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Begin the season as The Blackshirts?


admo

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We hardly ever have 11 true starters anymore. Really depends what package we start the game in. I have no issue with them handing out more than 11.

 

To a certain degree I wonder if this is why we don't see the traditional use of the black shirts by Bo. Publicly it seems, Bo wants his two-deep to be viewed as interchangable, or that each different defensive package has its own starters unto itself. Therefore there'd be up to 22 black shirts, thus defeating the tradition.

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At this point, I am about to say scrap the tradition entirely. We can all look back with reverence at the defenses of the 1990s, they're blackshirt culture and all of that jazz. Blackshirts existed way before that, but we know that the early years of TO up through the 1980s did not feature defense. The stories are that he had the best players on offense, sometimes took players from the defense, etc. The 1990s made the blackshirt tradition. It was just a side note before then. A curious story about contrasting colors and a trip to the local sporting goods store. It got blown WAY out of proportion. I think, in the end, the blackshirt tradition is talked about by the 1990s guys as something that was so important because it represented getting to the top of the depth chart at positions where competition was extreme.

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The biggest problem I have with Bo's method is there's no consistency. The criteria for earning them doesn't seem set in stone, and it appears he uses them as a motivational tool. Unfortunately, it often doesn't motivate anything.

 

Look at how the team has earned them, and what happened after they earned them, through Bo's tenure.

 

2008

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 10th game, a victory over Kansas where we gave up 35 points and 422 yards. A fair portion of those points/yards came in garbage time, as Nebraska led 31-21 in the fourth quarter before both teams' defenses coasted and each scored twice more.

 

Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 28 points and 247 yards. The Huskers won their last three games after receiving the Blackshirts.

 

 

2009

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 6th game, a loss at home to Texas Tech where we gave up 31 points but only 259 yards. This was the game where the Tech QB (I forget his name) threw up half a dozen prayers and his WRs made circus catches. Tremendously lucky game for Tech.

 

Next Game: A loss at home to Iowa State where we gave up 9 points and 239 yards. This was the infamous 8-turnover game where everyone fumbled and Lee threw costly picks. The Huskers won six of their last seven games after receiving the Blackshirts, the lone loss coming against Texas in the Big XII CCG, the infamous 00:01 game.

 

 

2010

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 4th game, a victory over South Dakota State where we gave up 3 points and 236 yards. This was a very ugly game, you'll recall, where the Jackrabbits had several concerning drives. Error-filled on the part of the offense, though.

 

Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 13 points and 315 yards on Bill Snyder's birthday. A parting gift as we left the Big XII for Eric the Red's favorite team. :D The Huskers went 5-4 to finish the season and lost three of their last four. The defense gave up an average of 18 points per loss, but the offense was terrible.

 

 

2011

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan State where we gave up 3 points and 187 yards. Nobody can say the defense didn't earn their Blackshirts after this game as they stifled a decent Sparty offense, holding the Big 10's best WR, BJ Cunningham, without a catch.

 

Next Game: A loss to Northwestern where we gave up 28 points and 468 yards to a team that finished the season 6-7. We couldn't stop a simple crossing pattern all game long and appeared disinterested on defense. Nebraska went 2-2 to end the season, including losses to Michigan and South Carolina where we gave up 45 and 30 points.

 

 

2012

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan where we gave up 9 points and 188 yards. The cynic will say that Denard Robinson only played half the game and his replacement, Ron Bellomy, was inept, but Robinson had only rushed for 46 yards (10 carries) and passed for 55 yards (6 of 11) prior to his injury.

 

Next Game: A win at Michigan State where we gave up 34 points and 361 yards in a very hostile environment. The defense played well enough that game, but they allowed Sparty to move the ball with ease. Nebraska finished the season 3-2, giving up 70 and 45 points in back-to-back season-ending losses to Wisconsin and Georgia.

 

 

 

Over Bo's tenure, without the Blackshirts we're 27-9 (.750 winning percentage) and we give up an average of 20.4 points per game.

 

With the Blackshirts we're 21-11 (.656) and we give up an average of 22.2 points per game.

 

The one caveat to these stats is that the easier non-conference schedule is included in the "without Blackshirts" schedule, skewing the numbers slightly in favor of "without."

 

 

 

 

This is the problem as I see it - there doesn't appear to be any motivation the team derives from earning their Blackshirts. They don't appear to improve, they don't have any great swagger, and they don't appear to carry the pride of earning those Blackshirts onto the field. Of our six worst losses in the past two years (2011: Wisconsin, Michigan; 2012: UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Georgia), three have come with the Blackshirts and three without.

