LINCOLN — Nebraska offensive lineman Matt Slauson had a head start on dealing with Bo Pelini and the head coach's style and manner of running the Husker football program.
"There's not room for debate," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said of how things will be run. "If they want to do it another way, there's a lot of other Division I football programs they can play at. There are not a lot of things that are up for discussion as far as how the game's going to be played and how we're going to go about things."
Slauson spent a year at Air Force Prep School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The senior was exposed to being told things were going to be a certain way and it was your job to conform.
"Coming from the Air Force deal," Slauson said, "you really learn to just shut up and just go."
Welcome to Nebraska football 2008.
Spring practice starts Wednesday, but Pelini already has clubbed the Huskers over the helmet with his "my way" approach. If there was going to be any butting of heads, several NU upperclassmen said Monday that's already been taken care of.
"We know it's his rules, and if we don't abide by them then we can go play somewhere else," senior defensive end Zach Potter said.
In reality, Slauson said, the adjustment has actually gone pretty smoothly. If there was any initial resistance, it came only because some veterans were just trained to do things the old way and had to adjust.
"I just think when these coaches came in that they commanded respect from the first day," Slauson said. "They said, 'Look, we are in a world of hurt here.' And we were. We're coming off the worst year that Nebraska has had since I don't know when. They said, 'We're going to do it right, we're going to do it the Nebraska way, we're going to do it my way.'"
After a 5-7 season, Slauson said it would have been hard for any returning Huskers to argue it. Submit, trust and move on — whether it was in a meeting room, winter conditioning or the practice field in coming days.
"It was an adjustment for them," Pelini said. "It still is going to be an adjustment. But I don't really concern myself with if I'm hurting anybody's feelings or what their thoughts are on it. But I think they've had great attitudes. They've done well with it."
No doubt there have been tests sprinkled in along the way.
Slauson recalls one in particular in the latter stages of the winter conditioning program. After a hard day of running, Pelini told his players to be back at 6 the next morning to do it all over again.
"I mean, we've got nothing left, and he tells us to get on the line," Slauson said. "And then after our conditioning, we have more conditioning. It's just like, 'What is he doing?'"
The right thing happened, Slauson said. Players rallied around each other and finished strong. Slauson had never seen anything like it in his three previous years in the program.
"I think that message he sent across right then was, 'Listen, if you're tired, leave, but this is my way,' and we all came together as a team," Slauson said.
Afterward, Pelini patted them on the back, praised their effort and told them they were getting closer and closer to where he needed them to be.
Pelini said he didn't expect any trouble with players buying in or believing. He said there's a proven track record with both him and his staff.
Their way. His way.
"There's not room for debate," Pelini said. "It's going to be done certain ways. If they want to do it another way, there's a lot of other Division I football programs they can play at. There are not a lot of things that are up for discussion as far as how the game's going to be played and how we're going to go about things."
Pelini had to say a lot of similar things two weeks ago after a weekend littered with three off-the-field incidents involving players.
Potter said one thing that was made clear both then and previously was that the same rules apply whether involving a senior or a freshman. A starter or a backup. Nobody will be allowed to go his own way.
Starting Wednesday, it just gets taken to the practice field for the first time.
"Everybody's on the same page," Potter said. "There are no favorites. We're all the same person."
Courtesy of the Omaha World Herald
::Ferdinand's Ma::
No comments:
Post a Comment