Friday Flakes: The Pride of Nebraska Football, Darrion Daniels is Official and the Corn Nation Book Club

The Walk-On Program: The Pride of Nebraska

Nebraska has always been known for it’s walk-on program. However, over the past two decades I would say the coaches have merely been giving the walk-on program lip-service. They would check the box and the move on to more “important” things.

As Max Olson of The Athletic reported in his extensive article about the Nebraska Walk-On Program, before the arrival of this coaching staff many of the walk-ons would lose hope as they were merely used as practice dummies by the scholarship players and were hardly noticed by the coaching staff.

I would not blame them for losing hope.

Apparently things have changed under the Frost regime. Which will bring back the pride of Nebraska which is the walk-on program.

We love the walk-on program because it is generally made up of kids from this state. If given the chance, many of those walk-ons could become contributors by the time they graduate.

In other programs a “walk-on” could be seen merely as a non-scholarship player. At Nebraska when we hear about kids who are walking on, we think of them as Nebraskans who willingly sacrifice pride and student loans for their dream.

The dream isn’t even guaranteed. In fact, the odds are against them. Yet they are willing to take that chance.

In recruiting there are going to be misses. We hope this staff can minimize the number of misses.

The new emphasis on the walk-on program will provide two things for those kids. First, they are going to get individual attention from the strength and conditioning coaches. Second, it means actual reps in practice.

Earlier this year Christian Gaylord was on a radio program where he was very open about the anxiety he would get from practice because he might get one or two reps. This was under the Riley regime.

Christian Gaylord is a scholarship player and even he was getting limited reps. Thankfully that changed with this new coaching staff as they emphasize reps for every player on the team.

The focus on development for the program will be key. The coaching staff will miss on their scholarship players. It will happen.

That is when the coaching staff can turn to those kids who two to three years earlier were willing to sacrifice for the dream to play for Nebraska. They will be ready because they have always been willing to shoulder the load.

It’s Official: Darrion Daniels Has Transferred to Nebraska

This has been known for quite some time, as we wrote about it here. Finally the University was able to official announce the addition of a much needed defensive lineman.

On to the flakes....

Husker Sports

Burke's Henrich talks rehab timetable and getting started at NU - Brian Christopherson 24/7
Nick Henrich will say now that he probably rushed himself back between those lines. But you know what else he will say about that?

"I would've done it again anyways, because I wanted to wear that jersey one more time. If I knew I was going to get hurt, I'd do it again, no doubt."

Injuries force Weinmaster to retire from program - Michael Bruntz 24/7
One of Nebraska’s top special teams contributors will be leaving the Huskers because of injuries.

Linebacker Jacob Weinmaster announced on social media on Thursday that he would be retiring from the game.

Huskers moved all over the map to stock up at running back - Brian Christopherson 24/7
They stuck with each other.

Two separate ACL injuries that occurred in back-to-back years may have scared away some schools, but Scott Frost had seen enough from Ronald Thompkins to already believe he was one of the most talented running backs in the country when healthy.

A Quiet Signing-Day Ceremony for an Explosive Athlete | Hail Varsity - Derek Petersen
Around the high school is farmland. It’s quiet and unassuming. You’re looking for a high school and driving on a back road thinking you’re lost until it just pops up out of the background all of a sudden, a giant cream wall with two lion logos and “Home of the Blanchard Lions” in crimson across the top.

And then there’s Jamie Nance, right in the middle of the school gym, “Frost SZN” shirt and Nebraska hat for all to see yelling “GBR.”

Huskers Pick Up Walk-On Center from Iowa Western | Hail Varsity - Derek Peterson
The buzz of the opening day of the early signing period has quieted, but Nebraska’s 2019 class is still growing.

On Thursday, Iowa Western Community College center Joshua Wegener announced he would walk on at Nebraska.

2018 Nebraska Volleyball Position Reviews: Outside Hitter | Hail Varsity - Jacob Padilla
This week, Hail Varsity is looking back and looking ahead with a position-by-position breakdown of the 2018 Huskers and the reinforcements on the way. Let’s start with the outside hitters.

Huskers will target 'best available' in January | Football | journalstar.com - Parker Gabriel
Depending on what happens over the next two days, NU will have anywhere from four to seven scholarships available up to a maximum of 30.

The Huskers might opt to carry one into spring ball or beyond, but otherwise will have a few spots left between the weekend and Feb. 6’s signing day.

At Nebraska, Scott Frost is bringing the walk-on program back to the future – The Athletic
Scott Frost and his coaching staff are reviving a system that was the secret to Tom Osborne's national championship success.

Two arrested after pair of crimes, including Husker-ticket scam
Lincoln Police made multiple arrests after learning of two scams, including a large-scale Husker football ticket scam that featured 336 tickets.

LPD said between September and November, the suspect used other people’s credit cards to purchase the tickets and turn around and sell them.

Non-Husker Sports

James Harden of Houston Rockets doesn't deny he got away with travel at critical time vs. Utah Jazz
A missed travel in the final minute Monday night led to James Harden getting three free throws in a one-possession game -- and an eventual Houston win -- but the Rockets superstar wasn't about to "tell on" himself.

My note: James Harden is not good for the NBA.

Report: Prophecy Fulfilled As Raiders Sign Nathan Peterman
Reggie McKenzie is no longer there to prevent this from happening. The gods have foretold this. It is written.

Please, UCF, For Your Own Good, Don’t Let Your Ego Blow This Deal With Florida | The Big Lead
Central Florida, bro, you gotta chill out man. You gotta take this deal to play Florida.

