Nebraska football: Bob Diaco’s comments too Pelini-esque for comfort
Nebraska football fans appear to be stuck in an ugly defensive cycle.
You would be hard-pressed to find a Nebraska football fan that thinks Bob Diaco did a very good job in his first season the Huskers’ defensive coordinator. Bob Diaco’s opinion of himself, on the other hand, is quite a bit different.
Diaco has made quite a few excuses in his short time as the Cornhuskers DC for the way his defense has played. Among the most infamous comments have to be when he blamed former defensive coordinator Mark Banker for teaching the players rugby-style tackling.
Diaco made those comments as his defense bottomed out. That defense has continued to be bad, to the point where it seems to be getting worse as the defense goes on.
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While the Blackshirts struggling has been hard to take, it was expected to a point. The Cornhuskers’ transition to the 3-4 was going to be a bumpy road. The offense was supposed to make up for a weaker defense that would get better in year two or three.
The problem has been that as the defense has gotten worse, so have Diaco’s excuses. Even worse than bad excuses is the fact that Diaco appears to be blaming the players for being unable to execute the scheme.
Those comments have sounded an awful lot like a former head coach who was supposed to be a defensive guru. During his press conference on Tuesday, Diaco continued to make comments that should leave Husker fans uncomfortable.
Among them was that there is a “fine line between looking like a bad defense and a great defense.” He added that even the slightest drop in focus or effort can lead to huge breakdowns.
See what he did there? The defensive schemes are fine according to the Huskers’ head coach. The problem is that there are players who are allowing a drop in effort or focus. The Huskers are about to fire their third defensive coordinator in the last four years.
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The next Nebraska football head coach is going to have his work cut out for him, but one thing he can look for is a defensive coordinator with a different outlook on coaching. Even if Mike Riley had stuck around, it sure feels like Bob Diaco should have already been shown the door.