What we learned this week

[robsker]

We learned just how awful this team can be. They have serious preparation and motivation problems. We are not a good team and somethings simply have to change.

Yet we also know how GOOD this team can be. We've see what we can do when we are prepared and motivated (i.e. MSU) We are a good team but we are an inconsistent team. I think that's what is so frustrating (at least to me it is) If we were not a good team we wouldn't be 8-3 right now. But I totally agree with you in that some things simply have to change and I think one of them has to be to get better talent and coaching on the O-line for starters.

I have no idea how good this team could be based on anything they have actually done as a team in a game thus far. I have witnessed some sporadic instances of great individual effort which leads me to believe those instances could be brought together into a full team effort but, I have not yet once seen a complete full team effort. Second half tOSU or MSU were probably the closest things but if you watch that very carefully, you will begin to see how painfully inept MSU really was. Beating an otherwise good team on their worst day does not mean you played a good game. Our offense is highly inconsistent, our defense is just plain bad, and special teams has been steadily declining and found the bottom this past week. I am certain the skill is there (with the exception of either line). The things that are missing have to be preparation, motivation, and focus. I like Bo, I really do and I don't think yet is the time to call for his head but those 3 items are his baby and his alone. I really feel something happened internally that coincides with Bo's sideline behavior change and Taylor now running like he's afraid he'll get hurt. This team has lost their aggressiveness and I am not sure why. It's like they have all become eunics with very few sporadic exceptions.

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

Interestingly, back when TMart was considered a running QB --- pre-injury last season, announcers on a 1/2 dozen occasions projected into the future anticipating the great running QB game of the future w/ TMart/NU vs. Robinson/Michigan. Now, when the game came to be... the announcers in the game, to my recollection, never referred to TMart as a running threat (or did they?) --- the only comments I recall were how Robinson can hurt you with his feet (but not TMart). Essentially, TMart as a running threat has evaporated into almost nothingness. If you take TMart against conference competition last year and as well against conference competition this year --- has he hurt anyone with his feet? He has averaged what --- 3.0 yards a carry or so? Is he really a running threat anymore? In fact, he is one of the easier QB's to sack --- he almost runs into the defenders. Seems odd... I guess he is still fast, but what have his legs produced against conference competition? Is he really still a running threat?

 

[knapplc]

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

That couldn't be more irrelevant to this season.

 

[robsker]

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

That couldn't be more irrelevant to this season.

Really? The post I responded to questioned whether this (running with fear of contact/lack of aggression) is the case now. My comment was simply that at seasons close last year (the bowl game) the impression held by our opponents was that this was the case. I suppose you assert that it is not so relevant now because you are assuming that TMart is further removed from his injury than he was then... which may be. Or, perhaps that which the poster surmises is maybe the case now is precisely what our opponents posited then and may still be the case. In any event, do you have a better explanation for how it is that TMart has been, essentially, a non-factor in the running game here in the B10?

 

[NUance]

we have a real problem playing from behind.

You thing *we* have a problem coming from behind. LINK

 

[sd'sker]

we have a real problem playing from behind.

You thing *we* have a problem coming from behind. LINK

that was a link within a link and i went too deep.

 

[knapplc]

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

That couldn't be more irrelevant to this season.

Really? The post I responded to questioned whether this (running with fear of contact/lack of aggression) is the case now. My comment was simply that at seasons close last year (the bowl game) the impression held by our opponents was that this was the case. I suppose you assert that it is not so relevant now because you are assuming that TMart is further removed from his injury than he was then... which may be. Or, perhaps that which the poster surmises is maybe the case now is precisely what our opponents posited then and may still be the case. In any event, do you have a better explanation for how it is that TMart has been, essentially, a non-factor in the running game here in the B10?

Really really. You're talking about an injury a year old, a game played nearly a year ago.

Further, Taylor is not only NOT a "non-factor" in the running game in the Big Ten, he's #8 in the conference in rushing yards. Rex is #4. The numbers don't support that allegation.

 

[robsker]

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

That couldn't be more irrelevant to this season.

Really? The post I responded to questioned whether this (running with fear of contact/lack of aggression) is the case now. My comment was simply that at seasons close last year (the bowl game) the impression held by our opponents was that this was the case. I suppose you assert that it is not so relevant now because you are assuming that TMart is further removed from his injury than he was then... which may be. Or, perhaps that which the poster surmises is maybe the case now is precisely what our opponents posited then and may still be the case. In any event, do you have a better explanation for how it is that TMart has been, essentially, a non-factor in the running game here in the B10?

Really really. You're talking about an injury a year old, a game played nearly a year ago.

Further, Taylor is not only NOT a "non-factor" in the running game in the Big Ten, he's #8 in the conference in rushing yards. Rex is #4. The numbers don't support that allegation.

There was no allegation stated. There was, however, a question with an inference...

