LINCOLN — James Dobson was 34 when he arrived two winters ago, sure of himself but realizing he had a lot to prove as head of Nebraska football strength and conditioning.
Dobson knew where to start.
He went after veterans like Matt Slauson, Zach Potter, Joe Ganz and Ty Steinkuhler. Get the Husker leaders on board first, Dobson reasoned, and the rest would follow.
“We hit it off pretty good right off the bat,’’ Dobson said, “by explaining what we were going to do, how we were going to do it and why we’re doing it.
“We had good feedback. I did a lot of answering to, ‘Why are we doing this?’ I had to explain the philosophy time and time again. But when players actually see it working ...”
That’s where Dobson is 24 months later as the Huskers go through a third winter conditioning program under his watch. The veterans and leaders are replaced by new ones. New underclassmen are left to buy in to the methods.
It’s the cyclical nature of college football. And even if the Huskers appear to be bigger, faster and stronger from season to season, the work is never done for Dobson and his staff that includes Tyler Clarke, Willie Jones, Chad Wade and Brandon Rigoni.
“I don’t think you’re ever a finished product, because every year’s a new team,’’ he said. “With a new team comes new leaders and new personality. I don’t think you can ever say you’re satisfied with where you’re at.
“If a coach ever believes he’s made it, he might want to get out of the business. You could win the whole thing, have a bunch of guys win awards, but you better always have that competitive drive to get better.’’
Nebraska is finishing its first week of winter work after the 10-4 season that included a Big 12 North championship and Holiday Bowl victory. Physically, NU stood toe-to-toe with Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, three of the most solid programs of the last decade.
With the snow piled up outside the Osborne Complex and Hawks Center, and no football in sight, this is when that groundwork laid by Dobson and coach Bo Pelini — and the last two senior classes — takes over.
“I think it’s just something Coach Pelini’s kind of brought — and that’s just to compete,’’ Husker tight end Mike McNeill said. “That just makes you better, all the time. If you’re always doing something as a competition, you’re going to work that much harder and you’re going to get that much better at it.
“I think the last two classes have just been competitive guys, just working hard. You want to work and compete. If you do those two things, things will go in the right direction and things will be all right.’’
Dobson wouldn’t pin down certain areas of emphasis for the weeks leading into spring practice. Those were discussed in a postseason meeting with Pelini about the needs and strengths of both the team and each individual.
A year ago, Nebraska went into the winter wanting to address its speed after seeing how well Clemson ran in the Gator Bowl.
“I think we’re starting to move better,’’ Dobson said. “If you can’t move and run — with the defense Bo wants to play and the offense Coach (Shawn) Watson wants to run — you’re not going to be successful. But we’ve still got a ways to go with that.’’
Because the Huskers aren’t getting ready to play a season, Dobson said his staff can work on power and absolute strength without having to worry about conditioning — and “hone in now on little things that separate you from other players.’’
As with every season, Dobson said the players need to be on board with what they’re doing and why. Dobson hopes that only gets easier and easier, an element built on trust and relationships that he started cultivating the first time he walked into the Husker weight room.
Some might have wondered two years ago about Pelini’s pick to replace Dave Kennedy, but the assistant from Chris Doyle’s staff at Iowa said he’s always looked at things with an optimistic and confident view.
“I’ll be honest with you, I think I was as well-prepared as anybody in the country to come in and get this going,’’ he said. “Chris Doyle and the staff at Iowa prepared me to get this job done.’’
And, he said, “100 percent support from Coach Bo’’ has helped.
“With Bo, you can’t find a better head coach in the country to work with,’’ Dobson said. “No. 1, he has high expectations. No. 2, he believes in you and lets you do your job.’’
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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