flatwaterfan
Starter
I think they should hand them out Monday.
Blackshirts
- Thread starter flatwaterfan
- Start date
huskered17
All-Conference
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
I've been against this policy from the beginning. Hand them out the week before the first game and get on with playing football.
What's disturbing is that, as the years have progressed, we care less and less about this. "When are the Blackshirts going to be handed out?" threads used to start cropping up in August. Then it was throughout September, beginning with the first game. Then last year it got to the point of, "Will they even hand them out at all?"
This year we're seeing our first Blackshirt thread five weeks into the season. Without drastic improvement with this defense, we're going to see a lot more apathy toward what was once a pretty cool tradition.
sd'sker
Banned
did this start because they were taken away? not sure i remember, but it is disappointing, and risky (what if they never get handed out, we might tend to play poorly after they are handed out).
I think it did start because they were taken away. I don't remember if Pelini handed them out before the beginning of the 2008 season or not. But I do remember them being handed out late last year (after MSU) and then we looked really bad against Northwestern.
I just don't understand the thought process behind it. You hand them out at the beginning of the season so they mean something. Honestly, I don't think they mean a damn thing if you have to play half the season before you get it. Younger players used to be in awe of the blackshirt - now, who cares? And what's their defense behind it - if they hand them out early then it will give them a sense of security and their play will get worse? No. A blackshirt means you're the starter, but it most certainly does not mean you're the starter forever no matter what. You could always have your shirt pulled and given to another player throughout the whole season, and that's how it should be.
This waiting business just makes them irrelevant. It's a trivial thing to complain about but I think it's an important tradition that's become somewhat insignificant. I hadn't even THOUGHT of the blackshirts until this thread came out. I find that pretty sad.
I just don't understand the thought process behind it. You hand them out at the beginning of the season so they mean something. Honestly, I don't think they mean a damn thing if you have to play half the season before you get it. Younger players used to be in awe of the blackshirt - now, who cares? And what's their defense behind it - if they hand them out early then it will give them a sense of security and their play will get worse? No. A blackshirt means you're the starter, but it most certainly does not mean you're the starter forever no matter what. You could always have your shirt pulled and given to another player throughout the whole season, and that's how it should be.
This waiting business just makes them irrelevant. It's a trivial thing to complain about but I think it's an important tradition that's become somewhat insignificant. I hadn't even THOUGHT of the blackshirts until this thread came out. I find that pretty sad.
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HuskerShark
Banned
I like the way Bo handles the blackshirts. Once the defense starts playing up to the standard that we expect from the Nebraska defense, he hands them out. I think that his methods of handing out the blackshirts are way over-scrutinized.
Count 'Bility
Banned
They were never "taken away" Bo made it a standard from his day one that they were something that were going to be earned on the field of play. I dont really disagree or agree either way. This is similar to the uniform situation to me now after watching the monkey show first quarter. Too much crap going on. Just play the damn game.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
I would agree with you if the defense had to work to earn them, then got to a point where they showed unequivocally that they deserved them. But that is not and has not been the case.
2008 - 10 games - After the Kansas game (@KU, 41-31 win). We went on to win our final three games, including a bowl win vs. Clemson.
2009 - 5 games - After the Missouri game; ensuing game: 31-10 loss at home to unranked Texas Tech.
2010 - 3 games - After the Washington game; ensuing game: 17-3 win against unranked D1AA school SDSU. Two games later Texas shredded us at home.
2011 - 8 games - After the Sparty game; ensuing game: 28-25 loss at home to unranked Northwestern. Two games later Michigan shredded us.
2012 - ???
The way Bo hands out the Blackshirts is only scrutinized because he makes it so. Hand them out at the end of summer like we always did and none of this speculation happens.
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Fuzzy
All-Conference
I liked the 2nd half effort by the defense. But it shouldn't diminish the fact they played poorly during the 1st half. The defense needs to play the way they did in the 2nd half of Wisconsin for a full game. Once they achieve that, then the Blackshirts should be in the discussion to be handed out.
I said this earlier. You hand out the Blackshirt tradition because they earned it, not because you have to. You demean the tradition when you hand them out because you have to.
sd'sker
Banned
it is hard to say how well the defense played the first half given the offense's miscues.
you earn your blackshirt by being a defensive starter for the nebraska cornhuskers.
Completely agree. It's pretty inarguable if you look at it from this point of view. If he hands them out from the get-go he avoids a lot of public backlash after bad performance.
HuskerShark
Banned
I see what you guys are saying. I think the reason it's so scrutinized is because Nebraska fans are so traditional, and handing them out before the season is the way it was always done. For Christ sake, there were a bunch of people that whined during the week about painting #HUSKERS on the field. Who cares.....
To be honest with you, I really don't have much of an opinion on when/how they are handed out. I just view it that this is Bo's team and he can do whatever he sees fit to field the best team as he possibly can. (to a certain extent)
To be honest with you, I really don't have much of an opinion on when/how they are handed out. I just view it that this is Bo's team and he can do whatever he sees fit to field the best team as he possibly can. (to a certain extent)
EbylHusker
Banned
The reason it is so scrutinized is because our defenses over the past half decade or more have been schizophrenic and unreliable. People are pissed about the sh**ty defenses, not when the Blackshirts are handed out. Angst over when they're handed out is just a foil for releasing pent up butthurt about our often tutu wearing defenses lately.
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