The Bad News Blackshirts

[knapplc]

My heroes have always been Blackshirts.

There's something about the chaos they bring, the fierceness of a run-stuffing linebacker or the predatory aggression of a blitzing rush end, that thrills me like the offense never could. Your Mike Roziers, your Tommie Fraziers, your Rex Burkheads... they're great, and I love them all. But most of the time when they were on the field, I just wanted them to score quickly so I could get back to watching the best side of football: The hunters.

Broderick Thomas. Carlos Polk. Terry Connealy. Grant Wistrom. Ralph Brown. Kyle Vanden Bosch. Barron Miles. Danny Noonan. Mike Croel. Trev Alberts. Demorrio Williams. Kenny Walker. Jared Tomich. Keyuo Craver. Jason Peter. Fabian Washington. Terrell Farley. Mike Brown. Josh Bullocks. Barrett Ruud. Demoine Adams. Jim Skow. LeRoy Etienne. Ed Stewart. Mike Minter.

These are the guys I'm paying to see. Ready at the snap. Make your move. Open field to the ball carrier. Crush the quarterback. Stuff the run. Separate the man from the ball.

The Blackshirts were industrial-scale mayhem. There was a magic to these guys, a mystique.

Havoc and disruption, tumult and noise, fire and aggression, reveling in pandemonium and panic. They were what football was all about. They were why football was fun.



At least... they used to be. Not even that long ago, in 2009 when Suh & Crick, E-Mart & Compton, Asante & Hagg, Gomes and Amukamara all wore black in practice.

But somewhere along the way the fire went out. The joy disappeared. Even the 2009 defense fell victim to a blowout. And from there it's been... not so fun. Before 2009 it had been years since Nebraska fielded a formidable defense. Since then, it's been downright disheartening to be a Blackshirt fan.

For too long the defense have been Blackshirts in name only, bodies in a place where once stood giants.

It's been too easy, for too long, to pick on the Nebraska defense. Sure, every year we have a formidable talent in some position or other, but for every throwback Blackshirt there was always one of these guys.

Our Lupus.

 

[knapplc]

There is no joy here in Mudville - hasn't been for quite a while. Casey has struck out so many times that we've just about forgotten he could swing a bat at all.

And the fans are, quite justifiably, quite correctly, quite unhappy. Whether they're stockpiling tar & feathers or just glum and numb doesn't much matter. There is no excitement for this season like before.

At a time when hope should be springing eternal, when Heisman candidacies should be in full swing and bravado the drink of the day, instead we have apathy, angst, outright anger.

And you really can't blame anyone. There comes a point when you just can't take the punishment anymore. Everyone has their breaking point.



Anymore, that's the most we've been able to hope for - that our guys will just do the best they can.

 

[knapplc]

It seems like we're just looking for that one piece, that one throwback player to spark the fire again. And one day, not long ago, Bo Pelini put on his best ball cap, drove down in his beat up old drop-top, and talked to a guy named Randy Gregory. Gregory was all, "I've got these moves," and Bo was like, "Show me." And he did, and the next thing you know, Gregory is riding along with Bo back to the team.

There's a great clip I'd show you here, but Tanner the potty-mouth little brat makes it un-postable here at HuskerBoard. Look it up if you like. And let's just presume that Gregory got a better reception than Amanda when he met the team.



So there's a piece. And we have a few more pieces - Anderson & Rose, Curry & Valentine, Cooper & Jackson & Alexander. They're all, apparently, pretty athletic. But they have a lot to prove before we can say they're really Blackshirts of the old mold.

But sometimes all you need is one play. One decent play from one guy - maybe not even your best guy - to light it up. And that has happened enough that it's not impossible (looking at you, Matty O'Hanlon).

Sometimes, even Lupus catches the ball.



Win or lose, add another second on the clock, screw us over with the toughest schedule in our division - we won't care, because it'll be fun.

And the Blackshirts are sowing destruction on the fields of Nebraska once again.

 

[95huskers]

well stated knap, for me there is a disconnect from the football players of old, to today... the simplest ingredient is missing. Killer instinct. Mean, tough, throw down guys, who dont give a rats a$$ about anything but dominating... Nebraska, and much of college football for that matter, is missing those "alpha" blood types.

Like you, I miss it too. I miss the D on the field, knowing full well that they were not going to let anyone, not even the Peyton Mannings of the world go anywhere. The ball-hawking, head hunters of old just seem to be fewer and further between.

To me, it seems that football as a whole, weather it be rules or just society, have become a buncha Nancy's.

 

[Hoosker]

You should write a book.

 

[walksalone]

I want the fear back. I want opposing teams to see our team on the schedule, and physically say "sh*t", knowing that they are in for four quarters of pain, agony, and suffering. That after the game, they will hurt getting into bed. They'll consider playing a different sport.

That is what I miss. The hunt as Knapp eluded to. The wolf pack insuring that no one gets out alive and there's no hope for the oppositions offense, only impending doom and heart break...

 

[NUance]

We've seen flashes of the old Blackshirts these past few years. The problem is, it's only flashes we get. Not whole seasons. Usually not even whole games. Like our first year in the B1G when we played Ohio State. The first 35 minutes of that game was like the first half of the Bad News Bears season. tOSU scored at will. Then Lavonte David stepped up and literally stole the game away from them, ripping the ball out of Braxton Miller's hands. That play sparked the Blackshirts and we didn't give up another point for the rest of the game. Greatest comeback in Husker history. LIke the second half of the Bad News Bears season, when they came together and kicked a$$. We need the Blackshirts to play like they did that second half of the tOSU game.

