Lightning in a Bottle

[BigRedBuster]

We had an incredible run based on great coaching and staff (TO's years as I was too young to really follow BD). We might not have had the best recruiting results, but TO and Co knew what we were, who we were and how to continue to be that. We ran a system that not a lot of schools ran. IMO, it narrowed down the competition for Player X. It also helped that we were winners.

 

It also helped that when TO was on the hot seat (losing to OU and dropping 8 straight bowl games IIRC) he put his "pride" aside and asked for help. Again, IIRC, he went to Bobby Bowden who gave him the secret of success........Speed. We saw the results with wins at all levels to include 3 MNC's. Not to bad.

 

Folks try and talk about the schollie limits and location, but I look at the success of, IMO, "lesser" programs and I call BS. My opinion is scheme and lack of coaching experience, but that has been beat to death.

 

As it relates to "lightning in a bottle", that is what is missing. Just looking at recent success, Gino Smith at WVA, Miller at OSU, Tebow, Harvin, De'Anthony Thomas, the list goes on and on. That is "lightning in a bottle". Gill, Frasier, Frost, Crouch, Green, Phillips, Peter, Wistrom etc.......Lightning in a Bottle. Guys who could single handily win games seemingly by themselves. Wiling the team to win and having the ability to do it. Look at SUH in 2009. Prime example.

 

IMO, that is what we are missing. In the day and age of schollie limits, parity etc..... this is the difference maker. NU needs that. A vocal leader who can create wins and steal wins. Rex is great. Heart and Soul of the team, but lacks the break away speed to be a threat every time he has the ball (please do not kill me, IMO he is one of the greatest to play at NU). Martinez? he has the will, will own every single NU record for QB's, but will he be remembered as one of the greatest? Again, lightning in a bottle.

 

Here is the essence of this:

 

"

Of every one hundred men in battle, ten should not even be there. Eighty, are nothing but targets. Nine are the real fighters, we are lucky to have them since they make the battle. Ah, but the one -- one is the Warrior-- and he brings the others home." -- Commonly attributed to Heracletus, 500 BC (likely apocryphal)

 

Describes the teams of TO. All fighters, but led by a Warrior or two!

 

That is Lightning. We need some.

 

I agree and good post. As for your quote from Heracletus, this is where I think Bo is missing the point of captains. He needs to find those "warriors" in August and put them into positions to be leaders on the team and on the field.

[NUinID]

MNC or not, what Snyder does works and you can't deny it! What he does isn't that much different than the Nebraska Way in reality. Actually what he is doing now is a LOT closer to Osborne than what Bo is doing or has always done.

 

The style Bill Snyder uses is just plain and simple smart hard nosed football. There is no other way to explain it. Play hard, don't make silly mistakes, don't turn over the ball, force turn-overs, great special teams, run the ball and pass enough down field to keep the opponent honest. Doesn't that sound familiar?

 

 

His formula works for him. Again there is no denying it. But you arn't looking at the big picture, you are looking at right now. Two years ago the mildcats were 6-6. Everyone on this board would have blown a gasket if NU was 6-6 in a year. They would have wanted BP fired. BS might be 6-6 next year. The reason why they are so good is Colin Klien. He is a great QB. Big, strong and was all the intangables. He is a winner

 

Wasn't this his first year after returning from retirement? He was left a dumpster fire from the previous coach and had to rebuild the program. If I had to root for someone other than Nebraska it would be Ks St. In spite of the recruiting disadvantages inherant to Ks St, Bill S has produced a consistant winner. If we overcame our disadvantages as well as they have we would be a top 5 program.

 

No, acutally it was his second. His first year he was like 7-5. He had the big back Daniel Thomas. He regressed his second year.

[KC Cowboy]

It happened once, it can happen again. Bama is doing it right now. Florida came close to doing close to the same thing a couple of years ago. USC had a run a lot like 90s Nebraska when Bush, Leinart, and Company were all there. The pieces just have to be put perfectly into place.

 

At the moment, I am one with the opinion that we need to give Bo a couple more years to see if he can get us back to winning championships. I still think he can do it. I hope he does, so he can stick around for a long time.

This is exactly correct........except one thing: all of those examples you mentioned are in the best recruiting beds of the country. If Nebraska was geographically located where current Alabama is now (crazy thought, I know, but just roll with it), how much better would we be? Pretty darn good!

