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  • #61
    imo.. one of the better sports writers in Nebraska. Beck sounds a lot like Bo when he describes his defense.

    NEBRASKA FOOTBALL: Off the Hook, and Onto Beck
    Commentary: NU's new offense built teaching methods more than playbooks

    By Samuel McKewon

    March 08, 2011

    Story image 1

    File Photo
    Tim Beck wry, confident persona struck a chord with the press Tuesday.

    It's fourth down in the Big 12 Championship. Four yards to go. Nebraska wide receiver Brandon Kinnie sprints out to his spot left of quarterback Taylor Martinez with an assignment: Quick slant. It's an easy read for Martinez, and one of the passes he can throw well without patting down the ball with uncertainty. Kinnie knows this. Shawn Watson, the man who called the play, knows this.

    Just one problem: The OU cornerback knows this, too. He creeps up to Kinnie until he's just inches away. Kinnie hasn't been given the option of a counter move to this coverage. He'll run what he's been told to run. He's Brick Tamland, essentially: He loves slant. He's memorized the play, not the concept.

    He'll run his quick slant to no avail. The Sooner jams the hell out of him and the route isn't there. Martinez, panicking, throws it anyway right at Kinnie, who's well short of the first down. Doesn't matter – the pass in high. Probably because Kinnie isn't open. Game over.

    “It was annoying,” Kinnie says.

    If you want a sense of why Bo Pelini parted ways with Watson and hired Tim Beck to simplify and literally “deprogram” the Huskers from a West Coast Offense, there you have it. Wats called a play. Martinez didn't change it. Kinnie couldn't change it. Huskers lose.

    Beck said Tuesday he'd create “multi-purpose routes good against any coverage.” Option routes. Choices. Playing ball. Shifting on the fly.

    Here's another: Watson never figured out how to run the ball on an odd, 3-man front that put a fat defensive tackle over center Mike Caputo. The DT would blast the smaller Caputo into the backfield and disrupt NU's deep, mid-line zone read play. Martinez and Cody Green would comically try to read this snarling bull charging into the backfield, as if that served any point. Watson never sufficiently worked around the problem.

    “A lot of losses came against defenses that played odd fronts,” Caputo said. “Maybe we did have some scheme issues there.”

    The way Beck and Bo broke it down Tuesday, the problem wasn't necessarily Watson's plays. It was that he taught plays. Assignments. Directions in a vacuum. Run a hard ten, pivot here, turn there and drive the defender to the sideline. That kind of stuff. Watson, like thousands of football coaches, operates like that. Beck, like Bo – will teach holistic concepts.

    “I want them to run our offense,” Beck said. “I don't want them to run plays. They need to know why I'm doing what I'm doing and what they're doing. And how it fits. And if they can understand that, then when teams try to change during the course of the game, we can make adjustments. If it is simple and the verbiage is small, we can communicate.”

    Yes, the assorted wags, mugs and hacks chewed on slightly-cold Valentino's Pizza and listened to a seminar on semiotics. A primer on pigskin epistemology. The Husker O is no longer hooked on football phonics. They're learning via whole language precepts. If you want to speak Japanese fluently, do you conjugate verbs until you're kichigai, or just live with Charlotte in Tokyo for a stretch?

    The new formula: Know the culture, know the concepts, know the offense, then perfect techniques.

    “It'll actually give us more time to spend on footwork and fundamentals and things like that,” Caputo said. “It'll be simple. There will only be so many concepts. And then the plays fall into 'families.'”

    Beck's offense is not a machine adherent to a blueprint. It is an organism, shifting to environmental conditions. Or so the theory goes. I'm not one to put a cap on tortured analogies. We'll get to astrophysics here pretty soon.

    Story image 2

    File Photo
    Rex Burkhead. Just because.

    Anyway, Bo sure loves it. He ought to – Beck's borrowing his teaching methods. Bo pitched his new offense - in the vaguest terms possible, of course – as one nasty piece of business once “we roll the ball out in September.”

    “It's going to create a lot of problems for defenses,” he said. “That's how I look at it. What can do you to give defenses problems? Trust me, we're putting together a scheme that's going to take advantage of what teams are trying to do to us. We're going to be able to attack them.”

    Bo knows this, too? The vast library of offensive history and innovation? He claimed there's enough carryover from Watsonville that NU's offense won't take a full year to get up to speed – like the Blackshirts needed in 2008 when Bo rebuilt them from scratch. If there was a line from Tuesday's presser I doubted, it was that one.

    Meanwhile, Beck - comfortable, wry and winning in his presser after a slightly nervous start (he saw more than 40 of our burnished, cherubic faces and said “Wow, go easy on me boys.”) – created the narrative of a self-made intellectual Tuesday. Journalists – who frequently style themselves the same – love that.

    “I've picked plays off of Monday Night Football and drew them up off the VCR and run them,” he said.

    Take note, couch-bound coaches.

    He even nodded to the crowd, something Watson never bothered (or perhaps knew how) to do. Beck used a deer hunting analogy. (I'll wait while you look wistfully out the window, pondering a tree stand west and north of wherever you're sitting.)

