The Real Bo

1 comment so far January 1, 2008 by Steve Hanway

If you haven't had a chance yet, take a listen to the fast and furious audio clip that's been circulating among Husker fans in cyberspace. It's a talk that new head coach Bo Pelini gave at a coaching clinic. It doesn't sound as if he ever expected it to be broadcast all over the world wide web. It's some unvarnished opinion from one coach to others. The clip is full of great stuff (and I don't mean the profanity).

The Mentality
First, you see that he holds the mental approach to be of paramount importance. He expects total effort without hesitation on every play. That's not athleticism, that's attitude. Christian Laettner, the former collegiate player of the year and two-time national champion in basketball once said that at the Division I level that everyone's a great athlete and the difference in production is all mental. His words ring true given that Laettner's college exploits overshadowed contermporaries like Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Alonzo Mourning, and Larry Johnson. But mentally, he was ahead of everyone in the country.

The Script
The next nugget that jumps out is how he prepares. Taking a page from Bill Walsh and Pete Carroll, he scripts his defenses first 20-25 plays. Not only does it ensure he gives opponents multiple looks, but it let's the players go into a game knowing exactly what they'll run. He also talks about a philosophy that his players are so familiar with that they'll often know what's coming before he calls it. This seems critical in helping players gain confidence. It's one thing to know a playbook, it's another to know what your first 25 snaps are going to be.

Stopping the Run
The mantra of many Husker fans going back to a quote attributed to Marty Schottenheimer has been "run the ball, stop the run, win the game". There's comfort in hearing Pelini say in order to get winnable third down situations, you stop the run first. He achieves that by applying eight man front principles even to his seven man-in-the-box schemes. A seven man front invoves keeping your defensive line and linebackers close to the line of scrimmage while dropping the secondary deeper. An eight man front means bringing a defensive back (usually a strong safety) up to the line.

This is where I begin to get really excited. Because it tells me that a big key to making the schemes work is going to be the safeties. And the Huskers have some terrific raw material at safety in Larry Asante, Rickey Thenarse, and Major Culbert. Compare the safety play Nebraska got between 2002 (the year before Bo Pelini arrived) and 2003 (Pelini's lone season at Nebraska) - it was night and day. Just as the Bullocks twins blew up and helped key NU's 2003 defense, expect something similar in 2008. OK, I'm drooling.

Positive Communication
Pelini believes in helping kids correct mistakes without tearing them down in the process. "They don't know sh-t", when they arrive on campus, he points out. You've got to make assignments clear and never contradictory - never ask the impossible. He encourages kids to ask questions and still believes in defensive huddles to keep them on the same page. None of that is revolutionary, but that's because it's been true for a long time.

There's plenty more to the audio clip. You could spend a week dissecting it. But it's hard not to like what we hear Bo say in the presence of other coaches. The real Bo sounds like the right guy to make NU real good.

» Enjoy this article?
Send it to your friend or subscribe to our free newsletter!

NextPrevious