Wanted to share with everyone my experience this weekend. I live in Des Moines-am a die-hard Husker fan ( oldest son is named Turner after Turner Gill) and go to about 2-3 Husker games a year-and periodically go to the spring game. This year I took my oldest son 22, youngest son 15, and his friend.
1) get to Lincoln on Friday night. First time staying at the Courtyard Marriott-( great place btw) and look out my window to see the stadium with the lights on about 3-4 blocks away. Brought my boys to the window to see how great it looked.
2) Go to eat at Leadbelly's--have about 15 minute wait, so the 3 boys go to the Nebraska store couple doors down--After about 5 minutes, get a frantic call from my oldest son saying to get down there as Mike Rozier is in there-just looking around ( I think it was Sean that said it was great seeing so many previous players there and this a prime example) Of course he looked great--and could not have been nicer to me and my boys--just a great man and very friendly as we took pictures.
3) after dinner, about 9, just go to the stadium to walk around--it is locked up, but lights on. Just thought it looked great and my boys and I talked about how cool it would be to run through the tunnel during a game. told them stories about when Nebraska was great--and how the world just seemed like a better place when we were destroying people and winning National Championships.
4) looked in weight room windows and say Janovich bench pressing by himself-with 5 plates on a side--didn't need a spotter
okay made that up, but my youngest asked if Jano would be in there lifting--that all goes back to the Michigan State game when I took him and 3 of his buddies ( all Hawkeye fans-always looking to convert his friends) and we saw Janovich in the weight room before the game stretching--they couldn't believe how big he was, and during the game we just kept screaming to let Janovich play every position on the team--it was great day.
5) On Saturday morning, got up and went to Barry's to get wings, Sparky's sauce and donate to Team Jack--great wings and great sauce.
6) Went to Campus bookstore, and ran into John Raridon--he was there with him dad Scott. My oldest played TE at Valley where John is graduating from ( his team was the last state champion for Valley in 2011, John's brother Sammy was starting DT and was a Jr. Sammy went to Wisconsin and is no longer playing football) John was an 8th grader then and would start the next year as a freshman, which is unheard of at Valley). The Raridon family is great and you will not find a better kid than John. Total Beast on the field and great kid off the field. Looking forward to watching him start for the Huskers in the near future--btw, his shoulders looked plenty wide to me, so not sure what that Ass Clown at Rivals was saying when he downgraded him in the top 250.
7) Went to the stadium about 11:45 and went to tunnel walk area--very few people there and got right up front. Here is where the fun really began.
8) Strength Coach came out by first, couldn't remember how to say his name, so just hollered out, hey Poly Swag, can we get a picture with you. Came right over and talked to my boys, and was incredibly personable and friendly. Can see why the players love him. Gave him shit about losing in the bags contest that was posted on Friday's twitter, and he said the bags were to light/flawed.
9) talked to and get the boys in a picture with Coach Banker--What a good guy he was--some on this board originally questioned his hire, but I know I will be rooting for him big time, and I will trust Coach Riley on this one. I have always liked watching his videos after practices or games, and I think having better players here than at OSU will make a big difference. I coached all 3 of my boys in their youth football days, and I know I was a better coach when I had good players same plays, they just looked different based on who was on the team. Anyway he was young looking and energetic, and just carried himself well. Glad he is involved with the safeties, as there are some good ones there. Thanked him for all the hard work they are putting in for our beloved Huskers. He was appreciative of the comment and seemed in good spirits. ( that also might have been about the time McMullen was addressing the team and saying he wasn't coming back)
10) the man Mike Riley-got to talk to him for a little bit--very personable as you would expect. As he went down the carpet and out the tunnel-stopped to talk to almost everyone, a lot of pictures and just a welcoming personality. Can see what kids/parents enjoy being around him. Looks a lot younger than he is.
11) Saw Prince Amukamura, his wife and his little girl. She was just precious. I have texted with Prince in the past a few times ( we have a mutual friend) and earlier that week I had asked him if he was coming and he said he was here all week. We have never met in person, so when he walked by I introduced myself-He was so welcoming to me and my boys, said he was glad to finally meet in person ( I assume he was just being nice-) and we went under the rope to get a group picture. That is when he said, come onto the field with me and my family. So we were led onto the field by Prince-Talked to him and his wife for another 5-10
minutes- and then left him alone as he was being called to by everyone. Very engaging young man and represents NU well. Hope he stays healthy in Jacksonville
12) Okay now we are on the field and time to close some deals on this recruiting front--I knew the Cali kids would be impressed by a balding 48 yr. old white guy that played football at Drake University We ran back into John Raridon who was with Matt Farniok and Boe Wilson--told the 3 of them to get together with my youngest so I would have a picture of him with the future pipeline. Matt is just a big boy and told him about Science Guy and how we had a day by day update on his recruiting and glad he became a Husker. Noticed Will and said Happy Birthday-and then told him that Science Guy had told everyone it was his birthday soon. Those 3 plus Will got a good laugh out of that-so make sure you ask them about it Science Guy. I was surprised by how much smaller Will is than Matt, but assume he will keep growing like his brothers.
