Curt McKeever: For Pelini, 'boring' transition a good thing
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I can picture Bo Pelini at home checking out the Internet near the end of a long Monday and suddenly having his mood brighten when he sees the big local sports story is ... his sour mood after practice.
He lets out one of his goofy laughs, taps his wife, Mary Pat, then points to the screen and says: “Check this out. That’s all those guys have to report on?”
Admittedly, pretty boring stuff.
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But if you’re Pelini, there’s nothing better than nothing right before you’re about to make your first Tunnel Walk as Nebraska’s head football coach.
“Boring,” he said Friday, “is good.”
Now, that’s not to say he hasn’t had issues and distractions to deal with since being tabbed to replace Bill Callahan last December. As is always the case with coaching moves, change can be difficult.
Some recruits did switch allegiances shortly after Pelini’s hire. Some already in the program (though none from the final two-deep list of 2007) were shown the door after they proved to be bad fits.
Away from the field, some excessive parties in Huskers’ homes, and repeated DUI offenses by tight end Hunter Teafatiller (who was punished internally in addition to being suspended from today’s game) caused athletic director Tom Osborne and Pelini to issue stern statements. Pelini then banned his players from some local bars and even went on patrol one evening to see if they were complying.
But all things considered, it’s been a remarkably quiet and amicable transition. At Michigan that wasn’t the case. A starting offensive lineman transferred to rival Ohio State and a quarterback who played as a freshman last year also left after Rich Rodriguez replaced the retired Lloyd Carr. The lineman said the Wolverines’ “family values” had eroded under Rodriguez.
Meanwhile at Nebraska, the Huskers have refused to be detoured by the case of suspended offensive lineman Andy Christensen, whose sexual assault trial went to a jury Friday.
“We really haven’t had any distractions,” senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “For you guys (in the media) it is (boring), but it’s definitely good for us.”
So what’s going on here? Could Pelini simply be dealing with an extremely mature group that simply ‘gets it?’ Will the calm and all-for-one attitude disappear under the rapid fire of some Saturdays that are bound to not go Big Red’s way?
The coach says don’t count on it.
“I think they understand that we’re not going to put up with any crap,” Pelini said. “I think when you clearly lay out expectations and it’s a pretty black-and-white form of what you’re asking them to do, they’ll do it. You get what you ask for, and the more gray it is, the more problems you’re going to have.
“But, yeah, they’ve set high standards for themselves, too.”
Undoubtedly, the embarrassment players felt from last season helped shape their attitude.
But according to senior offensive lineman Matt Slauson, the reputation Pelini gained as defensive coordinator on LSU’s national championship team probably weighed more heavily on their minds.
“Having a fresh start, everybody made a conscious decision that we have to grow up now,” Slauson said. “We can’t be doing the same kind of stuff we used to. We have to go out there and be focused every day. We can’t be taking days off, or going out partying. I think Pelini did a great job facilitating that.”
Fall camp has been so matter-of-fact that recently Pelini felt compelled to add some spice.
In Todd Peterson’s contributing piece Monday in Sporting News Today, the senior receiver divulged how Pelini pulled a prank on the Huskers during a team meeting.
After starting a film, Pelini went outside with a player and in the next moment, as Peterson tells it, “they were screaming at each other. We heard banging on the walls and everything. ... We’re all sitting inside looking at each other like, ‘Well, great, we just lost a teammate and our coach might be in the hospital.’
“... Then he comes back in just laughing and says, ‘Just joking, let’s go bowling.’”
How’s that for a quick bond?
“I’ve known people that have gone through coaching changes and have had good and bad experiences, so I am very thankful for where we are right now,” Suh said. “You can see that we’ve definitely had a smooth transition from both coaching staffs.”
Even though it’s lacked drama.
“We had our share of drama last year in that season,” senior defensive end Zach Potter said, grinning. “We got it all out of us, I think. We’re trying to stay positive this year. ... Gotta be boring. Gotta make sure you guys’ jobs are tough.”
Great. Looks like Pelini might have to take one for the team and throw a fit after practice every now and then.
That’s news. Right?
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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