Learning From Mistakes
4 comments so far
October 23, 2008 by
The game against Iowa State was the first time that the Huskers adjusted from the lessons they learned this year. Since the Tom Osborne era, head coaches and coordinaters (including Bo Pelini's 2003 tenure) are no longer plowing through with game plans that lead to embarrassing losses and unconvincing victories. The Missouri game had coaches on the verge of letting go of the preconceived notions they had about this team. You could almost hear them saying, “Ok, boys, we can run this offense the Nebraska Way (tm), but we just don't know what that way is.� Against Texas Tech, we almost had an answer, but lo and behold, we had to wait 7 days and 7 nights for there to be light.
Before I get too flowery waxing poetic, let's just knock down a few things that this team ain't. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are not an unstoppable steamroller. They are not a big play “Pontiac Game Changing Performance� type of team. They don't steal the football or blow people up. They don't get 50 yard strikes or break every tackle. You will not see special teams winning every position battle or break out every run.
What you will continue to see is consistency, or at least the best shot at it. For the rest of the year, Shawn Watson will do everything he can not to put Joe Ganz in a position where he's forced to throw a pass he shouldn't. He's going to have lanes to run or gun. Watson should be designing his backs to bounce to the outside and take advantage of the solid blocking our prolific receivers can produce. If we see any tentative defenses playing against us the rest of the year, we will know that Nebraska has begun the process of finding their way.
The thing that many of the football experts talk about is improving this area or that area before you can move on to something else. But what we're seeing from Coach Pelini is his ethic of working to improve what Nebraska is already good at in addition to trying to fix the areas of concern. I have no doubt that while our passing production increases, he and Watson will work to fix the ball control issues. While Carl Pelini keeps our guys playing great position football, he and Bo will work to stop the big gains and force more turnovers.
To keep from getting carried away, fans should realize that we've beaten the teams we're supposed to, and lost to the teams we're supposed to lose to. As long as we don't disappoint against Baylor, we're still going to have a tough task in Oklahoma. There is still a ways to go, but hope seems to build every week. In a few words, we're beginning to see a team that knows itself.
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Ty Hughes Oct 23 08
And that's all you can ask for with a first year staff. I'm pleased.
darren Oct 23 08
Not to keep dredging up the past and making too many comparisons to the old staff, but…
Compare/contrast the learning we see by both players and staff members - their unifying, discovering their strengths, building of culture - what occurred in 2004, and it is almost stunning.
Then, we saw a team that didn't learn and apply lessons, and they struggled throughout the season. It remains to be seen how the results for the 2008 season will differ.
But, just based on the group psychology alone, I'm willing to wager they will be better than 5-6 in year one. Pelini has given himself (and therefore the team) no grace period for the first year too, even if fans may have been willing to give him one. I think that matters a lot.
James Moore Oct 23 08
Learning from mistakes huh, well let's see. Did these guys pack in the tent after the Missouri game knowing that they were to face another stern task with Texas Tech? No. They learned from last year that you can't lay down, you MUST fight, and fight again, EVEN if it seems that the task at hand might be insurmountable. Did these guys on the defensive line pick themselves back up and fight for their new identity and credibility after last year's debacle? Yup, and man what an excellent job they've done this year with no subs. They became men this year, good for you guys!!! Is the offensive line starting to get comfortable with its own identity as a runblocking unit? Ditto, they've played fairly well these past two weeks and the running game has started to emerge. . .
Excellent article, and I would surmise to you that what this group had to do was learn from last year's mistakes. That to lay down is simply unforgiveable, and WILL NOT be tolerated by the coaches or players. Fighting not only for your team but the guy next to you. A quote from Blackdown Down:
"What these people will never understand is that it's all about the guys next to you. . ."
The major strategic goal of purging the psychological ghosts from last year is nearing it's completed phase. The Pelini-era began in Lubbock and we should start watching this group with some favorable scrutiny. The real work of developing players and system implementation can begin in earnest. These guys now believe in what they're being told and asked to do. I got a funny feeling that there is a surprise for us in the near future. . .
I just want to throw this out there. Can anyone really come up with a DT/NG in conference that is having a better season than Suh? I would put it to you that SO FAR he's had a better season than DeMarcus Granger (throwing him out there because he seems to be the most acclaimed interior lineman in the conference this year). What a group this defensive line has been this year. What character, what OUTSTANDING building blocks they will provide. and most important, examples to follow for the future. . .
Scott Oct 23 08
I think what is encouraging and disheartening at the same time is that we're 4-3 and we could just as easily be at 6-1. But I'm a firm believer that your record is who you are. We've won 4 games and lost 3. Period.
I'm not trying to play devil's advocate but I'd like to reserve my judgement as far as what this team has learned at the end of the season. We may not win another game...we may only win one more game....we might win 3 more games...you get the picture.
I do like that we are competing against teams that are ranked, which hasn't been evident for a while here. I think that's all we can ask of this team...play hard, compete, and the rest will take care of itself.