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The Choice to Change


Toe

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Hail Varsity has a pretty good article up about the changes in the team's mindset as last season went along, particularly after the Purdue game, as told mainly by Gifford, Foster, and Stoltenberg.

 

"People were missing everything, doing punishments, and it was just kind of like, 'Oh the punishment’s not that bad,' so it was not that big a deal." - Gifford

 

I still wonder how some guys might have panned out differently if they'd been around this staff their whole careers. Like would Nick Gates have actually lived up to his potential if his coaches hadn't allowed him to slack off all the time?

 

https://hailvarsity.com/s/7517/the-choice-to-change

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Really enjoyed the read.  It shows how disastrous the culture had become.  Stars beside names mean nothing when the kids are doing it the wrong way.

 

It's partly why the walk-on program is so special.  Those kids care about team first; just grateful to give everything for the cause.  Then when you have the leaders barking in the same vein, the kids sandwiched in between buy-in.  

 

Our coach in college (basketball) used to speak on unity of purpose.  We felt invincible but also hungry.  It wasn't;t going to be given to us.  We'd earn it.  Top to bottom.

 

It sets the table for your life.

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Gifford was interviewed for this story first. A few weeks before he sat and waited to hear his name called at the NFL Draft, he sat and answered questions about his last year at Nebraska. He was done. His Husker obligations had been fulfilled. But when asked who was on the accountability list, who had to run, who messed up, Gifford wouldn’t reveal names.

 

A week later, Foster did the same. That’s between the men in the locker room, he said.

 

A week later, Stoltenberg did the same. 

 

 

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Stoltenberg: Some guys, they don’t like listening to Mo because Mo keeps it real . . . When he got up and just stood and supported us and supported our claim, I think it was good just for everyone to see on every level of that team how passionate guys were about it. 

This is why I was happy to hear Mo made captain.  Team is now ready to hear the kind of things he says.

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It's cool that they're not telling but I still looked :P. I'm pretty sure we discussed it that week and came to the conclusion some players were being punished. Especially since it was the week Lamar Jackson was laughing after he got called for that penalty (and he later talked about it in interviews). The changes (not related to injury) were the ones we knew about. Greg Bell and Lamar Jackson. Tyjon Lindsey was moved from #1 PR to #2 PR. I think it tells a lot about Jackson that he fought to get his spot again and stuck around.

 

 

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13 hours ago, Toe said:

I still wonder how some guys might have panned out differently if they'd been around this staff their whole careers. Like would Nick Gates have actually lived up to his potential if his coaches hadn't allowed him to slack off all the time?

 

I honestly doubt it, I think he probably would have left even sooner, or at least been riding the pine.

 

My thoughts on a guy like Nick Gates, and a lot of the attitudes that we saw during Riley's tenure are that, even if you aren't being held accountable in the weight room or forced to work hard, the fact that a good football player needs to be big and strong, especially lineman, is nothing new or revolutionary. If an athlete is serious about his or her sport and wants to get better, they are going to bust their a$$ no matter what. Everyone knows that division 1 lineman need to be strong. Nick Gates knew it too. Now maybe the coaches might have a crappy strength program, poor accountability practices, poor organization, etc, but if a player is really hungry, he is going to be a gym rat and do what he can. Nick Gates didn't want to work hard, and Riley brought in too many players (and allowed too many to stay) who didn't have the right attitude to succeed in the game of football. When Frost identified those attitudes, those players were forced to shape up or ship out.

 

I can't fathom being an athlete at a school like Nebraska and not wanting to get bigger and stronger and compete as hard as I can. Even if my coach didn't push me to do it, I would take enough pride to work work work. Because Nebraska, dammit.

 

 

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