It's an attitude problem.

[Foppa]

Knapp....

I couldn't agree with you more.

It absolutely boggles my mind when the team comes off of two weeks of practice to prepare for Minnesota and the rest of our schedule that they come out and lay an egg like they did on Saturday. They should have been coming out of that locker room frothing at the mouth wanting to KILL someone. Instead, they came out with an attitude of...eh....I'm sure we will win.

And, I don't just put this on the coaches. If you are playing football at the FBS level at a place like Nebraska, the coaches shouldn't need to get you pumped up to go kick someone's a$$. if anything, the coaches should be the ones having to keep you calmed down and focused and then be able to turn you loose at the right time.

It pains we when I read comments after a loss of people like Quincy claiming they weren't surprised at the outcome because they didn't have a good week of practice. That makes absolutely no sense to me other than a wrong attitude throughout the team.

If that's the case, then...wow. Bo is generally very outspoken when the team doesn't have a good week of practice. Didn't hear a thing about that from him, did we? And no, I don't think he would hold back on stating that because there was a game coming up. I really doubt that information (had Minnesota had heard about NU's practices, or even cared) would've affected Minnesota's preparation one bit.

So...

 

[Hunter94]

In the aftermath of the Minnesota loss, amid all the finger-pointing and soul-searching, the most telling quote of all may have come from Randy Gregory.

@danhoppen

Randy Gregory on possible overconfidence against Minnesota: "I think some (players) look at it as we should win because we're Nebraska."

This is the culture on this team that leads to these meltdowns.

Wyoming should give up down by three scores in the fourth quarter because we're Nebraska.

UCLA should stop fighting to get back in the game down 18 points in the first half and we're going to win because we're Nebraska.

SDSU shouldn't run for 200-something yards against our D1A defense because we're Nebraska.

Minnesota shouldn't think they can make a game of this because we're Nebraska.

You can go on and on through the losses over the past few years. This attitude is clearly evident throughout those games. Even in games we came back to win, like Ohio State in 2011 or Wisconsin 2012, it seemed like we came to WIN, not to PLAY, and there appeared to be this sluggishness, this surprised torpor throughout the first half of these games that these opponents are smashing us in the face, and how dare they, because we're Nebraska.

The thing that drives me the most crazy about this is, these guys aren't Nebraska. Better put, they're not the Nebraska that made the name, that built that stadium, that filled opponent stadiums with Red. They're standing on the shoulders of giants thinking, "Look how tall I am!" never realizing that they are not those teams of old. The name means nothing to today's opponents, other than a college football blue-blood who's clearly vulnerable and ripe for an upset.

The greatest thing about playing Nebraska today isn't seeing the legendary stadium, or the iconic uniforms, it's the fact that any team, from any conference, can beat these guys because their heads aren't on straight. Every team we face knows that, which is why, mysteriously, they all seem to rise up against us.

These guys have got to get that mentality out of their heads. They're not Nebraska. They're guys wearing the same uniforms that THE Nebraska once wore, minus the killer instinct that made those teams great, minus the 60-minute drive, minus the enjoyment of the fourth quarter where winners excel.

This mentality has to be stamped out by these coaches. They have to convince these guys that, while they're not the Nebraska that put the fear of Red into the hearts of old opponents, they can be, with hard work and guts and sacrifice.

I can't tell you how crazy this quote makes me. But it's the truth, and it's been evident for years.

We haven't been Nebraska for a very long time.

agreed, can't imagine where over confidence would come from?? WTH?

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I've been saying this for a long time, no one is afraid of you because of that N on your helmet anymore. We lost that edge a long time ago and this team doesn't get to act like "since we're Nebraska, teams will just back down!" Gimme a break, you want me to see Nebraska? Show me 60 minutes of hard-nosed football where you look the opponent in the eye across from you and say, "I'm gonna whoop your a$$ for the next 60 minutes and there is NOTHING you can do about it!" Show me that on the field and show me that killer instinct that we've been missing for a VERY long time.

