All the Blackshirts were when they started was black practice jerseys that the starters would wear in practice. It grew from there to mean a bit more but all they ever really were was the reward for being named the starters on defense. the Blackshirt tradition is the standard of excellence that the players try to live up to. Wether they are dominant or less then hoped for, the starters were always the blackshirts
For me as a fan, I always think of the Husker defense as the Blackshirts. Good or bad, that's just who they are. It's been difficult over the years, because I don't think our previous coach wanted them referred to that until he said so, or proven by performance. And I mean referred by us fans, media, and players. Someone mentioned reward based, and that was not the jist of the tradition. The year before he arrived, the defense got soft mentally and emotionally, remember? So it's possible that it's how this all started by getting the team toughened up and earning the blackshirts. I thought it was ok at first, that first year only. Since then it was handled poorly
.
It should be similar to how it was handled in the early days. They get the jerseys a few weeks before the season opener, so they can start to build up that group rapport, confidence and mental toughness. The name itself represents the defense. Effort, pride, and success per game does not change it. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other university that has a nickname for a specific unit that is universally known. Which is why I think it's pretty special in that way.
When they are national TV, and I hear Fowler, Reece Davis, or Herbstreit refer to the defense as blackshirts, it's usually a slip of the tongue or historical habit and respect. "The Blackshirts need to tighten up here so the offense can get the ball back..." or, "Great pressure by the blackshirts" - which goes way back to the Keith Jackson days. When that happens I think the same thing in my mind. Because good or bad, they are the blackshirts and that's the endearing name we call them. Therefor, it will be refreshing to see them get back to basics with this tradition.