Some more from Struggling Joe, in a follow-up I commented to him about how the impression that I and others further away from Nebraska got from the media was a very disgruntled and unhappy fanbase with Coach Callahan and the team. I wondered whether it was just a vocal minority.

I guess I may have been speaking more from my perspective on that one. There are definitely a lot of old school fans at Nebraska and they’re going to be hard on Callahan no matter what he does. But from my perspective and from the people that I talk to, they definitely know that a change needed to be made and that there was going to be some down time until things get turned around. I think if I actually lived in Lincoln and sat in the stands, I would hear a different story I’m sure, but I think that is why I’m glad I’m not able to get to most of the Husker games. 🙂

Then, as if on cue you had SI.com’s Stuart Mandel’s mailbag starts off with this.

It’s only been two games, and, even though they both ended in Nebraska victories, it’s clear Huskers fans are becoming increasingly agitated with second-year coach Bill Callahan. A year after watching his offense bumble its way through the school’s first losing season in 43 years, the Huskers’ loyal legions — and lord knows there’s a bunch of them — were hoping for something more encouraging than an average of 273.5 offensive yards — ranked 99th nationally — against Maine and Wake Forest.

According to Mandel, “But from where I sit, it’s looking more and more to me like Callahan’s hiring was a potentially colossal mistake. Not because he can’t coach, but because he’s the wrong coach for Nebraska.” This is 1 season and 2 games into his tenure.

Struggling Joe responded to that on his blog.

I bring that up in part, because you can guess what the second issue from the mailbag was:

It seems like every job Dave Wannstedt gets, he finds himself immediately in hot water. I can’t remember the last week of football where fans in Chicago, Miami, or now, Pittsburgh, haven’t called for his head. How long will Wanny last at Pitt, and is it possible this Panthers squad isn’t the Big East contender we thought it was?
–Zack, Rockville, Md.

Wannstedt’s situation is similar to Callahan’s in one sense: Wannstedt walked into a program that wasn’t exactly broken and, therefore, won’t be afforded the same patience as a coach in a rebuilding situation (and ironically, the two face each other Saturday, after which one of them is going to be feeling even more heat). The difference is, while Callahan had no connection whatsoever to Nebraska, Wannstedt is a definitive Pitt guy, which is why I, like most people, bought into the hype — in spite of the fact that, as you mention, his sterling coaching reputation, due primarily to his role as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys’ 1992 Super Bowl team, seems to be impervious to actual wins and losses.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, folks. He’s been there two games. While the apocalyptic media reaction in Pittsburgh has certainly been amusing (“Pitt’s 16-10 loss to poor little Ohio University … was one of the sorriest chapters in the university’s athletic history,” wrote one particularly over-the-top columnist), there are still a lot of games left for Wannstedt to turn things around, and as of now the Panthers are still undefeated in the Big East. If we’re still talking about the same thing next year at this time, however … well, see the above comments on Callahan.

So it’s decided. A new coach has a little more than one season to make even a moderately successful program into a top-15 team.

Now back to some more Q&A with Joe.

You touched on the offenses struggles. Is it simply a matter of transition still. Players from the old system still trying to fit into the new along with new recruits learning the system at the next level? Is it something with the offensive coordinator? Is he coming in for the heat (or does Callahan call the offense)?

It’s definitely a little of both. It’s new players trying to fit into the new system. I mean you have half of the guys that were recruited to run the option and the other half are just new players period and are trying to learn the new system as well. Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell calls the plays but I’m sure Callahan has a lot of input. That guy has his nose buried in the play sheet all game it seems, so I can’t imagine he doesn’t play a part. So while you have all this newness going on, you still have to execute on the field and that is the other half of the problem. Dropped balls have been the biggest problem as far as execution goes and the other problem is getting the offensive line to gel. I’m actually impressed with QB Zac Taylor’s performance so far. Last week he was victimized by six drops and three knockdowns.

Last year before the game, the beaten into the ground theme was your AD Steve Pedersen, since he left the same job at Pitt. He’s still very well regarded by Pitt fans and alum for revitalizing and modernizing the entire athletic department and key programs — football and basketball (aside from the decisions to go from Pitt to Pittsburgh, and junking the old colors for the boring color scheme — which we equate to the difference between San Diego Charger old school unis versus the dull new ones — but I digress). Again, this may be distorted by distance and simply a very vocal minority, but what is the overall feeling about Pedersen and the job he’s done in Nebraska? It seems he is getting much abuse for his moves (and the way they are done) even as most quietly concede the necessity.

Pedersen has definitely taken the brunt of criticism so far. First of all, he had to deal with the initial firing of Solich, (You know, the breaking away from the old guard.) and then he got taken through the ringer when the job was turned down a few times before finally landing Callahan. I’m personally glad he landed someone with “NFL” experience because I think that is kind of the new trend. It certainly has paid off huge dividends in the recruiting wars as we touched on earlier.

Getting back to Pedersen, it’s hard to gauge the public perception this season because he really has been left out of the media spotlight. But I’m sure if he were to get introduced before or during a Husker game, he would get boo’ed. You know, one of those deals. I’m sure his name gets cursed and will get cursed until the Huskers have a winning season. But I give him a lot of credit for basically being the guy responsible for this whole change. If the talent keep coming in, people will have no choice but to get on board.

You’ve mentioned how the defense has carried the team — and the stats bear that out. Where is the strength of the D? Is it up front with the D-line, or is it a strong secondary that leads allows more help to come up front and blitz more?

There’s no doubt that the strength of the defense is the defensive line. They’ve recorded 16 sacks in two games so far, including 11 against Maine which was a school record. They have all four starters back from last season and the depth has almost doubled from what is was last year as well. I really thought the LB’s would be the glaring weakness coming into the season but the d-line has made them look REAL good so far. Since the other team is worried about containing the d-line, the LB’s have been freed up to make more plays. And it’s reflected in the fact that the LB’s, themselves, have three interception returns for TD’s this season.

Leave it to me to find the a rational Nebraska fan to discuss this stuff.