Effort trumps scheme in Nebraska's DC search

Plus a mostly silent signing day and a volleyball tournament path with more road bumps than was earned.

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

It felt like a raw deal when the news arrived Monday that Matt Rhule had fired defensive coordinator John Butler after one year in the role and two in Lincoln. At least that’s how it felt to me out of the gates.

Butler joined Nebraska in July two years ago following the abrupt departure of DBs coach Evan Cooper. It is not a month when coaches are readily available or looking to move. Butler was the former due to a somewhat unique and voluntary departure from the Buffalo Bills, and he did well enough in his first season in Lincoln that when Nebraska needed to replace DC Tony White—at the height of the Huskers’ curb appeal under Rhule to this point—the head coach turned to Butler when, in theory, NU had a lot of leverage to pursue almost anyone it wanted.

For 10 games, Butler’s first season in charge mostly bounced between pretty good¹ and uneven-but-fine. We all saw the Blackshirts big weakness (the run) and had to admire their big strength (the pass). Dig deeper into the numbers and you’ll find those that make Rhule’s decision inevitable and unreasonable simultaneously. Just a matter of what you’re looking for.

It felt raw to me because if Nebraska had beaten Iowa 13-10, or even lost 13-10, would Butler still be here? Probably would. That he’s not indicates the urgency after a treading-water season.

That was all easy enough to assess from the outside and ambiguous enough to support all angles, but Rhule finally had his (public) say on the decision Wednesday and I think one quote got to the heart of it all.