NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Durango53]

Bill Callahan will talk to Nebraska about the job Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer turned down Tuesday.


Callahan, who was fired by the Raiders last week will interview with the Cornhuskers on Wednesday, his agent, Gary O'Hagan, confirmed Tuesday night.


"It would be a perfect fit," O'Hagan told The Associated Press. "A high-character institution with a high-character coach."


Coach Bill Parcells said Tuesday that Zimmer told Nebraska officials he was remaining in the pros rather than continue to pursue the head coaching vacancy created when Frank Solich was fired after a 9-3 season. Zimmer was in Lincoln, Neb., on Monday for an interview.


Back to square one in Lincoln?
Nebraska has been been on a search for a new football coach since Frank Solich was fired in November after a 9-3 regular season. Interim coach Bo Pelini led the Cornhuskers to victory in the Alamo Bowl and will now be interviewed by AD Steve Pederson, as will quarterbacks coach Turner Gill.

The candidates Nebraska sought but couldn't bring to Lincoln:


Mike Zimmer, Cowboys defensive coordinator
Why he stayed put: Dallas offered a new contract.

Houston Nutt, Arkansas coach
Why he stayed put: Loyalty to the Razorbacks, counteroffer from university.


Al Saunders, Chiefs offensive coordinator
Why he stayed put: Wanted to continue career in NFL; withdrew from consideration.



Zimmer, who led the Cowboys to a No. 1 defensive ranking this season, will sign a three-year, $3 million contract to remain in Dallas, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports. The $1.5 million-per-year deal he rejected from the Cornhuskers was for six seasons.


Zimmer had been scheduled to make $500,000 the next two seasons under a deal he signed with Dallas last year.


His initial reaction early Tuesday, after sleeping on the Nebraska offer, was to accept the job. But when he reported for work at the Cowboys' headquarters a few hours later, owner Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells convinced him to stay and presented him with the proposal for the new contract.


"We found him to be a terrific coach and a man of great integrity," Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson said in a statement Tuesday. "He was very upfront at the time regarding the fact that his first obligation is to the needs and happiness of his family."


Parcells said Zimmer would not comment.


Arkansas coach Houston Nutt rejected Nebraska's $2 million coaching offer, saying strong family ties and a job left undone kept him with the Razorbacks. Nebraska also expressed interest in Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, but he also said he didn't want the job.


Pederson has indicated that interim coach Bo Pelini and quarterbacks coach Turner Gill, a Fort Worth native, also will be interviewed in the search for a replacement for Frank Solich. The Cornhuskers fired Solich in November after a 9-3 regular season.


Meanwhile, Congressman and former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne has been fielding phone calls from worried assistants at the school he led to two national championships.


Zimmer has been with the Cowboys for nine seasons. He became defensive coordinator in 2000 and this past season his unit gave up the fewest yards in the NFL. He was an assistant at Illinois State, Missouri, and Weber State before jumping to the pros.


Although Zimmer has never been a head coach at any level, Parcells has said several times that he would be a good candidate to run an NFL team.


"I think that the future is bright for Mike," Parcells said Tuesday. "He did an excellent job. If your offense or defense is particularly favorable, people begin to take notice of you. I think that is what happened."


Parcells said the Cowboys also are close to retaining the only two assistant coaches with expiring contracts, strength coach Joe Juraszek and kicking coordinator Steve Hoffman.

[Durango53]

All right this is it!!!! This is a joke and an embarrassment to one of the best football programs in the nation. To fire a 9-3 coach and then every coach you want to replace him with is a joke in the first place and they keep turning you down and now you are talking to people that have no business coaching a high school team much less one of the most poplar football programs in history.....

I am very fast getting sick of the Huskers. I can’t believe that coaches that suck are laughing at Pederson when he asks them to coach the Huskers. 5 years ago they could have picked about any coach they wanted anywhere but now they cant find one that could make this program better than 9-3.

Frank is laughing his butt off somewhere and he is going to make some program a great coach why the Huskers will be setting off fireworks at a 3-9 season. This has gotten way out of hand!!!

