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How should the Blackshirts be distributed throughout the season? Do you have to play a perfect game? Can you lose them if the defense plays poorly as a whole? In my opinion, I like how the staff is handling it. If you get them, you have to earn them every week. If we give up 40 points, everyone should lose em. Hopefully guys would give them back to show that they dont deserve them when that stuff happens. What are your thoughts?

Cornerback: Quickness - The CB must cover the WR's downfield, and when they start flying, he has to be right there to mirror their moves, a real Josh Bullocks type of guy. To me, this poster seems to be the "second man" in a thread quite a bit. When someone quickly adds a thread, this guy is right on the new topic and adds his own thoughts. Coverage - Since there are many routes a WR can take, the CB has to anticipate them and/or bait the QB into a false sense of security. When he knows the route, he can jump in and pick off the ball for his own gain! This poster is always ready for a funny "slant" on any subject, and if someone thinks his way is right, correction could be coming up behind you! Jumper - Since most CB's are shorter than WR's, they have to possess a large vertical leap. When the WR is looking to make the catch over his head, the CB needs to be in good position to get his hand between the ball and the hands of the receiver to knock it down. This poster jumps from thread to thread constantly in order to keep himself involved, and can make the stop when a thread runs out of control. Risk taker - This person ought to be one who is willing to let a WR go up against a safety if the opportunity to jump a route presents itself. This poster is willing to work with help from the other members of HuskerBoard, and takes a post hostage and in another direction when it's deemed necessary, but not all the time. Confident-He will do what he feels right and is behind his decision all the way. He posts his opinions with pride, therefore giving you a perspective. Awareness-He knows what actions to take when and where. He posts appropriately and knows where to post everything of course. He knows what hes talking about and the situation Sure tackler - when you're out on the island all by yourself you need to make the play in the open field. This poster can refute another poster quickly and concisely and make a good argument doing it. Please nominate the person you feel best exemplifies these traits on HuskerBoard. Not eligible: ZRod (CB last year); GSG, zoogs, ColoradoHusk, Moiraine, Redux, Hedley Lamarr, teachercd, BigRedBuster, seaofred92, In the Deed the Glory, VectorVictor, dudeguyy, Stumpy1, Red Five, ScottyIce, TGHusker, famoustitles, B.B. Hemingway, Cdog923, RedDenver, Dilly Dilly, gobiggergoredder & commando (already elected this year) NOMINATIONS CLOSE MARCH 7

Safety: Deep Coverage - These guys are the last line of defense for any long pass play. They should be able to sniff out the deep routes and keep the opposing QB from finding a wideout with an open field. This poster can add those last few deep thoughts to end a thread or find the inside information from a local city that no one else has heard. Hard-Hitting, Old Schooler - Just like Larry "The Assassin" Asante, this guy hits you so hard that you think you're on the merry-go-round. His posts are right at the center of the issue and puts his opinion right to the wall. At the same time, he's so tough and dedicated that he can play (or type as the case may be) with a severed finger! Interchangeable - Many CB's switch to Safety in the "later years" of their career – Eric Hagg comes to mind. They still play at a high level, and can still return the ball to the house. They have the skills of a Huskerboard CB - quickness and jumping ability, just maybe not the blinding speed of "younger bucks"... This poster is a Husker Football guru during the season and has plenty of info/insight to add through recruiting season, Spring Ball and on through summer conditioning. Please nominate the person you feel best exemplifies these traits on HuskerBoard. Not eligible: lo country & Atbone95 (S last year); GSG, zoogs, ColoradoHusk, Moiraine, Redux, Hedley Lamarr, teachercd, BigRedBuster, seaofred92, In the Deed the Glory, VectorVictor, dudeguyy, Stumpy1, Red Five, ScottyIce, TGHusker, famoustitles, B.B. Hemingway, Cdog923, RedDenver, Dilly Dilly, gobiggergoredder & commando (already elected this year) NOMINATIONS CLOSE MARCH 7

Scott Frost mentioned restoring Husker traditions and seemed to indicate that his offense from UCF will continue. I hope he will eventually blend some Husker running with the pass. My concern is the defense. UCF gave up 55 points to Memphis and Riley’s Blackshirts gave up a lot of points and yards. I don’t like the 3-4 defense and I saw UCF use it some. Assuming the UCF DC comes with Scott, what changes do we think will be made to our 2018 defense? Where are we going with the Blackshirts?

