Vocabulary Lessons From Husker Preseason Camp
If you are anything like me, you got tired of reading the same three bullet points coming out of the first day of Husker football camp - Kevin Dixon is off the team; Anthony Blue is still injured; some recruits didn't qualify, etc. Even the feature stories about the running backs were pretty much the same ideas, regardless of the source. So, I did a deep dive on the press conference transcripts. (Always read transcripts folks, things are better without the filter). I discovered a couple of interesting word choices that fans should get a kick out of. I like one of them so much, I'll use it for the rest of the season, and maybe the rest of my time as a blogger.
It's "Takeaways" Not "Turnovers"
Reading Coach Pelini's comments, one in particular jumped off the page at me.
We don’t talk about turnovers, we talk about takeaways – to have an attitude to go take the ball from the offense. That’s something that will always continue as long as I’m associated with this football team.�
I love hearing this stuff. It's about wanting to take the ball away, not waiting for something good to happen. Now that is a defensive-minded coach, alright. When asked about his teams' success in generating takeaways, he said:
“I think we’ve always had success in that aspect because we emphasize that. You get what you ask for.
I don't think Pelini is calling on "The Secret" to help his team. He's talking about setting expecations. Again, I love it. So from now on, I'll be refering to forced change of possessions as "takeaways" and not as "turnovers". Why? Because coach said so. It also sets up a description for what NU's new ball-control offense will be called...any guesses?
Honor
When you are reading through several dozen pages of transcripts, certain words tend to jump out at you. An athlete using a word like "honor" is one of those cases. And it didn't just happen once. Consider...
Joe Ganz on being a team leader:
"It’s an honor, and I know it comes with a lot of responsibility, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.�
Marlon Lucky on Memorial Stadium:
"It’ll be an honor to play one more year on this field. It is always exciting to play at Memorial Stadium. We did it my freshman year, and now I’m a senior and am doing it. It’s an honor to play that many games here."
Now, consider the fact that I have heard Pelini use the word honor several times to describe how it feels to be the head coach at the University of Nebraska, and it brings up a bigger point.
I work in communications and PR for a living. But, I'm not so crass or jaded to believe that the Sports Information department is giving these kids talking points that suggest they use certain words. I believe these kids - like all young people - are taking their cues and even borrowing words and phrases from their leader and authority figure, Pelini.
I have said many times that college is more about the coaches than the players. The coaches exert their will, their personality, and their style on to teams. It's reflected in their words, mannerisms and style of play. If Pelini's belief that being associated with NU is an honor is the first sign of that player and team molding, then I'm thrilled. You can't ask for a better place to start.
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