    “Guys go deer hunting, and they know how to do it,” Beck said. “They get their places and hide. They smell the right way and all that stuff because they're hunting for something specific. A defensive coordinator – you better know what he's about – all about. You just don't show up and play.”

    So which Big Ten defensive coordinator has the biggest antlers? OK, besides Bo and Carl?

    It was a good afternoon for Nebraska football. Bo didn't dodge any questions. Beck seems capable of telling a press conference joke like it's supposed to be told. Even Carl dialed down his trademark acerbic wit to entertain a few queries. They like this time of year. This staff is comprised of educators at heart, flaws and all, and they sounded like it. How to push buttons. How to create standards and expectations. Defining leadership and demanding results. All that stuff they debate endlessly in “Waiting for Superman,” or whatever it is we're supposed to call Rex Burkhead these days.

    While other programs thrive on iconography or CEO dynamics, Nebraska's braintrust are those fit, impatient history instructors in your high school with hard-to-read handwriting and short haircuts. One of those kind of guys stuck my dad in a closet once. That was the 1950s, though. Maybe it still is in Youngstown.

    Case in point: The press asked Beck how he planned to resolve the penalties and turnovers that plagued Watson's era – even in the days of Joe Ganz, who never met a scramble-to-the-boundary interception he didn't like throwing.

    “I've got a plan in place,” Beck said. “The team's accountable for it. Penalties and turnovers both. We have a plan. At some other stops previous in my career, we've addressed these issues in this manner and it worked.”

    So a drill to solve the problem? A technique issue?

    “More like a fear issue,” Beck said.
    Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

    Comment


    • #62


      If fall camp is the true proving ground – where starting jobs are won and lost - then spring football is generally considered a training ground. Especially for Nebraska, which breaks in four new assistant coaches while offensive coordinator Tim Beck installs a new offense.
      But the clock is ticking on these ten talented Huskers to make their move up the depth chart or solidify their grip on a starting job. And this spring could be their last, best chance to do it.........
      Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

      Comment


      • #63
        Memorial Stadium expansion plans get bigger


        LINCOLN — Plans to remodel Memorial Stadium’s east side could grow a bit bigger.

        University of Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne plans to ask the Board of Regents Friday for permission to increase the project from $55 million to $63 million and to add a total of about 6,000 seats, instead of the previously planned 5,000 seats.

        “It appeared as though there was more demand for suites and skyboxes than we thought and maybe some potential for added club seating,” Osborne said Tuesday. “We feel this will be very cost-effective.”

        The latest proposal would put Memorial Stadium’s capacity in the 91,000 range, within spitting distance of the 10 biggest college football stadiums in the country, which, according to ESPN and university athletic departments, range from LSU’s 92,400-capacity stadium to University of Michigan’s 109,901-capacity stadium.

        In a phone interview while traveling to the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, Osborne said the latest expansion plans would answer pent-up demand for tickets without jeopardizing Nebraska’s record string of stadium sellouts.

        “It appears we have anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 people waiting for one type of seating or another,” he said. “We feel there’s adequate demand to build this much — we don’t want to overshoot and build 10,000 or 15,000 seats and have some of them sitting empty.”

        The construction project would begin in the next few months and be completed in time for the 2013 football season, he said.

        Memorial Stadium’s current official seating capacity is 81,067, although it routinely draws about 86,000. Assuming the sellouts continue, Osborne said the expansion likely would make the Nebraska facility one of the three or four top-drawing college football stadiums nationally.

        The NU Board of Regents previously approved the $55 million East Stadium improvements project in October and selected Clark Enersen Partners architects to design the project in December. Most of the financing will come through private donations and Athletic Department funds.

        The regents have authorized the Athletic Department to issue up to $28.5 million in revenue bonds to be repaid through ticket sales, but Osborne said he thinks the project can be built with only about $15 million in debt.

        Osborne said the cost of the original project was coming in slightly higher than originally anticipated, at about $57 million, and that adding an extra level for more skyboxes will add an additional $6 million to the total project cost. The extra floor will bring the total height of the East Stadium to about the same level as previous skybox expansions on the west and north sides.

        If approved by the regents, the revised expansion plan would add about 3,000 general admission seats, about 2,000 heated and covered club seats and 1,000 to 1,500 skybox seats, he said.


        http://omaha.com/article/20110308/BIGRED/703089844
        Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

        Comment


        • #64
          Memorial Stadium expansion plans get bigger


          LINCOLN ? Plans to remodel Memorial Stadium?s east side could grow a bit bigger.

          University of Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne plans to ask the Board of Regents Friday for permission to increase the project from $55 million to $63 million and to add a total of about 6,000 seats, instead of the previously planned 5,000 seats.

          ?It appeared as though there was more demand for suites and skyboxes than we thought and maybe some potential for added club seating,? Osborne said Tuesday. ?We feel this will be very cost-effective.?

          The latest proposal would put Memorial Stadium?s capacity in the 91,000 range, within spitting distance of the 10 biggest college football stadiums in the country, which, according to ESPN and university athletic departments, range from LSU?s 92,400-capacity stadium to University of Michigan?s 109,901-capacity stadium.

