Karawithasmile

Pelini responded, “Good. Really good. We’re exactly in the same spot we were a year ago. Don’t like it, but we were here a year ago and we ended up taking care of our business..."

I think that's a really telling statement. How in any way did we end up taking care of business a year ago? We got outplayed and embarassed in the CCG on national television (again). Where's the fighting instinct? This mentality can only bleed into the players' outlook. Shouldn't winning the CCG be the only way we took care of business?

All I am hearing is fire BO fire BO Fire BO. I understand that we have not won national titles, or conference titles. But at least we are in the confr. title games. But hey fire him. Lets get a coach in here and watch what he does. In 3 to 5 years everyone will want to fire that coach. To bad we are a football nation that has to WIN NOW, maybe we should cheat at recruiting. Maybe we need to go on probation. Maybe we just need to be happy that we are in Title confr. games, and hopefully get to a BCS game if we can win a title. We aint been on probation and we we don't cheat. I understand we have lost games that we should not lose. But so do some of the best teams in the nation loose to teams they shouldn't. Mich to a div II team. Hey maybe we need to hit rock bottom with a new coach to value what we have had. We (Nebraska) can't get no great coach, because of money. Ne will not pay big dollars.Coach Bo is doing his best to teach young redshirts and freshman to play at this level. But what the heck Fire him get it over with. Make Husker nation happy.

Bo, is that you?

Shatel as payback for the Bo's F'in comments about him.

Stopping them on this drive is imrpotant for morale.

Coach woulda put Armstrong in, we'd have won state. No doubt in my mind.

I think, just maybe, I see a theme here with your posting...

I think if our offense could get something going, I'd feel a glimmer of hope. Why do we look so different this week than last game?

Is this happening? Again?

Bo didn't really have an answer for Martinez's lack of run game, did he?

NOW we call a Timeout?!?!

That linebacker knew exactly what was coming. No hesitation at all.

And to think the announcers were calling the MN offense "anemic" about 30 minutes ago. We make anemic look amazing.

Just curious, when was the last time we had a QB that was invited to and participated in the Elite 11 competition? I mean, just having him considered in that category isn't enough?

I honestly don't know much about it, but it seems like a strange thing to be overly critical of.

Very bad news. Hate losing seniors like this. Wishing Mr. Long all the best in his recovery!

Dan Hoppen ‏@danhoppen3m

Offensive line coach John Garrison says Nebraska cut its playbook in half for SDSU. Should help the inexperienced QBs.

Sometimes simplifying things from a strategy perspective helps focus on execution (Bo, can I get an "amen?") and can make an offense look pretty darn good. It especially helps when that defense is smaller, slower, and not as talented. I'm really hoping that we've learned a lot in these last two weeks because we'll probably need a little more strategy as our opponents improve. Among those that need to have learned is our offensive co-ordinator. Stick with what works. Make them stop it before you change.

I see some posts stating that this is a thread about the defense, but I'd like to point out one thing that jumped out at me concerning offense. Please bear with me. Sam points out that the offenses that run the read option have the upper hand right now and that defenses are still scrambling to adjust. We used to run the zone read often and well, about three years ago. We had success with it. Fast quarterback + gifted running back = a great running threat that could open up the option (pretending to fall into the zone read and then having the QB step back and throw instead) and other throws downfield. Why has it disappeared? I'm sure someone can educate me.

Football really isn't astrophysics. Like many fields (i.e., finance), football coaches have complex and at times ridiculous terminology that makes it seem more complicated than it usually is, and makes the gap between their knowledge and the average onlooker seem greater than it really is.

 

I've never liked the stance some fans take that, because we don't have coaching experience, we aren't able to make any valid criticisms of coaches. Baloney. If you're trying to critique an astrophysics thesis paper without any astrophysics education, then you're probably clueless. But football? It's eleven guys trying to advance the ball and eleven other guys trying to stop them. You don't need a PhD to have a good idea of what's going on. Just some solid analytical intelligence and observation skills.

+1

What some folks are keen to ignore is that Taylor Martinez is indeed a legitimate passing threat. You might hate his throwing motion. You might just hate passing. But Taylor Martinez is Nebraska's career passing leader, he's a much better passer than a lot of the Husker QBs you are fondly remembering, and his consistent 60%+ completion rate has actually help Nebraska revive its power running game. He was off to a good start this year with 9 TDs, 1 Int. and 65% completion rate. If you want to slough off Southern Miss, you don't get to be as wildly impressed by what Armstrong did against South Dakota State. Taylor might be one of the better passing quarterbacks in the Big 10 and he's finally locked in with the best receivers he's ever had. So let's just stop the Taylor can't pass meme. He can. He does. It helps the team. The fumbles are another story.

