The Winter of Our Discontent - New BHF Editorial by Mark Solomon

[jd]

I believe it is a large enough sampling of time to draw conclusions on. If I were to draw it out on a line graph I believe it would look very similar to a plateau.

It would look similar to a plateau if the only items of information you were considering is Wins & Losses.  Much more to this situation than that.  By looking at a mere 4 years and only W-L, I think it is premature to conclude Pelini is nothing more than a "plateau coach"

[skrzfan]

as no one can hope to compete with your wordsmithing,

HA!  Love it.  so true. 

[Solly]

as no one can hope to compete with your wordsmithing,

HA!  Love it.  so true. 

I hope no one is holding their breath waiting for an apology for my having a grasp of the language.

And it would be more useful to try to match up with regard to content than to carp about the vocabulary employed.

[skrzfan]

as no one can hope to compete with your wordsmithing,

HA!  Love it.  so true. 

I hope no one is holding their breath waiting for an apology for my having a grasp of the language.

And it would be more useful to try to match up with regard to content than to carp about the vocabulary employed.

no apology needed.  I'm just jealous. 

[schneidsNU]

I hope no one is holding their breath waiting for an apology for my having a grasp of the language.

And it would be more useful to try to match up with regard to content than to carp about the vocabulary employed.

wouldn't dream of it, and that isn't the angle i was going after.  no one is worried about any apologies, and no one is carping about vocabulary.  it is much preferred to reading alot of lol's and zomg's.

however, after watching alot of banter back and forth on this site, it just appears futile sometimes to try to argue points with content when the original position is so thoroughly repeatedly and eloquently dismissed as to be of such an infinitesimally small sample size to not even warrant holding such opinions in the first place.

[Solly]

I hope no one is holding their breath waiting for an apology for my having a grasp of the language.

And it would be more useful to try to match up with regard to content than to carp about the vocabulary employed.

wouldn't dream of it, and that isn't the angle i was going after.  no one is worried about any apologies, and no one is carping about vocabulary.  it is much preferred to reading alot of lol's and zomg's.

however, after watching alot of banter back and forth on this site, it just appears futile sometimes to try to argue points with content when the original position is so thoroughly repeatedly and eloquently dismissed as to be of such an infinitesimally small sample size to not even warrant holding such opinions in the first place.

Then "Roget would be proud" was what, a momentary bout of Turrets Syndrome? 

Your last paragraph was funny, parroting exactly the point I made several posts back, though I am certain it was not your intent, and you're simply misapplying the premise.

But kudos for the effort.

[skrzfan]

Then "Roget would be proud" was what, a momentary bout of Turrets Syndrome? 

maybe it was a compliment?

[Sexy Leather]

What's another word for Roget...thesaurus?   

[FreightTrain]

Nebraska winters are usually full of discontent as a rule of thumb.  Even when the cupboard was full and we came off an eleven win seasons, the worrisome thoughts from some fans always found their way to the chatboards and fan forums.  In my own simple way of writing my thoughts down in the past, you always had to contend with others with a different take on the situation at hand.  My skin isn't very thick and I have not the time to defend them day in and day out as some do.  I have other things to do that are more productive and with the idea of generating money and tangible gains, I have only drive by episodes of input these days.  When you take the time to share your thoughts and ideas, you do take that chance that others will take a swing at your cranial gems. 

As for the winters in Nebraska we are seeing a very mild one as far as the weather goes.  No snow cover to speak of.  As far as the Nebraska fans go, they were jerked from their lofty heights down to the ground in a single decade.  The polarization that occurred from the winningest four seasons in their history to the downward spireling of the past decade made for two distinct camps.  For me the reality of it goes back to the history of this game.  It was very seldom in this games history that you win a championship with a freshman or sophomore quarterback playing behind a line that saw freshmen and sophomores starting in the season opener.  It does happen once in a while when a spectacular phenom arrives and takes a team to the edge of greatness but that is the exception and not the norm.

That decade of losing our way left a generation not knowing how fragile it was to maintain the fifty years of unprecedented accomplishments that was Husker football.  Fans took things for granted and thought that we were ordained to have those nine and ten win seasons without failure.  When you think of how many other schools and programs there are, and how the NCAA has flatten out the playing field over the past forty years to accomplish parity, it's a wonder we lasted as long as we did.  Now we have a first time head coach trying to emulate the success of the past while learning his new job on the run.  It isn't too different than how it was after the two championships of the Devaney days.  A first time head coach learning to be that head man on the job.  Fans that had known success throwing stones at him with every step he took.  It wasn't easy back then and it won't be easy now.

Back then Nebraska didn't pay their coaches as other successful head coaches.  They were known as bargins as rates of pay went back then.  Much like this staff they had some coaches that were not yet established folded in with some old coaches that were content with the family atmosphere.  Again not too different than it is today.  Their are many bigtime programs that pay much more.  Many big time coaches with pedigrees are also journeymen of sorts.  taking the next big payday to move on.  Sabin and Meyer come to mind.  Fans have to decide what they want.  To build a program that sustains over time or that quick fix and and consequential downdraft that follows when they move on. 

Osborne knows what he wants. Will he have time to accomplish it is another story.  Two camps of fans fighting over philosophies.  It's never been easy for a sparsely populated state in the upper midwest.  It was indeed more fragile than the decades of success had shown it to be.  Osborne trying to emulate the past while contending with the fans is a juggling act of epic proportions that only he knows.  It's not the first winter of discontent.  It won't be the last.  It is however a theme that will be hashed over again and again.  The process continues and the foundation is in place.  Now it's all about regrouping and holding on to it's tail and not letting go.  It's not that far away when we will see an upper classman behind the center and fifth year seniors leading the way.  Leading as in leaders and leadership. Something that is earned over time for the most part, and not an instant thing that just happens.