Knoxville Husker

I'm not convinced RK3 is a better passer either. I think a lot of people will be surprised by TA throwing ability. His tape in HS is no joke. Yeah this isn't HS but man can he put the ball in tight spots. I love how he can throw on the run, too. Something Martinez isn't good at. If Taylor does throw on the run, more than likely if he hits the receiver, the receiver always falls down. And his name is ARM-STRONG, for crying out loud what a great QB name! TOMMY ARM-STRONG! Does it get and any better than that for an NU quarterback name? I know what's up though, folks are being pessimistic to insulate themselves against any potential let down. I get it.

The things that stood out to me about the TA film was arm strength with touch and yes he can also buy time and throw on the move. Those are big time limitations with TM. TM can gun the ball, but he throws poorly on the move and does not handle pressure well. TA has the potential to me to throw a more catchable ball, turn busted plays into gains, and failing all that game manage the ball down the field in old school option grind it out style. Yes I am licking my chops to see what he can do if given the start...

Yes there is, WIN!

The reason I advocate TA is I think he has the running skills to take our offense on long time consuming drives. That is what our young defense needs right now more than anything. I'm also not convinced that RK III is a better passer than TA. I am very excited that TA is the favorite to start, probably the most I've been heading into a Husker game in several years. I felt by 2011 we'd reached our ceiling with TM at the helm.

Unfortunately we are at a stage where ALL personal foul penalties need to be reviewed and reversible. Those are much too hard to call in real time due to the speed of the game. The current rule is targeting is an ejection, which can be overturned upon review but not the penalty. Anyone else think that is stupid, given the huge growth in protective penalties? Yes and no. I agree with protecting the players, but think we have to use more common sense in crafting these rules. In an abundance of caution reviewing all of these penalties sounds OK, but games are already three and a half, sometimes four hours. That many more replays will kill the game. If the refs were capable of making the call with any degree of accuracy in real time, I would agree that the time spent would not be worth it. However, I factored that against the large impact of these calls before posting. At least give the coach a challenge option or something, its gotten way out of hand to where you can't even play defense anymore.

I wish I shared you optimism, but I'm not holding out much hope that TM can get us there. Very very faint hope. Snowballs' chance hope.

Unfortunately we are at a stage where ALL personal foul penalties need to be reviewed and reversible. Those are much too hard to call in real time due to the speed of the game. The current rule is targeting is an ejection, which can be overturned upon review but not the penalty. Anyone else think that is stupid, given the huge growth in protective penalties?

I think the other board to which you refer has gone overboard with some overaggressive mods and at times borderline (if not outright) censorship of posters. Also there are some infighting and grudges being held over their that have gone on for way too long and sets a bad tone. Another downside of the site I think you are talking about is extremely aggressive popup adds. With a good blocker that can be tolerable, but when porn popups start hitting my smartphone when I visit the site, I have to draw the line there and cross it off my list.

At least now we have some bulletin board material!

Thank you! I can't believe some of these posts and related logic. Always glad when a rational Husker fan speaks up. This is probably the same type of poster who would also say TM is the best guy even hurt. It's ok to disagree, but make some darn sense please! the coaches have gone to RKIII over Armstrong before. Rational and logical is not defined in terms of agreement with Knoxville Husker. Your logic makes no sense either. The coaches thankfully decided to preserve TA's redshirt, rather than waste it on the garbage time minutes RK III got last year. they have gone to RGIII and Armstrong this year. I advocate the other way... go with Armstrong. But... both have played a little this year and the question of the one over the other is legit as RKIII has been given minutes (as has Armstrong). Knoxville... grow up some man. It seems our main points of discussion are ones on which we agree, in particular what I stated: 1) Playing an injured mobile QB that needs the time to get healthy does not make sense. 2) Going with RK III as some sort of career loyalty award if TA is the better player makes little sense either. Those are both points I have seen offered by other posters, and sorry if you don't like the manner in which I took exception to those (in my opinion at least) clearly flawed takes. My perspective on this also related to who to go with to provide the best chance to win with the game on the line. I was not really correlating it to which QB got in first in garbage time against SMU.

Thank you! I can't believe some of these posts and related logic. Always glad when a rational Husker fan speaks up. This is probably the same type of poster who would also say TM is the best guy even hurt. It's ok to disagree, but make some darn sense please! the coaches have gone to RKIII over Armstrong before. Rational and logical is not defined in terms of agreement with Knoxville Husker. Your logic makes no sense either. The coaches thankfully decided to preserve TA's redshirt, rather than waste it on the garbage time minutes RK III got last year.

Yep, we've been good at beating up bad defenses and bad at playing against good defenses. It's boom or bust, and when it goes bad it's horrific.

Thank you! I can't believe some of these posts and related logic. Always glad when a rational Husker fan speaks up. This is probably the same type of poster who would also say TM is the best guy even hurt. It's ok to disagree, but make some darn sense please! I don't get the sentiment to start Tommy..Is it a fear that if we upset him, he'll transfer to NC State or Tulsa? Or is it just so some yahoos can start calling someone "Touchdown Tommy" again? I hope we get to see them both play and hopefully do well..But I really doubt Bo will want to do anything more than very vanilla.. So it won't make it any more difficult to put Taylor back in when he gets halfway healed...Maybe 15% healed. If Tommy really is the "Future of our Program", I really doubt a couple dozen fewer plays against the best Junior College team from a directional Dakota will really make that much difference. I also hope they get more than one series at a time to get into a proper rhythm Many are hoping the future is now and TA takes over for TM for good. TA was our highest rated QB recruit in a while, RK III is a walk on. Why wouldn't people expect TA to have more talent? What's wrong with that? Your post went awry quickly when you used the term "yahoos" to describe anyone excited to see TA play, that's pretty weak. TO learned in the 80s and 90s you don't sit talent even if young. If you want to keep your job by winning enough, you can't be afraid to play your young talent (e.g. Gill, Frazier, even TM at one time).

