The Departed Husker Conference

Since we had non-stop quotes from The Departed on an earlier Bo Pelini post, we figured the best way to decipher Pelini's first press conference as Husker Football Coach would be to put everything in lines from the movie, so here goes:

• "I just want to go on record saying I'm recommending Bill Costigan for the medal of honor." For the first time in the past four years, there was a Nebraska press conference where the words FRANK and SOLICH were mentioned. And in a positive light no less. We all get that Pelini is not a bullshitter, and he made special note that he wouldn't even have the hearts of Husker fans -- or be in this position -- if it weren't for Frankie Solich giving him that chance in late 2002. No Solich, No Pelini, and who knows who gets the head coaching job this time around.
• "This is unbelievable. Who put the fuckin' cameras in this place?" Tom Osborne is used to all of this after a week of literally everybody in the state of Nebraska tracking his every move, and every flight, to find clues as to who the next coach would be. According to media reports, the 6th floor of the media crew was filled with the largest contingent of cameras and reporters wanting to get a glimpse of Pelini in person. You could even see by the look on the faces of the Pelini family that they never got that sort of coverage at LSU.
• "The question is, and this is the only question, who thinks that they can do what you do better than you? " From the beginning of the conference, Osborne made it perfectly clear that the major thing that needed fix-up and fast was defense. After that, hiring Pelini was a no-brainer. There was nobody else out there, from Turner Gill to Jim Grobe, who could turn around a pathetic defense in the best way than Pelini.
• "The day you wouldn't take a promotion, let me know." It's widely documented that Pelini told his players BEFORE the SEC Championship game that being the Head Coach of Nebraska was his "dream" job. There's nowhere else to go from here, unless he gets an oversized ego and dreams of the NFL, or if the Head Coaching vacancy should someday open up at his Alma mater at The Ohio State University...
• "When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church." It's no secret Bo wanted this job after the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Hell, everyone in the STATE wanted Bo to get the job. Steve Pederson never even considered him. So in the first five minutes of his press conference yesterday, Pelini went out of his way, without naming any names, to diss the Callahan regime, explaining how "you can know all the x's and o's in the world, but if you can't teach them and get players to respond, you can't win." Ouch.
• "A man makes his own way. No one gives it to you. You have to take it." Another diss at Callahan and especially Kevin Cosgrove, from both Osborne and Pelini. Both made mention at how great Pelini's defenses were at taking the ball away from the opposition, and how much that was a problem especially with the 2007 Huskers. Callahan, of course, was famous for his "we take we we're given" approach. Or at least that's what he'd consistently tell the media.
• "I can't be someone else every fuckin' day." Pelini was asked about his hot-headed and emotional demeanor, to which he decided to answer like another famous Bo: in third person. "Bo Pelini isn't going to change." Good man.
• "I don't know what they are, you don't know what they are, who gives a fuck?" Pelini was asked a few times about what sort of offense he intended to run at Nebraska, and each time he answered, "That'll work itself out." In other words, he'll have somebody else to run the offense while he cleans up the mess that Grover left. Or Pelini will keep the other team from scoring, but somebody else has to mastermind ways to score on the other side of the ball.
• "Staff Sergeant Dignam has a style of his own. I'm afraid we all have to get used to it." Back to Bo being Bo. He's going to be a lot more like Devaney than he is Osborne. And he certainly isn't going to be anything like Callahan. The funny thing is, everyone seems to like this new, fresh approach of intensity and running out on the field. And if he has to bring out Bill Snyder at a Kansas State game and yell at him again, so be it.
• "Marriage is an important part of getting ahead: lets people know you're not a homo; married guy seems more stable; people see the ring, they think at least somebody can stand the son of a bitch; ladies see the ring, they know immediately you must have some cash or your cock must work." Osborne in particular wanted to make sure Pelini introduced his family to the masses, including his youngest daughter, the only member of his family to be born in Lincoln, so that's a good "omen." I don't even know if Callahan's kids knew their dad worked in Nebraska over the past four years.
• "The point I'm making with John Lennon is - a man could look at anything, and make something out of it." Pelini downplayed the importance of getting the five star recruits. Oh sure, he said he had a ton of work to do over the next two weeks as far as recruiting goes, and he recognizes that constant recruiting is a major part of being successful long term. But all Callahan ever talked about was recruiting, about how he had to get the right players in for his "system". Pelini is fine with what's in the cupboard right now, and every year he'll go get groceries to restock the fridge and cabinets. But I'll be damned if the biggest day of the year for Pellini is National Letter of Intent Day like it was with Billy C.
• "I think you are a cop my friend." Unlike Billy C, who spent his first press conference looking around in a daze just happy to have a job, Bo Pelini really looked the part of college football head coach. Maybe this truly is his dream job. He didn't wince words (which endeared him even more to Husker Nation), he didn't talk about bringing in the West Coast Offense (something Billy C did and caused confusion and chaos throughout the entire state). And more than anything, he left the impression that he was ready to hit the ground running, even if it means losing out on getting a National Championship ring with LSU (he still might get the chance to coach in that game, but at this point, does LSU want him back for a week or so?). Maybe he can truly be like the Alec Baldwin character in The Departed and remain the last man standing.