knapplc

1:1 scale It's no wonder we lost to Texas! Our O Line isn't any bigger than our quarterback! Get those guys some steak and potatoes, stat!

Are those players to scale? Martinez isn't as big as Caputo, is he?

The bold cannot be understated, which makes the rest of this analysis suspect in the extreme. Because we've seen so little of 2010 Lee, the analysis below must necessarily be based on 1) eyewitness reports from practice, or 2) supposition. Even presuming #1 is the basis, that's still a practice situation, not live game. With no body of evidence to suggest Lee is markedly better in 2010 than he was in 2009, it's hard to take this with anything other than a grain of salt. Or two. Without something resembling verification, the italicized is conjecture. The rest can be mitigated by simplifying the passing game. We ran a very simplistic pass offense for about 17 years and had remarkable success, coupled with a strong run game. Won a couple-three championships doing it, too. Regardless of how well Martinez handled Texas' scheme, we were in position to win this game. Martinez' passing didn't lose this game for us, the passes that were placed in the hands of the receivers and subsequently dropped lost the game. Texas was able to commit the bulk of their defensive effort to stopping the run not because Martinez could not pass, but because our receivers could not/would not catch. That is the glaring bottom line of 10/16/2010. But this is unfair to Martinez. Lee could not have won the Texas game. Vince Ferragamo couldn't have won that game. Dave Humm couldn't have won that game. We could resurrect the dessicated bones of the best career Kurt Warner ever had with "The Greatest Show On Turf" in the heyday of the Rams, put that ability into the body of Taylor Martinez (or Zac Lee, or Cody Green) and we still would have lost this game. Why? Because we dropped the ball. Eight times. Four of which would have either gone for TDs or first-and-goal inside the Texas ten. The bold is demonstrably not true. Martinez moved the chains quite well through the air vs. our first five opponents. Yes, there was a mixture of horrific throws, and a particularly bad game, but we knew that would happen coming into the season with a Redshirt Freshman at the helm. Further, there is no evidence to suggest that 1) Lee (or Green) won't put us in those same situations and/or 2) that Lee (or Green) could bail us out of them either via the ground or through the air. There are weaknesses to every plan. In my 30-something years of watching football I've only seen one offensive team that could not be stopped. Every other team, every other season, there have been games where our players, their skills or our schemes were shut down, at least for one game, or the majority of the game. The same thing happened against Texas. The difference in this game was not that we could not pass, it was that we could not catch. The simplistic passing schemes we necessarily have to run for a Redshirt Freshman worked. We had plays available to move the ball. We were in position, we executed every single thing until the instant of the catch. There is nothing in that game that demonstrates that Taylor Martinez cannot effectively move the ball through the air. The onus was squarely on the shoulders of the receivers. In summary: The home-run threat on the ground and competent passing ability of Martinez trumps the competent passing and lack of home-run threat on the ground Lee offers, and that means that Martinez at the helm, warts and all, is the better option.

This is a good point. Much of Martinez' problems passing have been the result of dropped passes. Yes, he's had bad throws, but so has Lee. Martinez' good throws are being dropped, making his stats look worse than they should. Martinez is a competent passer - not Joe Montana, but he's not Tommie Frazier, either.

Niles is going to have a breakout game. On the road, free from distractions, he's going to put everything behind him and show us why he's our top WR.

Yep. There are a lot more important things in life than football. I have some family stuff going on right now, serious stuff that will not end well, and Saturday was a big day to take care of family in my own, small way. At the end of the game I was disappointed that we'd lost, but what I was able to do for a person who matters more to me than wins/losses made it an OK day.

This I agree with 100%, and it makes me wonder why we're talking about this as if we're on opposite sides of the fence. Players should take criticism as well as praise for their failures and their accomplishments. I think everyone agrees with this. Players should not be threatened, coerced, made the target of racism, etc, ESPECIALLY in their private lives. I think we all agree on this as well. That said, I'm not sure what we're disagreeing about.

+1 to zoogies and Sparker for correctly explaining the situation.

