John Mabry: Incognito's tussles a central concern
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Bill Callahan continues to impress with his public relations skills.
Although it was a little odd to hear him announce four suspensions Tuesday without announcing the names of the players involved, Callahan's reasoning behind the secrecy was sound.
"I think there's a right way and a wrong way. I just think you handle it individually with the person," he said. "You talk to your team, and then you leave it within the parameters of the team and the family. If you are truly a family, then those problems are handled in-house. I guess I'm old-fashioned that way."
It's tough to keep it all in-house, however. It's obvious from his omission from the depth chart that center Richie Incognito is one of the four suspended players. Incognito continues to be the subject of controversy inside and outside the locker room. On top of the legal issues, frequent reports of tussles between Incognito and teammates are hard to ignore.
What is a coach to do when the most disruptive force on his offensive line is also the most disruptive force in the locker room?
Incognito is approaching the point of no return, and that could be a real problem for the Husker offense.
The handling of this situation might be Callahan's toughest test in his first year as head coach.
Callahan knows how to produce a sound bite. I think he might have outdone his "I don't feel pressure, I apply pressure" line from Big 12 Media Days last month in Kansas City, Mo.
When asked about how fancy the Husker offense might get against the Western Illinois defense, Callahan said:
"We don't take what defenses give us. We take what we want, and we're going to do that on Saturday. We'll take exactly what we want."
Point well taken.
Athletic director Steve Pederson took several media folks on a stadium tour Tuesday to show us some of the changes that might affect fans on game day.
As we walked across the newly paved path to the Ed Weir track, we entered a chain-link pen just west of the Husker Nation Pavilion site. At that point, I was sure Pederson was going to offer everyone a cigarette before giving the snipers the sign to pick us off one by one.
Fortunately, Pederson was kind enough to spare his media friends while providing some interesting information about what fans can expect Saturday.
One game-day highlight will be The Walk. Callahan wants fans to gather at the east loop when the team arrives by bus at 3:45 p.m. The pep band will play as the Huskers walk to Gate 24 on their way to the locker room.
Sounds like a pretty cool prelude to the tunnel walk.
Other new stuff includes a Stadium Drive fan zone with plenty of kid-friendly activities and use of express gates for fans entering the stadium without items that need to pass through security.
Pederson also showed us the temporary stadium speakers that will be set up behind the east balcony. Longtime occupants of those sections might want to brace for a different experience. If you're one of those people who doesn't like to make a lot of conversation during a game, then this is the place for you.
* NU volleyball coach John Cook, who knows Callahan from their days at Wisconsin, likes the way Callahan has embraced the Nebraska football tradition. "I keep hearing him talk about it all the time," Cook said. "There's a lot of ways to come into a program. I think he's doing a great job with that."
* If you love a good story, then you have to get a kick out of Ryan Goodman's rise to the No. 2 quarterback spot. You just don't want too many underdogs high on the depth chart. Feel-good stories don't always translate into victories, and like it or not, that's the name of the game at this level.
* Sorry I missed your party, Frank, but I'll be there when they do it right -- at Memorial Stadium a year or two down the road.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
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