 

There is no discernible difference between the defense's play with or without the Blackshirts. There is no discernible merit to "making them earn it," judging either by wins/losses or points/yards allowed.

 

 

It's a distraction. It becomes a story line where no story needs to exist. It becomes one more thing an already-struggling unit has to think about.

 

 

That's my reasoning for getting rid of Bo's method. Just give them the Blackshirts after Fall Camp and let them get down to the business of playing the game.

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The biggest problem I have with Bo's method is there's no consistency. The criteria for earning them doesn't seem set in stone, and it appears he uses them as a motivational tool. Unfortunately, it often doesn't motivate anything.

 

Look at how the team has earned them, and what happened after they earned them, through Bo's tenure.

 

2008

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 10th game, a victory over Kansas where we gave up 35 points and 422 yards. A fair portion of those points/yards came in garbage time, as Nebraska led 31-21 in the fourth quarter before both teams' defenses coasted and each scored twice more.

 

Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 28 points and 247 yards. The Huskers won their last three games after receiving the Blackshirts.

 

 

2009

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 6th game, a loss at home to Texas Tech where we gave up 31 points but only 259 yards. This was the game where the Tech QB (I forget his name) threw up half a dozen prayers and his WRs made circus catches. Tremendously lucky game for Tech.

 

Next Game: A loss at home to Iowa State where we gave up 9 points and 239 yards. This was the infamous 8-turnover game where everyone fumbled and Lee threw costly picks. The Huskers won six of their last seven games after receiving the Blackshirts, the lone loss coming against Texas in the Big XII CCG, the infamous 00:01 game.

 

 

2010

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 4th game, a victory over South Dakota State where we gave up 3 points and 236 yards. This was a very ugly game, you'll recall, where the Jackrabbits had several concerning drives. Error-filled on the part of the offense, though.

 

Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 13 points and 315 yards on Bill Snyder's birthday. A parting gift as we left the Big XII for Eric the Red's favorite team. :D The Huskers went 5-4 to finish the season and lost three of their last four. The defense gave up an average of 18 points per loss, but the offense was terrible.

 

 

2011

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan State where we gave up 3 points and 187 yards. Nobody can say the defense didn't earn their Blackshirts after this game as they stifled a decent Sparty offense, holding the Big 10's best WR, BJ Cunningham, without a catch.

 

Next Game: A loss to Northwestern where we gave up 28 points and 468 yards to a team that finished the season 6-7. We couldn't stop a simple crossing pattern all game long and appeared disinterested on defense. Nebraska went 2-2 to end the season, including losses to Michigan and South Carolina where we gave up 45 and 30 points.

 

 

2012

 

Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan where we gave up 9 points and 188 yards. The cynic will say that Denard Robinson only played half the game and his replacement, Ron Bellomy, was inept, but Robinson had only rushed for 46 yards (10 carries) and passed for 55 yards (6 of 11) prior to his injury.

 

Next Game: A win at Michigan State where we gave up 34 points and 361 yards in a very hostile environment. The defense played well enough that game, but they allowed Sparty to move the ball with ease. Nebraska finished the season 3-2, giving up 70 and 45 points in back-to-back season-ending losses to Wisconsin and Georgia.

 

 

 

Over Bo's tenure, without the Blackshirts we're 27-9 (.750 winning percentage) and we give up an average of 20.4 points per game.

 

With the Blackshirts we're 21-11 (.656) and we give up an average of 22.2 points per game.

 

The one caveat to these stats is that the easier non-conference schedule is included in the "without Blackshirts" schedule, skewing the numbers slightly in favor of "without."

 

 

 

 

This is the problem as I see it - there doesn't appear to be any motivation the team derives from earning their Blackshirts. They don't appear to improve, they don't have any great swagger, and they don't appear to carry the pride of earning those Blackshirts onto the field. Of our six worst losses in the past two years (2011: Wisconsin, Michigan; 2012: UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Georgia), three have come with the Blackshirts and three without.

 

There is no discernible difference between the defense's play with or without the Blackshirts. There is no discernible merit to "making them earn it," judging either by wins/losses or points/yards allowed.

 

 

It's a distraction. It becomes a story line where no story needs to exist. It becomes one more thing an already-struggling unit has to think about.

 

 

That's my reasoning for getting rid of Bo's method. Just give them the Blackshirts after Fall Camp and let them get down to the business of playing the game.

