11. On the Criticism of Pelini's Demeanor

Bo Pelini came into the Nebraska job as an old-school football coach from the blue collar town of Youngstown, Ohio.  Pelini learned the game from Hayden Fry, George Seifert, and Pete Carroll, before serving on the staffs of Solich, Bob Stoops, and Les Miles.  Five of those six coaches were born between 1929 and 1953, growing up in a different era of football.   

When Pelini was the fiery Defensive Coordinator in 2003, he was all the rage and exactly what Nebraska fans wanted.  He was a throwback to Bob Devaney, the beloved, hot-tempered Irishman, prone to verbal tirades not fit for the newspaper, whose statue sits outside Memorial Stadium, and who would not be allowed to coach in 2013.

Now this same passion has become a tired talking point against him.

The truth is, love them or hate them, Pelini’s bursts of sideline temper are a thing of the past.  So are his occasional annoyed rebuffs of the childish, needling members of the local media.  Pelini has made a dramatic change in his on-field and off-field demeanor over the past six years, and now maintains better control over himself than most head coaches.  In fact, many Pelini admirers openly wish he would return to his fiery behavior of the past.

This past weekend’s game at Penn State is a prime example.  Ameer Abdullah scored on a thrilling long touchdown run that looked to be the game-winner.  But an official negated the score with an inexplicable penalty for an “unnecessary block” by a Nebraska player trailing Abdullah near the 15-yard line.  The TV broadcasting crew lambasted the call.  The sizeable Cornhusker internet contingent exploded.   The penalty was historically awful, one that will be remembered for years in Husker football lore with the Ruud-Phelps fumble, the 1982 Penn State call, the Corey Dixon return, the Walt Anderson theft, and the Courtney Osborne hit.  More importantly, the call could have cost Nebraska the game and Bo Pelini his job.

Years ago, Pelini would have ran onto the field, red-faced and screaming, and would likely have had to have been restrained by an assistant.  Not today.  Pelini protested properly but kept his cool - more composure, I'm sure, than the majority of Nebraska fans had in their reactions.  His composure was admirable, an impressive sign of his maturation.

It doesn’t take a lengthy search on a Saturday to flip through the remote and find coaches behaving viciously on the sideline.  Notre Dame’s Kelly is a chronic offender.  Another Big Ten head coach nearly came to blows with an assistant on the sidelines during a recent game.

    In his sixth year, Pelini has clearly grown more comfortable in his role.  He is diplomatic and respectful with the press (whether they deserve such treatment is another story).  He is always respectful of other programs, coaches, and players. 

More telling of Pelini's demeanor and personality is this: the way, to a man, former and current players speak of their coach.  They speak openly of their absolute “love” for Bo Pelini the man, the father figure, and regularly credit Pelini for teaching them how to become men off the field. Compare this with the aloof, arrogant nature of Perlman's choice for the previous 'coach.'

  

By all reports, Pelini's football program – from players to coaches to staff – is operating with a close-knit bond.  Players and coaches respect each other and have each other’s back.  Pelini openly takes responsibility for everything that happens on or off the field, a “buck stops with me” approach.  He openly and candidly talks about his own process of learning and improving as a coach and leader.

Compare this current climate with that of the coach selected by Perlman.  In their four-year experiment, their coach blamed the players and denied any responsibility for the record-breaking failures, stubbornly insisting to the end that he personally was doing “an excellent job in all areas.”

Or compare Pelini’s demeanor with the behavior of other prominent head coaches over the past few years. 

-  Nick Saban’s unethical practice of oversigning and cutting players damages lives but gets a whitewash from the press; by comparison Bo Pelini pledged to commit to his four-year scholarship offer to a high school recruit who may never take another snap after suffering concussions;

- Urban Meyer’s run of 31 player arrests at Florida, chronic drug and violence issues, and continued player arrests at Ohio State;

    - Bob Stoops’ probation and epidemic of payer drug-related arrests and suspensions;

-       The sideline rages of numerous head coaches;

-       The arrest of Gary Pinkel;

-       Steve Spurrier’s recent interview while intoxicated;

-       Bret Bielema, well, being Bret Bielema;

-       Lane Kiffin’s trail of being loathed for arrogance and failure at all stops;

-       Reports of abusive behavior by coaches from Todd Graham to Mark Mangino to Mike Leach to Charlie Weis.

-       The Pete Carroll scandal;

-       The Jim Tressel scandal;

-       The Joe Paterno scandal;

       -  The Chip Kelly scandal;

-       The burgeoning Oklahoma State investigation and its allegations against Les Miles and Mike Gundy;

By contrast, Pelini’s program is one filled internally with love, respect, character, and values.  As it was under Devaney, Osborne, and Solich.  As it wasn't under Perlman's failed experiment.