was early in the season. Learned very little about the subject matter.

With way things were going, I don't think Callahan would if made it. He could recruit no doubt about it but his offense was so far behind against quality teams and it showed. There was more problems and honestly i think Bill knew his days as a head coach were numbered as well. Plus other thing that has pit Nebraska behind was leadership not only to AD, but also the Chancellor-President Harvey Pearlman, along with the board. It was said had Pearlman not agreed to not only fire Pederson but bring in Tom Osborne as well he be gone as well. There was so many problems, and it was showing

With what Steve Pederson was looking for in 2003-04, *no available NFL hire* would have worked. They all would have gotten smoked my the rise and peak of the spread by smaller schools in 2007.

Would Callahan have succeeded is kind of an irrelevant question. I think a lot of my fellow Husker fans were either unrealistic in their expectations or just full on lying to themselves about how much damage was done to the program post 1999. I’m not going to sit here and say all he needed was a d coordinator and everything would of been fine cause that’s honestly just as foolish as saying otherwise. The only thing i will say is with the momentum in the recruiting game and the successes on offense he has done enough for a shot to course correct.

@commonfanGBR

27 күн бұрын

Thanks so much for watching! Hope you're enjoying the series. Make sure to subscribe on KZread if you haven't already. GBR for LIFE!

No he would not have. The starters won their positions and he never gave others a chance once the season started. He coached like he was in the NFL. I do however say with NIL his coaching philosophy might work better than it did.

@commonfanGBR

20 күн бұрын

We agree. Thanks for watching!

Callahan had no interest in playing defense. Would have never worked. I left a game where we were getting rolled by Missouri and Missouri scored two more times before I made it to my car. Bill Callahan should stay in his lane and coach the line and don’t even move his head left to right to look at anything else.

I don’t think Callahan had a great connection with the players. He didn’t with the fan base.

Bill Callahan? who cares I think one of the biggest mistakes in cornhusker history is not giving Frank Solich enough time.

@commonfanGBR

20 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching! We talk all about the Solich era in the first episode of this series. You should check it out: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ooxhp6abqZqcgqQ.html

@johnhamilton7797

6 күн бұрын

Tom Osborne over promoted Frank Solich if you ask me.

@johnfahrer5038

5 күн бұрын

lol the guy turned a Porsche of a program into a Pinto in less than a half decade. The 16-12 in his last 28 games is what Frank really was. Couldn’t even win the MAC once despite 17 tries. Never should’ve had the job to begin with. Notice how Bama didn’t do something as stupid (promoting a 55 year old RB coach to the big job) when replacing Saban?

He didn’t need more time, he needed competent defensive coordinator. Cosgrove was garbage.🤬🤬🤬

@commonfanGBR

20 күн бұрын

Haha spot on! He may have needed more than that...

@Se7enmax9

19 күн бұрын

@@commonfanGBR remember, bill brought in ndamakoung Suh

@sorney98

18 күн бұрын

​@Se7enmax9 had Callahan not been fired, it was said Suh would of transferred

@johnfahrer5038

5 күн бұрын

Yet many of the people who say that about Cosgrove also think Bo was a defensive genius despite knocking Cosgrove out of the record books. Save for 2007, when the team quit after USC, Cosgrove’s defenses weren’t all that bad. Not elite by any means. But far from giving up 70 to five loss teams or rushing records in three quarters…

@sorney98

5 күн бұрын

😂​@@johnfahrer5038

You husker zealots can't leave the past in the past unbelievable.

@GeoffinLincoln

27 күн бұрын

Alternate timelines are all the rage in the movies now. Gotta entertain the “What if?…”

@commonfanGBR

27 күн бұрын

I've got great news for you Boris. You can choose not to watch.

@John-qk3qi

20 күн бұрын

Those who do not understand the past are doomed to repeat it.​@@commonfanGBR

@johnhamilton7797

5 күн бұрын

@@John-qk3qi See the hiring habits post Biff Jones after WW2.