The N-Sider's Five Favorite Bo Pelini Quotes

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Bo Pelini, shown above during the game at Michigan State two weekends ago, said Monday that the last eight or nine days for him felt more like two months and that may explain why Nebraska’s seventh-year head football coach kept harping on the same three subjects at Monday’s press conference – technique, technique and technique.  His rather eloquent thoughts on that critically important word reminded me of someone who once said that “some people believe football is a matter of life and death, and I’m very disappointed with that attitude.  I can assure you that it is much, much more important than that.”

From my point of view, Coach Pelini’s sermon on technique was not boring in any way.  It was, in fact, a classic case of a head coach giving media and fans a view of his heart and a peek into his soul while he shared what Vince Lombardi must have been like when he finds football running parallel to life.  Pelini’s mini-lecture on technique was fascinating at its core because he talked about perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication – all qualities that apply on the football field as much as they relate to everyday life.  With that in mind, I share with loyal Husker fans my Five Favorite Bo Pelini Quotes from his first presser since that rainy night in East Lansing two weekends ago.

This week, for the first time this season, I’m listing my five favorite quotes in their real-life order instead of in reverse order because I don’t want readers to wait from here to eternity to understand what may have been weighing so heavily on Coach Bo’s mind from that slow-cooker start at Michigan State.  That was yesterday.  On deck is a series that is triggering all kinds of philosophical thoughts from Coach Pelini.  Yes, the difference between Nebraska being 2-1 or 0-3 against Northwestern is razor-thin and does not reflect the Huskers’ 18-8 overall Big Ten record over the last three years compared to the Wildcats’ 11-16 mark.  Even in the division, NU Nebraska is 11-5 and NU Northwestern is 6-11.  Stats like that crawl into a head coach’s mind when his team is idle and the team he plays next is reeling from a close loss at Minnesota.  My five favorite quotes:

1) On what Bo remembered about Ron Kellogg III’s Hail Mary pass to Jordan Westerkamp, above catching that pass, and how the play enabled Nebraska to steal a win from Northwestern last year in Lincoln:  “What did I remember about the Hail Mary?” asked Pelini, repeating the question before delivering this answer: ‘I remember thinking that we shouldn’t be in this situation, but we are.  We were very fortune to come out of it with a win.’”  No one pressed Pelini, so what we have here, in my opinion, is the opportunity to fill in our own blanks and somehow, I think Nebraska fans everywhere are giving thanks for the Huskers going 2-1 against the Wildcats in the past three seasons.  All three games were decided by a total of seven points.  In 2011, the 7-1 Huskers dropped a 28-25 game to Northwestern in Lincoln.  In 2012, Ben Cotton bailed Nebraska out, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass with 2:08 remaining in a 29-28 Husker escape from Evanston.  Last year, in the only Nebraska Hail Mary completion in 125 years, Westerkamp's remarkable  catch gave the Huskers a 27-24 walk-off win.

2) On the biggest changes Nebraska has made in its punt return game compared to last year: “I studied it in the off-season,” Pelini said before putting a series of comments together about why the Huskers’ punt return game has been so anemic until this year.  “I believe I handcuffed the way we did things a year ago,” he said.  “At times you can be your own worst enemy, and I think I was a year ago.  It was me.  It wasn’t the guys who were coaching that unit…it was more me than anyone else.  It was philosophy.  I was way too conservative in my approach last year, and it hurt us.”  To use a Bo expression, believe me, there are many more heartfelt apologies in this fully transcribed Pelini press conference, and I encourage you to read every word.  Monday was a day of confession that stretched well beyond having the new-found luxury of freshman phenom De’Mornay Pierson-El’s trying to become the next Johnny Rodgers.

3) On if his offense has been looking to improve certain things:  “Yea,” Bo said.  “But believe me, it wasn’t just the offensive line in the Michigan State game…It’s a team game.  It’s about consistency.  There were big plays to be had in the game.  We didn’t execute well in a lot of areas.  I know that everyone wants to focus on the offensive line, but that’s just a small part of it.  To play great, you have to have 11 guys working every play.”  Just glad Bo made the statement for everyone who never puts on a pair of pads and for certain “experts” who enjoy rushing to judgment.

4) On how sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., above, handles success and setbacks: “Tommy, let me tell you, is a competitor.  He comes to work every day.  He’s not perfect.  He’s a work in progress, which every quarterback who plays the game at this stage in his second year as a sophomore is…you have to learn from your mistakes and not get down on yourself…you have to learn how to grow…be resilient…have a short memory…move on from a mistake.”  Bo focused on technique, but he’s also a psychologist and will inspire his players to fix their technique with a certain level of discipline that must be accompanied by a tough attitude.

5) On just exactly what “not trusting the scheme” entails, which is a great question and an even better answer from Bo, whose thoughts should be shared with parents and any kid who wants to grow up and play such a physical game:  “Not recognizing a formation, or maybe not recognizing a communication,” Bo said. “Just getting out there and trying to survive rather than trusting the preparation. Sounds easier than it is. When you get out there, you put yourself on an island when you don’t necessarily need to be.  You have help.  Some of that comes with experience, and it comes with confidence. To me, preparation breeds confidence.  You have to earn the right to play on Saturday by how you prepare, not only physically, but mentally during the week. In this day and age of football, in my opinion, you can’t just go to meetings, go to practice and forget about it. There has to be some time where you have to put your PlayStation down, put your phone down, turn the TV off and go through your notes at night.  That’s how you earn it on Saturday.  It doesn’t just magically happen.  It comes from hard work and dedication.  I’m not saying our guys aren’t working hard or aren’t dedicated, but there is an extra level that you need to go to get where you’re totally prepared and you’re confident to play freely at the level you need to execute.”  I told you technique isn’t boring.  For the rest of the season, technique will be relevant every day that Nebraska eyes a possible rematch against Michigan State in Indianapolis.  One thing seems fairly certain.  A PlayStation won’t solve what Bo Pelini wants solved.

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