Blackshirt Award?

[tmfr15]

I know, it's another thread about the Blackshirt tradition. Just an attempt to put a new spin on it.

Seems like every coach we have is asked about when they'll give out the Blackshirts. If they do, and we have a bad performance, it becomes, when are you taking them back.

It might be best to just tell everyone that the Blackshirts simply represent clear cut starters at each position on the field and leave it at that....

Or

What if the Blackshirts were handed out at the end of the season at the awards banquet. The winners would be players who were clear cut starters at their positions and cleared certain performance benchmarks. At the start of the next season, you could indicate the number of defenders who are returning after winning a Blackshirt the previous season.

The questions would then go away both about when to give them out and when to take them away. And we would have an award that lived up to the tradition of Blackshirt excellence on defense.

 

[Hilltop]

I don't mind the end of season award idea but, I still feel the proper way to handle them is 100% traditional.  A starting defender gets a blackshirt.  If or when he is no longer a starter, he loses the blackshirt.   

 

[Crusader Husker]

I say ask the 80's and 90's guys the tradition.  If you aren't going to do it that way, drop it.

 

[Hagg]

When they were feared as The Blackshirts, in another age, it made sense.  Now the Huskers’ D is far from being feared around the conference, let alone around the country, so those black shirts are only a reward for making first string.  I think the whole thing could be elevated back to it’s used to be by holding it all back until we show the world something as to Husker D.  Not just one or three good games.

 

[knapplc]

I don't mind the end of season award idea but, I still feel the proper way to handle them is 100% traditional.  A starting defender gets a blackshirt.  If or when he is no longer a starter, he loses the blackshirt.   

100% agree.

A post-season awarding of a Blackshirt, or some kind of honor along those lines, is good for guys like Alex Henery, who got a Blackshirt at the end of the season for how much he helped the defense with field position. 

Otherwise, just hand them out at the beginning of the season like always. Stop pulling them, stop making it be some kind of performance award. First string wears black. Just keep it simple.

 

[JJ Husker]

I don't mind the end of season award idea but, I still feel the proper way to handle them is 100% traditional.  A starting defender gets a blackshirt.  If or when he is no longer a starter, he loses the blackshirt.   

100% agree.

A post-season awarding of a Blackshirt, or some kind of honor along those lines, is good for guys like Alex Henery, who got a Blackshirt at the end of the season for how much he helped the defense with field position. 

Otherwise, just hand them out at the beginning of the season like always. Stop pulling them, stop making it be some kind of performance award. First string wears black. Just keep it simple.

I concur.

 

[TGHusker]

I concur.

Who's going to tell Matt that we've come to this conclusion :dunno

Give it to first stringers.  However, as mentioned above by @Hagg I wonder if they should be mothballed for a while.  Our D has not resembled anything worthy of the tradition since Gregory was here & he was the primary reason for respect at that time.  I'd like to see some kind of metric that would tell us that the D is a blackshirt D once again.  - Maybe top 10 in total defense or top 10 in 2 of the 4 major categories:  Points allowed, Yards allowed - running, Yards allowed passing, total yards allowed. 

Maybe Top 10 is too limited.  But I think there has got to be a way of bringing honor back to the tradition by showing it on the field. 

 

[MyBloodIsRed16]

Who's going to tell Matt that we've come to this conclusion :dunno

Give it to first stringers.  However, as mentioned above by @Hagg I wonder if they should be mothballed for a while.  Our D has not resembled anything worthy of the tradition since Gregory was here & he was the primary reason for respect at that time.  I'd like to see some kind of metric that would tell us that the D is a blackshirt D once again.  - Maybe top 10 in total defense or top 10 in 2 of the 4 major categories:  Points allowed, Yards allowed - running, Yards allowed passing, total yards allowed. 

Maybe Top 10 is too limited.  But I think there has got to be a way of bringing honor back to the tradition by showing it on the field. 

I would say top 10 defense or at least top 3 in the conference 

 

[JJ Husker]

Who's going to tell Matt that we've come to this conclusion :dunno

Give it to first stringers.  However, as mentioned above by @Hagg I wonder if they should be mothballed for a while.  Our D has not resembled anything worthy of the tradition since Gregory was here & he was the primary reason for respect at that time.  I'd like to see some kind of metric that would tell us that the D is a blackshirt D once again.  - Maybe top 10 in total defense or top 10 in 2 of the 4 major categories:  Points allowed, Yards allowed - running, Yards allowed passing, total yards allowed. 

Maybe Top 10 is too limited.  But I think there has got to be a way of bringing honor back to the tradition by showing it on the field. 

I’ve posted this a thousand times but the blackshirt tradition existed for a long time before the mid 90s with no problems and, trust me, a lot of those defenses weren’t stellar. It’s only been since those 90s teams that the tradition has been questioned based on how good a player/team is. It ain’t always gonna be excellent so give it to the starters or get rid of it imo.

 

[lo country]

It was never performance based.  It was the starters.  Period.  End of discussion.  What has caused the issues is 20+ years of other teams getting their a$$es handed to them by the Blackshirts. As the team as a whole started to decline.  So did the Blackshirts performance and in crept "performance" based appraisals.  Hard to look at 2022 Blackshirts and compare them to the 1995 Blackshirts and say they are equally deserving based upon metrics.  BUT, in the original manifestation of the Blackshirts, the starters are all equal.  

I am with @JJ Husker If it becomes merit based, can them.  Starters or nothing.

 

[Toe]

Give them to the starters, period. It means something if the players make it mean something.

 

[gobiggergoredder]

I got this idea from my wife…….
 

I want the entire defense to start the year with a blackshirt.  After each game every coach will give out 10 roses.  Those players keep the blackshirts.  Then the next week each coach gives out 9 roses.  It’s keeps going down each week until the final week.  The 10th game game 11 roses will be handed out.  Those will be your season blackshirts.

Huskervision interviews each week of players that didn’t get a rose.

Those that don’t get roses will return in the spring in an effort to become the blackshirtette.

 

[NsideScoop]

I got this idea from my wife…….
 

I want the entire defense to start the year with a blackshirt.  After each game every coach will give out 10 roses.  Those players keep the blackshirts.  Then the next week each coach gives out 9 roses.  It’s keeps going down each week until the final week.  The 10th game game 11 roses will be handed out.  Those will be your season blackshirts.

Huskervision interviews each week of players that didn’t get a rose.

Those that don’t get roses will return in the spring in an effort to become the blackshirtette.

I see what you did there.

 

[TGHusker]

I’ve posted this a thousand times but the blackshirt tradition existed for a long time before the mid 90s with no problems and, trust me, a lot of those defenses weren’t stellar. It’s only been since those 90s teams that the tradition has been questioned based on how good a player/team is. It ain’t always gonna be excellent so give it to the starters or get rid of it imo.

I see your point. I guess performance based would make it pretty hit and miss

 

[Crusader Husker]

I’ve posted this a thousand times but the blackshirt tradition existed for a long time before the mid 90s with no problems and, trust me, a lot of those defenses weren’t stellar. It’s only been since those 90s teams that the tradition has been questioned based on how good a player/team is. It ain’t always gonna be excellent so give it to the starters or get rid of it imo.

This is where I am.  It should not be performance based.  Hell, the bad performance earlier in the year was on the DC anyway.  I know a Blackshirt very well.  He would agree with this assessment.