 

[Foppa]

I've been saying this for a long time, no one is afraid of you because of that N on your helmet anymore. We lost that edge a long time ago and this team doesn't get to act like "since we're Nebraska, teams will just back down!" Gimme a break, you want me to see Nebraska? Show me 60 minutes of hard-nosed football where you look the opponent in the eye across from you and say, "I'm gonna whoop your a$$ for the next 60 minutes and there is NOTHING you can do about it!" Show me that on the field and show me that killer instinct that we've been missing for a VERY long time.

Love 'em or hate 'em...but I really wish the Peter brothers were on the sidelines with with permission to 'smack someone silly', players and coaches alike, when they play/coach as half-assed as has been recognized.

 

[Hooked on Huskers]

Need to destroy tricked out Husker locker room with a touch screen monitor, iPod, etc. Then built a plain jane locker room, like Hawkeyes visitor locker room (pink color). And change from indoor and Ed&Joyanne Gass country club facilities to Whittier junior high practice field. Closed players' lounge too. Finally, smash players' Teeter/Texting gadgets. You ever watched Junction Boys movie? From spoiled players to winners. Don't care about recruiting tool.

Serious or sarcasm post ?....... I'm not telling you !

 

[Born N Bled Red]

It is on the coaches though, the attitude is being coached out of them, just like it has been coached out of Bo Pelini. This PC don't yell, don't celebrate, don't do anything but be a robot and play football bs atmosphere that is being fostered through administrations and the NCAA has taken the passion out of the game. The most telling quote for me came from this article last week. In this article. http://www.omaha.com...SKERS/131029000,

"Jean-Baptiste celebrated by flexing his muscles, first toward the Purdue bench and then back toward the field.

“We don’t need that,” Joseph said at the Big Red Breakfast. “The hit was part of football, but taunting is not what we’re about on defense. He does enough with physical play that we don’t need that. So that’s what I was disappointed in.”

What!!!!!????? Could you imagine the 90's without the Peters bros. and Wistrom throwing the bones? You look for a big play to change the tone of the game, to get players motivated, to bring the fire, then you criticize and penalize them for celebrating it? Then you wonder why the sidelines are dead, why the players play flat... that's what they are being coached to do. Approach the game businesslike, take all emotion out.

Just like what we've done to our coach... and now you (by you, I mean all fans complaining about this, not one in particular) cry because the team reflects that "new Bo" attitude. Guess what? You got what you asked for, thanks fans, thanks espn and your camera constantly waiting for any show of emotion from our coach, and thank you Perlman. You've neutered our coach and in doing so, our team as well.

 

[Blackshirts007]

If these guys have the opinion or mindset that they are better than their opponents because "they are nebraska," then they deserve to lose. IMO

 

[kchusker_chris]

This is pretty evident, and has been for some time. The player comments support it time after time. Quincy, or Turner said the same thing earlier this year. Bell as well. It was brought up after the championship game last year. It starts at the top. Bo is well on his way to losing this team. They have an attitude problem already, and it hasn't been fixed. It' obvious, and it hasn't been fixed. It's documented and it hasn't been fixed. It's not getting fixed with the current regime, they've had plenty of time, and plenty of opportunity to do it.

 

[JJ Husker]

In the aftermath of the Minnesota loss, amid all the finger-pointing and soul-searching, the most telling quote of all may have come from Randy Gregory.

@danhoppen

Randy Gregory on possible overconfidence against Minnesota: "I think some (players) look at it as we should win because we're Nebraska."

This is the culture on this team that leads to these meltdowns.

Wyoming should give up down by three scores in the fourth quarter because we're Nebraska.

UCLA should stop fighting to get back in the game down 18 points in the first half and we're going to win because we're Nebraska.

SDSU shouldn't run for 200-something yards against our D1A defense because we're Nebraska.

Minnesota shouldn't think they can make a game of this because we're Nebraska.

I can't tell you how crazy this quote makes me. But it's the truth, and it's been evident for years.

Knapp- I agree that sure seems to be the attitude they play with at times. But it also would seem virtually impossible for any of these players to have that attitude. This is not that Nebraska. These players have not had anything resembling the success of old that should lead them into developing this attitude. The last time that sort of thing should've even been a possible problem, these current players wouldn't have been born yet and best case, they would've still been wearing 3 corner britches.

