Team Leadership

[BigRedBuster]

This article is a great article about what made the 1997 team so great and (I believe) what is lacking on this team.

 

LINK

 

“We had great leadership on that team, and it started with Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter. They were probably more motivated to win that national championship than anyone else. Nine months before the ’97 season started, they came into my office to talk. Since both were projected to be first-round NFL draft picks, I thought they were going to tell me they had to do what was best for them and their families, but my instincts were wrong. They told me how good it felt to win national championships in ‘94 and ‘95 and how disappointed they were when we didn’t win another one in ’96. So they wanted to stay one more year, finish things up right and go out as champions.

 

“They were two driven players who took it upon themselves to create the vision for that ‘97 team after we had beaten Virginia Tech (41-21) a few weeks earlier in the Orange Bowl. Without their leadership and talent, I don’t believe that season would have unfolded like it did. Those two really set the tone with exceptional dedication and commitment.

 

Who on this team has this type of commitment to doing what it takes to lead this team and do what ever it takes to win? Honestly, the only ones I can think of are Taylor and Rex. Now, don't get me wrong. Taylor has his faults with the fumbles. But, I believe he has shown that he is willing to do what ever it takes to get better and win games. These are the only two guys that I can think of on this team that the rest of the team looks up to. But, do they have the personalities to be able to get in other players faces and call them out when they screw up?

 

Who else? Who on this defense has the balls to stand up in the first quarter of the game on Saturday and call other players out and make them raise their level of play?

 

I personally also believe some of this is because of the way Bo handles captains. There isn't a consistent hierarchy on the team of leadership other than Bo, assistant coaches then everyone else. When you have an organization of over 100 players, you need leadership inside those ranks to keep the group moving forward in the right direction.

 

Thoughts???

[Warrior]

I agree with Grant and Jason being the Leaders, but they also knew how it felt to win! You have to have recall to do something like that. Motivation comes from positive and negative. I want (or don't want) to feel this way again... Maybe the CCG will be that feeling...

[clyde40]

Work.

That's what senior linebacker Will Compton said needs to happen. Lots and lots of work.

"Regardless, the sun's going to rise tomorrow. We have to understand that," said Compton, his voice cracking with emotion. "For a little bit, it's going to feel like the world's ending. It always does. And this is one in particular, you worked ... so hard to get here. And for it to slip away like it did and get away from us the way we let it get away from us ... that definitely wasn't something I expected."

"We have to get it corrected," Compton said. "If not, guys just need to not play for us if they don't want to pick up the pieces and get it together and get an 11th win."

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/football/2012/capital-one-bowl/huskers-must-pick-up-pieces-after-bitter-defeat/article_0e0779f3-adf1-566f-a0a6-645cd2a11d93.html

[BigRedBuster]

Work.

That's what senior linebacker Will Compton said needs to happen. Lots and lots of work.

"Regardless, the sun's going to rise tomorrow. We have to understand that," said Compton, his voice cracking with emotion. "For a little bit, it's going to feel like the world's ending. It always does. And this is one in particular, you worked ... so hard to get here. And for it to slip away like it did and get away from us the way we let it get away from us ... that definitely wasn't something I expected."

"We have to get it corrected," Compton said. "If not, guys just need to not play for us if they don't want to pick up the pieces and get it together and get an 11th win."

http://journalstar.c...5cd2a11d93.html

 

 

That's good and that is the attitude the team needs to have.

 

BUT, the intensity needs to be in the off season and fall camp. That is where champions are made. Where is that intensity on the O line or the D line? Stein was a very good player and I believe under appreciated because he wasn't vocal in the media. I'm not sure he was a vocal leader on the team. Suh was that man who stood up and made everyone else around him better. I think Rome pissed that ability away after he left the team then came back. Maybe he can regain that in the off season.

 

I agree, this team needs to figure out and experience what it is like to win on a very high level. Nobody on this team has experienced that. EVERYONE on the Wisconsin team knew what that felt like and knew what it took to go out and win a championship game. Some how we need to get over that hump.

[Hercules]

Whether or not we have leaders like them, we need guys who can play like Peter and Wistrom. Add those two guys to our team and I think there's a decent chance we're playing against Notre Dame for a national championship. Dominant defensive line play makes a HUGE difference.

[HuskerShark]

Who on this team has this type of commitment to doing what it takes to lead this team and do what ever it takes to win? Honestly, the only ones I can think of are Taylor and Rex. Now, don't get me wrong. Taylor has his faults with the fumbles. But, I believe he has shown that he is willing to do what ever it takes to get better and win games. These are the only two guys that I can think of on this team that the rest of the team looks up to. But, do they have the personalities to be able to get in other players faces and call them out when they screw up?