[Durango53]

No respectable coach looking for long term commitment at a decent school would want to partner with a university who fires their coach after winning 9 games

[Yellow Dog]

Durango and I said all along they should not let Solich go for a 9-3 record. When a school fires a coach with a record like that just because he can live up to the legacy of his predecessor, they are starting down a slippery slope that almost never works out too well. I've seen the same thing happen at other places time and time again.

Having said that, I still thought the Nebraska job would be attractive enough to pull in a big name coach from some where. I had my doubts that coach would do much better, if any, than Solich and they were taking a risk but at least there would be a list of qualified candiates willing to give it a shot.

But I never thought it would turn out like this. This has played out much worse than I ever envisioned when I was telling all the people calling for Solich's head to be careful what they wished for. Nebraska is now on the road to becoming the Alabama of the mid-west.

[LesPaul]

:clap2:

wonderful. just wonderful.

i love the quote "This is a perfect fit" :D

[Durango53]

Originally posted by Yellow Dog
Durango and I said all along they should not let Solich go for a 9-3 record.
Yes and I agreed with you all the way. It seemed that the people that lived right there around the Huskers are the only ones that was wanting it. People that just didnt see a NC and so something must be wrong.

Yes this is turning into a real bad showing and I am not looking forward to next year for Husker football.

[Durango53]

Well crap!!!!!! Callahan "This is a perfect fit" is meeting with Huskers AD for a second day. Great just great it looks like a guy that cant control anything is going to be a head coach for the great Huskers and make them better than 9-3.

Could someone tell me why this is a good hire? Callahan is dog dung and I stand by what I say 9-3 will be a nice memory. Husker fans can now hope for 5-7 or 6-6 seasons. Hey look on the bright side 6-6 can get you to a bowl these days!!!

[LesPaul]

Brown interview: Relationship was that bad

ESPN.com news services
Bill Callahan's relationship with the Raiders deteriorated to the point that players wanted to come to blows with the former head coach.


The Raiders have been openly critical of Callahan during and following their 4-12 season -- the biggest drop ever for a Super Bowl team. Callahan was fired by Al Davis last week.


The Raiders felt that Callahan did not treat them with nearly enough respect. Following a November loss to the Broncos, Callahan called the Raiders "the dumbest team in America."


The Raiders apparently almost fought back.


"It got to a point where we're literally telling guys in the locker room, 'Nobody hit this guy, OK?' '' veteran receiver Tim Brown told Rich Eisen of The NFL Network on Monday.


Guard Frank Middleton confirmed to the network that some players objected to Callahan's methods. "A couple of times, guys thought he was challenging their manhood,'' Middleton said.


Callahan's relationship with the team began to unravel before the season began, Brown said.


"First off, he didn't want the veteran players back, and so we're back and he doesn't like that,'' Brown told the network. "So the next thing that he does, he changes the whole offense. You were the No. 1-ranked offense in the league last year. Why would you change the whole offense?


"The next thing he does is he tells everybody in training camp, 'I don't need to be your friends. I don't want you guys liking me. Just play football for me.' ''


"He did things his own way,'' Middleton said. "A lot of guys took it the wrong way. The O-line dealt with him for a longer time. We knew the way he coached and what he was trying to get out of you."


Brown told the network he never went to Davis with his complaints about Callahan. Instead, he said, he sought out senior assistant Bruce Allen.


"You were afraid that somebody was going to take a shot at him, because you thought that he was provoking guys to almost do something of that nature,'' Brown said.


Cornerback Charles Woodson has been an outspoken critic of Callahan, saying last week that the coach "really made this thing personal. When things get personal, it's not a good situation to be around people that it's personal with. I won't play for him.


"He's not the type of person you want to be around. He's just really brought a really negative vibe to this team over the course of the season."


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[LesPaul]

Originally posted by LesPaul

"He's not the type of person you want to be around. He's just really brought a really negative vibe to this team over the course of the season."


there is all the evidence of why Pederson will hire Callahan. Instead of having the players wanting to take blows at him after firing Solich, maybe he is switching their attention to someone else...

so how many will transfer if Callahan is hired? especially with all the controversy around this guy.