 

But it pretty much ends there. There's no Taylor Martinez scenario in the NFL. Arena League at best.

 

So give Taylor his props, let him run wild if healthy, put in Armstrong if the offense is clearly struggling.

 

But the quarterback position has not been the problem in Nebraska's fall from relevance.

I don't have stats on this, but how many of Taylor's passing yards are due to yards after catch? I mean without the abiliity to heave accurate long balls down field the stats are a little misleading and he is basically a Christian Ponder. We all know how that is working out for the Vikings. (Vikings fan here BTW)

I really hate to bring this up because I think it's WAY premature, and could turn this thread into something I hate, but here goes (fingers crossed for good discussion)...

 

 

 

In the context of Tommy's impressive live debut, and presuming that Taylor doesn't get healthy in the next few weeks, it's likely that Armstrong will get several starts this year. All due respect to Ron Kellogg III, who looked equally impressive out there against SDSU, but he is not the future. Were he a Junior I'd write this completely different, but since he isn't and we have next year to worry about, the focus has to be on Armstrong now.

 

So in the context of a competent -and hopefully winning- Armstrong, when Taylor does get healthy, what do you do with him?

 

Several things to consider at this point:

 

With the defensive struggles we have, accomplishing anything of importance this year is unlikely at best

Next year's schedule looks quite similar to this year's, and with a year under their belt the defense should be better. Therefore winning a conference championship would be a more realistic goal.

Experience this year can only help make 2014 Tommy Armstrong better. See above for why this is important.

Taylor has a life after 2013 ends. If that life is to include the NFL, he will not be playing Quarterback. Taylor is no Eric Crouch, and Crouch couldn't make it in the NFL as a QB. Taylor's best shot at playing professionally is at another position.

Taylor is too good of an athlete to leave off the field.

 

If Armstrong is proving to be equal to the task, I say he goes from here on out at QB, and we take our lumps starting a Redshirt Freshman. Again. It likely means four losses again, but who cares? The experience is more valuable than wins right now.

 

Martinez should be a return specialist. On kick or punt returns he could be a game-changer. Putting him out there would also get Kenny Bell off the field at that position. It's a position he could pick up in a week's practice, he wouldn't have to learn an entirely new position like receiver (and he likely wouldn't see the field at wideout anyway), and there's no way we could put enough muscle on him to make him into a corner or safety by year's end.

We need to be playing the best player, whether freshman or senior (though I agree, RKIII is not really in contention if we are thinking what is in the program's best interests after this year). I think a lot of this will depend on if Armstrong gets the start next week and plays lights out. Right now, there are still some doubts and questions surrounding him despite his refreshing performance given the caliber of the opponent. If Armstrong plays the way he did against SDSU, I don't even think there is a question about who should be starting.

Armstrong has the throwing motion, the elusiveness, and from what we've seen so far, the poise and confidence necessary to lead the team down the field. Martinez has given a lot to the program, but the nature of his injury means it might linger for a very long time making him much more ineffective as a QB. I would love to see him utlized in another part of the game if possible, especially considering all that he has given to the program the last few years. I just don't how it would work, or if his haphazard ball-handling would make him more of a liability than a benefit on returns.

All of this depends on Armstrong's play in the next game, in my opinion. If he gets in there and looks lost, I don't think they keep him out there more than necessary. The coaches still want to win games this year, considering one or more of them have jobs that probably depend on that.

I cannot wait to see this guy moving forward. Super excited for his potential, and although it was a small sample size, I've loved what I've seen from him.

Very much agree. Armstrong is exciting to watch. For me, Martinez used to be exciting to watch in much the same way, but I haven't felt that way this season perhaps because of his injuries or an increased hesitation. Martinez has really improved his passing this year though, I am not nearly as nervous when he throws it as I used to be. I think Armstrong brings a lovely downfield pass that is just plain old FUN to see.

Interesting stats:

 

a) We only have one interception on the year.

 

b) We have only been sacked twice all year.

 

c) We are plus 4 in turnover margin.

 

d) Our QBs have completed 70% of passes (78/111)

 

e) 5.6 yards per rush.

 

f) averaging 43.2 points per game.

 

g) 11 players have been involved in scoring TDs on offense. (3 QBS and 8 other skilled players) (3 players have scored on defense )

 

I know we had a horrible second half against UCLA and I know our defense has major issues.

 

But, there are bright spots on the team and it's not just this game because we had different QBs or dumbed down the play book.

+1. I love the turnover margin. And Martinez has definitely improved his accuracy!