Submitted for your approval (I love my Twilight Zone)

Not much talk about Mitchell but he's one of the key players on D. And I think he'll benefit from an improved D-line as compared to last year. (The D-line can make cornerbacks look great. Or not.)

No Coast Bias did a "Where Are They Now" segment with Michael Booker today and, unsurprisingly, Booker reminisced about the National Championship Game against Florida. He brings up something we all knew heading into that game - namely, that the Gators did not respect Nebraska. Thought they were going to roll the Huskers. From NCB: That defense was just nasty. Nasty. That 1995 Blackshirt squad is one of my favorite memories of any sport, any time - and I'm a Bulls fan and a Husker Volleyball fan, and both have given me plenty of great memories. Flash forward to today. Nobody expects these Blackshirts to be the Blackshirts of yore. You have to crawl and walk before you run. But regardless of how good these guys are today, they should at the very least command some respect from their opponents. But they don't. Nobody respects these Blackshirts. And I mean... nobody. Not Wyoming. Not Southern Miss. Not UCLA or even D1AA South Dakota State. It's pretty obvious that, right now, not even the Blackshirts respect the Blackshirts - not all of them, anyway. We've played four games, all at home. We've had some raucous crowds, we've had some easy opponents. We had UCLA on the ropes. Wyoming on the ropes. But in each game, for a while if not for the whole game, those teams felt like they could come in to our house and punch our defense in the mouth, and they did not fear the consequences. Wyoming nearly beat us, as several of our defenders felt the game was won and coasted through the fourth quarter. Wyoming didn't coast - they damned near came back to beat us. Two defensive captains gave the mea culpa that we simply let up. And you wonder why your opponents don't respect you. UCLA wasn't awed by the Blackshirts. They never respected the defense. They kept plugging away, kept chipping away, and the defense let them back - a little glimpse here, a little open space there, one TD, then another and another. When you have a team on the ropes, a team that commands respect doesn't allow them any daylight, any inkling of a chance. You go for the kill, and you outwork them, keep fighting the whole game. South Dakota State came to our house, an FCS team, and for a quarter and a half they showed this defense zero respect. And why should they? Nine minutes into the game Zenner had 100 yards rushing. SDSU had over 200 yards of offense in the first half alone. Their first two scoring drives took a total of three minutes, 14 points, 146 yards. In nine plays. There was no respect, at all, shown by Jackrabbits. But you see, our problems run worse than that. We could talk all day about the lack of respect our opponents show. Not just this season but last season too, and the year before that as well. Nobody, for more than two full seasons, has respected this defense. And that includes our defense. And that's probably the worst thing of all. In the article which opened our little chat here you've got a guy like Michael Booker, who looked the toughest team in the nation in the eye (well.... the second toughest) and respected himself enough to not accept their disrespect. He respected his teammates, the fans (read the article) and the Blackshirt tradition. Booker wouldn't accept disrespect from anyone. And that began right between his ears. Because Michael Booker, Jamel Williams, the Peter Bros., Grant Wistrom - hell, that entire defense, four deep on the roster - those guys simply would not accept disrespect from themselves or a teammate. That's what's lacking on this defense. There is a tacit acceptance of disrespect, of the culture of a defender, of themselves, of their teammates. There may only be one or two or five guys not carrying their weight throughout our entire 2013 defense, but there are too many guys willing to accept performances like Wyoming. Willing to accept collapses like UCLA. We've seen it for years. We've seen it through four games in this season. We're going to continue to see it until each guy on this defense, each guy hoping for a Blackshirt, respects themselves that they don't accept less than the best they can give each and every game, each and every practice. We're going to continue to see it until every guy on that defense holds every other guy accountable for their practice, their preparation and their performance, every game, every snap. These guys aren't lacking in talent. They're lacking in respect. And believe me - you've got 90,000 people screaming in those stands every Saturday who are just dying to give them the respect that comes along with earning a Blackshirt. Once they have their own respect, once they've earned back the respect of every fan in that stadium, then they can line up across from any team - doesn't matter who because they have the talent to compete nationwide - and take that respect from their opponent. Florida didn't give Nebraska any respect in 1995. Nebraska took it. It's time our defense took it upon themselves to demand respect, both from themselves and from every other team they play. It's time to be a Blackshirt.

