Flood

Bama should remain number 1 until they lose a game. If we win out, which I would love but don't expect, being ranked in the top 4 is all that matters. Where we're ranked among the top 4 is not important since the game results decide everything from that point forward. All that said, it is nice to dream. I will keep doing so as long as possible. It is great for recruiting and I think the next five years or longer could be very special.

Just watched some videos on rugby style tackling. I definitely see it in the Huskers D. And it looks great. It is a combination of 'blow them up' along with push them back, and go for the waist. This will also limit targeting penalties, assuming it is followed properly. And if you catch a runner at the right angle you can completely stop forward momentum and perhaps prevent the extra yards sometimes gained. I LOVE it. It has to be executed well, but as long as it is taught well I think it will work. Thanks Coloradohusk, I appreciate the insight. I like what I am seeing. Will it work against OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin? We'll see. I think it will.

Tackling had been one of my major beefs about the Pelini era. Those teams often seemed to think they were playing X-Box or something. They made every effort to 'blow up' the ball carrier and make it look as devastating as possible. But this also resulted in too many ball carriers regaining their balance and sprinting away. My complaint was that we were not wrapping up, grabbing the ball carrier in a hug, and dragging them to the turf. To my discredit, I haven't really paid attention to this aspect so far this year. Whatever we're doing so far is working. Are we wrapping up or just much improved at blowing up the carriers? Thanks for any thoughts.

SO FAR, we have won the games we were expected to. The next step to surpass Pelini's teams on the field is to be competitive OR win the games we expect to be really challenged in. If we take that next step, even losing to UM and OSU, as long as they aren't blowouts, then we have overcome the main complaints against Bo's teams. That's it in my mind. Goal 1 is apparently in the rearview. We need to keep it there and handle Purdue. Then we need to compete (and hopefully win) against the East Division big dogs. It's hard to ask for much more. If we play to potential, give our best games, and still lose I'll be okay with that. If we get blown out we simply have more work to do. Playing to our top potential has NOT happened in any game so far. We MUST get that taken care of or our chances will be very slim indeed against MU and OSU.

There must be a little truth to the 4th Quarter conditioning idea. Or maybe it's mental fortitude. Whatever it is, I like it. I just wish we'd figure out a way to do the same in every quarter. No doubt the 4th Q has been ours for the most part. We saw a little bit of the 'Old Tommy' out there at IU. I hope he can erase that demon for good as we go on. We need great decision making and better play all around in Q2 and Q3. Or maybe Riley and staff are just making excellent half time adjustments. Probably a little of all those things. We will need to play complete games against Wisconsin and OSU. Hopefully Purdue provides us with an opportunity to do so. I don't feel like we can skip 2 quarters and win against Wiscy or the Buckeyes. And certainly not if we reach the CCG. Finally, we seem to be taking every opponent seriously, working on each game and not looking ahead. That is great and hopefully continues against Purdue. Though they just fired their coach, we learned last year that they can be dangerous. If they 'rally round the new guy' we could have a fight on our hands. I hope they are in disarray and we can go in there and rotate lots of guys in and out for experience for next year or in case of injury this year. Fun ride so far.

Indiana is much better than their reputation from years past. They deserve a lot of credit. It's hard to see any loss in a positive way. But, I think Indiana has actually achieved positive momentum in their losses to NU and OSU. The Hoosiers are learning that they actually CAN play with anyone. Once they start turning some of these close games into wins they will become more confident and more dangerous. I give them a lot of props for their great game. They are not the stuffed pillow team they had been in the past.

Quick, someone pray for me. I have already been outed as a heathen, "NATIVE AMERICAN LAKOTA MAN". No, I do not believe in the christian god, a human sacrifice killed by jews and all that stuff. I DO believe in a higher power. Whether the Christians (capitalized with respect this time) or the Muslims or the Hindus are right is of no real importance. What matters to me is this: If YOUR God is the right/correct God, will he/she accept those of us who have lived earnest and good lives though we may be honoring the wrong name while doing good and being humane ethical people? If the answer is NO, you can keep that god to yourself and I will go on doing the best I can. Best wishes, Flood

I don't know, CM. Last year Iowa had no wins worth mentioning but still finished in the Top 10. Now, that is not what I want for NU, of course, just mentioning that Iowa did it. Their collapse in the Rose Bowl tarnishes the whole year and seems to confirm what the rest of the nation already thought, that Iowa got lucky through an incredibly easy schedule. They lost the only 2 games that really tested them. I think NU possibly CAN win all the games, but man we better see the team performing to its full potential in more than just the 4th quarter to get there. If we can do so, I think anything is possible, including the CFP. I don't actually expect a playoff spot, but if it comes it would not surprise me either. The tools, players, talent and coaching are there. They just haven't been on fire through all 4 quarters of any game yet. If that happens, we will see dominance. And if it DOES happen, I predict we will see more of that same dominance as the confidence level across the entire team rockets upward. It all starts with Armstrong.

