Brace yourself...…...I haven't posted on the football board for a LONG time, but I had some thoughts knocking around in my head and thought I'd barf them up here for anyone who cares to endure my rant.
I want to preface this by saying I don't claim to have the answers as to why the Huskers are in this never-ending, prolonged funk. It's been almost 2 decades of watching a team that's underwhelming, overhyped and carrying the ghosts of Huskers past. There's been far more heartache than celebration. If we reset our trophy case around the turn of the century, it'd be a sobering reminder of the past 18 or so years. Instead, we have a museum, which is very impressive, but nothing current to hang our hats on.
So as I sat on my couch in the waning moments of the Minnesota game in that all-too-familiar numbing fog, I started to try to piece together what the hell went wrong......again. Well, there's the obvious. Our O and D lines are just terrible. Sure, you can blame recruiting, but can anyone really say that most of the teams we have faced so far recruited better? So is it player development? Coaching? All of the above? Then my mind went bonkers with all the other stuff. No downfield threat at WR. Play calling. Missed tackles (spearing, diving tackling instead of wrapping up), snaps from center, stupid penalties, on and on and on.
This is about the time I went down a road that I hadn't really thought about. Several have mentioned that this team lacks fire, motivation, heart and guts. I tend to agree, but WHY? We have seen a revolving door of coaches and nothing seems to have changed. There seems to be a reoccurring problem with the team and the culture. Another disclaimer: This theory may not be the problem, but it's a theory of mine, and maybe others, so I apologize if this has been discussed. I don't claim to be Yoda.
I firmly believe that our passion as fans may also be a detriment to our teams, especially since the advent of social media. We take great pride in our impressive numbers as a fan base. The sellout streak is now our biggest claim to fame and a huge recruiting tool. Ok, that's perfectly understandable, but we also have some of the largest following of recruits on social media.
Bear with me on this one.
When a recruit gets the kind of attention from a fan base like they do from Husker fans, does that take some of their motivation to win away? Do they hit campus as a rock star and have less motivation to win?
Think about it. The teams of the 90's didn't have this. Sure, they were recognized on recruiting visits and were awed by the numbers in and around the stadium on gameday, but they didn't have a massive "following" like these kids do this day and age. And I would say that the "following" they get from Nebraska fans is unmatched. Think the high school recruits don't notice this and eat it up? Most do and they use it as a tool. Ever see a recruit Tweet "Where's the love, Husker fans?" Instantly, they go from a few hundred followers to thousands of Huskers fans. I admire our passion as much as anyone, but now I am starting to think it's working against us.
I've seen players post game pictures of themselves in blowout losses, like they were proud of themselves. That seems to support my theory that a lot of players aren't here to win. A lot, not all, are here to make a name for themselves and that's it. In the 90's and long before, there weren't too many ways to get that instant recognition. Players were lucky to get their picture in the paper and most didn't care. Today, the competition isn't on the field, it's on social media. That's how they get their fame, gratification and recognition and no bigger stage than at Nebraska. No, it's not THEE problem, but it is A problem. With or without social media, a lot of these kids already have a bit of an ego. They'd almost have to and that's understandable. I think it comes with the territory of being a "star" and playing at a level worthy of a D-1 scholarship. But Nebraska fans feed that beast more than any other school and we are proud of it. My question to you is, are we stuffing these kids with attention giving them less to play for? So when we chastise them for lacking fire, are we partially to blame?
FIRE AWAY!!
I want to preface this by saying I don't claim to have the answers as to why the Huskers are in this never-ending, prolonged funk. It's been almost 2 decades of watching a team that's underwhelming, overhyped and carrying the ghosts of Huskers past. There's been far more heartache than celebration. If we reset our trophy case around the turn of the century, it'd be a sobering reminder of the past 18 or so years. Instead, we have a museum, which is very impressive, but nothing current to hang our hats on.
So as I sat on my couch in the waning moments of the Minnesota game in that all-too-familiar numbing fog, I started to try to piece together what the hell went wrong......again. Well, there's the obvious. Our O and D lines are just terrible. Sure, you can blame recruiting, but can anyone really say that most of the teams we have faced so far recruited better? So is it player development? Coaching? All of the above? Then my mind went bonkers with all the other stuff. No downfield threat at WR. Play calling. Missed tackles (spearing, diving tackling instead of wrapping up), snaps from center, stupid penalties, on and on and on.
This is about the time I went down a road that I hadn't really thought about. Several have mentioned that this team lacks fire, motivation, heart and guts. I tend to agree, but WHY? We have seen a revolving door of coaches and nothing seems to have changed. There seems to be a reoccurring problem with the team and the culture. Another disclaimer: This theory may not be the problem, but it's a theory of mine, and maybe others, so I apologize if this has been discussed. I don't claim to be Yoda.
I firmly believe that our passion as fans may also be a detriment to our teams, especially since the advent of social media. We take great pride in our impressive numbers as a fan base. The sellout streak is now our biggest claim to fame and a huge recruiting tool. Ok, that's perfectly understandable, but we also have some of the largest following of recruits on social media.
Bear with me on this one.
When a recruit gets the kind of attention from a fan base like they do from Husker fans, does that take some of their motivation to win away? Do they hit campus as a rock star and have less motivation to win?
Think about it. The teams of the 90's didn't have this. Sure, they were recognized on recruiting visits and were awed by the numbers in and around the stadium on gameday, but they didn't have a massive "following" like these kids do this day and age. And I would say that the "following" they get from Nebraska fans is unmatched. Think the high school recruits don't notice this and eat it up? Most do and they use it as a tool. Ever see a recruit Tweet "Where's the love, Husker fans?" Instantly, they go from a few hundred followers to thousands of Huskers fans. I admire our passion as much as anyone, but now I am starting to think it's working against us.
I've seen players post game pictures of themselves in blowout losses, like they were proud of themselves. That seems to support my theory that a lot of players aren't here to win. A lot, not all, are here to make a name for themselves and that's it. In the 90's and long before, there weren't too many ways to get that instant recognition. Players were lucky to get their picture in the paper and most didn't care. Today, the competition isn't on the field, it's on social media. That's how they get their fame, gratification and recognition and no bigger stage than at Nebraska. No, it's not THEE problem, but it is A problem. With or without social media, a lot of these kids already have a bit of an ego. They'd almost have to and that's understandable. I think it comes with the territory of being a "star" and playing at a level worthy of a D-1 scholarship. But Nebraska fans feed that beast more than any other school and we are proud of it. My question to you is, are we stuffing these kids with attention giving them less to play for? So when we chastise them for lacking fire, are we partially to blame?
FIRE AWAY!!