13) Rahyme Johnson had walked by me in the tunnel and he just looks like a football player who would play angry. Went and found him and teammate as well as their coach that came with them. I think his name is Devah Thomas (he was in all their twitter pictures)--Scholarship Funder is his handle and had on the had that Money Talks hat. He was a great guy, very excited to be there and told me it was his first time in Lincoln--and that he was loving it. He is the one that previously had said how much he like Coach Banker and I asked him about that. Don't want to be putting words in his mouth, but the gist of it is that Coach Banker is like a mentor to him and he has a ton of respect for him and Riley--that connection will be huge this upcoming year as well as in the future. Said he coached the kids he brought since Pop Warner and was like a proud father. talked some to Rahyme and Deommodore, and told Rhyme that he would look a lot tougher in Red and playing for the blackshirts than baby blue of UCLA. Both were well spoken and polite. did I say the Rayhme Johnson looked like a linebacker that would just come up and smack you.
14) Got to meet Tristan and Keyshawn Jr. Amazing that Tristan has as good an arm as he does, as he has a lot of room to grow--slight right now, but working the crowd like a pro. asked him if he was getting all of the others to commit and both he and Keyshawn said that was their plan. Both great kids and excited to be there. Tristan was on the move quite a bit talking to all of the others. Excited to have both representing NU as they are great kids. Can see why other recruits are attracted to them There were more we visited with and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
15) the game. not much to report here that hasn't been already other than Mohammed Barry made almost every tackle when he was out there and also broke up a pass in the flats that was impressive. And a lot of young lineman on both sides that are stepping up and need to. As far as Tommy, he running was really good and gives us a dimension that we need this year. Coach Langs said the things already he was disappointed in, but wanted to reply to the person that said how hard is it to complete passes in the spring game. Well when the defense knows the plays, you run limited route combos, and your top receivers and tight end aren't out there, not as easy as you think. there were passes he needed to hit, but also it will look a lot better when everyone one is back, the timing is there, and the whole playbook is opened up. I think by appreciating what Tommy brings to the table, vs. what he maybe doesn' t do as well as a top passing QB, will make the season more enjoyable for everyone. We know he will make mistakes, so let's root for him to minimize them, especially the turnovers, we know he won't complete 65% of his passes, so let's root for him to increase the % by 4-5% this upcoming season over last year, and then realize when he runs for a big first down, or keeps the D honest by having to respect his running, that he is doing somethings better than other QB's that are out there. We need him to be better this year and I for one am rooting for him to be better, as well as for the whole team and this great set of coaches we have
That is about it. Very excited for our beloved Huskers and will be at quite a few games this year. If you can't be excited about what is happening, then you might be dead. Good things are coming!
There is no place like Nebraska.
1) get to Lincoln on Friday night. First time staying at the Courtyard Marriott-( great place btw) and look out my window to see the stadium with the lights on about 3-4 blocks away. Brought my boys to the window to see how great it looked.
2) Go to eat at Leadbelly's--have about 15 minute wait, so the 3 boys go to the Nebraska store couple doors down--After about 5 minutes, get a frantic call from my oldest son saying to get down there as Mike Rozier is in there-just looking around ( I think it was Sean that said it was great seeing so many previous players there and this a prime example) Of course he looked great--and could not have been nicer to me and my boys--just a great man and very friendly as we took pictures.
3) after dinner, about 9, just go to the stadium to walk around--it is locked up, but lights on. Just thought it looked great and my boys and I talked about how cool it would be to run through the tunnel during a game. told them stories about when Nebraska was great--and how the world just seemed like a better place when we were destroying people and winning National Championships.
4) looked in weight room windows and say Janovich bench pressing by himself-with 5 plates on a side--didn't need a spotter
okay made that up, but my youngest asked if Jano would be in there lifting--that all goes back to the Michigan State game when I took him and 3 of his buddies ( all Hawkeye fans-always looking to convert his friends) and we saw Janovich in the weight room before the game stretching--they couldn't believe how big he was, and during the game we just kept screaming to let Janovich play every position on the team--it was great day.5) On Saturday morning, got up and went to Barry's to get wings, Sparky's sauce and donate to Team Jack--great wings and great sauce.
6) Went to Campus bookstore, and ran into John Raridon--he was there with him dad Scott. My oldest played TE at Valley where John is graduating from ( his team was the last state champion for Valley in 2011, John's brother Sammy was starting DT and was a Jr. Sammy went to Wisconsin and is no longer playing football) John was an 8th grader then and would start the next year as a freshman, which is unheard of at Valley). The Raridon family is great and you will not find a better kid than John. Total Beast on the field and great kid off the field. Looking forward to watching him start for the Huskers in the near future--btw, his shoulders looked plenty wide to me, so not sure what that Ass Clown at Rivals was saying when he downgraded him in the top 250.
7) Went to the stadium about 11:45 and went to tunnel walk area--very few people there and got right up front. Here is where the fun really began.
8) Strength Coach came out by first, couldn't remember how to say his name, so just hollered out, hey Poly Swag, can we get a picture with you. Came right over and talked to my boys, and was incredibly personable and friendly. Can see why the players love him. Gave him shit about losing in the bags contest that was posted on Friday's twitter, and he said the bags were to light/flawed.