 

Who else?

 

The reason that Rex and Taylor are the only ones you have heard of is because they are the two guys on the team that get the most publicity.

 

Other guys on the team that are vocal leaders include Kenny Bell, Ben Cotton, Will Compton, and Daimian Stafford.

 

Then you have guys who lead by example: Ameer, Quincy Enunwa, Choi, Long, Jackson, Caveman, PJ Smith, and Ciante.

 

The leadership on this team is extremely strong. That wasn't the problem against Wisconsin. The problem was lack of athleticism, lack of physicality, and poor technique on the defensive side of the ball. That needs to be fixed, but unfortunately, it's not a quick fix. We need to keep improving in recruiting and get better athletes on the field.

[BigRedBuster]

Who on this team has this type of commitment to doing what it takes to lead this team and do what ever it takes to win? Honestly, the only ones I can think of are Taylor and Rex. Now, don't get me wrong. Taylor has his faults with the fumbles. But, I believe he has shown that he is willing to do what ever it takes to get better and win games. These are the only two guys that I can think of on this team that the rest of the team looks up to. But, do they have the personalities to be able to get in other players faces and call them out when they screw up?

 

Who else?

 

The reason that Rex and Taylor are the only ones you have heard of is because they are the two guys on the team that get the most publicity.

 

Other guys on the team that are vocal leaders include Kenny Bell, Ben Cotton, Will Compton, and Daimian Stafford.

 

Then you have guys who lead by example: Ameer, Quincy Enunwa, Choi, Long, Jackson, Caveman, PJ Smith, and Ciante.

 

The leadership on this team is extremely strong. That wasn't the problem against Wisconsin. The problem was lack of athleticism, lack of physicality, and poor technique on the defensive side of the ball. That needs to be fixed, but unfortunately, it's not a quick fix. We need to keep improving in recruiting and get better athletes on the field.

 

 

There are leaders on the team. But, are they the type of leaders that can lead the team to a championship? Or, are they also players with the deer in headlights look when things start going south?

 

Also, as far as athleticism. This team had enough athleticism to match up very well against Wisconsin earlier in the year and swarm to the ball. I'm not saying even more athleticism wouldn't help. BUT, the total melt down on Saturday wasn't because Wisconsin has that much more athleticism than we do. I think if this is what people are going to hang on to, they are missing the boat.

[HuskerShark]

Who on this team has this type of commitment to doing what it takes to lead this team and do what ever it takes to win? Honestly, the only ones I can think of are Taylor and Rex. Now, don't get me wrong. Taylor has his faults with the fumbles. But, I believe he has shown that he is willing to do what ever it takes to get better and win games. These are the only two guys that I can think of on this team that the rest of the team looks up to. But, do they have the personalities to be able to get in other players faces and call them out when they screw up?

 

Who else?

 

The reason that Rex and Taylor are the only ones you have heard of is because they are the two guys on the team that get the most publicity.

 

Other guys on the team that are vocal leaders include Kenny Bell, Ben Cotton, Will Compton, and Daimian Stafford.

 

Then you have guys who lead by example: Ameer, Quincy Enunwa, Choi, Long, Jackson, Caveman, PJ Smith, and Ciante.

 

The leadership on this team is extremely strong. That wasn't the problem against Wisconsin. The problem was lack of athleticism, lack of physicality, and poor technique on the defensive side of the ball. That needs to be fixed, but unfortunately, it's not a quick fix. We need to keep improving in recruiting and get better athletes on the field.

 

 

There are leaders on the team. But, are they the type of leaders that can lead the team to a championship? Or, are they also players with the deer in headlights look when things start going south?

 

Also, as far as athleticism. This team had enough athleticism to match up very well against Wisconsin earlier in the year and swarm to the ball. I'm not saying even more athleticism wouldn't help. BUT, the total melt down on Saturday wasn't because Wisconsin has that much more athleticism than we do. I think if this is what people are going to hang on to, they are missing the boat.

 

I don't think it was the sole cause of what we saw, but it's easily the biggest factor IMHO. Even Wisconsin's big power RBs were outrunning our best defensive players (Ciante, Stafford). We don't have a whole lot of talent on our defense. Probably the most athletic players on the defense are Ciante Evans, Josh Mitchell, and Eric Martin. The last 2 are under-sized for their positions but they get the job done as good as anyone else on the defense. The lack of size on the D-Line and lack of speed and explosiveness at LB really limit this defense.

[LumberJackSker]

unless you're in the locker room and around the team on a daily basis i don't think any of us can accurately judge the leadership of the team, everyone wants to win champion ships so i don't think you can say it's that, the biggest difference between then and now is talent having good leaders and the want and drive to succeed can only get you so far if the team doesn't have the ability