Taylor Martinez bleeds Husker Red....
- Thread starter Chaddyboxer
- Start date
husker_hurdler
Special Teams Player
I believe that Cody and Zac would have led us to 10-3 type seasons as well this year.
funny how some are ready to throw TM under the bus, but still support Cody Green and he can't pass gas, let alone a football! you guys are hysterical.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
Zac being a Senior, Cody a Sophomore and Taylor a Redshirt Freshman, that statement probably doesn't say what you meant to say.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
Cody and Zac are different kinds of players. Taylor's abilities won us some games the others may not have...while Zac's stability may have won us a couple that we didn't.
All in all it's about a push I would say. If we had started Zac all year and he stayed healthy, we might also be 10-3 give or take one game, so it's hard to criticize starting Taylor, as we have done very well this year - including being extremely close in every one of our losses.
All in all it's about a push I would say. If we had started Zac all year and he stayed healthy, we might also be 10-3 give or take one game, so it's hard to criticize starting Taylor, as we have done very well this year - including being extremely close in every one of our losses.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
Then it's not a push. Martinez got a year of starting experience this year, so instead of starting Zac and still going 10-3, we get the same results out of Taylor, yet have a more seasoned QB heading into next year rather than starting from scratch. Almost any way you look at it, we're ahead of the game.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
It's a push because I think Zac could have given us a much better shot in the CCG. Now that might be a big difference...and Taylor would have gotten experience regardless in a Wildcat package, while being afforded space to sit back and develop more, in addition to being shielded from public scrutiny. We'd love him as a utility player who would have an offseason to really grow into a QB, rather than the case now where people are seeing Taylor's negatives and saying he's no good.
Also, when you have a senior that's given to this program his heart and soul, battling through injury, and who gives you at LEAST the same shot as the freshman - I don't feel great about casting him aside. It is a moot point since Lee got injured so who knows what would have happened, and I know people won't like me saying that, but you can imagine if Taylor starts the next two years and then a small group of fans start calling for some hotshot freshman recruit to replace him when he's a senior. I think most would be up in arms and say that the freshman's time will come, and he should pay his dues on the team and learn from the bench first. Just my opinion on that one though.
Also, when you have a senior that's given to this program his heart and soul, battling through injury, and who gives you at LEAST the same shot as the freshman - I don't feel great about casting him aside. It is a moot point since Lee got injured so who knows what would have happened, and I know people won't like me saying that, but you can imagine if Taylor starts the next two years and then a small group of fans start calling for some hotshot freshman recruit to replace him when he's a senior. I think most would be up in arms and say that the freshman's time will come, and he should pay his dues on the team and learn from the bench first. Just my opinion on that one though.
knapplc
International Man of Mystery
I doubt Zac would have been much better in the CCG considering the fact that his primary weapon - his arm - is darned near useless right now. He's less of a passing threat at this moment than Taylor, so how Zac would have been better is a complete mystery - unless you're talking about a healthy, uninjured Zac, at which point we get to have a healthy Taylor (playing the "what if?" game).
Again, we are ahead - not a wash - because Taylor got that year of experience running the show. Part-time play here and there gets you 2010 Cody Green. Next year we won't have 2010 Cody Green running the show, we'll have a second-year starter.
I know you like to hitch your wagon to a guy and support him 'til the bitter end, but the argument in favor of starting Taylor is far stronger. He was a better playmaker as a Freshman than Lee was as a Senior. He now has a year's experience at top level game speed to draw on next year rather than starting from scratch with what will likely be one of the toughest schedules we've faced in 15 years. Walking into 2011 with Green having next to no game experience (had Zac started all year) and/or with Taylor having next to no game experience, we're in the same pickle against that ridiculous schedule as we were this year against our relatively easy schedule.
With Zac starting this year we're still 10-3 at this point, so what good does that do us? The invaluable experience Taylor gained is the true asset to this team for the future.
zoogs
Assistant Coach
That's why I consider it mostly a moot point because Zac got injured 
It was a food for thought argument, thinking back to the start of the year before anyone was injured. We are talking about if Zac could have been a better choice to start the entire season, are we not?
Green did not give you part time play Knapp. Green was thrown into the fire and was the #2. He had to prepare for starting duties as he was next in line, and he took starting duties twice in the year. I think it was something that negatively impacted his development.
Taylor got experience under the media lights, the public eye, this year and that is valuable to an extent. He also got a lot of live action experience, but I think it's a little similar to being thrown into the fire. The issue is similar to Green needing a redshirt, because of how raw Taylor is and how new he is to the quarterbacking position. Being able to take it slow at first and sit and learn, instead of baptism by fire, also has its value. Taylor has issues to fix that go far beyond anything that could be addressed this year in a live bullets season, and I wonder if those aren't things he could have picked up a little better by watching and learning from the sidelines, while at the same time getting the 15-20 snaps a game that would give him live action experience regardless. Green would be #2 in this scenario.