Looking to start a movement. Let's black-out the stadium against UCLA. I'm not talking about ruining our tradition and the Sea of Red. I'm talking about one game to set the tone for the season. The players will be wearing Black Alternate uniforms so why shouldn't the fans in attendance. Lets face it, the young Defense will need all the support it can get this year and what better way than to represent our Blackshirts. The Bruins wouldn't know what to think when they come here to play against what will be an athletic and fast defense with a crowd that could be more intimidating than we've ever imagined it can be. Even if you don't get the chance to attend the game itself I urge everyone to help spread the word towards the cause. Here is the facebook link to help promote this idea. Lets strike the fear of the Blackshirts into the Bruins. Go Big Red! https://www.facebook...77994085635266/

Here is a little something to chew on for all the Pelini apologists. I was once one of them, but facts are facts and I've only seen a stubborn man cling to a scheme that worked against the spread only when he had a once in a lifetime DT named Suh. Cosgrove doesn't look so bad now does he? FML.

I was re-reading through my signed copy of Faith in the Game by TO and it got me wondering. What's the difference between the defense now and what the die hard bleed red till we're dead cornhusker fans had grown so accustomed to in the 90's with year after year of smash-mouth defenses? Tom outlined a qoute in the beginning of his chapter on Teamwork from Rudyard Kipling that "Now is the law of the jungle-As old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that keep it may prosper, But the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, The law runneth forward and back- and the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack." Something I noticed last year and the B1G year one was not the scheme failure and having our guys in the wrong position to make plays, but a submissive "lets just get through this week and move on to whats next" kind of me-first mentality. It may have taken 20+ years to accomplish it, but Tom's squads regularily came out to play any given weekend of the season with a "I'll give up mind, body, and blood for the man next to me" and a "never back down from anyone" attitude which propelled us to the success we had as a defense and team. Is it that attitude or just me that we've been missing to take that next step? Here is an example of what I mean when Ralph Brown came soaring in to blow up jamal lewis in the 1997 Orange Bowl Game in Tom's last game. Thoughts?

