Huskers Land Texas Transfer QB Casey Thompson

This addition, along with other skill players are exciting and positive changes for next year.  However, the O line remains the area where I believe we need the biggest improvement on offense.  If they remain as bad as they were this last year, the addition of Thompson will result in limited improvement.  

I believe we have added some guys (along with the new coach) that gives them a chance to be a lot better.  But, they have to put it together on the field.

 
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Husker03 said:
I don't see anybody necessarily saying they guarantee the team will be good with Casey at the helm, but you can see the upgrade in reading and releasing a good ball pretty easily on film. He will be worse at scrambling than AM.  I mean, you can SEE differences, that doesn't mean he needs games in an NU uni to see that.. If you can't see that sacrificing scrambling ability for quicker reads and less time in a pocket will be a net benefit in this offense, then I am not sure what I could ever say to convince you. He also isn't scared to throw to a spot where his guy can make a catch. One of my frustrations with AM was he couldn't do that, he wanted his guys to be far and away open and his guys weren't good enough to be that often and quickly enough to match with his processing speed.  Without getting too crazy, this will be the best the QB/offense scheme match we've had at NU since Crouch. 

Now, the team could still be bad. But the offense finally gets a legit chance to look like what we were promised in 2018. 
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Maybe but I’m pointing out that tenor of comments is that even with all the changes, the new and improved Frost-O will not be what we need because even Thompson is not good enough so the excuses will continue.  Not my view - just the tone and tenor of those who were so enthusiastic about Thompson.  
Fwiw, I think Thompson will be much better than AM in the intangibles (the ‘it factor” if you like).  Comparable athletically but a better QB for whatever immeasurable reasons - just a hunch on my part.  He has to show us but I like him the best of all the recruits in the portal that I saw much about - not that many.  

 
84HuskerLaw said:
Maybe but I’m pointing out that tenor of comments is that even with all the changes, the new and improved Frost-O will not be what we need because even Thompson is not good enough so the excuses will continue.
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That's because so many fans are too lazy with their opinions to realize that even 2AM would have been good enough to have a pretty dang good record if the team around him were playing up to the level needed.  Specifically, the O line and ST.

Thompson is good enough to be very successful here.  But, if those two areas don't improve, the team won't be successful and many fans will fall back with...."See, Thompson wasn't that good either."

 
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Bad2theBONES said:
Our line wasn’t good. But Adrian has an obvious inability to step up into the pocket when it is there. He doesn’t step into many throws as he always reverts to his instinct of bailing on the pocket (play) and throwing off of his back foot. This causes many of his passes to be inaccurate and even short which results in too many interceptions and broken plays. Sometimes he would bust an impressive long play. But the higher percentage of times it hurt us. Casey’s pocket presence is lightyears ahead of Martinez which should make us all hopeful. 
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Not comparing qbs.  I just said our line was awful, which is a fact.  

 
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BigRedBuster said:
That's because so many fans are too lazy with their opinions to realize that even 2AM would have been good enough to have a pretty dang good record if the ream around him were playing up to the level needed.  Specifically, the O line and ST.

Thompson is good enough to be very successful here.  But, if those two areas don't improve, the team won't be successful and many fans will fall back with...."See, Thompson wasn't that good either."
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Agree.  I find it almost impossible to believe, at this point in time, that the level of play in STs, O line, WRs, and even RBs won’t be markedly better.  

Just a guess but we should be middle of the Big Ten in STs in 2022.  At least good enough that STs won’t be an excuse for a losing season yet again.  Of course, I naively thought that last year too!  Frost has to know better now certainly that token changes or one or two ‘specialists’ won’t work. It’s teams.   The coaches he’s hiring know this already and won’t be afraid to tell Frost directly - repeatedly if need be.  
 