SPOILER ALERT: They did.

Top Target Josh Gordon Leaving Patriots to Focus on Mental Health
The Josh Gordon experiment in New England is over.

Surprisingly, it was Gordon, not the team, that pulled the plug.

'Next Chapter': Urban Meyer to teach character & leadership course at Ohio State | WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports
Urban Meyer says he plans to stay connected to the Ohio State University after coaching the Buckeyes for the final time in the Rose Bowl on Jan 1.

Chris Paul Hamstring Injury Officially Closes Rockets Championship Window | The Big Lead
They'll always have the 2017-2018 season. Chris Paul strained his left hamstring in Thursday's loss to the Heat, and will be out "some time" the team said Thursday.

Differences between the zone and power running schemes - The Washington Post
A detailed look at differences in schemes for both the offensive line and the running backs as the Redskins transition from zone blocking to power blocking.

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

Storm Team 12 explains 'moon ring' in Kansas sky
A pleasant view in the Kansas sky Wednesday night features what appears to be a halo around the moon. You've likely seen this before, and if you're wondering what causes it, Storm Team 12 has your answer.

I actually saw this two nights ago for the first time. It was crazy. I knew there was likely a scientific explanation for it but regardless it was awesome.

Study: Amazon, Hulu and Netflix probably have too much overlap to subscribe to all three – BGR
Given how much of a major shift we've seen in where the average person gets their TV and movie fix from these days -- the slow, steady transition from overpriced cable to convenient, affordable streaming options -- it's only natural that the full scope of those offerings will get closer scrutiny as ...

A Theory About Traveling In The NBA

This past week there was a five step travel by non other than James Harden. He is my least favorite player in the NBA. He does not play defense.* He flops all over the court. Sticks the ball out and at the sign of any contact he spends the next couple of minutes at the free throw line. Officials have said it has become nearly impossible to referee a game with him because of how he plays. Does it work? Ya I guess it does. But I don’t think it is good for the game.

Which leads me back to the five step travel. Here it is if you haven’t seen it yet.

Here is the response by the Official NBA Referee twitter account.

This is one of many missed travels we can bring up that happens in the NBA. It doesn’t make sense to me because these are the best officials in the world and how could they be missing so many travels?

My theory has a couple layers. First, I believe it is in the best interest of the dollar to “de-emphasize” traveling. I don’t know if there was memo that has gone out or if it just an unwritten rule to not call traveling so closely. If they were, then there would be fewer showtime dunks and moves around the basket. It could be argued that you are limiting the creativity of the NBA player.

Whether it is an unwritten rule for the official, I do believe it is an informal understanding among officials and players. Because there is no reason why this should be happening on the player side of things. These players have spend countless hours playing basketball from the time they could dribble. They learned really quick about the rules of traveling.

“You only get two steps.”

“Once you pivot you can’t lift it up and put it back down.”

This appears to be ingrained in their brain even through college. So what happens? I think they get to the NBA and learn about the “informal understanding.” It turns from a black-line rule to a very light gray line. So they push and push.

It is the only explanation which makes sense to me. The only other explanation is that by the times referees and players get to the NBA they become incompetent in the area of the traveling violation.

Any other thoughts?

*For those of you who think that they don’t play defense in the NBA, I would like to point out to you the case of Adam Morrison. At Gonzaga, Adam Morrison averaged 28 points per game his senior year and was player of the year in college basketball. That is a lot of points in a college basketball game. His first season in the NBA, where he played nearly 30 minutes per game, he averaged 11 points per game. And it was downhill from there. Eleven points per game in the NBA for somebody who played 30 minutes a game is not good. He was labeled a scorer and couldn’t score in the NBA.

Corn Nation Book Club: End of Year

Earlier this year I posted the list of books I have read in the first half of the year. I also included book recommendations I received on twitter from other Corn Nation readers.

Now we are approaching the end of the year. So again I wanted to send out a bat signal for more book suggestions as I will do the same on twitter either tonight or tomorrow night.

The following are the books I will have read in 2018.

1. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien*
2. The Last Mile - David Baldacci
3. The Hideaway - Lauren Denton
4. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson*
5. The Rape of Nanking - Iris Chang
6. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
7. Catfish and Mandala - Andrew Pham
8. Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne
9. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
10. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis*
11. Three Nights in August - Buzz Bissinger
12. The Twelve - Justin Cronin
13. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness - Simon Wiesenthal
14. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
15. Frost: A Husker’s Journey Home - Omaha World-Herald Writers
16. Artemis - Andy Weir
17. Bear Town - Fredrik Backman*
18. How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It - James Wesley Rawles
19. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline*
20. The Last Ballad - Wiley Cash
21. Life Is So Good - George Dawson*
22. Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill
23. Foe - Iain Reid*
24. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel - Rolf Potts
25. I’m Thinking of Ending Things - Iain Reid*
26. Man’s Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl
27. Beautiful Boy - David Sheff (currently reading)

*Indicates books I would suggest to others

Throw in book suggestions in the comments and I’ll share them next week. Like I said above, I’ll send a tweet either tonight or tomorrow and I’ll compile that list as well.

I do reserve the right to use editorial discretion in determining whether I plan on sharing a book suggestion in next week’s Flakes. If I feel like it’s just going to start a war in the comments then I likely will not share it. Just a heads up.

Looking forward to seeing the suggestions. I added several suggestions to my book list from the last time we did this earlier this year.

The Best Thing I Saw On The Internet This Week

I love people who can laugh at themselves.

Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful Christmas!