[NU Sports] Looks like the rest of the team woke up, too ...

[Beamsley, Jeff]

Dennis,
 
You seem to have missed the point.
 
There are at least THREE dimensions to success.
 
1. Individual ability
2. Coaching
3. Belief (ability to play as a team)
 
That is why a team like Illinois that often recruits more stars than NU are world beaters at the beginning of the season, but seem unable to overcome the sort of adversity that every team runs into during the season.  Their team identity seems to be made up of who they are as individual athletes.  They win early when everyone is feeling good about themselves, but as the season wears on and they wear down, the begin to question their own ability and the abilities of the guy playing next to them.  Their concept of team breaks down and they lose.
 
It is also why a team like NU can have the awful mid season that we've seen, and then rise up as a group and look unbeatable in November.  As others have posted, we are also fairly healthy and several underclassmen seem to have matured.  Without belief, however, this team could easily have packed it in (as Illinois appears to be doing) because so many of their goals seemed out of reach.  Instead they are energized and having the most fun they have had all season.
 
So my conclusion is that the D is playing better because they discovered that it is a TEAM game.  They each stopped worrying about doing the other guys job, and focused on doing their own job.  When they focused on their job, their fundamentals got better, they were in better position to make a play, and guess what - they started making plays.  They started having some success doing what the coaches had been telling them since spring ball, and they became a good team.
 
Why did it take until November?
 
I don't know.  Maybe it has something to do with getting the right mix of players on the field at the same time, as coach suggested.
 
What I do know is that I'm having almost as much fun watching them as they obviously are having playing the game.
 
Jeff

________________________________

From: Dennis W. Brandt [mailto:tbng at comcast.net]
Sent: Mon 11/14/2011 8:26 AM
To: Beamsley, Jeff; SjT (Stephen J. Truog); neonrye at aol.com; Mike Nolan; nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com
Cc: NUSPORTS
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Looks like the rest of the team woke up, too ...



> This CLEARLY is not the same team that lost to Army, Illinois, Iowa,
> Michigan, or PSU.
>
> Did the coaching staff find more talented players than the ones who had
> been playing? - No
>
> Did the AD find more talented coaches than the ones who had been coaching
> earlier in the season? - No
>
> What happened is that the players started believing in themselves,
> executing the game plan that the coaches put together, and playing as a
> team.  Individual play improved because team play improved.
>
> Did they get faster?  No, they were always fast enough to win.
>
> Did they get stronger?  No, they were always strong enough to win.
>
> Did the coaches get smarter? No, they didn't have to.  They were already
> smart enough.  They knew if they stayed the course, and continued to
> believe, the team would come around.
>
> Did the players get smarter? Yes. They finally understood how to win as a
> team.
>
> Now some may say that I have dipping into the purple koolaide again
> because this team isn't going to contend for a BT Championship, will be
> fortunate to finish with more wins than losses, and will end up with a
> worse record than last year.  So why get excited?

Yes, the Kool-Aide is purple and glasses are powerfully rose-colored at the
Beamsley house, although I hope you're right.  We are playing better run
defense.  After eleven straight defensive abominations going back to last
season (including this year's Indiana game in which we gave up 38 points),
it's about time.  But don't get excited yet.  We had a great win over
Nebraska and beat weak Indiana and Rice teams.  Three wins does not
greatness make.  We still have no pass rush from the front four, and we
again missed many a tackle-for-loss this Saturday past that will prove fatal
against Michigan State.  And while our running game has at last stepped up
to a level that can sustain drives, none of our running backs will ever be
confused with Damien Anderson or Darnell Autry.  We have three potential pro
prospects on offense plus Colter, which is why we can score, but I see no
talent bright spots on the other side of the ball.  If you are right that
there IS sufficient talent on D, then you have to conclude that the coaching
has been sub-par for two-thirds of the season.  You can't have it both ways.