9) talked to and get the boys in a picture with Coach Banker--What a good guy he was--some on this board originally questioned his hire, but I know I will be rooting for him big time, and I will trust Coach Riley on this one
. I have always liked watching his videos after practices or games, and I think having better players here than at OSU will make a big difference. I coached all 3 of my boys in their youth football days, and I know I was a better coach when I had good players same plays, they just looked different based on who was on the team. Anyway he was young looking and energetic, and just carried himself well. Glad he is involved with the safeties, as there are some good ones there. Thanked him for all the hard work they are putting in for our beloved Huskers. He was appreciative of the comment and seemed in good spirits. ( that also might have been about the time McMullen was addressing the team and saying he wasn't coming back)10) the man Mike Riley-got to talk to him for a little bit--very personable as you would expect. As he went down the carpet and out the tunnel-stopped to talk to almost everyone, a lot of pictures and just a welcoming personality. Can see what kids/parents enjoy being around him. Looks a lot younger than he is.
11) Saw Prince Amukamura, his wife and his little girl. She was just precious. I have texted with Prince in the past a few times ( we have a mutual friend) and earlier that week I had asked him if he was coming and he said he was here all week. We have never met in person, so when he walked by I introduced myself-He was so welcoming to me and my boys, said he was glad to finally meet in person ( I assume he was just being nice-) and we went under the rope to get a group picture. That is when he said, come onto the field with me and my family. So we were led onto the field by Prince-Talked to him and his wife for another 5-10
minutes- and then left him alone as he was being called to by everyone. Very engaging young man and represents NU well. Hope he stays healthy in Jacksonville
12) Okay now we are on the field and time to close some deals on this recruiting front--I knew the Cali kids would be impressed by a balding 48 yr. old white guy that played football at Drake University
We ran back into John Raridon who was with Matt Farniok and Boe Wilson--told the 3 of them to get together with my youngest so I would have a picture of him with the future pipeline. Matt is just a big boy and told him about Science Guy and how we had a day by day update on his recruiting and glad he became a Husker. Noticed Will and said Happy Birthday-and then told him that Science Guy had told everyone it was his birthday soon. Those 3 plus Will got a good laugh out of that-so make sure you ask them about it Science Guy. I was surprised by how much smaller Will is than Matt, but assume he will keep growing like his brothers.13) Rahyme Johnson had walked by me in the tunnel and he just looks like a football player who would play angry. Went and found him and teammate as well as their coach that came with them. I think his name is Devah Thomas (he was in all their twitter pictures)--Scholarship Funder is his handle and had on the had that Money Talks hat. He was a great guy, very excited to be there and told me it was his first time in Lincoln--and that he was loving it. He is the one that previously had said how much he like Coach Banker and I asked him about that. Don't want to be putting words in his mouth, but the gist of it is that Coach Banker is like a mentor to him and he has a ton of respect for him and Riley--that connection will be huge this upcoming year as well as in the future. Said he coached the kids he brought since Pop Warner and was like a proud father. talked some to Rahyme and Deommodore, and told Rhyme that he would look a lot tougher in Red and playing for the blackshirts than baby blue of UCLA. Both were well spoken and polite. did I say the Rayhme Johnson looked like a linebacker that would just come up and smack you.
14) Got to meet Tristan and Keyshawn Jr. Amazing that Tristan has as good an arm as he does, as he has a lot of room to grow--slight right now, but working the crowd like a pro. asked him if he was getting all of the others to commit and both he and Keyshawn said that was their plan. Both great kids and excited to be there. Tristan was on the move quite a bit talking to all of the others. Excited to have both representing NU as they are great kids. Can see why other recruits are attracted to them There were more we visited with and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
15) the game. not much to report here that hasn't been already other than Mohammed Barry made almost every tackle when he was out there and also broke up a pass in the flats that was impressive. And a lot of young lineman on both sides that are stepping up and need to. As far as Tommy, he running was really good and gives us a dimension that we need this year. Coach Langs said the things already he was disappointed in, but wanted to reply to the person that said how hard is it to complete passes in the spring game. Well when the defense knows the plays, you run limited route combos, and your top receivers and tight end aren't out there, not as easy as you think. there were passes he needed to hit, but also it will look a lot better when everyone one is back, the timing is there, and the whole playbook is opened up. I think by appreciating what Tommy brings to the table, vs. what he maybe doesn' t do as well as a top passing QB, will make the season more enjoyable for everyone. We know he will make mistakes, so let's root for him to minimize them, especially the turnovers, we know he won't complete 65% of his passes, so let's root for him to increase the % by 4-5% this upcoming season over last year, and then realize when he runs for a big first down, or keeps the D honest by having to respect his running, that he is doing somethings better than other QB's that are out there. We need him to be better this year and I for one am rooting for him to be better, as well as for the whole team and this great set of coaches we have
That is about it. Very excited for our beloved Huskers and will be at quite a few games this year. If you can't be excited about what is happening, then you might be dead. Good things are coming!
There is no place like Nebraska.
