[Husker] Another Husker leaving and speaking negatively

[Mark Landin]

>Maybe there is some discontent in the ranks, or is this another player 
>that just did not get on the field and make the grade?

His comments (about the atmosphere being different, not as fun, etc)
ring true because the coaches themselves said that they felt the
players were not enjoying playing. BC's decision to include the whole
team for on-field warmups was a concession to that problem.

Of course when you have a new staff things are going to 'feel'
different. Some people will embrace the change and others will reject
it. Neither group is "right" or "wrong".

I do, though, feel that BC's "do it like the NFL" approach is a hard
adjustment for some, and I don't know how suited it really is for
college football (NU football, in particular). The NFL game and the
college game are different animals. NFL guys play knowing that they
can be out of a job next week, or playing for a different club next
year. With the salary cap, they play knowing that if they want a
raise, it's often going to come at the expense of the guy playing next
to them, and vice versa. I think the way you motivate, teach, and
handle NFL guys is likely different than the way you motivate, teach,
and handle college guys, most of which have no NFL dreams and are
playing mainly for the enjoyment of it and for the scholarship.

BC used to be a college coach so he likely knows these things. But
when BC says he "understands" the Nebraska tradition, he really means
that he knows what they are. He's seen them on TV, read about them
somewhere, and talked to people who really "understand" them. It will
be a while before he begins to internalize the reality of NU football
the way that the existing players and longtime fans have. As that
happens, I think that, in turn, he's going to temper his "all
business" demeanor, realizing that NU football is not a business for
anyone outside of the AD's office. This will make him more
understanding of the players who are playing just for the love of
having that red N on their helmet.

Make no mistake, we (coaches, fans, players, administration) like to
win. We like it a lot. But for many of us, the manner in which we win,
the way we go about playing football, is as important as the W itself.
It's part of our identity as Nebraska fans (even those who dont live
in Nebraska any more). I don't think that translates into the NFL
mentality much, but it is very important to most of the people I've
talked to about NU football in the last year. And likely very
important to the players, and some are leaving because of it.