[Durango53]

OMAHA, Neb. -- Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was continuing his interview with former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan on Thursday morning, an assistant said.


Associate athletic director Mark Boehm, who filled in for Pederson at the Nebraska Special Olympics Breakfast of Champions, told The Associated Press that Pederson couldn't make the scheduled meeting because his interview with Callahan was not completed Wednesday night.


Boehm said the interview continued into Thursday after Callahan arrived in Lincoln later than planned due to flight delays.


Of the coaching search, Boehm told The Associated Press the process would be completed "soon."

[awefullspellare]

i think Callahan can win here... i wont be upset at this hiring (if it happens) however if the running game starts to go bye by7e i will be upset a bit..

BTW-an odd rumor has started about Solich... no idea how truthful this is but i heard from two sources today that part of the reason solich was fired right away was that he has a "girlfriend" in David City and impregnated a college student... i have NO idea if this is true as this was just brought up today but it might be possible... id like to think it couldnt be true as ive always respected Frank but in todays world who knows

[LesPaul]

well i guess all we can hope for is he will be more on the college player level because its evident he wasn't on the pro players level.

[Durango53]

If Callahan come here recuting would take such a hugh hit that is what would kill the program. Take Callahans rep now and how people will see or think how he is will is what is going to kill the program.

If Nebraska comes and talks to you about playing at there school and then some other team comes and talks to you and points out that Callahan couldnt control his players and they hated him. That is a huge thing to over come and will hurt the Huskers. How long does the AD live with bad records why he rebuilds the program and his repitation?

And I dont belive that to much Awefull. I think if it was true Frank would have left with out to much of a big deal about it and it would have been hushed up more.

But the AD of Nebraska is a moron. To fire a coach (any coach if he is bad or not) you have to have a plan to replace him. And I think we are seeing the plan that he has..... Nothing

[LesPaul]

i agree. all along i dont think there has been a good plan at all. its like the vikings draft :) as in they see the one player they want above everyone else and then they find a way to mess it up and not get that player. i think pederson's list of must haves was to shallow or to unrealistic to begin with and now its all out of desperation.

Nebraska has long prided itself on the success of its walkons so why not try a walkon head coach? :D

[awefullspellare]

i actually think BC is more of a college coach (had succes when he used to caoach in college and was suposedly a "great" recuriter..

plus he wont be dealing with mega ego millionares anymore and i think he will be just fine with the players... i think this a LOT better move then we think... this guy was in the Super Bowl a year ago... high school kids will listen to that

[LesPaul]

well its official, callahan is in

i guess we will see now how it will work

[LesPaul]

New coach understands tradition

By Trev Alberts
Special to ESPN.com

The ideal situation for the Nebraska football program would have been to fire Frank Solich and then "win the press conference" by having a replacement in there just a few days later. Everyone in the Husker family would have been ecstatic with that, but we all know things did not work out that way.


Once that scenario failed to play out the focus for athletic director Steve Pederson became getting the best coach out there, and all of the candidates who interviewed were good football coaches. That includes new coach Bill Callahan, whose NFL experience and college background bring some additional credibility to the Cornhusker program.



Bill Callahan won't face the same lockerroom obstacles at Nebraska as he did in Oakland.
Callahan is less than a year removed from taking the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level. And don't put too much stock in that 4-12 record this year in Oakland because there are far bigger issues at play in the NFL than someone outside the lockerroom can fathom.


And don't put much stock in the player unrest that helped get Callahan get fired. When the average salary on the team is higher than the coach's salary the leader loses a lot of his authority, and when he doesn't have the power to make personnel decisions the coach carries even less weight with the players. Neither will be an issue in Lincoln.


Taking all that into account, how ironic is it that Callahan could take the Raiders to the big game last season yet end up making more money at Nebraska? College football has changed a lot over the last few years, and when things like that happen it's easy to see why guys like Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and Al Groh have already come back to college.


