Random Thoughts without the benefit of any factual data to back them up

Preface; I rarely comment on team sports, even Nebraska College sports. Most of the time I pay very little attention to them (team sports) college or pro. (Bowl game & the World Series excepted) I do not have any inside information, my crystal ball is less clearer than most. The following is just things that have for no apparent reason been ricocheting around the inside of my cranium the past few years.

In fact I can usually be seen wearing an OU hat. Not because I am a big Sooners fan, I am not. I have some personal connections to the state of Oklahoma so I wear the hat in reminder of them. Even though I am not a member of the rabid "The sun won't come up Sunday morning if they lose on Saturday" Cornhuskers Fan Club, I root for the home town team and hope they win none the less.

GO BIG RED

Given history and recent events I am prompted to clear my head of some things Husker.

The Osborne era ends

I am sure that due to his success Tom Osborne had a free hand to run the program the way he saw fit without interference. When he retired and Solich took over I believe that he was pretty much able to do the same thing.

Enter AD Pederson.

I got a bad feeling about the Husker Sports program in general when Steve Pederson was hired as Athletic Director. At the time I thought he breezed into the job admonishing;

"Okay I am the boss now, things are going to be run the way I want them run and if you don't like it you can get the hell out of here"

Pederson struck me right from the start as one who wanted to micro-manage the staff to the point of back seat "My way or the highway" coaching the football team. Pederson was hot for the "West Coast Offense" and Solich wouldn't or couldn't give it to him. Early on Pederson seemed to cultivate "Just shut up and give me your damn money I'll will tell you how it is going to be spent spent" ill will with the alumni. I heard some even quit donating.

Perlman can't admit a mistake

But then what can you expect from someone that thinks a Prime Time television show about a hard drinking dope smoking washed up entertainer turned amateur porn star pretending to attend UNL is a positive image for the School.

At the time I am sure the Alumni were also supportive of Solich. He was winning after all. That could mean only one thing Solich had to go.

Say what you want about Solich and whether or not he needed to go. Based purely on his record I think he was sacrificed at the alter of "I am the boss here and I'll prove it to you Solich is history".

Enter Bill Callahan

Callahan was suppose to come to Nebraska and turn the Big Red Machine into Pedersons personal "You will coach the way I order you too" West Coast Offense semi-pro dream team. I think that much of the problem with the football program the last few years can be attributed directly to Pederson's personal "I know what's best, it's my way" involvement.

Time will tell

Now that Pederson is history I do not know if Callahan can turn this team around. I tend to think he can if Osborne will let him. Are there some coaching changes that need to be made? Probably.

It is rumored that the Big Red will get a bowl game. I keep having this premonition that if they do, come game day Osborne will be leading the team out onto the field as interim Athletic Director slash born again Football Coach.

The Second Coming of Osborne

I think he misses it, I think he wants it and after his defeat in the primary election in his bid to be governor I think he needs the ego boost.

If that is the case then Callahan will not get the "free from Pederson oppression" chance to prove himself. And that may be the worst thing that will have happened at UNL since Tommy Lee audited a few of the Underwater Basket Weaving 101 electives for Prime Time Television.

There you have it, a swirling torrent of unconnected random electronic synapses pulsating across the brain cells of my thought process.