1620 The Zone Round Table Discussion

[teachercd]

I think a lot of the former players get caught up in this...

They used to be "gods", then, that starts to slip away so lots of them kind of want to be part of the program again BUT they don't really want to be part of it, they don't want to be GA's and work 60 hours per week for almost no pay, they don't want to be "interns" that basically don't get paid and are gofers, they just want to be part of the program again. They want to show up to practice and get the old "Hey, Tommie, how did you do when you played in the 90s" type of treatment and then they want chat about "it" for 10 minutes and then maybe show a quick drill or something like that.

They want to have "it" again, most people do. How many of you that played high school ball would have those few kids that graduated stop by practice from time to time, sometimes they would even tell the coach "Hey, if you ever need me to help out, let me know" but they really don't mean it, they MEAN it but they don't MEAN it, if that makes sense.

I have coached for a long time now and I get that from time to time, I know they mean well and I know they miss it but I also know that in the end, they really just want to be around it again and usually just for a short time.

With that being said, most of this staff never coached those guys at NU in the 90s, so it is a bit "different" for them, they know them but they don't KNOW them.

Excellent post I agree with what you are saying. I coached football for 20 years and know exactly what you are talking about.

If you coached for that long that you TOTALLY get it! Man, how many of "those guys" did you have come around that pretended like they wanted to help coach?

 

[Ratt Mhule]

I think that is where we fail. We are not using the same coaching numbers as Bama. Nor the same recruiting associates that they have. They have found ways around the limits, that we seem to be bound by. By choice or financially.

Anyone know how to find out the actual numbers employed in both departments. I think there are huge number differences, maybe over 50 people doing jobs at Bama, that our coaches do. IE recruiting, strength and conditioning, film management (comes under recruiting, but they have a group assigned to do it) How do they get by with it, and if it is truly being done, why doesn't Nebraska?

Bo's plan was to put people in regions to be scouts. Kind of like NFL or MLB or even basketball using AAU teams. We'd have about 6 people living in their areas and then 2-4 folks to organize stuff at UNL. He got two. Which is better than nothing.

The administration gave him two when he asked for six? That's terrible. Eichorst needs to fix that like NOW.

That is completely on Tom is it not? Eichorst definitely needs to fix this!

That was from meetings this spring. I don't know if it was ever brought up before or not. I would guess it was at the same time Bo asked for a private plane. I would guess things were listed in order by need and getting the air fleet they now have access to was more important not only for football but all sports. I know TO made mention last summer he thought we'd see maybe up to 4 people added to staff but that was a decision for people other than him since they no longer needed his input. We advertised for 2. I don't know if its a start or that's all she wrote. I bet we know more after signing day.

From support staff at Nebraska thread

 

[NUpolo8]

Man Polo, you are continually pulling things out of your a$$ to use to discredit the team. Give it a rest already.

I'm beginning to think he's a Buff or Mizzou sleeper cell...

I'm starting to thinks so as well Walks...along with Hunter, husker 99 and Addison...

I know you guys are joking, but there's a Woodshed for statements about other members. Please use it for these things, even as jokes. Thanks!

Regarding NUpolo8, I've met the guy, had beers, and he seems legit. I didn't ask for any ID, though. Shoulda taken his Husker Fan ID # and run it through the gonkulator to see if it was fake. My bad.

And during that meeting, I talked HIM off the ledge about Nebraska's chances during the year in question.

 

[skersfan]

I heard on the Finebaum show, that Bama has over 50 people working on recruiting, besides the staff. The NCAA limited it, but still gigantic numbers compared to 2. If that is the truth, we are hamstringing our own coaching staff.

I really would like to know the difference in numbers between the two programs, and for that matter the ten programs with top recruiting results.

We have enough problems recruiting to Nebraska, allowing other programs to have more recruiters to do the job is killing our coaches. Way too much work, just on that side alone.

I think there is more to Nebraska's problems than the coaching staff. Undermanned, out spent on every level is hard to fight. Then add a first year coach to the mix, with an AD, who we all love, but had not clue to what college football was when Bo was hired, as to the financial requirement.