The question was " If you take TMart against conference competition last year and as well against conference competition this year --- has he hurt anyone with his feet?" I did not ask if he had a amassed a good number of yards with many carries and had good numbers in the "pre-season" --- I asked if his running has hurt the opposition in any conference games this season or last --- in a way that changed a game (akin to what Robinson has routinely done).

I referenced Robinson... who clearly has hurt other teams by extending drives and making plays where there is little there to gain... but because of his running ability he changed the game. My inference (not an allegation) is that TMart has not overly impacted any conference-level competition with his making plays with his legs. That is, TMart has not changed the course of games with his running --- when it counted against the big boys in conference. this is the hallmark of a good running QB. So I ask, by that metric, is TMart really that much of a running threat? I found it odd that the announcers --- people who live on embellishing things, did not mention TMart as a running threat (or, if they did, i missed it).

The point is simple... we sort of live with the less-than-stellar passing of TMart largely banking upon his running ability compensating for (or more than compensating for) the limited passing ability. It does not seem, however, that his running has at all been of the game-changing sort --- at least not in conference play.

 

[ladyhawke]

We learned just how awful this team can be. They have serious preparation and motivation problems. We are not a good team and somethings simply have to change.

Yet we also know how GOOD this team can be. We've see what we can do when we are prepared and motivated (i.e. MSU) We are a good team but we are an inconsistent team. I think that's what is so frustrating (at least to me it is) If we were not a good team we wouldn't be 8-3 right now. But I totally agree with you in that some things simply have to change and I think one of them has to be to get better talent and coaching on the O-line for starters.

I have no idea how good this team could be based on anything they have actually done as a team in a game thus far. I have witnessed some sporadic instances of great individual effort which leads me to believe those instances could be brought together into a full team effort but, I have not yet once seen a complete full team effort. Second half tOSU or MSU were probably the closest things but if you watch that very carefully, you will begin to see how painfully inept MSU really was. Beating an otherwise good team on their worst day does not mean you played a good game. Our offense is highly inconsistent, our defense is just plain bad, and special teams has been steadily declining and found the bottom this past week. I am certain the skill is there (with the exception of either line). The things that are missing have to be preparation, motivation, and focus. I like Bo, I really do and I don't think yet is the time to call for his head but those 3 items are his baby and his alone. I really feel something happened internally that coincides with Bo's sideline behavior change and Taylor now running like he's afraid he'll get hurt. This team has lost their aggressiveness and I am not sure why. It's like they have all become eunics with very few sporadic exceptions.

I totally agree with you. I was talking with someone else about Bo's behavior earlier today. It's like he's been whipped or something. I liked the old Bo better. I don't care if he yelled at his players from time to time, lots of coaches do that and the players are used to it. I miss his passion. I don't like vanilla Bo I want spicy Bo back!!

 

[knapplc]

The point is simple... we sort of live with the less-than-stellar passing of TMart largely banking upon his running ability compensating for (or more than compensating for) the limited passing ability. It does not seem, however, that his running has at all been of the game-changing sort --- at least not in conference play.

Whatever semantic debate you want to engage in regarding the difference between an allegation and an inference - knock yourself out. I'm not interested, and whatever definition of the choice of phrase you want to use is groovy.

Is Martinez being asked to win the game with his feet in conference play? I'm not seeing that.

 

[JJ Husker]

Your comment on Taylor running like he is afraid to get hurt recalls for me my running into a Washington defensive player after the bowl game last year in San Diego where he said that their coaches and their team saw that on film, if TMart is hit hard once or twice in a game, he is done --- he will be hesitant and ineffective from that point forward. They were not at all concerned about his running.

That couldn't be more irrelevant to this season.

Really? The post I responded to questioned whether this (running with fear of contact/lack of aggression) is the case now. My comment was simply that at seasons close last year (the bowl game) the impression held by our opponents was that this was the case. I suppose you assert that it is not so relevant now because you are assuming that TMart is further removed from his injury than he was then... which may be. Or, perhaps that which the poster surmises is maybe the case now is precisely what our opponents posited then and may still be the case. In any event, do you have a better explanation for how it is that TMart has been, essentially, a non-factor in the running game here in the B10?

Really really. You're talking about an injury a year old, a game played nearly a year ago.

Further, Taylor is not only NOT a "non-factor" in the running game in the Big Ten, he's #8 in the conference in rushing yards. Rex is #4. The numbers don't support that allegation.

My post about Taylor running like he is afraid was not meant to imply that his running is necessarily the problem. I listed it as an example of how tentative our whole team seems to be playing. I know he has been instructed to run out of bounds or to slide rather than take the big shot. I am just not sure why they haven't decided, at this point, why it might not be better for him to run like he used to and to hell with the possiblity of injury. My personal opinion is that he is more likely to get hurt going about it half-assed rather than running with a purpose. They apparently have absolutely no confidence in Carnes running the offense. My point was that the whole team seems to be following the lead of Taylor and Bo and playing (or chewing out refs) at less than 100% balls out effort. Why? I have no idea.