Yes. YES! That is EXACTLY what we do!

I think we discredit Oregon too much. Their season took a huge hit early, but by now they are just unmotivated and lost. When we played Oregon, though, they were being talked about as potential title contenders--or at least PAC CCG contenders. And they were much more motivated than they currently are.

I learned that luck runs out. Tennessee. And that the down and out come back. FSU. Indiana is HARD to beat. In spite of the score, IU held steady with OSU through the 3rd Q and into the 4th. What did you learn, what do we need to watch and be careful of?

Very glad this week is a BYE for NU. I am in Tampa and have 9 extra people living with me until Hurricane Matthew gets sorted out on the other coast. Air mattresses and makeshift beds everywhere, plus buffet style dining. I don't have enough brisket and ribs on hand for this crowd along with the 4 of us that live here normally. Not to mention 4 cats and one surly Chihuahua. Shaping up to be an interesting weekend and it's going to be difficult on the CFB watching schedule I normally keep, which is Noon until 2AM or whenever any good games out west end. As far as IU, I hope our team and coaches are not overlooking them. I can't imagine they would. Undefeated only stays that way with skill, talent, a little luck, and paying attention to each game as they arrive. IU has certainly been a better team this year. I hope we can get some energy before the 4th Q for this game and Purdue. We need to get better in earlier quarters or we'll get demolished later in the season.

True. But not all members of either group are on scholarship. Where would they fall on the spectrum? I don't know. It provides interesting discussion, but it is hard to imagine any of us know how this would shake out in court or even in university politics. The thing with ECU Band is that their university supported them totally at first (I THINK) and then threw them to the wolves. That also adds a dimension worth discussion.

The band at ECU is an interesting and, in my opinion, somewhat different case. At many schools (most?) being in the band is part of a class schedule and you receive a few credits for taking part. The implication, to me, is that the band has a different set of circumstances. In addition, some of the band members protested differently. Did any members not protest at all? If they are receiving school credits for being in the band, I think the responsibilities are slightly different. But that also makes them 'paying customers' as well as students, which only makes it murkier in my mind. I don't know what response is merited, if any. But it sounds like the school supported the band initially and then did a U-turn, throwing the band under the bus so to speak.

Jim, disregard any actual or perceived negative statements or feelings. This thread has already accomplished, to a small degree, what MRI set about to do. You have contributed valuable thoughts and ideas and helped evince this message. I have said my piece, you have said yours. Others will agree or disagree based on their individual backgrounds. Do you know, when I lived out in Western Nebraska I would occasionally tell very close friends that they were farming on stolen land? Land stolen from my people and tribe. They would universally get extremely angry and defensive. And explain how that piece of land had been in the family for FIVE (or whatever) proud generations. And that they too needed to make a living. My own people were on the verge of starvation a hundred miles north. Change is hard. Especially when the changes required must come from within, from asking very difficult and unseemly questions about your father's and grandfather's behavior and motives. The theft of our land is, from their perspective, an escape from the tyranny of European powers, a chance to start a new life. It is all very complicated. And the same is as true for African Americans and their journey through slavery into what I think we all hope will be a better world and society. Changing your mind about long-instilled history is very hard. It requires you to refute your ancestors and sometimes yourself. MRI has achieved his mission in a way, though he may not even know it.

Good thoughts. Iowa is at a make or break moment. I am seeing rumbles that their QB is facing a serious leg or ankle injury that has not been disclosed publicly. That makes their backup, a guy named (I think) Steamer, likely to play significant time. He played part of one series and looked pretty good but they pulled him before he could really show much. True freshman I believe. OSU at OSU will be a real challenge, as will Wisconsin. But I think we are improved enough to have a good chance at both. If not, the season doesn't go off the rails as long as we win the rest or almost all of the rest. We're on a good trajectory with 5 wins behind us.

Give us your exact idea. What specific, very specific, action could you (or anyone) have taken that would have presented the same theme without causing dissent? I would be shocked if a universally unifying protest is even possible. Is that even a protest? Isn't that just shouting into the echo chamber of like minds?