With the start of the 2013 season way, way too far away, I thought I'd lay out some of my bold predictions for the 2013 season. Braylon Heard, Ameer Abdullah, and Imani Cross will become a three headed monster in the backfield. In the absence of Rex Burkhead, who was sidelined with a nagging knee injury for a majority of the 2012 season, Ameer Abdullah stepped up big time and posted a 1,000+ yard season, and showed Husker fans that there will be life after Rex Burkhead. He's powerful, shifty, and can hide behind the big guys in front of him. But Nebraska has more talent in the backfield than just Abdullah with Braylon Heard and Imani Cross (also Adam Taylor and Terrell Newby--but I'm expecting a redshirt for one of them, maybe both). Braylon is lightning fast and Imani Cross is a brick house. Look for Tim Beck to fully utilize the diverse talents of all three of these running backs in producing what could be the nation's #1 rushing attack in 2013. Taylor Martinez won't lead the nation in fumbles. Going into the 2012 season, the thing Taylor needed to work on most was his passing game, primarily his mechanics. So he went to see Steve Calhoun in the offseason. The result? A dramatic increase in completion percentage from 56.2% to 62%. Now, I wouldn't expect that number to increase as much next season, but I think it will increase to somewhere in the 64% range. But what this shows is that he knows his weaknesses, and he's taking a step-by-step approach to becoming a better QB. I fully expect the amount of times he fumbles next season to decrease, but there'll still be those boneheaded-"why Taylor why?" moments. The difference is those moments will be very few and far between stretches of excellent play. The Huskers won't struggle on the road. It seems that every time Nebraska was away from Memorial Stadium, records were being set, and they weren't the good kind. 600 yards @ UCLA, 63 points @ Ohio State, 70 points and 400+ yards rushing @ Indianapolis and 49 points and a monstrous passing day @ Orlando. Those are problems, and they have to stick out in the mind's of the coaching staff and the players, when they review this season. This doesn't mean that we won't drop a game on the road; we have daunting games @ Ann Arbor and @ Happy Valley that will require our players to be playing at their best. I think they will, and we won't witness record setting performances against us on the road next season. The defense will finish in the Top 25 of all defensive statistical categories (the good ones). A lot of people, myself included, are worried about where the defense is right now and what that means in projecting where the defense will be next year. But this is a bold prediction thread and this is most certainly a bold prediction. There's going to be a lot of youth and inexperience on the defensive side of the ball, but sometimes that can benefit the team. If things are simple, which to many of these younger guys, it is (cover your guy, make tackles, stop big plays, sack the QB), you are more free to use your athletic ability instead of your mental capacity to make plays. The more things you have to worry about, the harder things become. The players coming in to replace the seniors are more athletic, and should be able to cause havoc for opposing offenses. Nebraska will finish the regular season undefeated, en route to their best season under Head Coach, Bo Pelini (EZ-E). The 2013 schedule is a favorable one for Nebraska. There is no Wisconsin, there is no Ohio State. Our road games are to a struggling Minnesota, a struggling Purdue, Michigan, and a sanction riddled Penn State. Our toughest home game, of which we have eight will come against UCLA, who showed in their bowl game that they might not be as good as they were painted out to be (inconsistent). All of this points to Nebraska potentially finishing the regular season undefeated, especially if Taylor cleans up his fumbles and the defense plays with athleticism more than their minds. Finish the regular season undefeated, and guarantee this to be Bo's best season yet. Nebraska will play in a BCS Bowl Game, possibly the National Championship. This is probably the boldest of the bold predictions (still one more to come), but if we finish the regular season undefeated, we could very well meet an undefeated Ohio State in the conference championship game. If that's the case, we'll go to a BCS Bowl regardless of if we win our lose. If we can beat Urban Meyer's bromance will Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes, we could very well be going to Pasadena (and not to the Rose Bowl). The Huskers will send a team member to New York for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony. This player is more than likely Taylor Martinez, as he will more than likely spearhead the majority of our offense's production. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Ameer Abdullah there if our running attack is number one in the country and we make an appearance in the national championship game. Even if we lose to Ohio State, that should still be good enough to send Taylor to New York, a la Collin Klein. So that's all I have, Huskerboard, agree, disagree or indifferent, I would love to hear your opinions.

Nebraska Blackshirts 2012 Wallpaper featuring (from left to right) Ciante Evans, Sean Fisher, Daimion Stafford, PJ Smith and Will Compton. http://wickedwallz.b...wallpapers.html

I am familiar with how the Husker Blackshirts came about. Hell, if you hang around here and don't know I suspect the woodshed would be ablaze with all the flaming going on in your name. however, are there a lot of other teams that replicate this? I am sure we are all familiar with the common practice of different colored jerseys for different purposes (O, D, QBs, injured, etc) but more along the lines of reward-based? Looks like the Jets are adding their own form of reward based black practice jersey wearing. http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2012/06/jets_rex_ryan_says_new_black_p.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed Just curious.