the Darren Carlson interview (old BR)

BobcatReport.com interviewed Darren Carlson, editor of BigRedNetwork.com, and he was gracious enough to give us some background on Shawn Watson.  Watson is a candidate for the open Texas State head coaching position and has been coaching at Nebraska since 2006.  In 2007, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.

Jack: Would a Texas State hire of Watson be something to celebrate for Nebraska?  Everyone hates their OC a couple of times a year, and I watched the OU and A&M games.

Carlson: Among fans, yes. Absolutely. At this point, his popularity among the fan base is at an all-time low. The tail end of the season was not pretty, particularly the Holiday Bowl.

 To be fair, the guy has a pretty solid track record for offensive performance while the OC under Pelini the last three years. In 2008, when equipped with a good passer and receivers, the offense performed well carried the team. In 2009, Pelini has admitted that they decided mid-season to go into a shell of an offense for more than a few reasons, health and depth primarily. In 2010 – when you look at the whole season – it’s a mixed bag. The offense powered Nebraska to vital wins over very good teams from Oklahoma State and Missouri. Yes, the A&M and OU games were ugly. The Holiday Bowl was atrocious. People tend to remember the last thing they saw. Some of that poor play hinges on the quality of the defense as well as players – quarterback in particular – executing.

The criticism with Watson hinges on the lack of an offensive “identity”. NU has tried to be many things in recent years. West Coast, power running, spread passing, spread running. Some of it has worked. Some of it has flopped. Husker fans desire a change because they desire consistency, if that makes sense.

 

Jack:  What’s he like as a person?

 

Carlson: He’s sharp. He’s smart. He’s well liked, good with the media and generally very articulate. When he talks, he sounds like a head coach. Heck, the guy just even looks like you expect a head coach to look. This isn’t a situation like Mike Leach or Mark Mangino where the guy involved is also kind of a jerk. Shawn Watson is a good person by every account.

Jack:  How is he as a recruiter?

 

Carlson:  He’s a good recruiter. The same interpersonal warmth that the media sees also carries over to recruits. One of the major concerns among fans if he should leave is that uber-recruit, quarterback Bubba Starling, has expressed such a strong affinity for Shawn Watson.

 

Jack:  Could he be on the hot seat in Lincoln already, with the consecutive Big 12 title game losses and a move coming to the Big Ten?

 

Carlson:  It’s not that he’s on the hot seat. It’s the desire for consistency. That’s pretty well founded. Also, this is Nebraska – people expect results.  The other big, big hangup with Watson is that he is a carryover from the Bill Callahan staff. Anything related to Callahan can be blasphemous among die-hard Huskers.