Yeah, I guess it's just not that exciting for him anymore. Playing (starting!) in front of the Sea of Red for his 4th straight year has bored him....

 

 

 

No, he's just not as emotive as your average person.

 

Goodness. I can't believe people are still talking about this.

I have to agree Landlord. Dont know why this is an issue anymore. Some guy called into Big Red reaction talking about the same thing. At this point, it's just a way for the Taylor-haters to have some ammo again. (No Kara, I am accusing you of being a Taylor-hater.)

 

At this point, being shocked by Taylor's demeanor is the same as being most shocked by Bo's language in tape.

I'm not shocked by how calm he is on the sideline (though I wish he could have exhibited some of that calmness against UCLA on the field the second half)... and I'm not a Taylor-hater, so I appreciate not calling me out for that (he's given a lot to the "N" and taken way too much crap from fans over the years considering his stats and all the winning seasons).

I'm just pointing out that intensity is an issue for this team. To put in another way we often come out as flat as a popped balloon in big moments. We hear players describe this every week after a loss. A QB is a leader no matter which way you slice it. A senior QB even more so. I get it, Taylor's a different leader than that. It's no knock on him personally so I regret my prior post which came off pretty snarky. Taylor's a good kid and a great athlete.

I just think we can be better as a team unit with more excitement from our leaders. From what I have seen and heard, Armstrong looks to be a good candidate in that area. I hope that explains my position well.

Did Tommy Armstrong make one bad decision whatsoever?

 

I recall just one. It was the play following his deep ball to Kenny Bell in the North endzone when Bell couldnt hold on and had the wind knocked out of him as well. The next play, Armstrong tried to attack deep once more and badly overthrew Turner, but, had it not been overthrown as much, it wouldve been picked, so maybe that was a good decision (throwing it away, pattern wasnt there?). Who knows. All I do know, it all his reads were correct. He made the right throws. Put the ball where his outstanding receivers could make the play, and showed moxy and attitude in the pass game. He didnt hesitate in the pocket whatsoever. He made a read and decision, and the ball came out. It's pretty much impossible for me to not be on the Armstrong train at this point.

Me too. ALL ABOARD!

This "you can't lose your starting job due to injury" is absolute crap. Especially when you consider Taylor de facto won it from Zac Lee due to injury.

 

To say nothing of Crouch over Newcombe, Kapernick over Smith, Ganz over Keller, Gerhig over Pipp, Puig over any current Dodger outfielder, and on and on and on...

 

If that's the main reason/excuse towed out by the staff as to why Taylor starts against Illinois, then quite frankly this staff is lying and deserves to be fired, and I'm a Taylor apologist to a fault.

+1

Agree agree agree. At this point, I'd think our coaching staff wants to win - many of their jobs depend on it. With that in mind I'd imagine they'll play the player that gives us the best chance to win. Martinez brings game experience, speed (assuming he's healthy), mostly accurate lateral and short passes, and an occasionally accurate longer ball. He also brings questionable ball security and iffy decision-making when rattled. I'm assuming Martinez also brings the respect of the team, given his seniority and friendships (admittedly, no personal knowledge here).

Armstrong brings elusiveness, gorgeous throwing ability, a run threat, and an apparent "x" factor as demonstrated by the decisiveness he showed leading the offense on Saturday. Armstrong also brings some questionable ball security (given his fumble), little game experience, probably less locker room support (guess), and an unknown since we don't really understand how he'll respond to a better defense and more intense lights.

RKIII brings accurate and decisive strikes through the air and a deep knowledge of our offense given his age in the program. He also brings no real running threat (though he did tuck it well on Saturday and get what the defense permitted) and there's no upside to playing him for next season.

You'd think the coaching staff would be in the best position to evaluate these men and choose accordingly. However, given our defensive problems schematically and the hard-headedness in preaching "execution," I'm not sure about that.....

I watched Saturday's game in front of a tv but did make a mental note when the camera panned on TMart after one of our scores, he was uninterested. Quite frankly, as one of our captains/leaders - I felt he should have been one of the biggest sideline cheerleaders.

 

 

I uh....

 

Like.

 

 

 

 

Is this your first time watching Taylor Martinez? He's been our starting quarterback for four seasons and this is seriously the first time you have seen his stoic, emotionless expression on the sideline?

Yeah, I guess it's just not that exciting for him anymore. Playing (starting!) in front of the Sea of Red for his 4th straight year has bored him....

Tommy Armstrong looked pretty excited though

I think it's time for Bo to be bold. Start Armstrong against Illinois. And if he comes out looking as dazed and confused as Martinez, then we can throw Martinez back in to further pad his career stats.

Oh I wish this would happen. But I doubt it will.