          In a phone interview while traveling to the Big 12 women?s basketball tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, Osborne said the latest expansion plans would answer pent-up demand for tickets without jeopardizing Nebraska?s record string of stadium sellouts.

          ?It appears we have anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 people waiting for one type of seating or another,? he said. ?We feel there?s adequate demand to build this much ? we don?t want to overshoot and build 10,000 or 15,000 seats and have some of them sitting empty.?

          The construction project would begin in the next few months and be completed in time for the 2013 football season, he said.

          Memorial Stadium?s current official seating capacity is 81,067, although it routinely draws about 86,000. Assuming the sellouts continue, Osborne said the expansion likely would make the Nebraska facility one of the three or four top-drawing college football stadiums nationally.

          The NU Board of Regents previously approved the $55 million East Stadium improvements project in October and selected Clark Enersen Partners architects to design the project in December. Most of the financing will come through private donations and Athletic Department funds.

          The regents have authorized the Athletic Department to issue up to $28.5 million in revenue bonds to be repaid through ticket sales, but Osborne said he thinks the project can be built with only about $15 million in debt.

          Osborne said the cost of the original project was coming in slightly higher than originally anticipated, at about $57 million, and that adding an extra level for more skyboxes will add an additional $6 million to the total project cost. The extra floor will bring the total height of the East Stadium to about the same level as previous skybox expansions on the west and north sides.

          If approved by the regents, the revised expansion plan would add about 3,000 general admission seats, about 2,000 heated and covered club seats and 1,000 to 1,500 skybox seats, he said.


          http://omaha.com/article/20110308/BIGRED/703089844
          Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

          Comment


          • #65
            below is one fans drawing of the stadium expansion. Official diagrams have not been made available.

            Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

            Comment


            • #66
              I'd imagine it'll look much better than that fan image. IMO it really finishes off your stadium. I know your athletic department does pretty well and hope the rest of Memorial Stadium is in good shape (structurally, infrastructure, concourses, etc.)

              Big Ten has a lot of 'great' stadiums, even the 'small' ones are very recently remodeled and terrific pieces of architecture, yours could immediately become one of the better ones, partly due to to your fans being some of the most welcoming anywhere.

              Comment


              • #67
                A visit to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is definitely on my bucket list.
                "What you're doing, speaks so loudly, that I can't hear what you are saying"

                Comment


                • #68
                  Originally posted by WM Wolverine View Post
                  I'd imagine it'll look much better than that fan image. IMO it really finishes off your stadium. I know your athletic department does pretty well and hope the rest of Memorial Stadium is in good shape (structurally, infrastructure, concourses, etc.)

                  Big Ten has a lot of 'great' stadiums, even the 'small' ones are very recently remodeled and terrific pieces of architecture, yours could immediately become one of the better ones, partly due to to your fans being some of the most welcoming anywhere.

                  I try to be honest about Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. I get goose bumps walking around the place. When I see pictures of the stadium, my heart warms. It is my schools stadium and I love the vibe it brings on gameday.

                  That said, if you're in the upper north or south stadium, it is a pain in the ass to get into your seats and out of the stadium. I also think the stadium needs more bathrooms. Those are my two knocks. Some people don't like the big screen in the north stadium, but I'm a fan. I love hearing the chants of go big red and husker power.

                  I've told this to liney but if you guys come to Lincoln next year, come a day early and I'll get you a tour of the facilities, including the champions room, one or two indoor practice fields, locker rooms, weight rooms, etc.. I'd be more than happy to show off what we've built. We are very proud of it.
                  Last edited by entropy; March 9, 2011, 02:22 PM.
                  Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

                  Comment


                  • #69


                    Rimington Humbled and ‘Kind of Shocked’ with Big Ten Decision to Honor Him
                    Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      I plan to take you up on that, Ent.
                      "What you're doing, speaks so loudly, that I can't hear what you are saying"

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Road trip!
                        There is such a thing as redemption. Jim Harbaugh is redeemed at the expense of a fading Ryan Day and OSU. M wins back to back games v. OSU first time since 1999-2000​ - John Cooper was fired in 2000!!!

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          yeah! Loooooong road trip!!!

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            I might need help getting a ticket or two, Ent---is that within the realm of possibility if my buddy Mark (my U of M season tickets are in his name ) doesn't have any luck with it?

                            pretty please...

                            seriously, though, what IS the best way for a visitor to get ticket(s) @ Nebraska? I've long heard they are a tough "get"

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Get to know Douglas Dillon, fill his beer cooler a few times, cook a steak or two and keep telling him what a great guy he is.
                              There is such a thing as redemption. Jim Harbaugh is redeemed at the expense of a fading Ryan Day and OSU. M wins back to back games v. OSU first time since 1999-2000​ - John Cooper was fired in 2000!!!

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Speaking of that great great GREAT GREAT guy Doug, has he signed up here yet? I'd hate to lose track of him and NOT be able to fill up his cooler with beer...

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