John Blake Central Figure In Husker Drama
14 comments so far
November 28, 2007 by
John Blake is a terrific recruiter and a top-notch defensive line coach. You wonder if he’d remained at Nebraska this past year whether the Husker defense would have been so bad and by extension whether the Huskers’ season would have been so bad and whether the coaches would all need to be fired. That may sound unfair to Buddy Wyatt or to the great senior class of 2006, but if the difference this season really was the defensive line and that line might have been substantially better with Blake at the helm, then his absence could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
But that’s not the only reason that John Blake is on the mind this week. He’s also the coach that we hope we’ve just replaced. That is, a good recruiter who can’t put it together on the field. If Bill Callahan is to Nebraska what John Blake was to Oklahoma, it could mean a quick turnaround under a new head coach. Heck, John Blake even helped Callahan recruit.
After Barry Switzer, a coach that won three national titles at OU retired, Gary Gibbs a trusted assistant was given six seasons but was fired despite winning nearly two-thirds of the games he coached. Sound like anyone we know? Then, after a one-year stint by Howard Schnellenberger, John Blake was brought in for three seasons. In those years Oklahoma recruited well but lost nearly two-thirds of their games. He was replaced by Bob Stoops who in very short order made the Sooners national champions again.
NU fans would like to see history repeat itself, perhaps just further North. Take a guy like Bo Pelini, a prominent defensive coordinator from Youngstown, Ohio (just as Stoops was) and give him a couple years to work the talent into championship shape. There’s nothing approaching a guarantee that that could happen, but it’s easy to see in your mind’s eye.
Who knows whether Stoops could have made the turnaround without Blake’s recruits panning out so well. Time will tell whether coach Callahan left the shelves sufficiently stocked to immediately restore Nebraska to competitive shape. But having guys like Joe Ganz, Zach Lee, and Patrick Witt at quarterback as well as many other fine prospects all over the field can’t hurt.
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The Count Nov 28 07
"Who knows whether Stoops could have made the turnaround without Blake’s recruits panning out so well"
OK It's been 8 years since Blake's kids have left and Stoops is STILL winning so I think that question has been answered.
Stoops has more to do than with OU's rebirth than Blake will ever have. Blake couldn't win with those recruits when he was coaching them so I won't give him credit for Stoops winning with them. I won't give the wins next year to Callahan either though I suspect a few die hards will.
Bill Callahan was a better head coach than John Blake which only speaks volumes as to just how lousy a head coach John Blake really was. Go back and watch the 97 NU-OU game where he is putting in a different QB every series and even Dan Fouts is making fun of how bad of a coach he is. Blake had one poor kid in there at QB that had already played 3 different positions that year.
Here are the only things that could have saved Callahan.
1. He had to stop believing he knew it all and everyone else is an idiot.
2. He had to surround himself with competent coaches instead of old frat drinking buddies and yes men.
3. He had to buy a clue on how to motivate and manage a team.
4. He had to learn how to react and change when things start going wrong (which goes back to 1, 2 and 3.
In other words all the John Blakes in the world couldn't save him.
Neil Nov 28 07
Yes, Stoops won it all in 2000 with a lot of Blake recruits, but Heupel was not a Blake recruit, Strait (Derek) and Williams (Roy) were not. Blakes recruits alone would not have gotten to the title game. It took key fill-ins by Juco's and some freshmen and sophmores to do the job.
Paul Nov 28 07
OU Huskers
Gary Gibbs Frank Solich
Howard Schnellenberger Callahan
John Blake Turner Gill????
Bob Stoops
Be Careful of "The Family" inbreeding. As an outsider, I hope Gill is hired. It will only delay your return to the top 6 to 8 years.
Bill in Iowa Nov 28 07
So often, as we try to ascertain how good a coach really is we don't have the full picture. In the end...all us fans have to judge is the win/loss column or how their unit performs. Blake did not do so well on the win/loss column at OU, but he could recruit, and evidently he knew how to coach the DL.
Cali came here to bring in recruits..and he did...but he didn't get them to play together and he did not motivate...and he didn't win.
I found an article of a student reporter from Buffalo praising Gill and it made me think, wow, thats exactly the attitude we need back (and the exact opposite of Callahan's attitude...so it seemed):
Now as Buffalo's coach, he has brought a new attitude of winning and with that the expectation of being successful. There are no more moral victories for the Bulls. Even when the team hung in against Penn State early this season, it wasn't good enough for Gill.
http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/article.php?id=34566
On a side note, I have to admitt...even though Gill was at NU much longer than Bo, I know more about and trust Bo as a coach more than Gill. But I wouldn't mind seeing either one get the job and I am starting to lean more towards Gill, the more I learn about him as a coach.
