Yesterday coaching legend Terry Pettit released a statement about what's going on at Nebraska, focusing on culture. Oddly enough that's where I was going for today's Flakes (I kid you not) because I intend to fully review the list of issues I published on Tuesday and because I am currently reading Urban Meyer's new book "Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Season" which I was sent by the publisher for the purpose of a pre-release review and I've run into a few things Meyer says that I want to share with you.
Before I let loose on the Meyer quotes, let's define what "culture" is and is not relative to a football team. Culture is not what type of offense the team runs, nor the type of blocking, it really has nothing to do with the physical attributes of the team.
Culture defines behaviors, beliefs and values. Expand culture into society and it includes morals and laws. Meyer has this to say about culture:
Culture eats strategy for lunch. Talent, schemes, tactics and plans cannot replace a strong culture. A great culture can make even a mediocre strategy successful, but a weak culture will undermine even the best strategy. The foundation of culture is core beliefs. Not platitudes or quotes. Core beliefs. The beliefs that are the heart of the team. - Urban Meyer, "Above The Line".
About Meyer's book - I have not finished yet, but so far it's very good. I've read my share of coaching leadership books. Most of them are pretty gooey, i.e. tell only the pretty stories they want to tell. Tom Osborne's books were a little gooey from time to time. Meyer has been pretty honest about where he was as a coach and a parent when he left Florida due to health issues.
Meyer's statement is pretty clear. Culture matters. It matters more than the technical aspects of the football team. It's also an abstract concept, which makes it hard to define, especially since you and I don't see it on a day to day basis. We only see the team play on Saturdays, and we define them by their wins and losses, not by whether or not they're working hard in practice, lifting weights, or being good citizens and students in general. (If Ryker Fyfe pets a kitten or helps someone else carry their text books and it's not on social media, did it really happen?)
Note that I have said nothing about our current or former coaches. The implication lately (strong implications at that) has been that our former coach built a "bad" culture. Rather than saying it was "bad" (it worked decently for him), let's just say that the culture our new coach will build will be different.
If you want an example of what "different" means, consider this: your former boss was a person who allowed you to be part of the decision-making process at your organization. He held meetings, gathered input, and then made decisions based on that input.
Your new boss doesn't give a damn about your input. In fact, he doesn't want it. He just wants you to do what he tells you. He doesn't really even want you to think. He will make the decisions.
(Note that this is not an implication about either coach, but an abstract example.)
Don't you think there would be a change in how you did your job? Do you have an idea of which one you'd rather work for? Were this change to occur, would you stick around to see what happens, or would you actively seek new employment?
Free For All
Weekend Women's Roundup: Oct 31st and Nov 1st - BT Powerhouse
Our first glimpse of some of the most exciting freshman in the Big Ten.
Notre Dame at Clemson can now be looked back on as the biggest weird game of the year, the Big 12's got a ton of opportunity, and maybe Memphis has an actual shot?
The comments on these articles.... wow. 'Bama has Gump and FSU has 'takin' about the Noles'. They are always amusing.
This Week In Schadenfreude, in which God is mad at Georgia - SBNation.com
The people of Corn Nation had some thoughts on this loss.
What is that, the third time we've made this article this season?
Let's rank all 10 open college football head coach jobs. Virginia Tech or South Carolina? - SBNation.com
The season's barely halfway over, and seven programs are already in the market for their next head coaches. We'll update this ranking as more join in.
Wisconsin basketball preview: Let's have some fun - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Despite facing numerous questions and the likelihood of a drop-off from two straight Final Four runs, these Wisconsin Badgers are bound to be exciting.
Illinois at Purdue Preview - Hammer and Rails
Purdue can beat Illinois and actually get on one of those winning streak things.
Minnesota Football vs Ohio State: Preview Q&A With Land-Grant Holy Land - The Daily Gopher
Chris Kopech, editor at the Ohio State SBNation blog Land Grant Holy Land, took some time to answer our questions about the upcoming showdown between the Gophers and the Buckeyes.
Northwestern vs. Penn State: Three matchups to watch - Inside NU
The battle in the trenches will be key.
Maryland's Yannick Ngakoue has become one of the country's greatest defensive ends - Testudo Times
The Terps' disappointing season shouldn't obscure Ngakoue's excellence.
Getting To Know Michigan's Week 10 Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Maize n Brew
We introduce you to Michigan's fifth Big Ten opponent, Rutgers, in preparation for this weekend's matchup.
SOME ODDS ON IOWA AND A 13-0 SEASON - Black Heart Gold Pants
Let's ask the Predictalator!
Wallace County High senior Luke Schemm died after collapsing during the Wildcats’ playoff 8-man football game against Otis-Bison on Tuesday night.
This is horrible. Another high school football player died from football. That makes eight this year.
Nebraska
POWER RANKINGS: Nebraska is a very nice football team and that's just fine, you guys - The Crimson Quarry
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM BO PELINI, WHO DEFINITELY DID NOT DRESS UP AS A TEA-SIPPING LIZARD ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Huskers Post 11th Straight Perfect GSR - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Nebraska Coach Connie Yori would be the first to say that nobody’s perfect. However, in the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), that’s exactly what her Husker women's basketball program has been for 11 consecutive years.
Student-Athlete Laptops: Gold Standard for Big Red - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Last summer, Nebraska took a strong step to continue to lead the way in academic success across college athletics, making a 13-inch MacBook Air laptop computer available to every student-athlete listed on an NU roster. These laptops are not kept in a computer lab, but distributed to the student-athletes to take to class, home and on the road while competing for the duration of their time as a Husker.
Numbers to Know: Nebraska-Michigan State | Hail Varsity
Numbers rarely tell the whole story but they are frequently interesting. Here are a few to consider ahead of Saturday’s Nebraska-Michigan State game.
In the midst of the school’s worst start to a football season in more than half a century, UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman expressed confidence Wednesday that coach Mike Riley will return the Huskers to national prominence.
I am reticent to include this article here because I fear the comments section will devolve into "FIRE PERLMAN" and "PERLMAN DESTROYS FOOTBALL" conspiracy rather than commenting on culture as I've tried to get y'all to think about it.
Oh well. Hell, let's burn everything down, huh?