 

[TheSker]

Isn't that the truth. I know I am in the minority on TF, but I think he is just a bitter old FB player longing for his glory days. He might get a little more access to things if he wasn't so negative about things all the time.

I am grateful for his contributions to the Nebraska teams in the 90's and think he was a great QB, but you can tell he has nothing more in his life to worry about than Nebraska football.

I agree....and I'm fine with TF voicing his thoughts on the program. Grant Wistrom played partially during the same era that TF did and would also be considered among the all time Husker greats. But the way Wistrom talks about things has been different than the way TF does......they each have their own thoughts. The difference is that TF has been much more publicly vocal. That doesn't mean it represents the thoughts of all the 90's teams.

 

[NUinID]

I think a lot of the former players get caught up in this...

They used to be "gods", then, that starts to slip away so lots of them kind of want to be part of the program again BUT they don't really want to be part of it, they don't want to be GA's and work 60 hours per week for almost no pay, they don't want to be "interns" that basically don't get paid and are gofers, they just want to be part of the program again. They want to show up to practice and get the old "Hey, Tommie, how did you do when you played in the 90s" type of treatment and then they want chat about "it" for 10 minutes and then maybe show a quick drill or something like that.

They want to have "it" again, most people do. How many of you that played high school ball would have those few kids that graduated stop by practice from time to time, sometimes they would even tell the coach "Hey, if you ever need me to help out, let me know" but they really don't mean it, they MEAN it but they don't MEAN it, if that makes sense.

I have coached for a long time now and I get that from time to time, I know they mean well and I know they miss it but I also know that in the end, they really just want to be around it again and usually just for a short time.

With that being said, most of this staff never coached those guys at NU in the 90s, so it is a bit "different" for them, they know them but they don't KNOW them.

Excellent post I agree with what you are saying. I coached football for 20 years and know exactly what you are talking about.

If you coached for that long that you TOTALLY get it! Man, how many of "those guys" did you have come around that pretended like they wanted to help coach?

Yeah, I get it. Most don't understand the prep time is needed to do a good job at coaching football. They also don't understand that it is a job and you have to be there every day if you want the job.

TF has coached before, he knows what it is like to coach. He also was not a very successful coach. So I think it is hard to take what he says with a lot of validity, I feel exactly the same way about Jason Peters. Damon Benning and Jay Foreman I take a lot more seriously because they are not just critical and can look at something from different sides.

Peter and Frazier I think can't look objectively because they were such good, naturally gifted players. They don't understand how hard the game is to play for even some really talented guys. I am not saying they didn't work hard, but you know what I mean.

That is why TF doesn't get BP either. Pelini was a grinder/gym rat of a player and he is a grinder/gym rat type of coach that thinks everything should be earned. Frazier thinks he is entitled to more than BP thinks he is.

 

[Vince R.]

I like Benning's sentiment and that's that Bo should take what's tangible from Osborne because he had the recipe to be successful at Nebraska. example would be how they conduct practice. Hitting has been beaten to death but he also talks about multiple stations for the first teams all the way to the 5th string. Everyone got equal reps and you reaped the benefits of guys developing at a faster rate.

 

[walksalone]

Man Polo, you are continually pulling things out of your a$$ to use to discredit the team. Give it a rest already.

I'm beginning to think he's a Buff or Mizzou sleeper cell...

I'm starting to thinks so as well Walks...along with Hunter, husker 99 and Addison...

I know you guys are joking, but there's a Woodshed for statements about other members. Please use it for these things, even as jokes. Thanks!

Regarding NUpolo8, I've met the guy, had beers, and he seems legit. I didn't ask for any ID, though. Shoulda taken his Husker Fan ID # and run it through the gonkulator to see if it was fake. My bad.

And during that meeting, I talked HIM off the ledge about Nebraska's chances during the year in question.

 

[Mavric]

I like Benning's sentiment and that's that Bo should take what's tangible from Osborne because he had the recipe to be successful at Nebraska. example would be how they conduct practice. Hitting has been beaten to death but he also talks about multiple stations for the first teams all the way to the 5th string. Everyone got equal reps and you reaped the benefits of guys developing at a faster rate.