As far as Grobe and the others...part of the dilema of knowing who I would like to see at the helm of the Big Red is that I just don't know enough about these other candidates other than their records. I think that is why, in the end, we will just have to trust TO to make the right choice.
Hjohn Nov 28 07
Gill was a great coach and motivator with the Huskers, he is doing the same in Buffalo, maybe he is just what the doctor ordered. I mean during the 5 game losing streak this year it looked as if motivation was gone after the first defensive series.
Bo Pelini on the other hand, was with the Huskers for a year, and I distinctly remember the uproar he created by yelling at Bill Snyder for running up the score when the Cats beat the huskers 38-9. Shoot he would have a freakin coronary if he had to live through the losses this year. And a quote from the Austin American-Statesmen regarding Bo as a candidate for the A&M position: "“LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s emotional, but doesn’t like recruiting and isn’t very media-friendly. Let Nebraska make that mistake.”
So lets see, we can get an emotional guy who doesn't like recruiting, and loves the media as much as Mike "I'm a man, I'm 40" Gundy.
Or we can get a man who is a leader, motivator and recruiter who has coached Tommy Frazier, Scott Frost and Eric Crouch. The MAC conference coach of the year when he is 5-6, that says a lot about what the rest of the coaches think about him. He is like superman in a bull bulls cape. Put the big red N on his chest!
And just because OU went 4 coaches before finding stoops, doesn't mean we have to. I mean Switzers players having automatic weapons in the dorm, and we didn't follow him down that path. So its not a road map you have to follow.
James Moore Nov 28 07
Steve, I had actually articulated to myself the same line of thought the other day. The problem with the conclusion that I came up with is that after Gibbs Oklahoma went into hibernation throughout the 90's. It took Oklahoma nearly 7-8 years to be Oklahoma again. Another thing was that Blake went back to the wishbone and if we go back to a fullhouse backfield, or power option attack under center then we're definetly on course for a long-term rebuilding project. NOT a path I'm particularily keen to follow either.
scott Nov 28 07
The thing that impressed me the most about what Stoops did at OU, is the fact that he took a lot of players and switched them to other sides of the ball. Some of their high profile receivers that Heupel got to throw to were brought in as defensive backs. To me, that shows a good eye for the game and individual talent.
Whoever the coach is that's hired, he's got my full support. I can't say which way I'm leaning toward but I trust TO to make the decision that is best for the program. I just hope everyone else follows suit no matter who is hired.
William Isenhower Nov 28 07
1st let me say that I'm a Sooner alum and fan.
That being said, I'm pulling for Nebraska to
return to the elite football school that it was in the past. The OU/NU matchups of the past
were always great games to watch and the Nebraska fans are great lovers of the game and deserve better!
I hope you bring in a coach that respects your tradition and builds on that.
Having suffered through the lean years at OU
I can sympathize.
Good luck with your Coach search.
Dwayne Nov 28 07
I have read and heard the same thing about Pelini. TO is going about this in the right way and he will have a really good feel for what fits NU best once this is all over. Things were much different when he left the game then they are now. The other thing, don't get hooked on who is going to run what type of offense. Sure the head coach has a tremendous impact, but the offensive and defensive coordinators could be just as huge with this hire. I think Turner would be a tremendous recruiter and he just looks good on the sideline as a head coach. This man emdodies NU football. One last thing to remember, this next coach has to have a desire to be at Nebraska and everything that goes with it. Can you say '84 OB with TO on the sidelines? That in a sense is also NU football throughout the last 30 years. I'm pulling for Gill but whoever it is, I'll back him. Who would you want and trust your kid to be with for 4 or 5 years?
Kyle Nov 28 07
This article covers the same thing on one of the articles in the "wire"
Jeanie Nov 28 07
What makes you think Pelini would want a job he was passed over on to begin with? Also Gibbs wasnt fired, he resigned. Gibbs also has a pretty prlific NFL career now if you would bother to look.
Jason Nov 28 07
Jeanie: It's no secret that Pelini did not care for Steve Pederson. With Pederson gone, it's more likely that he would consider the job.
And thanks for the correction re: Gibbs.
TLC Nov 28 07
Do you think there is a difference in the talent that we could get in the offensive and defensive coordinators spots between hiring Bo P or Gill?
Skull & Bones Nov 28 07
John Blake was extremely over-rated as a coach. He was a great recruiter, great guy, but had little ability as a teacher.