A Few Random Husker Thoughts

Just a few random Husker thoughts...

• The news on Josh Williams, an incoming freshman defensive end out of Texas, is certainly welcome. Williams and his fellow freshman DE Cameron Meredith will bolster a critical position on the D. We saw how much losing Adam Carriker and Jay Moore hurt the 2007 defense. Not being able to generate a pass rush tends to expose weaknesses everywhere else. Here's hoping Williams and Meredith help shore up this area of need.
• We need speed at linebacker. Think of the best Blackshirt defenses in recent memory and they had speed at LB. Guys like Tony Ortiz, Terrell Farley, Ed Stewart, Jamel Williams and Troy Dumas weren't 250-pounds, but they could run sideline to sideline and make it futile for opposing offenses to try to run to the outside. They were also effective covering running backs and tight ends out of the backfield. The last Husker linebacker to fit this prototype was Demorrio Williams, and he played a huge part in the Husker defensive resurgence during Bo Pelini's one year as Nebraska's defensive coordinator. Let's hope Coaches Pelini and Ekeler along with guys like Latravis Washington, Will Compton and Blake Lawrence can help restore speed to the Big Red backers.
• I was no big fan of Kevin Cosgrove during his stint as Husker defensive coordinator, and felt his old school Big 10 mindset simply didn't work against the better speed and more inventive offensive schemes of the Big 12. That said, the treatment he and his family received from a few so-called Husker fans toward the end of last year was shameful. To harrass his kids and call him with death threats was cowardly, and says a lot about how out of whack our priorities are getting. As far as I could tell, Cosgrove was a nice family man who worked hard and was loyal to the University. He just wasn't particularly good at his job. I'm guessing we all work with people like that, that doesn't mean we should make their lives a living hell. As for Husker fans, often called "the best fans in college football," is this another case of a small minority reflecting poorly on the vast majority? I'm sure it is. But that minority seems to get a little larger with each sub-par season. If we're going to claim to be the best, we need to do more than just show up and support the team, we need to do it with class and, as the song goes, "in all kinds of weather."
• Not only was yesterday Independence Day, it was also significant because we're now only one month away from the start of Fall Camp.