I cannot fathom this attitude being prevalent considering they have done nothing, NOTHING, on the field to indicate they are anything other than a mid level B1G team that chokes on the big stage, in big games, and often times sh#ts the bed against lesser opponents. I can handle earned swagger but, this would be no more than delusional entitlement.

 

[kchusker_chris]

I cannot fathom this attitude being prevalent considering they have done nothing, NOTHING, on the field to indicate they are anything other than a mid level B1G team that chokes on the big stage, in big games, and often times sh#ts the bed against lesser opponents. I can handle earned swagger but, this would be no more than delusional entitlement.

It is though, you can go through the threads earlier in this season or after the championship game, or after Washington 2.0 or after any number of facepalm losses this team has suffered. You'll find 2-3 comments identical to the one Knapp posted above.

 

[TGHusker]

If the players have an attitude like that, then imo, that falls directly on coaching. Part of being a coach is getting your team to stay locked in the entire season.

+1

 

[TGHusker]

Knapp, you hit the nail on the head. Let's look at the source - who got into these player's heads to begin with. Beck - we are 'scoring explosion # 2", Bo - "great athleticism on D". These were 2 familiar quotes from pre-season. The players believe their own or their coaches press reports not realizing they are scrimmaging against themselves - a shadow of the 1983 scoring explosion and a shadow of the 1994-99 - great blackshirt Ds.

It is easy to say one thing in practice and pump your chest - another thing to prove it in a game. The Wyoming game was a tip - that the emperor had no clothes. (most likely if that game was a few minutes longer - we would have lost it)

 

[lo country]

I think the attitude might be "less we are Nebraska (as we envision ie the hey day of the 90's) and more of a "we are a better, more established, more historical powerhouse, therefore we will beat you and you should be afraid".

I forgot who said this, maybe Jason Peter or even an opposing coach, but NU used to beat folks so badly (physically and mentally) that the thought of playing NU again the next year was nerve wracking and really got into your psyche. Most teams, against NU of old, were beat before they even stepped on the field, remembering the beat down they received the previous year. I also remember Peter saying that games were easy as the practices were controlled street fights. By the time the game rolled around, the team was ready to kill someone.

We lack perseverance, the killer attitude, the will to win at all costs. This attitude comes from the staff, or not, as evidenced by too many times playing to not lose as opposed to playing to win and beat the crap out of them. OSU calling for a review of the spot against PSU is an example of this killer attitude while being up 52-7 IIRC. Stomp them and crush the other teams will to even play you again.

Charging Charlie Beckwith (Founder of Delta) stated he would rather go down the river with 3 studs than 100 sh$theads. We need to find the studs to go down the river with. Guys who will impose their will on another team.

It makes me sick to think our once mighty NU was manhandled and bit%h slapped by the Gophers.

 

[Flood]

In the days of old, the teams that built the fear of Nebraska, those players really followed the creed of that prayer.

When the NCAA instituted time limits on how long the team could work out in the school's weight room, those guys left at the appointed hour, and went immediately to Gold's Gym or wherever, and worked out MORE until they knew they were in top condition. They drove each other to success. They fought, literally FOUGHT, one another, I'm talking throwing full-fledged punches at each others jaws, and worked out their problems on the field, in full view of Osborne and the rest. It was all part of what made them so damn tough on game day.

For those guys, game day was a chance to relax usually, because it was FAR less intense than any practice they went through.

And this is all from their own mouths, via Paul Koch's book, which I am now reading the second volume of. THOSE Nebraska players were beasts, but they didn't start out that way. Every single one of them talks about how damn intimidated they were by the HUGE MEN they first encountered when arriving on campus. Names that we all consider legends today were initially terrified that they were in way over their heads. It was the system of taking boys and grinding them into men that made those teams great.

We seem to have lost that part of the process, in some fashion. I hope we can find it again.

 

[Paul in WI]

I've been saying this for years about this team. No heart.......they should be called the Tin Men, because they don't play like Cornhuskers.