But Callahan is not just a pro coach trying something new, he is a coach whose roots are in college. He coached at Illinois and Wisconsin, among others, during a college career that lasted from 1980-94. Callahan's boss at Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez, has raved about Callahan's ability to recruit, which is mandatory in this job if Callahan hopes to bring in the best players outside the state.


The reality is that every high school kid dreams of playing in the NFL one day whether he has a realistic shot or not, and Callahan can look every recruit in the eye and tell him he knows what it takes to be a success at the next level. He has coached players like Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Rich Gannon and knows how they got to the top of the heap.


Of course, there are plenty of other things in the larger picture that helped Callahan land the job. Near the top of the list is his understanding of the passing game and the ability to take the Nebraska offense into the 21st century, which will be another recruiting advantage. The Cornhuskers were never going to get the kind of athletes they needed -- especially at quarterback -- to compete in today's game running an offense that does not let the skill players shine.


And don't discount the fact that Callahan wanted this job and this challenge. He has been called a traditionalist and that's a good thing, because anyone who takes over this program must have a grasp of the Nebraska tradition. Interim coach Bo Pelini certainly did a terrific job with the defense over the course of the season, but if there was one overriding complaint about him it was that he did not understand the lore of Nebraska football.


Nebraska fans, administrators, coaches and players take everything about their program very seriously, and because of Callahan's experience under Alvarez in Madison he can relate to that kind of feeling about a football team.


Some in the Nebraska family might say "Well, they just took the first guy who would say yes." I ask those people, aren't you glad it was Bill Callahan, someone who has been to the top of the NFL and worked with some of the best coaches at the college level? Remember, Bob Stoops was not the first choice at Oklahoma and Jim Tressel was not at the top of Ohio State's list when those jobs came open.


Does Callahan face have challenges? Of course. With his pedigree there is enough credibility to face them head on, but he little time to get comfortable. This year's recruiting class is not yet lost and there are still great players to be had, so it will be interesting to see what kind of impact his presence will have. The opportunity to walk into the home of the best available high school quarterback and tell him you have a spot for him in the West Coast offense -- with no competition -- is a huge one and Callahan needs to take immediate advantage.


Nebraska fans are historically impatient and do not settle for mediocrity, and the connection between football and the identity of the entire state is what makes them special. They are also the most knowledgeable fans in college football and they know the difference between good losses and bad. The Husker fans understand what effort and preparation mean and can swallow a two or three-point loss if they know their team played the best game possible.


What they cannot abide is a 38-7 home loss to Kansas State in which the team is manhandled. Do those fans expect Callahan him to win the national championship in the coming year? Probably not, but there will be high expectations for the ensuing seasons.


One of the issues that hindered the search is that the university did not do a very good job of articulating why Frank Solich was fired in the first place. It wasn't because he won "only" nine games. There were other issues within the program that helped Steve Peterson make that decision, and Pederson was obviously able to convince Callahan that Solich's dismissal was not about some magic number of wins he failed to reach.


Steve Pederson will realize in the end that he could have done some things differently. Bill Callahan won't help him win the press conference at this late date but, all things considered, getting a coach one year removed from the biggest game in football is a pretty good deal.

[Durango53]

Originally posted by awefullspellare
this guy was in the Super Bowl a year ago... high school kids will listen to that
Ok this is a guy that did go to a Super Bowl last year but he did it with Jon Gruden team, and coaching play book.

Then this year he did it with his team and his play book. So which guy will we get? That is what I have been saying we dont know if he will be any good. Sure there is a chance he could be and there is a chance he may suck. We dont know.... We knew that Frank would get us 9-3 and that is proven. Callahan had two years one was great and the other one was the greatest flop in sports history. I would have like Jauron because he had one great year with some real crappy offense players but has always had a good defense and the respect of his players. But he did that in 5 years there is no track record we dont know what we are going to get with Callahan.

How do you get a kid to come and play for you? You got to sweet talk him. Do you think with Callahan yelling at these kids that he doesnt want to be their friend and he wants them to hate him but respect him will be a great recruting ploy?

How about on TV telling the press which team is dumber Nebraska or the Raiders?

