huskerj12 said:

Anybody know? I haven't heard about it but I also haven't been paying close attention yet.

Click to expand...

I'm sure we are. This is a Rhule thing he did at Baylor.

I hope not. I've thought it was stupid since the moment Rhule said he does this.

Hopefully we find out who got the single digits soon, along with the Blackshirts!!!

It has been brought up multiple times during interviews. This will keep going as long as Rhule is here. I think that it’s awesome for the players to select their leaders that way.

Huskers633 said:

I hope not. I've thought it was stupid since the moment Rhule said he does this.

Click to expand...

Yeah same. I am a big Rhule fan but the single digit thing is a swing and a miss for me. It just creates awkwardness. Player numbers are supposed to be "permanent," at the very least throughout a season, but also usually throughout a career. Imagine Ahman Green being #30 in 1995 and 1996 and then suddenly he's #2 in 1997? Suh being #93 and then oh, now he's #6?

It just rubs me the wrong way from a macro view like that, but then also there are situations like last year when Jimari Butler was #1 and then suddenly he didn't want to be anymore and went back to #10, and Vincent Shavers was #1... ? Did that mean Shavers took over the spot as one of the Tough Guys and Butler was demoted? Shavers may well have deserved it, but using uniform numbers for this type of "honor" just doesn't work for me. It's even more awkward than giving and taking away Blackshirts in the Bo years.

My suggestion which obviously carries zero weight, would be to use the early Frost thing of putting guys' area codes on their helmet, except it's just for the 10 toughest guys or whatever. Less distracting, less awkward, still a way to honor those guys by letting some of their individuality and hometown pride shine through.



I also just don't agree with the premise that single digit numbers are inherently cooler or "tougher" than double digits. haha

If it improves team morale and competition, I’m all for it.

I'm an outlier, I kinda like it but it took me awhile to grasp for the reasons above.

This is one of the strangest things people get upset about. The players like it and it motivates a good chunk of em, so why bitch?

Pepe Silvia said:

Click to expand...

This exactly

Goskers07 said:

This is one of the strangest things people get upset about. The players like it and it motivates a good chunk of em, so why bitch?

Click to expand...

I don't get upset about it and it's not something I think about regularly. But I do think it's stupid.

It’s no more silly than handing out black practice jerseys.

We are. Rhule mentioned it during one of his pressers recently. Talked about how the players vote for the single digits is completely up to the players.

I agree with those saying this isn't my favorite tradition. I mainly say that because I had a number I wore since junior high football. If I was told I would be "honored" by ditching that number for some single digit number, my instinct would be to say no thanks, I'm sticking with my number. I don't see single digit numbers as inherently cooler or more desirebale than double digits.

Now, maybe if I didn't get my old JH/HS number and was stuck wtih some random number, maybe switching to a single digit wouldn't be a big deal for me. But if I was in my third or fourth year of college, I would have probably become attached to whatever number I had been wearing.

Huskers633 said:

I don't get upset about it and it's not something I think about regularly. But I do think it's stupid.

Click to expand...

It's the equivalent of sowing the letter C onto someone's jersey. And the single digits are the "cool" thing for most players anymore anyway.

Anyway, more importantly when are they handing out the Blackshirts? ☠️ I remember posters losing their shit about it on the RRS and now you hardly hear anything about it.

Huskers633 said:

I don't get upset about it and it's not something I think about regularly. But I do think it's stupid.

Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not upset or bitching really, I just think it's kind of a dud. Especially when:

A) O-linemen aren't even eligible to wear the numbers
B) Players apparently can/do turn it down
C) One player already changed back to his original double-digit number midseason in the second year of doing it

Again, I'm all for motivational tactics and players giving props to each other, using jersey numbers specifically just has an awkwardness to it.

That son of a bitch better focus on getting double digit wins

But yeah the Butler swapping with Shavers thing was weird to me, but then again ole Vinny Shavers is winning the Bednarik this year while Butler is a back up at LSU probably

I'll say this though it's better than Hip, Hip, Hooray as far as traditions go.