This just in: Shawn Watson is on the hot seat. In other news, Nebraska will wear red jerseys this season and it's hot outside.
It's only August and you already hear how this is supposed to be some sort of defining year for Watson, the Nebraska offensive coordinator. It's an absolute huge year for Watson. Until the next one.
Offensive coordinators laugh at this type of stuff. When they get the job, the gift bag includes a dunce cap and a seat warmer. And a headset that connects him with about 70,000 of his closest friends on Saturdays.
Nobody who calls plays for a living is immune from the intense second-guessing. Not Bill Walsh. Not Don Coryell. Not Tom Osborne. People used to rip Osborne (I know, I was one of them) for his lack of imagination. Today, they would fall on their knees and weep if Osborne would come back and do the honors again — well, until that first short-side option for no gain.
I'm not here to compare Watson to Osborne. Watson is no genius, but he's like most coordinators: He looks a lot smarter with Joe Ganz picking apart a zone than with Zac Lee throwing to the wrong guy.
There's no need to review the bloody details of last season when Watson's offense ranked 11th in the Big 12 and 99th in the country and was told to take the fetal position in the Huskers' biggest games and stay out of the way. But he's the same guy whose offense ranked third in the Big 12 in 2008 and saved the day week after week.
Of course, Ganz got the credit for 2008. Watson got the blame for 2009. So goes the life of the coordinator.
Don't look now, but Watson is poised to get smart again in 2010. Here's how:
1. The Holiday Bowl Zac Lee shows up on Sept. 4. That is, the aggressive decision-maker and runner who led NU to 223 yards rushing and kept Arizona's defense on its heels. It was the first time since September that Lee looked like a leader. Yes, he was injured early in the season. But several NU coaches told me that Lee looked sharp in practice most of the season but couldn't translate it to Saturdays, when he couldn't execute the game plan and would lose receivers. Something got into Lee before the bowl game; was it the idea of Cody Green getting more playing time?
Who knows? But Lee could make Watson's life a lot easier. If he shows up inspired and sharp, there won't be a quarterback controversy and Watson can integrate the speed of Taylor Martinez into the mix slowly. If he has to shuffle quarterbacks from week to week, this is going to be a long season. Maybe a new Green is that guy. Whoever.
2. The offensive line is as good and deep as it looks. Everything fell apart for Watson when the line broke down last year. Losing Mike Smith early hurts, but the situation looks better right now.
3. Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu stay upright. These two are a terrific yin and yang combo that will wear down defenses. With Lee and Martinez, Watson might have several “wildcat'' options. Dontrayevous Robinson is intriguing, too.
4. Niles Paul continues to be the money receiver he became late last season — and Brandon Kinnie joins him. If those two get it going early, who's going to cover Mike McNeill? Watson needs dependable, consistent receivers who make plays.
5. The offensive side comes out mean after being the butt of jokes last season.
“Embarrass isn't the right word,'' Watson said. “Our pride was hurt. That's not who we are and not what we are. We talked about it in the spring, how we had to move on. You can't look back. There's a purpose in what we're doing now. There's a lot of pride involved.''
If you want to know what Watson expects this year, go back and watch the Holiday Bowl again.
“That's who we are,'' Watson said. “That's what we work on, what we study. That's us. We got beat up last year, went through the trials of the season, we tweaked it each week. When we got back to being healthy, everyone knew what to do. I think we're better at what we're doing than we've ever been.''
On Lee, Watson said, “He has to be better. He started out really well last year and as the season moved on, he just didn't play at the same level. Part of that is he's hurt, but you have to deal with it emotionally. He feels like he took some shots and he wants to prove himself.''
Does Watson?
“No, that's just part of the deal,'' Watson said. “I just want us to get back to being us, explosive, wide open, efficient. In 2008, we were real efficient; TCU got us by a couple seconds in staying on the field the longest. I want us to get back to being a nationally-ranked offense.''
He doesn't mean 99th.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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