Instead, now Taylor has a year where he was exposed to a ton of media and fan scrutiny and a lot of it has been bad. He hasn't had the proper time to develop in the areas where he needs to and a lot of fans have already made up their mind about him. Looking at all of this, I think the "Taylor Wildcat" plan would have been more beneficial from these standpoints. But you have a strong argument too. But it isn't a guarantee and I don't think it ever was that Taylor would start next year, or for the next three years. If he doesn't start next year, was it all for naught?
The bottom line argument I can see. But I do think again, that Zac could have given us 10-3 or more, because of things like not ever being a total liability in a game. And there's the useless fluffy argument that it's just wrong to cast aside your seniors like that when they can be at least as good. I'm not sure that's a strong argument, but I do see a "how the team is run/locker room/leadership" angle to this. I won't really argue on it any more though as I am pretty happy with Bo's decision to start Taylor, in the end. And Zac being made of glass makes the whole discussion specifically moot. The next time there is a comparable situation though, I would probably still be on the side of the steady senior, whoever that might be.
It was a food for thought argument, thinking back to the start of the year before anyone was injured. We are talking about if Zac could have been a better choice to start the entire season, are we not?Green did not give you part time play Knapp. Green was thrown into the fire and was the #2. He had to prepare for starting duties as he was next in line, and he took starting duties twice in the year. I think it was something that negatively impacted his development.
Taylor got experience under the media lights, the public eye, this year and that is valuable to an extent. He also got a lot of live action experience, but I think it's a little similar to being thrown into the fire. The issue is similar to Green needing a redshirt, because of how raw Taylor is and how new he is to the quarterbacking position. Being able to take it slow at first and sit and learn, instead of baptism by fire, also has its value. Taylor has issues to fix that go far beyond anything that could be addressed this year in a live bullets season, and I wonder if those aren't things he could have picked up a little better by watching and learning from the sidelines, while at the same time getting the 15-20 snaps a game that would give him live action experience regardless. Green would be #2 in this scenario.
Instead, now Taylor has a year where he was exposed to a ton of media and fan scrutiny and a lot of it has been bad. He hasn't had the proper time to develop in the areas where he needs to and a lot of fans have already made up their mind about him. Looking at all of this, I think the "Taylor Wildcat" plan would have been more beneficial from these standpoints. But you have a strong argument too. But it isn't a guarantee and I don't think it ever was that Taylor would start next year, or for the next three years. If he doesn't start next year, was it all for naught?
The bottom line argument I can see. But I do think again, that Zac could have given us 10-3 or more, because of things like not ever being a total liability in a game. And there's the useless fluffy argument that it's just wrong to cast aside your seniors like that when they can be at least as good. I'm not sure that's a strong argument, but I do see a "how the team is run/locker room/leadership" angle to this. I won't really argue on it any more though as I am pretty happy with Bo's decision to start Taylor, in the end. And Zac being made of glass makes the whole discussion specifically moot. The next time there is a comparable situation though, I would probably still be on the side of the steady senior, whoever that might be.
Taylor was no better as a quarterback on Saturday as he was at the beginning of the year, if anything, playing him hurt had a negative effect on his "experience". Allowing him to play when he pulled the stunt that he did sent a clear message to the team that there is a set of rules for Taylor that is different than the rest of the squad. Trial by fire is NOT always the best way to gain experience, it would have been better for Taylor if he could have had his specific packages and spent the year developing his skills and studying film, as well as maturing to where he's actually ready to be a leader of the team. Go back and watch the tape from the other night, watch how the rest of the offense interacts with Taylor, watch Mike McNeill rip into Taylor and Taylor basically not care.
If we gave Zac Lee the reigns in August we would have seen a very similar offense to our 2008 squad, Taylor could have ran the wildcat and got a series or two a game and we would have done great, and IMO would have had a better chance at winning the CCG. Literally in the 4th quarter OU was defending the equivalent of a high school offense as non-dimensional as it was. Martinez looked like what he was, a kid in only his 3rd year at QB that was gimpy and unprepared to face OU.
But to me, the most frustrating thing is the way that Bo handled the QB situation with Lee and Green makes me nervous for next year. The way Cody was treated I wouldn't blame him one bit for transferring, then we're stuck with an undersized redshirt freshman, a kid who doesn't fit the system coming off 2 ACL tears, a walk on that doesn't fit the system and then two freshmen, one that probably won't ever step on campus. I hope that Cody stays and that the coaching staff shows that they want him here, because despite some struggles, it's a steep drop off behind him and Martinez won't stay healthy all year most likely.
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BornRedCornFed
Five-Star Recruit
i find it ironic that people jump all over rumors of this kid transferring but discard rumors about this kids heart and determination without sufficient evidence
bshirt
Banned
Proof?
He's an outrageous talent and you have "zero" proof he's a head case. Just because you can type insulting things about a player from your Mom's computer doesn't make it true.
To be fair, you have zero proof that he is NOT one.
The media has definitely questioned it, enough people that know the program have mentioned it (even before he started a single game) and a former player has come out and said it.
Just because Taylor has maturity issues doesn't mean he's not a nice kid in general, but he has a long ways to go to be a good teamate and leader.
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