Or hey if I make you mad enough you might want to punch me in the mouth just like my last team. But none of them was man enough to do it?

Yes this guy might be a good coach for Nebraska but how long is he going to have. He might lose players on the Huskers right now because of his to recent past and he isnt going to be able to recruit those players he needs right now. Then the program will dip down and look out 3-9 and then who wants to come and play for a program like that? Then will he be fired after one year? Two Years? how long do you give him and then start this mess all over again.

This AD is a moron he is very stupid and yes congrats Raiders you aint the dumbest team anymore the Huskers have just taken your old coach and that title away from you. :banghead :banghead :banghead :banghead

Callahan may be a good coach and I am sure he will be one day but it was just to soon for him and he is going to take a huge PR hit and so are the Huskers.

[rockin500]

but gruden only won the superbowl with dungy's players. when he tried to create his own stamp, welllllll...


but anyways, i dont think callahan will be nearly the same as he was in the NFL, durango. They are two different worlds, and if Barry is raving about a guy, you have to put a lot of stock in that. No one can coach the raiders. every coach who goes there becomes nuts. Callahan was the latest victim of the Al Davis curse.

I think 8 or 9 wins this year is going to happen and he should be able to recruit some good guys on his team. kids parents look at NFL experience and say ooooooh nice.

this isnt a bad hire. is it the best? no. but there are plenty worse options out there.

[Durango53]

Originally posted by rockin500
but gruden only won the superbowl with dungy's players. when he tried to create his own stamp, welllllll...

Yes he did but it was Grudens play book that Gruden used. I will say that Gruden won the SB with Dungys Defense because Dungy was a Defense coach. Gruden used his offense.


Originally posted by rockin500
but anyways, i dont think callahan will be nearly the same as he was in the NFL, durango. They are two different worlds, and if Barry is raving about a guy, you have to put a lot of stock in that.

I think you are right as I said "Callahan may be a good coach and I am sure he will be one day but it was just to soon for him and he is going to take a huge PR hit and so are the Huskers."

It is the PR hit he is going to take right now. He isnt going to get kids because of what he did and said in Oakland. That is going to hurt him right now.

Nebraska has what no other team has. Full and total suport from the whole state. Nebraska has nothing but Husker Football. It is something to be in a town clear across the state and you would think that the game is being played right down the road and these people are tailgating just because they couldnt get tickets.

The Huskers will get the players that want to come there because it is every kids dream to play Husker Football if you live in Nebraska, South Dakota and parts of North Dakota and Wyoming. They will go there about no matter who the coach. It is the kids that dont know which school they will pick. That is where Callahan will hurt the Huskers for a few years is because it is the kids and the parents that saw how he treated the players on the Raiders this year. Yes you can say that College football and Pro football are differnet but people just see how he treated the players and how he handled the press confernces and that will stick in their head and other coachs will use that agaist the Huskers to pull players away from them.

That is what is going to hurt the Huskers. Callahan has to be a good coach to get a team to the Super Bowl and he has to be a good coach just to get to where he is. But I know I would think twice about sending my kid (if I had one and if he was any good at football) to play for him or some coach that is hard on his players but they would run though a wall for him and he looks good all the time I would try to push my kid for the second.

[Durango53]

Ok now coming down from my pee off rage I had going when I heard this crap (dont get me wrong I am still very mad about this) But I am trying to look at the bright side. I did want Nebraska to hire a NFL head coach. They did that (although I wanted someone with some more experence) and they got someone that came to them for the job and pushed for it. (It shows dedication and he wants to do good I guess or he just wanted someone to yell at for the Raiders flop) But most NFL coachs do good when they come to the college ranks. Look at Pete Carol.

I dont think that Callahan and the Huskers are going to get the recurting class they wanted or need this year and I hope that all the kids that the Huskers have will hang around (they need to try like hell to keep defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. I think he would be the key to this year. Keep him and the team should play for him and Callahan can show what kind of a coach he is and then the players can stick up for Callahan.

It all depends on how Callahan will hold it together for this year. And if he can get his new players to stand up for him.

