I like Chatelain's articles. He is the ONLY NE scribe who writes unadulterated stuff and tells it like it is. All the other writers seem scared to ask questions, scared to write what they truly feel (for fear of getting their press creds. revoked).Chaddyboxer said:What is this guy's motive? Seriously? This is Bo's team now and he has evolved the tradition just a bit. It's not like he took the blackshirt tradition and turned it on it's head. I am really starting to dislike Dirk and his intentions are in question for me....
*The intro and first part of the body of the article is very interesting....what a douche...
http://www.omaha.com...tivational-tool
Disagree. How is Baptiste, who has been said was a starter, not deserve one? If he lost his spot due to injury, then why would he not get it back? And who cares if 19 were handed out? But then again, I'm sure you're the one who is at practice every day, busting your a$$, right? And you're right, the blackshirts are an elite force. A FORCE. Not an individual, a force. A group of players who, together, play dominating defense.I like Chatelain's articles. He is the ONLY NE scribe who writes unadulterated stuff and tells it like it is. All the other writers seem scared to ask questions, scared to write what they truly feel (for fear of getting their press creds. revoked).Chaddyboxer said:What is this guy's motive? Seriously? This is Bo's team now and he has evolved the tradition just a bit. It's not like he took the blackshirt tradition and turned it on it's head. I am really starting to dislike Dirk and his intentions are in question for me....
*The intro and first part of the body of the article is very interesting....what a douche...
http://www.omaha.com...tivational-tool
Handing out 19 blackshirts is bogus. The blackshirts represent an elite force - the elite 11 starters, not some lollipop for some guy who played a few snaps here and there. Just because you "participated" doesn't mean you get one. A Blackshirt is something that's earned. Earned by getting a chance to be a regular starter on the first 11. Fisher and Baptiste (among others) getting BlackShirts is a JOKE!
This is spot on and the only thing that really matters. I don't really care at what time and how many shirts the current or former coach deems correct with regard to the Blackshirt tradition. History has shown that the tradition has evolved from coach to coach and with changing defenses. Change is inevitable and I think the fact that this particular tradition has some fluidity actually lends to it being more meaningful than if it had stayed status quo all these years. That's how you end up with meaningless traditions...when the tradition doesn't even fit the current situation. I can tell you this, if our defense continued to struggle all year the way it was pre-MSU and Bo would have deemed it correct to not hand them out at all throughout the season, I would have backed that "change in tradition" 100%. The players still have to earn them and as Conga said above, as long as Blackshirt equals badass defense, all is good.As long as "Blackshirts" are synonymous with scarey good defense...all will be OK.