This pic has already been posted in another thread. LINK

You seem to be arguing simply for argument's sake. You have no cogent point. When people explain to you why they are (justifiably) miffed at Paul's play on the field, you go off on tangents and equate normal fan unhappiness with the worst of the fan behavior we're hearing about. When people (justifiably) show unhappiness for Niles' choice to publicly call for the ball (something we don't do here), you go off on another tangent about the coaches. Your argument changes with the wind. Try reading what people are writing here instead of reacting blindly out of frustration that your friend/favorite player/former teammate/classmate/whatever is getting some justifiable grief over his play. Niles' problems are well-documented and they are fair game for fans to discuss. He should take heat for his failures and praise for his accomplishments. The silliest part of this is that the rancor over Niles' play and words would likely have died down by now if 1) Niles hadn't - once again - gone to the press with his gripes, or 2) people here would stop blindly rushing to his defense. Look at the crap Burkhead, Martinez, Kinnie and both lines have taken here. Not a lot. They were all discussed and it's over. Paul's supporters keep bringing up nonsense, Paul himself has gone to the press, and so it keeps going. Let it go and it'll die down. Keep this nonsense going and we'll never stop talking about it. Capisce?

I can feel a thread merge coming on.

He wouldn't play in the facility he plays in. He wouldn't have the travel he has, the training table he enjoys, the scholarship, the trainers, the easier path to the next level, the national stage, the prestige, all of it. Get over myself? Get a clue yourself, buddy. The fans of Nebraska are what made Nebraska. You're dreaming if you think it's the same thing. Wake up.

Just saw this on the OWH and I can't say how vehemently I disagree with this: LINK Niles, of course you're playing for the fans. The fans are what makes Nebraska. Without the fans UNL is UNK, or UNO. You're from Nebraska, you should know this. I disagree with this sentiment from Paul as much as I disagree with the idiots who heckled him after the game, or who crapped on his Facebook page. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Christopherson just posted this on Life in the Red: It's hard not to feel sorry for the guy. Like I said over at the LJS: I sincerely hope he puts together a string of awesome games to finish his career so we can stop all this negativity. Nobody wants him to fail. Go get 'em, Niles.

That Husker graffiti is cool.

“It’s a light on the sewage treatment plant!” It is a blog. What is news worthy more stories about Cameron Meredith’s moustache? This article and accompanying blog is a misrepresentation of what happened Saturday. For every guy who ripped the horns off a car or shouted at Niles Paul (OWH article) there are 10,000 fans who showed respect and hospitality to Texas fans. Focusing on the negativity sucks. There was a lot more positive that came out of the day than negative. One of the Texas fans I talked to - and shook hands with in parting - told me how all the Austin TV stations were saying that Longhorns fans heading to Lincoln last week had better be prepared, because we weren't the congenial hosts we've been in the past. They needed to look out for themselves. This guy was spitting mad about that, saying that he had never been treated nicer at a game than he was that day. We talked football, we talked players, we talked about the future, and we parted amiably. I had a similar interaction with every other Texas fan I ran across. That's the story I would have liked to see. "Hospitality reigns amid defeat" would have been a good headline, with a paragraph or two dedicated to the inevitable douchebags who ripped horns off of cars. Focus on the MORE newsworthy story, but cover all angles. Why is that so hard?

Look, in the east... what's that glow at the end of night?

Because the LJS is in the business of reporting news, and this was certainly newsworthy. Exactly. This is definitely news worthy, especially since the outlet reporting the story is a local paper. If this would have been the other way around people would be boo-hooing about and saying how bad the UT fans were. I mean come on people actually blamed that Mizzou fan a couple years ago because his face came into contact with Kellen Huston’s fist. Yawn. It's newsworthy as the sun rising in the East. This happens everywhere, every game, every Saturday.

I can't imagine it would be any more motivation than ":01" and "Finish" and "Are you working hard enough?"

People have been saying we need to recruit better throwing quarterbacks since Vince Ferragamo graduated.

When BK drops as many passes as Niles, fumbles as many punts and/or shoots his mouth off in the press, you can bet your bottom dollar he's going to take the same kind of heat Niles is taking right now. Niles is a Senior. He's playing and acting like a Freshman. Expecting him to get a pass on that is ridiculous. Get real.

Voted! Help Sydney!

It depends on what you want to do. Are you going to tailgate for a while? A lot of folks will offer you refreshment and food if you're interested, so I'd suggest getting to Lincoln no later than Noon. Your biggest problem is going to be parking, which is why I'd suggest getting in no later than 10:30. If you come later than that not only will you have trouble finding parking, but you'll be fighting traffic in a town that was never designed for more than 200 cars on the road at any given time. Don't think I'm joking.