Bo went to multiple stations at the beginning of the 2012 season. I'd give that a lot of credit for the better OLine play we've seen since then.

 

[VectorVictor]

OWH used to have Voice from the Grandstands. That was the VERY limited message board of years past. I wonder how many letters they got at the office and said to themselves... this has NO CHANCE of making the column.

I wrote in once and it got published... I used a pseudonym. I was around 12 at the time so I'm not sure why I cared about my anonymity. I wish I could remember what I wrote.

Mark Richt, is that you?

 

[Count 'Bility]

I like Benning's sentiment and that's that Bo should take what's tangible from Osborne because he had the recipe to be successful at Nebraska. example would be how they conduct practice. Hitting has been beaten to death but he also talks about multiple stations for the first teams all the way to the 5th string. Everyone got equal reps and you reaped the benefits of guys developing at a faster rate.

That stuff was all fine and dandy when TO had 200 players to work with.

TO unique success came when Nebraska developed some HUGE advantages in strength, conditioning, nutrition, psychology, and so on. All those things put together allowed Nebraska to be the freight train of the program they were in that span. No one did such a thing before, since, or ever again. Bama? LOL. They cant even dominate their own conference division. As one of the guys from that era explained in the Anatomy of an Era book, Nebraska was doing such state-of-the-are things in those aspects that are still not being done at numerous professional organizations yet today. All those things added up. Now today, combine the fact that everyone-or at the very least, the top 50%-in college football is putting just as much focus on those things as the other guy, as well as the fact that college football is shittons (it is) more competitive now than it ever has been, and it's hard to argue that we may very well be as good as we'll ever be, and that any comparison to the 90's freight train is totally illogical.

 

[kchusker_chris]

LOL....Jay Foreman just went through how when he arrived on campus, an upper classman took him under his wing and told him what he needed to do in the weight room to keep up. The older players showed the example and if you wanted to be like that, then you needed to do what it took to keep up.

No where did Jay say it was the coaches that held him or anyone accountable. It was the upper classmen and the other members of your position group that motivates you. THAT along with wanting to be the same or better than the player you look up to.

Coaches can tell you to do what ever they want and they can yell and scream all you want. BUT, it is the players that have to hold each other accountable and the inner competitiveness inside each player that is going to make a team great.

I love how people are upset that the coaches aren't holding players accountable. BUT, I remember having arguments on here about players like Jamal Turner because the coaches weren't playing him enough. The reason was because he hadn't shown in practice that he is doing what it takes to win and can do what he needs to do on the field. I was constantly told..."Well, some players are just not practice players. They will shine in the game". Well, that attitude is BS. Yes, you might make some highlight somewhere in some game. BUT, if you don't put the time in in the weight room and go 100% on the practice field and in the film room, then, there will be other players with possibly less raw talent pass you up.

The players have to hold these kids accountable. The older players that are successful need to be showing the younger players what it takes to succeed.

Ameer is a beast in the weight room and on the practice field. He now has lifter of the year two years in a row and it showed on the field. Players like Cross, Newby and Taylor need to now look at him and say..."wow...I want to be like him so I'm going to do the same or more than he did in the off season and during the season in practice".

Bo can yell at them all he wants, but, until the younger players have this kind of attitude and respect for older players, then their level of success is going to be hampered.

You were going good until you added Cross in there...

 

[BigRedBuster]

That isn't a list of players I think don't work hard. I have no reason to believe any of those three don't. It was simply an example of a position group that can look up to the upper classman/departing senior for very a very good example of what hard work gives you.

 

[swmohusker]

That isn't a list of players I think don't work hard. I have no reason to believe any of those three don't. It was simply an example of a position group that can look up to the upper classman/departing senior for very a very good example of what hard work gives you.

And who set the tone for that position group. Ol' Rex Burkhead. I remember the young trio of abdullah, newby, and heard talking bout how they admired his work ethic. It trickles down to the young pups. Team leadership is priceless.

 

[BLEED4BLACKSHIRTS]

Every time Dirk talks I just want to punch him in the face..........not sure why