And the big thing is that I hope he stays (which I am sure he will because most all Husker coachs love how they get treated in Nebraska) and I hope if he has a bad year or two they stand behind him still and dont dump it all out again and start over...

Still alot of ????? That I dont like and I hope I can wear my new Husker jacket with pride again some day soon.

[awefullspellare]

I was someone who was saying Callkahan HAD TO go in Oakland.. and he did... but it wasnt all his fault.. Porter was out and so was his QB... they just didnt have the personell...

from my high schooler point of view i dont know that every kid has heard of Callahan (most have i assume but idk if they all are so concerened about that... thers a MAJOR difference between most highschool senior recruits and NFL players)

[imgreat95]

Guys, Steve Pederson is far from being a moron. I will agree that it is strange to have fired a coach who finished 9-3. However, people in Pittsburgh were saying the same thing when he was here and hired a guy named Walt Harris. Harris turned their program into a pretty decent one (albeit a disappointing season this year.)

There was even more of an outcry when he hired a guy named ben Howland. Within 3 season, Ben was coaching the #1 basketball team in the nation for a few weeks. Now, the team that Howland recruited has the longest winning streak in the NCAA.

Bottom line, trust Steve.

[Durango53]

Originally posted by imgreat95


Bottom line, trust Steve.
Well I hope you are right. Ya he fired Frank but it didnt look like he had a plan to replace him in place. But I hope you are right.

[Filthy Sanchez]

I am very fast getting sick of the Huskers.

Hey I've always been sick of the Huskers.

[Durango53]

Hey I've always been sick of the Huskers.
Ya as has most of the U.S. because they have been so good for so long so most people do hate them.

[LesPaul]

yep, us Husker fans know the pain of fans of such teams as the Yankees (Husker nation complains just as bad when they dont make a run for the championship) but when we are on top i guess we kinda get a little too proud (again, similarity to the Yankee fans). We fire coaches even in winning seasons (note threats to all Yankee coaches last season and I think some got fired??) and love to play smash-ball football (hard nose D, in your face offense, where yanks just like to smash the ball). So i guess Filthy Sanchez, your quote made me realize how much Husker fans and Yankee fans have in common, kinda scary. Maybe all that seperates us is the pinstripes and the Y complementing the N.

[LesPaul]

lol, Filthy Sanchez, I just noticed you are a Michigan fan to boot, no wonder you hate the Huskers.

By the way, the title never should have been shared, it should have been all Huskers!!

:cool: j/k

[Durango53]

Dont get me on that argument. Nebraska crushes the number 3 team no contest and it was over in about 5 minutes in the game and Michigan has a hard time beating the number 10 team and pull it out by the hair on there chinny chin chin and Huskers have to split? :eyebrow

Oh well that will aways be on for the history book and will never be solved.

[PissedPrincess]

What the hell is Les Paul smokin? Nebraska fans are like Yank fans? Not even close. Yanks smash the ball? It's their pitching that's won them championships, not offense.

:PPsmilie:

Btw-I like Callahan. He's a winner, not a loser. Get him out of Oakland, and you'll see.

[Durango53]

Btw-I like Callahan. He's a winner, not a loser. Get him out of Oakland, and you'll see.

Ok PP you didnt believe me about Belhorn and I am having a very hard time believing this.... But because you owe me one I will make myself believe this also........




:Pray: PLEASE LET PP BE RIGHT!!!!

[Filthy Sanchez]

I hated it when they were in the Big 8 and had 4 non league games in which they feasted on the likes of North Texas (1-AA at the time), Pacific (on a regular basis), Akron, Southwest Texas State (1-AA still), Clown College, Bartender's School, Barbazon School of Modeling, etc. etc. etc. Then come bowl time it was lights out and they'd lose to Mich. , Miami, Washington, Florida State, etc. etc. etc.

[LesPaul]

hey now! my cousins brother in laws mother is in the football HOF at Barbazon School of Modeling!

[Filthy Sanchez]

All good LesPaul. By the way I bought one of your guitars damed good instrument I might add.