Let's alter the attitude, not the scheme of our Defense

[husker_fan_from_sweden]

I was re-reading through my signed copy of Faith in the Game by TO and it got me wondering. What's the difference between the defense now and what the die hard bleed red till we're dead cornhusker fans had grown so accustomed to in the 90's with year after year of smash-mouth defenses?

 

Tom outlined a qoute in the beginning of his chapter on Teamwork from Rudyard Kipling that "Now is the law of the jungle-As old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that keep it may prosper, But the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, The law runneth forward and back- and the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

 

Something I noticed last year and the B1G year one was not the scheme failure and having our guys in the wrong position to make plays, but a submissive "lets just get through this week and move on to whats next" kind of me-first mentality.

 

It may have taken 20+ years to accomplish it, but Tom's squads regularily came out to play any given weekend of the season with a "I'll give up mind, body, and blood for the man next to me" and a "never back down from anyone" attitude which propelled us to the success we had as a defense and team. Is it that attitude or just me that we've been missing to take that next step?

 

Here is an example of what I mean when Ralph Brown came soaring in to blow up jamal lewis in the 1997 Orange Bowl Game in Tom's last game.

 

 

Thoughts?

[It'sNotAFakeID]

The game was a lot more physical in that time. Half (if not more) of the hits that were legal then would be a 15 yard penalty for targeting, unsportsmanlike conduct, et cetera. Those hits were how we as fans could see the passion the players have for the team. We don't have that luxury today because those hits would be penalties.

 

Then if they're penalized they are ostracized for "not being disciplined". It's tremendously unfair to players today how we can dismiss them as "not having passion for the team...not willing to go out there and give up their mind, body, and blood for the person next to me," because they don't recreate hits of days past. They can't, if they do, it's a penalty.

[NUance]

Awesome! When I saw Ralph Browns name on the cover of the video I knew it was going to be that hit on Jamal Lewis. That was a terrific football hit.

 

That whole game was hard hitting. The Blackshirts absolutely pounded Peyton Manning that day. I actually felt worried for Manning.

[lo country]

I think Bo knows this as well. Didn't he make a comment this spring about them being "mentally soft"? Same in 2011 with Raymond saying our guys needed to get back up after getting "punched in the mouth. I have said this the past few years, our team plays well against the ropes as shown with so many comeback victories, but when "punched in the mouth" ie punt interference Michigan, Hail Mary USC, Miller's TD this year, INT against Wisky last year etc..... A straight punch to the nuts and our guys fall out. They need to get mean and get past these to win IMO.

 

Our team has lost its swagger. Individual players, yes. Collectively no. They need to get mean. We need more nasty. Look at that video and look at guys swarming to the ball. EVERYONE wanted a piece and were pi$$ed when they didn't get some.

 

Watched Tommie highlights on another board and saw the same thing with O. They all played with a chip on their shoulders. Mean, nasty, looking to hit guys and laying the wood. Our OL played like a DL.

[Count 'Bility]

This may also be a result of the lesser talent of his first couple recruiting classes. Remeber the talk prior to the 2012 season about how Bo and Staff had started doing things (maybe they even hired some sort of firm) to better evaluate recruits from a psychological standpoint and not just from a physical one? I expect to start seeing mentally tougher teams here pretty quick. Mentality is not measure by stars next to a name. Ask TO.

[HuskerShark]

I like it. A defense has to have that attitude in order to be great.

[Danimal]

This may also be a result of the lesser talent of his first couple recruiting classes. Remeber the talk prior to the 2012 season about how Bo and Staff had started doing things (maybe they even hired some sort of firm) to better evaluate recruits from a psychological standpoint and not just from a physical one? I expect to start seeing mentally tougher teams here pretty quick. Mentality is not measure by stars next to a name. Ask TO.

 

We've just had too many whiffs in recruiting to the defensive side of the ball and it really showed last year. This year it will still show as we field a young, inexperienced squad, but at-least the talent level should be improved. Hopefully they embrace the schemes/ assignments like PJ says we have to do a better job of and get better as the year goes on ala '08.

