Everyone wants to play loose. Everyone wants to play with swagger.
But as Husker defensive coordinator John Papuchis pointed out after Monday's practice, you better have knowledge first.
"I think true confidence is only built when you have a great understanding of your role and responsibility," he said. "And it was hard to have that swagger at times a year ago because guys were all just learning. They were in the developmental stages of their careers."
But this spring Papuchis sees a defense that he says is comfortable, confident and maybe further along in its knowledge of scheme than Husker defenses of the recent past.
"They've earned that right through the offseason and all the hard work that they've put in to really hone their skills and understand the defense better, to go out and have some fun and play. And we're going to play much better when we're loose and having fun and flying around and jumping around. That's the way I want us to play and that's the way they want to play. But you got to earn the right to get there."