 

Back in the day we could get high-level kids from the south and west because we had the facilities and weight program to lure them away. Now that everyone has that stuff, what's left? Tradition? Academics? Last I checked, kids don't care much about either. They care about winning right now. If we don't have anything more to offer kids than their local universities, 9 out of 10 times the kid is going to stay close to home.

 

Unless we start growing some solid talent locally (unlikely), we will never see strings of 10+ win seasons again. Sure, we'll have the occasional "up" year, but I've come to the conclusion that we will just be an upper-middle 9-win program for many years to come. The years of dominance are over. You are now free to pick me apart.

[HuskerShark]

It happened once, it can happen again. Bama is doing it right now. Florida came close to doing close to the same thing a couple of years ago. USC had a run a lot like 90s Nebraska when Bush, Leinart, and Company were all there. The pieces just have to be put perfectly into place.

 

At the moment, I am one with the opinion that we need to give Bo a couple more years to see if he can get us back to winning championships. I still think he can do it. I hope he does, so he can stick around for a long time.

This is exactly correct........except one thing: all of those examples you mentioned are in the best recruiting beds of the country. If Nebraska was geographically located where current Alabama is now (crazy thought, I know, but just roll with it), how much better would we be? Pretty darn good!

 

Back in the day we could get high-level kids from the south and west because we had the facilities and weight program to lure them away. Now that everyone has that stuff, what's left? Tradition? Academics? Last I checked, kids don't care much about either. They care about winning right now. If we don't have anything more to offer kids than their local universities, 9 out of 10 times the kid is going to stay close to home.

 

Unless we start growing some solid talent locally (unlikely), we will never see strings of 10+ win seasons again. Sure, we'll have the occasional "up" year, but I've come to the conclusion that we will just be an upper-middle 9-win program for many years to come. The years of dominance are over. You are now free to pick me apart.

 

Some people will disagree with me, but I think the best way to get back to where we were once is to keep our expectations high, while being patient with our head coach. Give Bo a minimum of 2 more years to establish his program a little better and see where this train is actually headed. If at that point, it's not right (or if the wheels fall off one or two years and we only win 6 games) then we try to move in another direction and take the same approach with the next guy. Changing coaches every couple of years because of impulsive moves will make sure that we are never a power again.

[Count 'Bility]

MNC or not, what Snyder does works and you can't deny it! What he does isn't that much different than the Nebraska Way in reality. Actually what he is doing now is a LOT closer to Osborne than what Bo is doing or has always done.

 

The style Bill Snyder uses is just plain and simple smart hard nosed football. There is no other way to explain it. Play hard, don't make silly mistakes, don't turn over the ball, force turn-overs, great special teams, run the ball and pass enough down field to keep the opponent honest. Doesn't that sound familiar?

 

 

His formula works for him. Again there is no denying it. But you arn't looking at the big picture, you are looking at right now. Two years ago the mildcats were 6-6. Everyone on this board would have blown a gasket if NU was 6-6 in a year. They would have wanted BP fired. BS might be 6-6 next year. The reason why they are so good is Colin Klien. He is a great QB. Big, strong and was all the intangables. He is a winner

 

Wasn't this his first year after returning from retirement? He was left a dumpster fire from the previous coach and had to rebuild the program. If I had to root for someone other than Nebraska it would be Ks St. In spite of the recruiting disadvantages inherant to Ks St, Bill S has produced a consistant winner. If we overcame our disadvantages as well as they have we would be a top 5 program.

 

No, acutally it was his second. His first year he was like 7-5. He had the big back Daniel Thomas. He regressed his second year.

His first year back was 2009. They went 6-6. They were not bowl eligible at 6-6 because 2 of their wins were against FCS programs, and you can only count 1 FCS win towards bowl eligibility per season. When they played us here that year, If they won, they wouldve won the North and went to the Big 12 Championship game with a chance at a BCS bowl, and if they lost, which they did, they were bowl ineligible. It was weird "one extreme to another" circumstances for that game. That was also Suh's senior night.

[TonyStalloni]

If the coaches can keep the program from slipping into total disfunction this year they have 2 years of very soft schedules to enjoy. I think we beat NW, loose to Mich, then win out over MSU, Minn, PSU, and Iowa. That would give us a 9-3 record. Probably no CCG, but a bowl game. Either win that or at least play well vs a good SEC team and we have 2 years for the coaches to mature and get a handle on the problems.