[HuskerShark]

This year's defense could be really similar to Bo's defense in 2008. Really athletic, but got off to a slow start (understandably) and then grew into a pretty good D in the last half of the season, which led into one of the more dominant defenses we've seen in 2009. If we can find some difference makers on the D-Line, I think there is potential for that again.

[Mavric]

Didn't know where to put this but here's a pretty nice article on the incoming DLinemen courtesy OWH:

 

Be ready. The words take on a greater urgency for Suttles' subset of defensive line recruits.

There are six of them — Suttles, Mixon, Maliek Collins, junior college transfer Randy Gregory, Kevin Maurice and A.J. Natter — and on signing day in February, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini didn't hesitate to say he'd look closely at all of them for playing time this season. “I told every kid that I looked at recruiting: 'Get your butt ready to play,'” Pelini said then. “Because that's going to be our mindset. We're going to try to get each one of these kids ready to play. And we're going to try to use every ounce of depth we have.”

 

 

Nebraska has already prepped linemen for their arrival, sending them a book for nutrition and weight training workouts. Nearly all of the newcomers report weighing more as a result. The 6-foot-3 Collins — from Kansas City (Mo.) Center High School — said he was up to 305 pounds after winning the Missouri Class 2 state wrestling title at 285 pounds in mid-February. Each has a Husker Hudl account so he can study last season's tape and learn Nebraska's line philosophy, stunts and formations.

And with the potential exception of Natter — the Milton, Wis., native is arguably one of the more polished prospects in the entire class — each of the six is considerably raw in his development. But also in common is a potentially high upside.

 

For instance, until his senior year, Collins was a better wrestler than football player. Gregory nearly played college basketball out of high school and sat out last year at Arizona Western College with a broken leg. Orlando (Fla.) Freedom coaches moved the 6-3, 270-pound Maurice around until his senior year, when he shined at defensive tackle and won all-state honors. Midway through high school, the mother of the 6-4, 250-pound Mixon moved from Compton, Calif., to West Mesquite on the advice of an uncle, who lived there and touted the high school football program.

[Nobody]

that quote is going in the sig. it's law.

 

edit: smh. won't fit.

[NUinID]

Not to make excuses for BP defense as of late, but the style played in the 90's would not work real well against the spread type offenses of today. Sorry to say that it would be too aggresive, too much up the field with rush ends. A good spread team like Oregon with the run or TTech ala Leach with the pass would tear it apart. They love that real agressive defense. It has to be a better balance of agressiveness and read and react.

 

 

Now the 90's teams most likely could have played a more read and react style they had the athletes.

 

Just sayin

[The Dude]

We're going to try to get each one of these kids ready to play.

Probably a good idea.

[NUance]

Let's alter the attitude, not the scheme of our Defense

Sure, attitude is nice and all. But it takes more than just attitude. As I recall, the 2007 Blackshirts had a fair amount of swagger up until about the third quarter of the USC game.

[Frida's Boss]

be nice if the kids actually got the Blackshirts before January

[Count 'Bility]

Not to make excuses for BP defense as of late, but the style played in the 90's would not work real well against the spread type offenses of today. Sorry to say that it would be too aggresive, too much up the field with rush ends. A good spread team like Oregon with the run or TTech ala Leach with the pass would tear it apart. They love that real agressive defense. It has to be a better balance of agressiveness and read and react.

 

 

Now the 90's teams most likely could have played a more read and react style they had the athletes.

 

Just sayin

This is exactly correct. What do you think would happen against today's spread attacks with not mobile qb's, but sprinter qb's when McBride would send those RE's hard upfield in an aggressive style like he did then. It was a different game then. That's not sayin we didnt have the players capable, or even the coaches for that matter, of playing today's game the necessarry way. But to say that the way Nebraska played defense in the 90's would be just as effective against today's offenses is ludicrous. It would get gashed to the point that giving up 63 and 70 points might sound appealing.