He's has some good games no doubt. We've seen his ceiling though, and its not a championship. If he comes back and proves me wrong great, but I'm ready to see someone play QB for us with a higher ceiling. Also I need to add here, the topic of discussion is who can get us the most wins. What TM has done in the past does not matter, its what can he do right now. That is the nature and beauty of sports, there is always the next season and guy. While it's "what have you done for me lately", its also a microcosm for the cycle of life.

I just remember he was decisive, some pump fake trickery, evidence of good timing, and that he likes to keep the ball and get upfield. The defense definitely seemed surprised by the play calling, but he needs some more playing time clearly to hit on all cylinders. In the mean time, he looked like a guy who can get you 4-5 yards any time you need it, and keep the chains moving and defense off the field.

Thank you! I can't believe some of these posts and related logic. Always glad when a rational Husker fan speaks up. This is probably the same type of poster who would also say TM is the best guy even hurt. It's ok to disagree, but make some darn sense please!

Tommy is my pick, I don't buy the logic that RK III has earned a loyalty reward, that sounds more like communism. Everyone seems convinced that RK III is a better passer, I'll believe it when I see it. Nobody seems to think RK is a runner, so easy choice here.

We have some folks in denial here.

I am a little too harsh to say his stats "stink", but NU career passing stats are absurdly low compared to most schools. Most of Martinez stats accumulated volume is solely due to longevity as a starter, not those being "great stats" by any stretch. It would take 9500 yards to even crack the NCAA career top 100. That does not sound like an all time great career to me. Those are mediocre passing stats when viewed nationally. 3000 rushing yards in a career, not bad for a QB at all! Too bad he can't run at all right now and really has trouble with good defenses, like those found on teams that might just be able to blow us out severely.

Well I am at least among the idiot fans that think BP should be accountable for his on field performance and not too thrilled with that area. This idea though that someone posting about wanting Bo gone on an Internet message board is destroying the program. Really?!? I have said all along Bo is his own worst enemy, and the "anti-Bo" crowd from what I have seen almost universally wants him to succeed. They are just calling it like they see it, this guy has not wowed anyone since being hired. Couple that with being a big-time you know what, and patience wears thin more quickly. At least here we were dredging up a problem that appears mostly corrected, though sometimes you just can't change who you are (we'll see).

I'm glad this was put to rest so we can concentrate on football again (and Bo's performance as a coach not as an immature loudmouth).

Sorry, I can't get too excited about 170 yards passing per game and 60 yards rushing. Combine that with his record # of turnovers, inconsistency, and epic fails in big games, and it stinks to be honest. Just because BP has blindly stuck with him even when hurt does not mean much to me. Finally we will see if that changes, a great (and yet another) litmus test for these coaches, most all of which they have failed up until now. I do care what you say, and appreciate that many NU fans want to defend TM to the end. I'm just calling it putting lipstick on a pig. I am fine with saying TM was one of our "greats" after the fact, but truthfully how many of us are not counting the days until that day comes privately and wishing it was sooner than later?

I think that is one of Martinez' biggest weaknesses. I also don't think he is our best QB. I would put that on Tommy right now. I bolded the even weirder part of the quote . This blind faith that TM is the only QB we can get remotely get ready to play kills me. For four years now, really? Time for these coaches to go then, for failing to have but only one game ready QB for 4 full years! That's unacceptable!

I completely agree. TA looks like a natural on the field thus far. If he doesn't start this weekend or get 90% of the snaps, Pelini needs to go. I like your style man! Why not hold BP fully accountable? And you even let me get away with calling Wyoming's a "top QB." Also before I am accused of attacking TM, for the record I love all the guts and effort this kid has given for NU. I'm just being a realist and my criticism is based only on his quality (or lack there)of play. There is no rationale reason why I would "have it in." for TM personally, I don't.

Let's examiner Martinez in our 13 losses since 2010. That's a larger sampling to review what went wrong and his quality of play. 2010: 4 losses, 52 total carries for 29 yards. 91 yards passing per game. This is a good example of what to expect from a gimpy Martinez. 2011: 4 losses, 64 carries for 200 yards, 176 yards passing per game, skewed by 289 yards against a NW defense that gave up 40 points per game. No other games (of the 4) over 200 yards passing, 3 ints against Michigan in blowout loss. 2012: 4 losses, 70 carries for 338 yards, just 3.8 yards per carry though excluding the 76 yard Wisconsin run. 195 yards passing per games, at a cost of 7 ints and 2 horrific blowouts. I will not mention his fumbles, though there have been plenty. I will mention his negative 13 yards rushing against UCLA though. Also over the 13 losses he averages not even 2.5 yards per carry, 2.8 with the 76-yard Wisky run. Howe often does TM do anything positive on a broken play though? I will be accused of cherry picking the games, but what else are we worried about but the blowout losses? I am just calling it like I see it, and the common them in our losses are his ineffective running, passing, and awful turnovers or drive-killing sacks and/or fumbles. Every once in a while in a loss he does just enough to have people say "TM was not the problem today," since more often than not the defense completely folds too. I know that distracts from the issue of the bad QB play. So what if TM can pile up stats on bad defenses? I think we all know the above is very far from the level needed to win a conference championship game. Playing a gimpy Martinez, we will be lucky to even get there again. Even when healthy, I find it hard to believe this is still our best QB.