My Hero is Back

- This should tell you all you need to know about the state of Nebraska football. Tom Osborne, upon retirement, had vowed to stay away, not meddle, not take an admin job within the University, and just let the program go on without his presence in a decision making role. So for him to step in says it all for this program.

- They are in a bad way right now. Osborne saw that the University he loves is struggling. The program he built into the most dominant of all time is not even 1/100th of what it used to be. Every semblance to what he built is totally out of the window. He needed to step in. He knew he had to. His program (don't kid yourself, this program is and always will be his) was in shambles. And he knew no one else in America would know how to fix it but him.

- He knows what it takes to win. He knows how to build a program. He knows how to connect with the in-state donors/boosters. He knows how to connect with the ridiculously overreacting, obsessive fan base. He knows about the morals, ethics, and attitudes that are involved with the state of Nebraska. This cannot be underestimated. It's a weird state with unique schools of thought by its residents.

- I didn't get to watch the press conference, but I listened. Wow. I hadn't heard him talk since 1997. To hear him talking was therapeutic. It was calming. Of course it brought back nothing but good memories. They need this guy. He has a presence about him that I can't even explain. I bet those in the audience were in a trance listening/watching him. He is Nebraska football. He is the state of Nebraska.

- Like I said earlier, it's hard to explain the cult of that state. They need one of them. Although Steve Pederson was a native, he wasn't one of them. He never connected and didn't have their philosophies and beliefs. Osborne is the common man of Nebraska who knows what it takes to please the fan base and win. He knows the traditions, he knows the people, he knows Nebraska.

- It's not going to be easy. I'm not even sure how long he's going to be on board or what the odds of him being successful are. But I know he's the only one qualified to take this huge endeavor on.

- He's going to be the middle man to the next era of the program. He's going to try re-build the foundation and then put people in place to take it on to the next level for years to come. They hired him to plug the hole in the Titanic, get it sail-ready again, and then put the right people in place to take it to its destination.

- We can't delusional here. The mid-90's aren't coming back. 60-3 over 5 years and 3 national titles aren't coming back either. But I can't think of anyone else I'd want in charge of re-building the program than the guy who built the greatest dynasty in college football history over a 30 year period.

- My hero is back.



- Some records and feats created/sustained under Tom Osborne.

Consecutive 9 win seasons - 33
Consecutive bowl appearances - 35
Consecutive winning seasons - 42
47 game home winning streak - 5th longest in NCAA history
26 game winning streak
11 time NCAA rushing champion
60-3 record from 1993-1997
4 National title appearances in 5 years
3 National titles in 4 years
24 game win streak over Missouri
24 game win streak over Oklahoma State
36 game win streak over Kansas
29 game win streak over Kansas State




- Anytime you can lay a shot on that whiny ass Brad Miller, (whose facial expression is set at cry mode at all times), it's a good thing. Atta boy Howard.



Mavericks' Howard ejected after tangling with Kings' Miller

01:16 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 17, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A case of mistaken identity in a meaningless but rugged preseason game could end up having major ramifications for the Mavericks when the regular season opens.

Josh Howard was ejected Tuesday night when he came to the aide of teammate Devin Harris, who had been shoved to the ground by Sacramento center Brad Miller with 7:01 left in the second quarter at Pan American Center on the New Mexico State campus.

Howard gave Miller a hard forearm in the back of the neck. He then was put into a bear hug by Kings assistant coach Chuck Person. Players were grabbing and shoving each other, but it didn't appear any punches were thrown. It also was unclear whether any players left the bench area.

Punches, whether they land or not, and escalating a fight by leaving the bench are automatic suspensions of at least one regular-season game.

A flagrant foul, penalty two, was called on Howard, which does not carry an automatic suspension, but the NBA office will review the incident. It's possible Howard could be suspended for the Oct. 31 season opener at Cleveland.

"I was protecting my teammate, that's about as simple as you can put it," Howard said. "It was a dirty play, and it wasn't even Devin."

That was the strange part. Miller triggered the fracas with the wrong player.

It started when Miller and Mavs rookie Nick Fazekas got tangled on a rebound. Miller took offense to Fazekas' actions on the play, but when he turned around, Harris was the closest Maverick. So Miller strongly shoved Harris to the floor.

The 6-3 guard popped up and got in the chest of the 7-foot Miller. That's when Howard raced in.

"I don't think it's a suspension," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We'll see what happens. We're a team that tries not to back down. You got to hold your ground out there. You got to defend yourself. I don't advocate anybody fighting. But he got pushed and he needed to do something about it in a legal way."

Howard said he will accept whatever decision the league makes regarding any penalty.

Said Harris: "He pushed me to the ground, and we can't have that type of action on the court without some kind of response. You got to know what you're doing out there."

The Mavericks were happy Howard came to Harris' defense.

"It doesn't matter where we're playing, we've been together so long that we're going to have each other's back," said Jason Terry, whose 3-pointer with four seconds left gave the Mavericks a 101-99 win. "If it means a guy's going to miss a game, so be it."

Center-free: The Mavericks were without any healthy centers Tuesday night.

Starter DeSagana Diop was sent home Tuesday morning with flu-like symptoms. D.J. Mbenga and Erick Dampier are recovering from injuries, and Jamal Sampson was in Dallas with a foot injury.

Avery Johnson joked that assistant coach Popeye Jones would be starting. As it turned out, it was Darvin Ham, who continues to make a case for making the team.

"The odds may be stacked against him, but the odds have a way of changing," Johnson said. "The odds were stacked against the Colorado Rockies when the season started and look at them now."