In the sporting realm, you often hear the word “dog” tossed around to help describe athletes.
As in, so-and-so is a "dog," or so-and-so has a "dog mentality."
It’s almost always a compliment. Truth be told, the meaning is borderline self-explanatory.
Even so, I asked Nebraska secondary coach Travis Fisher — who uses "dog" frequently — exactly what it means in his world.
His answer was illuminating, and in some ways beautiful.
“It’s whatever separates yourself from somebody else,” says Fisher, 42, who played cornerback in the NFL for eight seasons, essentially six as a full-time starter.