He says Shanle, a junior who starts at strongside (SAM) linebacker for Nebraska, should someday play in the NFL.

Sounds odd, though, when Darlington, the NU secondary coach, says Shanle probably hasn't played as many snaps as the primary player who replaces him.

As a matter of fact, as Darlington recalls, Shanle barely saw the field last season when Nebraska played Texas Tech, the Huskers' opponent tonight at Memorial Stadium.

"It's my understanding that he played two snaps," Darlington said of NU's 56-3 victory a year ago in Lubbock, Texas.

Shanle wasn't injured, and his bench time had nothing to do with lack of ability. He sat because Nebraska heavily relied on extra cornerbacks against the Red Raiders' pass-happy offense, which uses a wide array of receivers. When the Huskers plugged in another cornerback, Shanle came out.

He wasn't the only one. Coaches also yanked the weakside (WILL) linebacker or the rover - and sometimes both - in favor of more cornerbacks.

"We don't want to expose a good linebacker with good speed against a great wide receiver with exceptional speed," Darlington said.

You've probably heard the football lingo for such substitutions. It's what coaches, as well as some radio and television commentators, refer to as the nickel, penny, dime and quarter packages.

Sounds like enough to stuff a piggy bank, let alone a potent passing attack.

Considering the Huskers play Texas Tech tonight, the best passing offense in the Big 12 Conference, then Oklahoma, another quick-strike team, fans will probably see a healthy dose of these coin packages over the next couple of games.

* * *

Darlington said Nebraska's using these packages more now than in any previous years, mainly because of the team's personnel.

But what does each of the packages mean, and what players are affected? Darlington's crash course may help clear up some confusion.

Nickel package: A cornerback replaces the SAM linebacker, usually when the opposing offense lines up with three wideouts and two backs, but no tight end. This year, redshirted freshman Lornell McPherson is Nebraska's No. 1 nickel back. McPherson played so much early in the season and impressed coaches enough to earn a Blackshirt, a symbol of first-string status.

Dime package: A cornerback replaces the WILL linebacker (three wideouts, one back). Sophomore Pat Ricketts has seen increased playing time as the No. 1 dime back.

Penny package: A cornerback replaces the rover (three wideouts, one back). Swiney has taken over the No. 1 penny back role, although he shares time at the position with Ricketts, who played there when Swiney was injured.

Quarter package: A combination of any two of the previous packages, usually when the opposing offense lines up with four wideouts.

Slug: A term used when NU replaces the WILL, SAM and rover in favor of three extra defensive backs. Last year, the team used the phrase "dollar" instead of slug.

* * *

Players agree the system Nebraska uses probably sounds confusing to the outsider but really isn't difficult to understand.

"It's really not that hard to learn," said senior left cornerback Keyuo Craver, who saw extensive time early in his career by playing the nickel and dime positions.

"We had some great cornerbacks, with Swiney and Ralph (Brown) and all of those guys," said Craver, who leads NU with 11 pass breakups. "It got me the chance to get on the field early and play a lot, so I think it's really helped for guys like Lornell and Pat, so when it's their time to hold it down at the cornerback spots, they'll be used to it with the experience they've gotten at nickel back."

Ricketts, who played in 10 games last year but already has more tackles this season through seven games, agreed his extra playing time has helped.

"You can't replace game experience," said Ricketts, who has 19 tackles and three pass breakups.

Added Swiney: "It's a tremendous benefit for those guys to start out at that position. It gets them the feel of the game, the feel for how it works out there."

Swiney points out, though, that playing the normal outside cornerback position differs from covering inside receivers, "because you're off of them all of the time, and our scheme is normally press," he said.

"At corner, you're mainly one-on-one with a person. Usually at a penny, you're probably covering two guys. You've got to watch three guys, maybe. You're like a zone player but a man at the same time. As a corner, we sort of have it simple, compared to the penny and nickel guys."

Swiney also admitted that playing backup right cornerback to DeJuan Groce, along with playing the penny back, has broadened his horizons, making him a better, all-around player who's able to cover both on and off receivers.

* * *

While understanding the different packages apparently doesn't cause many brain cramps among players and coaches, implementing the coverages creates more challenges.

Darlington and other coaches sit in the press box, looking for jersey numbers in the opponent's offensive huddle. That indicates what personnel NU needs to defend, and coaches relay the information to graduate assistant coach Jimmy Burrow. He's on the sideline with Ricketts, McPherson and Swiney stuck to his side.

"They have to be right there," Darlington said, "and when Coach Burrow yells one of those terms, they'd better be moving."

But when offenses huddle on the sideline (beginning of the game, after timeouts), that makes it virtually impossible for NU coaches to determine possible formations. The solution? Coaches send as many as 13 players onto the field, then quickly usher two of them off after seeing what formation they're up against.

"It was comical when early in the year, people were saying on the call-in shows, 'Well, I'm sure Nebraska had 13 men on the field. That's terrible. That's stupid. What are they doing?' " Darlington said. "Well, of course we had a rhyme for our reason."

Darlington said not having the defense huddle - a practice NU's using for the second straight season - also allows more time for making calls, meaning coaches are more confident they're able to implement the correct players for specific defenses.

The system isn't perfect, though. Occasionally coaches will make a mistake, and they'll suddenly see a 175-pound player line up on a 250-pound tight end, or sometimes vice-versa. To make sure players don't panic in such situations, coaches actually practice such mismatches during the week.

* * *

Professional teams have used this system for years, and Nebraska's borrowed it to some extent, using it some years more than others, depending on the type of personnel within the program.

"There were times in the mid-90s where we didn't go through all of this elaborate substitution for the simple reason that we had people that were defensive back type players," Darlington said, "so there was no reason to put a defensive back in the game."

Darlington points to players like Jamel Williams, a letterman from 1994-96. Williams played SAM linebacker, but at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he was athletic enough to also cover receivers when opponents spread the field, meaning NU didn't need a nickel back.

Williams, who finished his career with four pass breakups and four interceptions, was drafted by the Washington Redskins and played safety.

There's also Eric Johnson, a WILL linebacker who played in the secondary for the Oakland Raiders. Coaches didn't need to replace him with a dime back, just like they didn't need to replace WILL linebacker Terrell Farley, who effectively covered receivers, recording seven pass breakups and three interceptions in his career.

And Darlington said Nebraska had never substituted a penny for a rover until last year, when coaches inserted a penny back at halftime of the Iowa State game. The Huskers had been used to players like Mike Minter and Mike Brown and their exceptional coverage ability.

* * *

So what's changed?

Nebraska's personnel is simply different this season. Players seem to be more specialized in their positions. Shanle, for example, has displayed his prowess at SAM linebacker. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, he's fifth on the team with 32 tackles, including five for loss, and has five pass breakups, those coming while covering the tight end.

But he's not a defensive back. In the same sense, no one expects McPherson (5-9, 175) to line up at Shanle's position, either. Same for WILL linebacker Mark Vedral and Ricketts, and rover Philip Bland and Swiney.

The system appears to be working well. The result is a pass defense that ranks ninth in the country at 159.7 yards per game and first in pass efficiency with a 76.47 rating.