OK, it's been three full days since the debacle in Madison. Yes, I am a disgruntled Nebraska alumnus - someone who wanted the current coach, Bo Pelini, when he was hired back in December 2007. But it's obvious there are some pretty deep-seated problems within the program. It's even obvious to people like me, who live 800 miles away from Lincoln. The thing is, it's not like this is the first year of the Pelini era when the Huskers were coming off a horrid 5-7 year in 2007. The Huskers knew they were rebuilding and quite frankly they did well to win eight and then ten games in Pelini's first two years. But we're now in year four, and it's obvious that the program isn't much better than it was when he was hired - the program has regressed sharply from the first two years Pelini was on the job.
So Husker fans, let's commiserate. Among the numerous problems within the Nebraska program are:
1. Nebraska is still capable of getting embarrassed on national television in big time games. In the last year of the Callahan era, the team was repeatedly blown out and not just by elite teams. They got blown out by average teams as well. The matchup against the Badgers reminded me so much of the 2007 USC game, which I was at. The team hung in for about a quarter and a half and then got smoked.
2. The quarterback position. Oh my God, where to begin. Taylor Martinez is obviously the biggest problem with the Huskers right now. I'm not the only one who thinks this either: I know people close to the program who say that he is a divisive force in the locker room. He is not a leader who is respected in that locker room - not in the way that guys like Tommie Frazier were anyways. Furthermore, he is just an awful passer. It wouldn't be so much of an issue if he were an athletic freak like Vince Young was in college but he's about a foot shorter than Vince. All he can do is run fast and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that to stop Nebraska's offense you simply have to keep Martinez in the pocket. Saturday is an example of what happens when Martinez is kept in the pocket and forced to pass.
Additionally, Nebraska hasn't developed its backup quarterbacks near well enough. I am generally not a conspiracy theorist, but I have had fleeting thoughts of a conspiracy theory involving Taylor Martinez being the starting quarterback. You cannot possibly tell me that adequately developed, Brion Carnes would do any worse than what Taylor Martinez has done.
3. The entire coaching staff, Bo Pelini included. My problems with the coaching staff and Pelini are two fold. The first thing is that Nebraska's assistant coaches are...somewhat lacking, to be kind. A head coach is only as good as his assistants and it seems obvious from afar that Pelini has incompetent assistants who don't help much. Tim Beck's play calling did not put this offense in the best position to succeed Saturday, needless to say. Furthermore, Bo Pelini hired these assistants after casting the previous ones aside which creates a theory in my head that Pelini hires "yes" men who tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear. Nebraska fans may have had an inkling that Bo Pelini is stubborn and arrogant before, but the problems early on this year have revealed the problems within this program for all to see.
So where are the Huskers at this point? It's hard to say but one thing is for certain. The Huskers better get it back, fast, before things spiral out of control and Pelini loses this program....completely.
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