Mike Minter is one of the hardest-hitting defensive backs to ever play for Nebraska.
He was a "punisher," he says.Â
The 1996 first-team All-Big 12 selection took his sure-tackling style to the NFL as a second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. He was a starter for 10 years, an amazing run. He still watches some of his games with the Panthers, recently enjoying a 2004 playoff game against the St. Louis Rams.Â
"Man, I hit a guy on the sideline," Minter recalls. "It probably would've gotten me ejected nowadays."Â
He chuckles at the notion.Â
"I tore him up," Minter says. "Normal stuff back in the day."Â
Football's changed, obviously, with a greater emphasis on safety. That's not necessarily a bad thing.Â
"It would be very difficult to play now the way I played back then," says Minter, head coach at Campbell University, an FCS team in North Carolina. Â
Minter watches every Nebraska game, he says, so he saw Husker senior safety Deontai Williams get flagged for targeting early in the fourth quarter of his team's 52-17 loss Oct. 24 at Ohio State. Minter didn't necessarily agree with the call. But I'm not here to continue that debate. I'm here to point out the ridiculousness of Williams and fellow Husker defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt having to sit out the first half of Saturday's game at Northwestern.Â
They originally would've had to sit out the first half last week against Wisconsin, but the game was canceled because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in UW's program. The cancellation reduced the Huskers' schedule to eight games. All of NU's players — including Williams and Taylor-Britt — in a sense were punished for something over which they had no control.Â
And now you're telling me it's appropriate for Williams and Taylor-Britt's suspensions to carry over to the first half of the Northwestern game? It's excessive punishment, particularly in the case of Williams because his targeting flag was debatable in the first place. By the way, he missed all but one game last season because of an injury. Now he's essentially being forced to miss six quarters of action.Â
A pandemic has created unique situations in our lives. Nebraska getting a game canceled was unique, so the NCAA — I'm told it's not a Big Ten matter — should have nullified the two Husker defenders' suspensions. It's that simple.Â
Let's face it, the entire targeting conversation is awkward. Yes, player safety is critical. But I tend to agree with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who thinks the rule is hurting the sport.Â
He feels it was too harsh a punishment to eject Williams.Â
"That's the type of play that in the past, we would've blamed the quarterback for putting the ball in a position where his wide receiver was going to be hung out to dry," Klatt says. "We never talk about that anymore because of targeting. We've put the burden of proof on the secondary and not on the quarterback."
Klatt says Williams did everything right on the play and believes the call should've been overturned. He says Williams tried to go low — under the receiver's head.Â
"He did everything a coach would tell him to do," Klatt says.Â
That's where Klatt is wrong. Williams led with his shoulder, a common way of tackling. Thing is, if he would've wrapped up the receiver using two arms, I'm guessing the chances of him drawing a flag would've been reduced significantly. I'm not suggesting it's a sure way to avoid a flag; it just reduces the risk.
"I think the biggest thing is not leading with your head and your shoulder," Minter says. "Nowadays, it's got to be chest-to-chest (tackling). That's what I teach all the time now."Â
Former Nebraska secondary coach Marvin Sanders, who played defensive back at his alma mater, says he's long told players to "keep their head out of the game." In other words, don't lead with it. Don't use it as a weapon.Â
He also emphasizes the importance of defenders using two arms to wrap up ball carriers.
"I hate throwing the shoulder," Sanders says. "What ends up happening sometimes is guys won't go down. Grab hold of something. (Former Husker linebacker) Lavonte David was one of the best tacklers I've ever been around and he's shown it in the NFL — because he does a tremendous job of taking his head out of the game and wrapping up.Â
"Now, when you take your head out of picture, you are going to hit with your shoulder pads and chest. But when you talk about leading with the shoulder, I think of how guys like to lunge into somebody and throw a shoulder. Try tackling Alabama's Najee Harris with a shoulder tackle. He ain't going down."Â
The conversation isn't going away. In fact, it'll be one of the main storylines Saturday because of Williams and Taylor-Britt's significance to the team.Â
At any rate, Minter will be watching. He was encouraged by what he saw from Nebraska against Ohio State.
"I really loved that we were changing the line of scrimmage," he says. "Which means the strength and conditioning is there. You're going against one of the top three teams in the country and winning the line of scrimmage on both sides."Â
Maybe not winning it all the time, but those first 25 minutes or so were pretty impressive for the Huskers.Â
"We were flying around and playing fast," Minter says.Â
Nebraska needs to take that energy to Northwestern, where two veteran defensive backs will have to watch the first half from the sideline.Â
Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) and safety Deontai Williams (8) combine to tackle Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) last year at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.Â