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Will Husker legacy help or hurt our next coach?

The_CornTorch

Scout Team
5 Year Member
Sam McKeown makes an interesting point in this podcast episode that came out after Frost got fired.

I've linked the clip below at the most relevant part. It runs till about the 48 minute mark.

Looking forward, and thinking about the operating conditions that will make the next guy want to take the job, and hopefully be successful.
  • Does talking about the glory days of the past help? (you already know Trev's answer to that one)
  • Does trotting out former players to teach the current players 'the right way to do things' actually help?
  • Does the Blackshirt tradition create more distraction from good play than anything else?
  • At this point – the year 2022 – how much influence is the right amount of influence for TO to have on this program?

 
1). Depends on what we are saying about the glory days.

2). Whether a “teacher” is a former player or not doesn’t matter. What they teach the players is what matters. If they are teaching them the right things, the fact that they are former players is irrelevant.

3). The black shirt tradition is not preventing players from making tackles or making their assignments.

4). No evidence that TO has that much influence on the program. But to the extent he does, wisdom is wisdom, whether it comes from TO or anyone else. Not seeking advice from people who have been there, done that, is short sighted. Doesn’t mean you follow that wisdom, you just weigh it in the totality of the circumstances.
 
1). Depends on what we are saying about the glory days.

2). Whether a “teacher” is a former player or not doesn’t matter. What they teach the players is what matters. If they are teaching them the right things, the fact that they are former players is irrelevant.

3). The black shirt tradition is not preventing players from making tackles or making their assignments.

4). No evidence that TO has that much influence on the program. But to the extent he does, wisdom is wisdom, whether it comes from TO or anyone else. Not seeking advice from people who have been there, done that, is short sighted. Doesn’t mean you follow that wisdom, you just weigh it in the totality of the circumstances.

Per your 3, our current players are currently playing lousy defense. In what sense of the word are they performing as Blackshirts? The jersey doesn't help you play better if you don't already know how, or haven't been properly coached.

Personally, I'd rather reserve that honor for past squads that actually lived up to it. Lock it in the trophy case and pay your respects as you walk past.
 
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Sam McKeown makes an interesting point in this podcast episode that came out after Frost got fired.

I've linked the clip below at the most relevant part. It runs till about the 48 minute mark.

Looking forward, and thinking about the operating conditions that will make the next guy want to take the job, and hopefully be successful.
  • Does talking about the glory days of the past help? (you already know Trev's answer to that one)
  • Does trotting out former players to teach the current players 'the right way to do things' actually help?
  • Does the Blackshirt tradition create more distraction from good play than anything else?
  • At this point – the year 2022 – how much influence is the right amount of influence for TO to have on this program?
.

Sam is all over the map here. Any coach worth his salt who has studied the game understands the tradition we have at Nebraska. They know about the fan base. They know about expectations. It's why Urban Meyer spoke so highly of Nebraska during the Oklahoma game. Is it a draw? Depends upon who the coach is but I think it factors in to some extent. To be honest, if I'm a possible candidate, the new facility means more to me than any legacy or past tradition, because if the pieces aren't in place to be successful, all of that other stuff matters not.

As for all the other stuff, the coach decides how he operates the team and who is involved in that process..

As for Dr Tom, I don't want him involved at all moving forward. It is time for him to sit back and enjoy retirement.
 
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Per your 3, our current players are currently playing lousy defense. In what sense of the word are they performing as Blackshirts?

Personally, I'd rather reserve that honor for past squads that lived up to it. Lock it in the trophy case and pay your respects as you walk past.
Don’t understand your question. I didn’t suggest they were playing up to the level of prior blackshirt defenses. I simply suggested that the existence of their blackshirts is not the cause of their failures. Focusing on whether black undergarments are the root of our defense problem is misguided. I don’t see how they distract from good play. Unless maybe they are itchy and the players are scratching when they should be focusing on the game.
 
1). Depends on what we are saying about the glory days.

2). Whether a “teacher” is a former player or not doesn’t matter. What they teach the players is what matters. If they are teaching them the right things, the fact that they are former players is irrelevant.

3). The black shirt tradition is not preventing players from making tackles or making their assignments.

4). No evidence that TO has that much influence on the program. But to the extent he does, wisdom is wisdom, whether it comes from TO or anyone else. Not seeking advice from people who have been there, done that, is short sighted. Doesn’t mean you follow that wisdom, you just weigh it in the totality of the circumstances.
Don't know if you listened or not, but it sounded to me like it hasn't just been a case of trotting people out. It was/is that certain former players are interfering with the program.

I like tradition, but I'm tired of all the drama and hand-wringing over the Blackshirts. I'm tired of former players thinking they have a voice in the program. I'm tired of people thinking that the only way to do it is the way it was done 30 years ago.

I hope whoever comes in is strong enough to stand up to the past and to do it his way without interference or concern over whether it is the "Nebraska" way. It needs to be the Fickle way or the Aranda way or whoever's way.
 
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Don’t understand your question. I didn’t suggest they were playing up to the level of prior blackshirt defenses. I simply suggested that the existence of their blackshirts is not the cause of their failures. Focusing on whether black undergarments are the root of our defense problem is misguided. I don’t see how they distract from good play. Unless maybe they are itchy and the players are scratching when they should be focusing on the game.

Go listen to the clip. I'm saying Blackshirts – and everything associated with them – may be a distraction.

Any any distraction that gets in the way of us winning may need to go.

Because a return to winning is job #1 right now.
 
Sam is all over the map here. Any coach worth his salt who has studied the game understands the tradition we have at Nebraska. They know about the fan base. They know about expectations. It's why Urban Meyer spoke so highly of Nebraska during the Oklahoma game. Is it a draw? Depends upon who the coach is but I think it factors in to some extent. To be honest, if I'm a possible candidate, the new facility means more to me than any legacy or past tradition, because if the pieces aren't in place to be successful, all of that other stuff matters not.

As for all the other stuff, the coach decides how he operates the team and who is involved in that process..

As for Dr Tom, I don't want him involved at all moving forward. It is time for him to sit back and enjoy retirement.

Let's just take one example in Sam's clip. Roster size.

So we're building a giant new facility, big enough to accommodate the walk-ons.

What if the new guy doesn't want so many walk ons? What if he thinks he doesn't need so many walk ons?

Does he get to suggest any changes to the new facilities?
 
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Sam is all over the map here. Any coach worth his salt who has studied the game understands the tradition we have at Nebraska. They know about the fan base. They know about expectations. It's why Urban Meyer spoke so highly of Nebraska during the Oklahoma game. Is it a draw? Depends upon who the coach is but I think it factors in to some extent. To be honest, if I'm a possible candidate, the new facility means more to me than any legacy or past tradition, because if the pieces aren't in place to be successful, all of that other stuff matters not.

As for all the other stuff, the coach decides how he operates the team and who is involved in that process..

As for Dr Tom, I don't want him involved at all moving forward. It is time for him to sit back and enjoy retirement.

I think for some guys, sure. They like the tradition and that's part of the appeal.

But there's probably some other guys that like the freedom to do their own thing at a school without all the tradition (both good and bad) that comes with it.

Edit: I think we're aligned. Hoping that the guy Trev likes likes all the various traditions we have.
 
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