O line is different to fix that STs for sure.  But I don’t accept that O line, in and of itself, was THE PROBLEM.  It was very below average but I believe the talent is sufficient to be competitive in the Big Ten west.  Not better but decent.  Whipple can find a way to win 8 games with what he will have come fall camp. IF, that is, Frost will allow schematic and other mods to make the best of a not very good situation.  G Austin was not THAT bad for 6 straight years under Frost’s supervision.  Frost didn’t and still doesn’t believe it has been mostly O line play all along.  He would have recruited much more and made coach changes sooner.  The revolving doors were at WRs and RBs suggesting Frost blamed those spots largely.  We’re fixing those, hopefully. 

 
84HuskerLaw said:
It is interesting the near euphoric response to the Thompson addition is migrating towards similar excuse making as to his play at Texas. Already - Texas Online as bad as Nebraska’s.  
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I wouldn't call it an excuse since he was playing as well as any QB in the nation behind that line (kind of the opposite of an excuse), up until the hand injury anyway.  Which did seem to impact how well he threw the ball.  You can call that an excuse, but I'd say an valid one.

Can you imagine even grasping a football with an injury like this?

FFp3dlBXoAQY_BU.jpeg

 
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The Dude said:
I wouldn't call it an excuse since he was playing as well as any QB in the nation behind that line, up until the hand injury anyway.  Which did seem to impact how well he threw the ball.  You can call that an excuse, but I'd say an valid one.

Can you imagine even grasping a football with an injury like this?

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I can.  I broke my thumb...  Ran across the bottom knuckle.  Broke it getting smashed between two helmets.   I couldn't hold a football normally without lots of pain.  Just used to tape it down to my hand.  luckily I played defense.  But played QB in HS and any injury to your hand does not help in holding a football.  Unless maybe you have Giant hands but he is about my size so I doubt he has big meat hooks.  Doesn't look like it from this pic anyway

 
Some good info on Casey's ability to operate under pressure in this article.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hookemheadlines.com/2022/01/06/1-thing-casey-thompson-did-really-well-that-texas-will-miss/amp/

"Thompson led the Big 12 in 2021 in terms of passing touchdowns,  quarterback rating, first downs, and was third in passing yards when he had less than 2.5 seconds to throw the ball. He registered 19 passing touchdowns, just two interceptions, more than 1,000 passing yards, and more than two-dozen first downs when he had less than 2.5 seconds to get rid of the football."

 
The Dude said:
Some good info on Casey's ability to operate under pressure in this article.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hookemheadlines.com/2022/01/06/1-thing-casey-thompson-did-really-well-that-texas-will-miss/amp/

"Thompson led the Big 12 in 2021 in terms of passing touchdowns,  quarterback rating, first downs, and was third in passing yards when he had less than 2.5 seconds to throw the ball. He registered 19 passing touchdowns, just two interceptions, more than 1,000 passing yards, and more than two-dozen first downs when he had less than 2.5 seconds to get rid of the football."
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Now if he can just maintain that efficiency at 1.5 seconds we might have something  :lol:

 
The Dude said:
That's pretty much what he had (1.71) per the article.
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What is the number for Adrian in each of his 4 years?   If the number is known and easily found?   Might indicate prospects for next fall.
Just rewatching some highlights, AM had adequate time some of the times, especially when the defense was not able to pin their ears back and just go at him.  Sorry but I don’t have the time to search myself at this point. 

 
BigRedBuster said:
This addition, along with other skill players are exciting and positive changes for next year.  However, the O line remains the area where I believe we need the biggest improvement on offense.  If they remain as bad as they were this last year, the addition of Thompson will result in limited improvement.  

I believe we have added some guys (along with the new coach) that gives them a chance to be a lot better.  But, they have to put it together on the field.
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The addition of Thompson throwing the ball on time will help the offense in general and the offensive line in particular. 

 
Archy1221 said:
The addition of Thompson throwing the ball on time will help the offense in general and the offensive line in particular. 
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Agreed.  I'm expecting Joseph (and Whipple) to help with more efficient WR routes.  Some of the problems, in addition to slow decision making, and late throws, I feel were slow crossing routes (short mid range).  Thompson will get rid of quick, but we could use better routes imo.

 
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