I agree if the endstate is awareness, yep for sure Nebraska is now aware, but at what cost? Could this have been a better following if it wasn't against the flag, in uniform, as a guest to another school? I would say that is a better possibility. I guess to get my point across if I was protesting, I would try to sell a unifying idea that everyone can get behind and leave no assumptions with my actions. At what cost? What cost is acceptable? It has, seemingly, not affected the team so far. Among the fans MRI has opened a discussion that extends far beyond Nebraska. It has been mostly a thoughtful discussion with only a bit of extreme negativity from all the various sides. In fact, this may have helped unify the team even more and illustrated some key differences between the players among each other and with the coaches. In a positive way. Nebraska, the school, has received nearly universal acclaim, from what I can see, for how this was handled. A very different response to Missouri or other schools with protests of this type. It was great to learn that this very subject was explicitly covered in the school's policies from 50 years ago. Probably related to the Civil Rights Era. Good job, Nebraska! The only cost I can see, so far, is that a couple angry old-school guys like Daub got themselves in a titter. He reminds me, as does the governor, a bit of my late dad in law, a closet racist who claimed to be accepting of everyone but really was not. In private he would let fly with all sorts of things to the point I disinvited him from my home until he could control his voice. I am certain his inner monologue never changed. But he always said, "Well, you're an Indian. It's not the same." He just didn't get it. I see nothing but positives so far. And I am proud of MRI, the team that came together for this, and the responses of most Nebraskans.

The Sagarin ratings still have some shaking out to do. We are 20 in that one. Hopefully we are not one of those things that needs to be shaken out. But there is still a LOT of influence based on early polls. Oklahoma is 8 in Sagarin. At 2-2. Is Sagarin overvaluing, or are the other polls undervaluing? It's hard to say right now. The next few weeks will solidify things. Our first major test is Wisconsin. I think we can win. And IF we DO win, I think our confidence level at OSU will be sky high, perhaps enough to win there, too. But, if we lose BOTH of those games and win every other, I will say we have improved dramatically. Even a 3rd loss for the season is far better than we did last year and better than I originally anticipated this year. We're looking good. Not all the time at every position, but we're looking good nonetheless. Now, if we could play every quarter like we have in our 4th quarters so far . . .

I think we have a shot against both. With our early schedule padded with easier teams (speaking relatively) and our rising rank and reputation, I believe the team will have higher confidence levels than otherwise might happen. If we roll into Wisconsin at 7-0, with Wisconsin already having a loss, I think this team will enter the game knowing they CAN win. And if they do so, then OSU is less daunting even if they remain undefeated. I don't know if we will win either or both. I don't like to make predictions. I think we could, though. And the BYE week this week could be a huge help. It comes at a time we need to heal up a bit but not at a point that could be distracting. Like right before Wisconsin or OSU. I think the bye is timed perfectly and we have 2 games following the bye to fine tune and improve before the biggest hurdles we are likely to face. I hope they're not looking past ANYONE though, after seeing MSU fall to Indiana.

No. The rest of the team won't sit with him. Because they discussed this AS A TEAM. Those who the cause really speaks to will do their protest. Coach Riley also 'approved' this protest. There may be white people, or black people, or native people, or whoever, that this particular protest does not resonate with. They seem to understand the idea behind the protest and have backed it up in principle even if they do not feel the same. So, the team supports the concept and vision behind the RIGHT to protest even if they do not feel moved enough by this particular issue to join the protest. In the future, I suppose, others might protest separate issues and MRI and those involved in THIS protest may not join them but will stand behind their right to protest. It really seems quite simple. Teammates are supporting each other even if they have no particular feelings about this or even if they disagree. THAT is a team I want to support.

Been quite a while since we played there. That is one of the most godawful irritating sounds on earth.

Shell, you sound like one of those guys who says things like, "I'm just telling it like it is, saying what everyone is really thinking on the inside." If so, you are incorrect. Not everyone is hauling around such a hefty cloud of narcissism.

Agree. Quite your whining Mr. Alvarez! Run the table and no one will have questions like everyone did regarding Iowa last year. And it seems the questions were warranted since Iowa got whipped up and down the field at the Rose Bowl. I would be a bit ashamed if anyone at NU said this kind of thing. I hope our team WANTS to play the best as often as possible.

If you could simply express your message and people listened to you, then you wouldn't need to protest. Part of protesting is simply getting people to pay attention to your message, which most people won't do unless it's something eye-catching or provocative. So protests need to find what they can do to get that attention and get their message out. Anthem protests certainly succeed at getting attention, but as you say, we'll have to wait and see if the message gets out as well. Are you not paying attention? In this thread a LOT of people are paying attention. They may not change their views but they are now aware that there IS an alternate view. I have been checking Husker fan forums the last couple days. Many people are listening. That IS the point. They may not change their mind right now. But they might, or at least consider the other view. This is the purpose. To get people to realize there ARE other views. It may take time, it probably will. I am ashamed to admit that I, a minority, took a good long time to come around on gay marriage. But it was forums and posts just like this that helped open my mind. Maybe this will open minds too. An inoffensive protest is an ineffective protest. No one listens or even notices. Not sure why you're directing this at me. I'm agreeing with you. I meant to direct it at another poster and screwed up the quote effort somehow. I don't know how I ended up quoting you RedDenver.