Friday Flakes: An Identity for Nebraska Football

In case you missed it, Athlon Sports got some Big Ten Coaches to make anonymous comments about other Big Ten Teams. They also did it for the SEC and the ACC.

Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2018 - Athlon Sports

I think the article was intriguing, particularly the comments about Nebraska. Because of course I am going to be more interested in what other coaches have to say about Nebraska. One of the comment in particular that stood out to me and of which I could not agree with more:

“Everyone walks into the new program talking about making their guys tough. I don’t think there’s any question that’s what Scott wants to do. He knows how important the idea of being tougher than the guy across from you is to those in that program. You might think these are little things, but believe me, these little things have all been overlooked by everyone after Osborne.”

The toughness of the program is the most important thing that needs to be changed in my opinion. That will not be done in one season. I think we will be tougher than the year before, but toughness has to be felt up and down the roster.

When asked at his introductory press conference about the message he gave to the players he said the following:

“I let them know there is going to be a lot of hard work to be done. Things are going to change. A lot of things are going to change. But it’s going to be a real fun process.”

...

“I told them to go home over Christmas and enjoy their time off but I want them to come back to get ready to work.”

The first thing he mentions is that it is going to be hard. Almost like that is the thing that has been missing from this program for a long time.

When people go through hard times or are consistently being put into difficult situations then they naturally come out much tougher.

In my experience as a player and as a coach, I think that a team needs to go through something that sucks. Like something that is really hard and then come out of it together. I believe that it creates a bond among teammates because you all went through the suck together.

I think that has been happening since Scott Frost has been hired. Maybe all of the hard lifting, conditioning, dieting which probably sucks will create a program that is tougher.

Maybe toughness is the identity Nebraska can aspire to behold. To know that while they may be less athletic, smaller or slower than the team on the other side of the ball they can always rely on toughness.

Wisconsin’s identity is developing offensive line and running the ball.

Ohio State’s identity is defending a head coach who stood by as his wide receiver coach beat his wife.

Maybe Nebraska’s new identity (we are not there yet) could be toughness.

I’d take that.

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2018 Reading Goal

Every year I set up a goal to read a certain amount of books. This year I set the goal at 25.

In January my wife complained about the amount of money I spent on books. I told her it couldn’t be that much right? Well after looking at my Amazon order history for 2017, I found out I spent nearly $400.00 on books.

Blew. My. Mind.

That’s way too much.

So this year I made a promise to spend much less on books which means I will have to rely on books that I would not otherwise have read if I just bought them all as I planned on reading them. So I have depended on loaners, the local library, books from my wife’s book club and books that have been sitting on my shelf for years. The one I just finished sat on my book shelf since 2011. So below is what I have read in 2018 and a quick rating.

• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - 5/5
• The Last Mile by David Baldacci - 4/5
• The Hideaway - Lauren Denton - 4/5
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson - 5/5
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle - 3/5
• The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang- 5/5
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - 3/5
• Catfish and Mandala: A Who-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Veitnam by Andrew Pham - 4/5
• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne - 3/5
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - 4/5
• The Screw Tape Letters by C.S. Lewis - 5/5
• Three Nights in August by H.G. Bissinger - 4/5
• The Twelve (The Passage #2) by Justin Cronin - 4/5
• The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal - 5/5
• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - 3/5

News You Can Use that has Shades of Scarlet and Cream

Nebraska Football: Don’t expect immediate success under Scott Frost

Nebraska football has a new head coach this year, former Huskers quarterback Scott Frost. The hype is real for the Frost era in Lincoln, but making a big statement in his inaugural season will prove difficult.

Line competition to be the center of attention - Mike Schaefer 24/7

Nebraska’s got a battle brewing this fall camp.

Frost updates status of Maurice Washington and Dominick Watt - Michael Bruntz 24/7

Nebraska’s roster is nearly complete, according to head coach Scott Frost.

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

9 Strange, Scientific Excuses for Why Humans Haven’t Found Aliens Yet

One night about 60 years ago, physicist Enrico Fermi looked up into the sky and asked, “Where is everybody?”

I believe there could be aliens out there, but when I read these “strange” and “scientific” excuses for why we haven’t found them yet, it makes me think that we may actually be alone.

Random Wikipedia Article: Facts You Never Knew You Needed

USS Shark (SS-314), a Balao-class submarine, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the shark, a large marine predator.

The Shark was deployed to the Pacific where she attacked ships and rescued downed airmen. The Shark was sunk on its third patrol by a Japanese destroyer on 24 October 1944. In the engagement in which it was sunk, Shark torpedoed and sank the Japanese freighter Arisan Maru. The Arisan Maru was transporting captured Americans but carried no markings or flag indicating this. The Americans had no way of recognizing the Arisan was a prison ship. The sinking of the Arisan Maru is the greatest loss of American life in a single military sinking.