This. So much this.

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At this point, I am about to say scrap the tradition entirely. We can all look back with reverence at the defenses of the 1990s, they're blackshirt culture and all of that jazz. Blackshirts existed way before that, but we know that the early years of TO up through the 1980s did not feature defense. The stories are that he had the best players on offense, sometimes took players from the defense, etc. The 1990s made the blackshirt tradition. It was just a side note before then. A curious story about contrasting colors and a trip to the local sporting goods store. It got blown WAY out of proportion. I think, in the end, the blackshirt tradition is talked about by the 1990s guys as something that was so important because it represented getting to the top of the depth chart at positions where competition was extreme.

Everything you just said is exactly why it CAN'T be scrapped altogether. It is so engrained in our culture and tradition as a football program because of the defenses of the 90's who made it what it is. It's always a topic every year. It can't ever go away, and the first coach who does try to scrap it would probably be crucified.

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^ nice research.

 

I say they go out at the end of camp. It puts more emphasis on those practices as well, because those are what are ultimately going to determine if you get that blackshirt. With Bo's method, kids can have a rough fall, then come around during the early part of the season and still get them. And Bo giving out 20+ takes away from the exclusivity of having one. 13-14 tops...and they can be lost at any time.

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That's my reasoning for getting rid of Bo's method. Just give them the Blackshirts after Fall Camp and let them get down to the business of playing the game.

This. So much this.

Me too. I concur as well. That Blackshirts discussion just seems to be a distraction. Like I said in an earlier post. Hand them out before the first game and just "get it out of the way". Because it has seemed like once they do get them during the season, there always seems to be that letdown, as if some sort of satisfaction has set in. And football is a game that always has to be played with an unsatisfied attitude.

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The problem is, the way Bo does it, he is basically telling the world he has no confidence in his defense when the season starts.

 

If the kids knew the shirts were earned in fall camp, it would give them even MORE motivation to kill themselves in fall camp getting ready for the season. They then can have the attitude of...."I have my Blackshirt, now I'm going to go show the world why I got it and do everything I can to keep it."

 

I have never been a fan of the way Bo does it.

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There are so many valid points to this debate. Here is what I would suggest to Bo:

 

You have done it your way in 2003 and since you became HC 5 years ago. So far all that has been accomplished is the diminishing of the honor because you have waited until you think they have earned them and then when you think they have, they lay an egg a game or 2 later.

 

Try something different and see if it works. Give them out at the start of the season and give this young defense an identity, momentum, pride, etc. What's the worst that could happen that hasn't already happened to your defense before?

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Very good points both ways in here. Now, with all being said, I wouldn't be surprised one damn bit if the week before the first game rolls around, the depth chart is pretty much set on D, and 14-17 guys are awarded Blackshirts. Not one bit. Bo's growin, and he's adjusting on the fly. The permanant captains for this year is a perfect example of it. I can honestly see him giving the Blackshirts before the season in an understanding that he has a very young front seven mixing with a very veteran and experienced back 4-6, and giving Blackshirts before the season would be the ultimate unification in giving these guys the swagger and motivation to come together as one unit.

 

It's how I see it anyway.

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There are so many valid points to this debate. Here is what I would suggest to Bo:

 

You have done it your way in 2003 and since you became HC 5 years ago. So far all that has been accomplished is the diminishing of the honor because you have waited until you think they have earned them and then when you think they have, they lay an egg a game or 2 later.

 

Try something different and see if it works. Give them out at the start of the season and give this young defense an identity, momentum, pride, etc. What's the worst that could happen that hasn't already happened to your defense before?

 

Sounds good to me.

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For those of you who don't want them handed out until they are clearly earned and the bearer of such is worthy of those before them, were you upset that blackshirts got handed out at any point the last two years?

 

I guess that is my problem with that approach. We would not have had a blackshirts unit for two years.

 

I don't really care either way, but no, I wasn't upset that the blackshirts got handed out at any time over the past two years.

 

I don't know when the shirts got handed out in 2011, but our defense was flat out dominant against Michigan State and Iowa, and really damn good against Penn State as well.

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Very good points both ways in here. Now, with all being said, I wouldn't be surprised one damn bit if the week before the first game rolls around, the depth chart is pretty much set on D, and 14-17 guys are awarded Blackshirts. Not one bit. Bo's growin, and he's adjusting on the fly. The permanant captains for this year is a perfect example of it. I can honestly see him giving the Blackshirts before the season in an understanding that he has a very young front seven mixing with a very veteran and experienced back 4-6, and giving Blackshirts before the season would be the ultimate unification in giving these guys the swagger and motivation to come together as one unit.

