girlknowsfootball
Starter
We all know Taylor Martinez has the experience, the athleticism, and the Hype going into 2011. As a freshman he almost became one of the 4 highest rushing QB's in all time NCAA history. He showed glimpses of passing skills in the Oklahoma State Game. It's not going to be a suprise if Taylor wins the starting job in 2011... however!!
Tim Beck recently stated that the #1 attribute his starting quarterback will have is leadership. He wants a guy who has the respect of the team, who can lead the huddle, works hard, etc. Now here's where we question Taylor. There were rumors flying around last season everywhere that Taylor was not a leader for that offense. During the Texas a&m game, when Taylor got hurt, team members were frustrated. Several guys said Taylor lacked toughness, anytime he got hurt a little bit he took himself out of games. The kid didn't play well through injury. Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.
If there would have just been 1 or 2 reports of incidences that occured with Taylor then I wouldn't be talking here. But there were reports, and reports, and reports, it seemed like there was always some type of drama with this super talented guy last year. And you can't deny the sheer number of them.
So that brings me back to my first point... We know Taylor is talented but is he a leader who is well respected by his team. I do not believe at this point, that he is. So who's going to get the start? Cody Green is absolutely a leader and a team player but he does not have the foot speed to excel in the new offense and his passing skills are not quite there. Brion Carnes had rave reviews on the scout team... he has the foot speed, and appears to have the leadership, he was quoted by players as the second best passer on the team. But Brion doesn't have experience, he's very young learning a brand new system, and he needed to add several pounds of muscle to be durable enough at this level. Jamal Turner has already earned the respect of his teammates according to Beck. He's an extremely hard worker and athletic as promised, he's extremely mature for his age and has a spring camp jump going into fall. But Jamal is small... needs to add weight, doesn't have the passing skills quite yet, and is so young.
So who will start for Nebraska in 2011? Does Beck go with the experience and talent or the lack of experience and leadership? Based on what he has stated so far I would not be surprised if Taylor doesn't get the start. IF he is truly not respected by teammates then it would be suicide for Beck to start him, even if he has the most talent on the team. IF Taylor is not respected, Beck would be better to start a Carnes or a Green or a Turner with no experience... There are a lot of situations that could play out... a lot of time for things to change... but one thing I know here,
He who starts will be He who Leads with utmost respect.
Tim Beck recently stated that the #1 attribute his starting quarterback will have is leadership. He wants a guy who has the respect of the team, who can lead the huddle, works hard, etc. Now here's where we question Taylor. There were rumors flying around last season everywhere that Taylor was not a leader for that offense. During the Texas a&m game, when Taylor got hurt, team members were frustrated. Several guys said Taylor lacked toughness, anytime he got hurt a little bit he took himself out of games. The kid didn't play well through injury. Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.
If there would have just been 1 or 2 reports of incidences that occured with Taylor then I wouldn't be talking here. But there were reports, and reports, and reports, it seemed like there was always some type of drama with this super talented guy last year. And you can't deny the sheer number of them.
So that brings me back to my first point... We know Taylor is talented but is he a leader who is well respected by his team. I do not believe at this point, that he is. So who's going to get the start? Cody Green is absolutely a leader and a team player but he does not have the foot speed to excel in the new offense and his passing skills are not quite there. Brion Carnes had rave reviews on the scout team... he has the foot speed, and appears to have the leadership, he was quoted by players as the second best passer on the team. But Brion doesn't have experience, he's very young learning a brand new system, and he needed to add several pounds of muscle to be durable enough at this level. Jamal Turner has already earned the respect of his teammates according to Beck. He's an extremely hard worker and athletic as promised, he's extremely mature for his age and has a spring camp jump going into fall. But Jamal is small... needs to add weight, doesn't have the passing skills quite yet, and is so young.
So who will start for Nebraska in 2011? Does Beck go with the experience and talent or the lack of experience and leadership? Based on what he has stated so far I would not be surprised if Taylor doesn't get the start. IF he is truly not respected by teammates then it would be suicide for Beck to start him, even if he has the most talent on the team. IF Taylor is not respected, Beck would be better to start a Carnes or a Green or a Turner with no experience... There are a lot of situations that could play out... a lot of time for things to change... but one thing I know here,
He who starts will be He who Leads with utmost respect.