 

[Blackshirt96]

I would say this is how football rules have changed the game more then how the players have changed.

Here are a couple prime examples

Courtney Osborne's sack on Gabbert. Osbourne keeps his head up & Gabbert turtles up before the hit causing the hit to be high on Gabbert. Flag is thrown. In todays rules he could be tossed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvOdXcMw5xw

SJB's hit on Prudue RB. SJB dropped his head & made contact with the players helmet and the football. He was tossed from the game. 10yrs ago that was a hit that was tought. Get your helmet on the ball and good thing will happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmHN5ya--ew

Heres another. Notre Dame DL drops his head to make a hit & the Pitt QB does the same. Both players drop there head but the DL is ejected for targeting even though the both dropped their heads to create the problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCxuVXRTt3I

The rules have been changed to put the defense at a dissadvantage. You will even see obvious holding calls not made. Has anyone ever seen a RB get thrown for a helmet hit? Probably not as that is not who they care about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omhTWveotos

 

[knapplc]

I want the fear back. I want opposing teams to see our team on the schedule, and physically say "sh*t", knowing that they are in for four quarters of pain, agony, and suffering. That after the game, they will hurt getting into bed. They'll consider playing a different sport.

That is what I miss. The hunt as Knapp eluded to. The wolf pack insuring that no one gets out alive and there's no hope for the oppositions offense, only impending doom and heart break...

Bingo. Gang tackling. Bodies flying to the ball. The runner slows down? Too bad, here comes a red avalanche and he's swallowed up.

Way, WAY too many times we see individuals making tackles. Our opponents gang tackle better than we do, and that's gotta stop.

 

[walksalone]

I want the fear back. I want opposing teams to see our team on the schedule, and physically say "sh*t", knowing that they are in for four quarters of pain, agony, and suffering. That after the game, they will hurt getting into bed. They'll consider playing a different sport.

That is what I miss. The hunt as Knapp eluded to. The wolf pack insuring that no one gets out alive and there's no hope for the oppositions offense, only impending doom and heart break...

Bingo. Gang tackling. Bodies flying to the ball. The runner slows down? Too bad, here comes a red avalanche and he's swallowed up.

Way, WAY too many times we see individuals making tackles. Our opponents gang tackle better than we do, and that's gotta stop.

Exactly... Make the Blackshirts mean something again and not just have it be a topic of conversation of when should they be handed out or if their effort was enough to have them be handed out.

No individuality. 11 hunters that can smell the blood in the water and do not know the meaning of quit or give up...

 

[Warrior10]

I want the fear back. I want opposing teams to see our team on the schedule, and physically say "sh*t", knowing that they are in for four quarters of pain, agony, and suffering. That after the game, they will hurt getting into bed. They'll consider playing a different sport.

That is what I miss. The hunt as Knapp eluded to. The wolf pack insuring that no one gets out alive and there's no hope for the oppositions offense, only impending doom and heart break...

Bingo. Gang tackling. Bodies flying to the ball. The runner slows down? Too bad, here comes a red avalanche and he's swallowed up.

Way, WAY too many times we see individuals making tackles. Our opponents gang tackle better than we do, and that's gotta stop.

Welcome to spread football.

 

[kchusker_chris]

As long as we run the up-tempto, high risk, high reward offense - it's highly unlikely we will see a defense of the 2009 calibre. Not saying the talent or ability won't be there, but this offense puts the D in bad situations. They're gonna get scored on, they're gonna get wore down when we can't control the clock. They're often better than their ranking suggests I think.

 

[Mavric]

As long as we run the up-tempto, high risk, high reward offense - it's highly unlikely we will see a defense of the 2009 calibre. Not saying the talent or ability won't be there, but this offense puts the D in bad situations. They're gonna get scored on, they're gonna get wore down when we can't control the clock. They're often better than their ranking suggests I think.

Then it's a good thing we don't.

 

[HUSKER FREAK]

I want the fear back. I want opposing teams to see our team on the schedule, and physically say "sh*t", knowing that they are in for four quarters of pain, agony, and suffering. That after the game, they will hurt getting into bed. They'll consider playing a different sport.

That is what I miss. The hunt as Knapp eluded to. The wolf pack insuring that no one gets out alive and there's no hope for the oppositions offense, only impending doom and heart break...

This, so much of this. The fear was amazing, As a little kid playing backyard ball we tried to imitate this. As young kids we understood it. No one wanted to enter the fourth quarter against the Blacksirts, Hell most would have rather gone home at half time.

 

[carlfense]

As long as we run the up-tempto, high risk, high reward offense - it's highly unlikely we will see a defense of the 2009 calibre. Not saying the talent or ability won't be there, but this offense puts the D in bad situations. They're gonna get scored on, they're gonna get wore down when we can't control the clock. They're often better than their ranking suggests I think.

Then it's a good thing we don't.

High risk, high reward is about as concise of a description of the offense when Martinez was QB as I can imagine.

Whether that will continue with Armstrong is an open question.