 

It's how I see it anyway.

Well said! I think Bo changing his position on the Team Captains this year is a good indication that he is trying to change things up a bit. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he would switch this season to the way Charlie McBride used to hand out the Blackshirts right before the first game.

 

Give it to the 11 starters for the first game, and if the coaches think one or more of those 11 did not play up to Blackshirts standards in that game, you strip them of their Blackshirt...give it to the next man on the depth chart, and tell the young men who lost their Blackshirt "You want that Blackshirt back...EARN IT!"

 

You do this for every single game. Eventually this will trickle down from not just your two deep on the depth chart, but all the way to the 3rd & 4th stringers as to what is & what is not acceptable Blackshirt team defense.

 

:bonesflag:

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I agree with you. Blackshirt are traditionally handed out to the first string D. Over the course of a few yrs, the name blackshirts became so much more, the proud tradition of wearing a black shirt in practice became legendary. It has nothing to do with how good you are as a D, it's that you are the First String Defense for the University of Nebraska, even if you aren't as good as some before you. We're spoiled by years of success with BD, TO. legendary coaches aren't replaced easily. This D will be the most improved in the B1G this year. If the season begins and you're starting D, you should get a blackshirt. Pride has been know to win games at times. GBR

I agree with this. Historically, they were given to the first team defensive players. They weren't necessarily "earned" but they could be lost to an up and comer from lower on the depth chart. Sorry to say it but Bo waiting until they are earned or deserved has not worked. Sadly recent defenses have not lived up to the blackshirts tradition of excellence. I say motivate the first teamers by handing them out at beginning of season and make them individually fight to hold onto that starter status. Giving them out in week seven when they still suck does more damage to the rep of the blackshirts so that practice needs to stop.

 

Agreed. You "earn" the Blackshirt by being on the starting defense, whether it is a good defense or not.

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Great stuff guys. Very well said by all, and civilized. Thanks guys. I'm sure we can all agree that no one will lose sleep over this either way. But it does sounds like getting the Blackshirts before the start of the season this year would be ideal for so many reasons.

1HuskerFan: If the season begins and you're starting D, you should get a blackshirt. Pride has been know to win games at times

JJHusker1: I say motivate the first teamers by handing them out at beginning of season and make them individually fight to hold onto that starter status.

mnhusker: Maybe it would strengthen the unit when the players and coaches all know that they will define what a black shirt is as a team each week

Creighton Duke: I definitely think that they should be handed out before the season. I think is a motivator in itself. Handing them out before the season starts with the implication that they can be lost at any time, I think is the way to go.

Hercules: I'd prefer a return to the old tradition. If you're on the #1 Defense, you wear a Blackshirt. You're expected to perform like a Blackshirt from day one, not starting halfway through the season

Frida's Boss: whomever earns them in camp deserves to have it in his locker ...its up to the player to continue to earn that shirt ...tough for it to have any value if no one hs them

huskerjack23: I think they should be given out early to motivate those who didn't make the starting 11. Then they'll push the starters to keep it.

STL Husker: They earn it by beating out the other guys at the position to be a starter. It's motivation for the 2nd and 3rd string guys to beat him out for it. Once they put on that blackshirt there is a responsibility to live up to the tradition and legacy. I think the motivation of living up to the legacy is greater than the motivation of earning a blackshirt. One is an individual accomplishment and the other is how the defense plays as a whole.

knapplc: (the whole opinion speaks highly of itself) - there's no consistency. The criteria for earning them doesn't seem set in stone

The Maudfather: refering to knapplc-This. So much this.

kchusker_chris: It puts more emphasis on those practices as well, because those are what are ultimately going to determine if you get that blackshirt

BigRedBuster: They then can have the attitude of...."I have my Blackshirt, now I'm going to go show the world why I got it and do everything I can to keep it."

St. Paul Husker: Give them out at the start of the season and give this young defense an identity, momentum, pride, etc. What's the worst that could happen that hasn't already happened to your defense before?

tmfr15: refering to St.Paul Husker: Sounds good to me.

Mr. Accountability: giving Blackshirts before the season would be the ultimate unification in giving these guys the swagger and motivation to come together as one unit. ....Give these guys a bit of an edge and swagger to start the year. Get it out of the way-so to speak. You have to believe that the way it is, the guys play with blackshirts on their mind, week in-week out.

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