The Golden Football

Here's some background.  Apparently it's a team trophy.


LINCOLN — Bob Diaco has a double fist-pump that’s right out of a boxing match. And it never lasts long, either. Almost as if the mood evaporates in an instant, Nebraska’s new defensive coordinator has his eyes locked back on the next play.
Diaco doesn’t hide his emotions — or swaddle his pointers in hushed tones. At the end of NU’s scrimmage, he gathered the defense and held aloft a golden football and what looks like a modified cricket stick with Blackshirt wraps on it. Both are awards. The stick is a particular secret.
In Nebraska’s first major scrimmage Saturday — 60-plus plays stretched over an hour with referees — Diaco’s unit clearly prevailed, giving up two field goals and a touchdown allowed by a third-team defense chocked with walk-ons. The top units were stingy and forced two turnovers. The last of them, an interception from Mohamed Barry, set the defensive sideline off into an explosion of celebration.
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Another mention.




Diaco put that vision into spring practice. Reporters who saw him in action noticed the tone he set for defenders from the opening minutes. An up-down hustle drill at the start to get their blood pumping got our attention. Diaco gave constant feedback after good and bad plays. He had an engaged, demonstrative coaching style. Sometimes Diaco would crouch or bend to get in the eye line of a player. He had a bat and a golden football on a table that he’d award to players after some practices. After reps against the offense, you’d hear sounds over the speakers indicating which side had won the down.
Players responded to Diaco’s style, too. The defense dominated one scrimmage so thoroughly that, as it wore on, you got the sense Riley kept it going so the offense could end on a high note. Diaco was relentless and, players noted, consistent. You saw a culture start to take hold.
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Player that gets closest to the QB wins the Golden football.

It is not meant for those that get sacks, forced fumbles or hurries.

Its a motivational award for the guy that tried really hard to get it done, but just didn't close the deal.  Tell the kid you appreciate his effort and thanks for suiting up today.  

 
Whatever works.  If we win a lot of games this year, and the defense plays well, you will see buy-in from the players, recruits, fans, etc.  The "golden football" and "magic bat" will catch on and be popular.

Genius.  Like the Blackshirt tradition, or the Husker Prayer, or the Unity Council.  Those were all Coach-instigated traditions.

If we don't, it will be just another failed corny culture-change device.  Like "Row the Boat" or "Chopping Wood", "Pound the Rock" etc.

I'm glad he is making an effort to do something different.  I hope it works.

 
IA State Husker said:
Whatever works.  If we win a lot of games this year, and the defense plays well, you will see buy-in from the players, recruits, fans, etc.  The "golden football" and "magic bat" will catch on and be popular.

Genius.  Like the Blackshirt tradition, or the Husker Prayer, or the Unity Council.  Those were all Coach-instigated traditions.

If we don't, it will be just another failed corny culture-change device.  Like "Row the Boat" or "Chopping Wood", "Pound the Rock" etc.

I'm glad he is making an effort to do something different.  I hope it works.
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Row the boat caught on big time. As a WMU alum, I can say  that stuff was everywhere while Fleck was around. Personally I didn't get it because our mascot was a horse, but the buy in was huge. Corny =/- failure. 

 
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Somewhat unrelated, but I just wonder how does our defense not get absolutely annihilated by the offense on the regular in practice.

 
zoogs said:
Somewhat unrelated, but I just wonder how does our defense not get absolutely annihilated by the offense on the regular in practice.
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Who says they don't?

I wonder if this very thing did not contribute to a bit of the overhype on Lee. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's good, but maybe not THAT good.

Considering we're 129th out of 130 in passing yards allowed, if our D isn't getting annihilated in practice then we might have a couple more wake up calls coming this season.

 
The first article was talking about the top two units being stingy and forcing turnovers. On the other hand, it seems like it's almost trivially easy to exploit them in games. So I hope that, calculating and collected devil that he is, Diaco is figuring out ways to turn this around.

 
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