LINCOLN — If Jared Crick ever wanted to secretly take a break, now would seem to be an appropriate time. Because, really, the excuses for complacency are pretty discernible right now.
His standout sophomore season seems to be evidence enough to secure a spot as Nebraska reconstructs its defensive line. And any perceived individual dropoff could be self-consciously traced back to the departure of his highly decorated sidekick, Ndamukong Suh.
Plus, it's merely April. The Huskers still have more than 150 days before the football season's kickoff.
But Crick's not slowing down. Not a chance. That's because if he does even for a second, he says he's wasting a chance to get better.
Crick thinks he still has plenty of room for improvement.
“I've got high goals for myself this year, and I'm not going to reach them unless I take every day seriously,” Crick said. “If I take a day off, my progress stalls as a player, and the D-line's progress stalls.”
So on every spring practice snap, Crick said, he's trying to fine-tune the technical subtleties of his game.
“I'm going in with the attitude that I need to work on it all,” he said. “I'm taking it one day at a time, one rep at a time.”
A similar offseason approach paid off last year, when Crick recorded 73 tackles and 9½ sacks on his way to an All-Big 12 first-team selection by the league coaches. He set a single-game school record by totaling five sacks and tied another with seven tackles for loss against Baylor.
Of course, Crick's still deflecting praise for that. He credits Suh and defensive ends Barry Turner and Pierre Allen for creating opportunities for him.
Crick estimates that he went one-on-one with a lineman on 75 percent of the snaps before Big 12 play started last year. The double teams came more often during the conference season, but having those three talented teammates around him made it easier, Crick said.
“I've got to give it all to the guys I was playing with last year,” he said.
Without Suh and Turner around, it means more attention goes to Crick. He knows that. It's why he's making an effort to meticulously critique his play during these spring practices.
Really, though, it would be hard for anyone to tell a difference in Crick's on-field behavior.
Crick seems to possess a Terminator-like personality as soon as the pads go on. All business.
He's mentally focused during practices and games, so much so that he never even notices any of his opponents' provocative after-whistle activity such as trash talking or shoving.
Players have always been trying to get under Crick's skin, said tight end Dreu Young, who played alongside Crick at Cozad High School. It doesn't work.
“It's like hitting a brick wall. You can hit it as many times as you want, but he's just not going to respond,” Young said. “He's always been a level-headed guy. He plays with emotion, but he knows how to keep it in check.”
Now Crick packages that unflappable demeanor with an excess of self-confidence.
He has proved to himself that he can play at this level. That's not difficult to notice, even for players who aren't necessarily stationed alongside him for an entire practice.
“He's focused on what he's supposed to do,” sophomore linebacker Eric Martin said. “He's not a real speaker (type of) guy, but he shows his leadership by just playing. That's his style.”
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