Steven M. Sipple: Pressure’s on Husker staff, but Chinander wouldn’t want it any other way | Column

When it comes to pressure — the pressure to win now — Erik Chinander proceeds with an excellent mindset.

“Like I’ve said before, I think pressure’s a privilege,” he says. 

I admit that I hadn’t heard him say that previously. I miss some things, obviously. At any rate, as we talked about pressure to win and several other topics during an interview Friday morning in his Memorial Stadium office, it was clear the fifth-year Nebraska defensive coordinator knows the score at the moment. It’s time for NU to win at a much higher rate. Yes, the heat’s on. After all, the Huskers finished 3-9 last season, and NU coach Scott Frost is just 15-29 at the school.

Frost now oversees a restructured offensive staff that’s preparing for the Feb. 28 start of spring practice. Meanwhile, Chinander’s defensive staff underwent only minor offseason changes. That doesn’t mean there isn’t pressure on Chinander. Of course there is, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

“You want to be at a place where there’s pressure,” he says. “You don’t want to be someplace where nobody cares and being average is good enough. That’s not where you ever want to be. Not in this deal.” 

Nebraska’s defense loses six of its top 10 tacklers from last season — JoJo Domann, Cam Taylor-Britt, Marquel Dismuke, Deontai Williams, Ben Stille and Damion Daniels. Yeah, that could cause a defensive coordinator some stress. The Husker defense must do some serious rebuilding in the interior of the line and in the secondary. So, Chinander has plenty to think about as spring ball approaches. 

As for the pressure, bring it on, he says. 

I love it. Love his response.

Pressure is indeed a privilege. One could say that about a lot of areas of life. 

“But that’s not for everybody, and it’s OK,” says Chinander, 42, understanding that some people respond to pressure better than others. 

Bottom line, “I want to be around people who embrace pressure. When we recruit guys and hire coaches — I know there are a lot of people who think they know a lot about who to hire and who to recruit — but I just know I want to be around guys who believe what I believe in and think the same way that I do. Those guys who don’t think pressure’s a privilege, I really don’t want to be around them. 

“I mean, you don’t think Nick Saban feels pressure?” 

Of course the Alabama coach does. If the Crimson Tide were to lose three games in a season, people would say Saban is losing his touch. Along those lines, think about this: Ohio State coach Ryan Day was a Rose Bowl loss to Utah away from facing serious heat this offseason. The Buckeyes prevailed 48-45, avoiding a third loss in the 2021 season. Three losses at OSU? That would create intense pressure for Day and his staff.

Nebraska is trying to get back into the realm where three losses creates enormous pressure. It’s a long way from there, obviously. But still, there’s pressure to win now at dear ol’ NU. Frost recently hired four new full-time assistants on offense to try to spark his program. As for Chinander’s side of the ball, he lost defensive line coach Tony Tuioti to Oregon, but that’s it. Last season’s outside linebackers coach, Mike Dawson, will now coach the outside backers (edge rushers) and defensive line. Not much change there. 

Chinander’s side of the ball benefits from continuity. Secondary coach Travis Fisher and inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud both are in their fifth years at Nebraska. Dawson’s in his fourth (he spent 2019 with the New York Giants). 

No question, continuity matters. Continuity on the coaching staff once was a staple of Nebraska’s program. Tom Osborne, the Hall of Fame former Husker coach, often espouses its benefits, and Chinander understands why.   

“Our offense right now is putting in a new system,” he says. “Those guys are trying to get terminology down, and all those sorts of things. We’re just working on small details.” 

That’s a major difference.

“The little things are everything, as we all know, and the little things add up to very big things,” Chinander says. “How can we tweak things to make the defense that much better? What verbiage can we use to help these kids? How do we get them to completely understand exactly what we need to do? Do we need to pull something in coverage? There are little, tiny things that can make a huge difference. But we don’t have new guys (on the defensive staff). We don’t have to start the process over.” 

Chinander must be doing something right. He recently received a raise, his salary bumping up $50,000 to $850,000. It’s true his defense has steadily improved since 2018, and the 2021 season was the best yet, as Nebraska allowed 22.7 points per game and 366 yards. Both of those marks were near the middle of the Big Ten pack, but the scoring defense was tied for 36th nationally. That’s good, not great.

Make no mistake, Chinander wants more from his guys, especially when it comes to sacks and turnovers — one more apiece per game would mean a lot, he says.

The new energy in the program could help matters. For what it’s worth, Chinander likes the vibe he feels throughout the program in offseason workouts, from both staff members and players.  

I think increased urgency also can mean a lot to the program. We all know Frost’s back is to the wall. That means there’s pressure throughout the program. It’s a good kind of pressure, Chinander says. You can see the excitement in his eyes. He’s clearly comfortable in his skin, and comfortable in his role. He’s exactly where he wants to be.

Pressure’s indeed a privilege. That’s just a wonderful message for all of us.