As the Pelini brothers shared some of their football wisdom to local high school coaches on Thursday morning during a coaching clinic at Lincoln North Star, the word "effort" was in constant use.
BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 7:00 pm
As the Pelini brothers shared some of their football wisdom with local high school coaches on Thursday morning during a coaching clinic at Lincoln North Star, the word “effort” was in constant use.
Speaking at the Nebraska Coaches Association Sports Clinic about defending the run, Husker head coach Bo Pelini’s No. 1 key written on the projection screen was: “Effort. Effort. Effort.”
During a 75-minute tutorial in another room, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini’s first of 12 philosophical concepts about defending the spread offense came with the words “be prepared to run.”
The point was impossible to miss: All the scheming in the world can’t make up for a team lacking in effort.
Both Pelinis said Nebraska coaches will spend an hour or two a night after each practice looking just at the effort of each player on film, assessing grades.
Several categories have been formed on the Huskers’ effort grading sheet.
There is a burst category: “We want to see a change of speed at the moment of recognition,” explained Carl.
A loaf category: “You just dogged it.”
A missed opportunity category: “You had a chance at a turnover. Maybe someone else was tackling the guy and you came in late and you could have ripped at the ball. Or the ball was in the air and you made the tackle, but you might have been able to get that ball.”
There’s also an “I see you” category, which is one of the best compliments a Husker player can receive from a coach.
As Carl said, it represents great effort: “Hey, we can win with this effort.”
A guy earning “I see you” praise might not have even made the tackle, but he was going full-bore and coaches recognized it.
To be seen became a big deal to Husker players during the spring.
“It became contagious,” Carl said.
After a while, the coach was hearing players yell things like: “Hey, I see you Barry Turner.”
And as an understanding of the coaches’ expectations developed, he said he saw the effort of players increase dramatically from the first day of spring practice to the last.
“At first, I didn’t know that our definition of great effort was the same (as the players’). I think our standard was way higher than what they thought was giving great effort,” Carl said. “By the end, I think our standards were the same. That needs to continue. We need to pick up and play with that same effort and swagger and speed that they were playing with by the end of spring.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.