suh_fan93

REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD Published Thursday April 15, 2010 UFL: G.M. Mueller says roster with local ties 'important' By Lee Barfknecht WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Former Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz said Thursday he would be "all ears'' if the United Football League's Omaha franchise wants to talk about a roster spot. "My agent said something awhile back about Omaha maybe getting a franchise,'' Ganz said Thursday by phone from Lincoln. "I'd be willing to listen to them, for sure.'' Rick Mueller, the Omaha general manager, mentioned Ganz specifically when asked about acquiring players with Husker connections. Mueller and Ganz's agent are acquainted. But it's not like Ganz, who last played at NU in 2008, is desperate for work. He is a full-time employee of the Nebraska athletic department as a football coaching intern working with the quarterbacks and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson.fr "As of now, I'm coaching,'' Ganz said. "But I would be willing to sit down and talk.'' Ganz had a tryout last season with the Florida Tuskers, the UFL franchise in Orlando. He said the Tuskers already had a quarterback in former NFL player Brooks Bollinger, who was voted the UFL's most valuable player. Mueller said it's only good business for the Omaha team to try to have local connections. "Getting some Nebraska guys, we want that to be important,'' he said. "But having the best players trumps everything.'' The Omaha franchise on Thursday announced it had plucked 20 players from the UFL's four other rosters, although it didn't release the full list to The World-Herald. Former Kansas State running back Frank Murphy is on the list. Ex-Wisconsin tackle Wendell Bryant was the two-time Big Ten defensive lineman of the year. Running back Shaud Williams began his career at Texas Tech, then transferred to Alabama and had a 1,300-yard season. Also on the list is 34-year-old Ryan Neufeld, a tight end and long snapper who played collegiately at UCLA and seven seasons in the NFL. Of the 20 players selected, Mueller said, eight were full-time UFL starters last season. The average age of UFL players is 27, similar to the NFL. "There aren't a lot of rookies,'' Mueller said. "A lot of these guys have been in the NFL.'' UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue characterized the league as a bridge from the college to the pro game, or as another chance for a former NFL player who was injured or got caught in a numbers crunch. "We're giving a large pool of talented players an opportunity to extend their careers,'' he said. Head coach Jeff Jagodzinski said the hunger of UFL players is strong because many are getting a second chance — or a last chance — to reach the NFL. "When you get pushed against a wall, it reveals what you'll do to feed your family,'' Jagodzinski said. "A lot of these guys were on pro rosters and got cut for whatever reason. "Maybe they hurt a knee and it didn't come back right away. So there are guys out there.'' With that in mind, Omaha will hold an open local tryout in early May. "There may be a guy in Omaha that nobody knows about, and he could come out and just shine,'' Jagodzinski said. "You never know until you give them a try.'' The hunger to land a UFL roster spot also is driven by a relatively attractive pay scale. Last season, Huyghue said, the minimum was $5,000 a week, with some quarterbacks making as much as $12,000. That pay is higher than for players on NFL practice squads. The goal is to increase the minimum to $6,000, Huyghue said. Besides a salary, the team pays for its players' housing, food and transportation. The UFL allows teams to bring 70 players to training camp in August. By the first weekend of play — Sept. 17 and 18 — rosters must be cut to 52.

Still far from being sold on Sean Fisher.

I have been saying this since last year, Lee is gonna start. No matter what Green, Martinez, etc do saturday.The coaching staff will go with the expierence factor. Unless Lees arm causes him problems. I see no way that Lee does not start the first game. (actually I like to see Martinez, but it just is not going to happen) I'm still trying to decide if the Bowl game was Zac Lee showing that he finally felt comfortable in our offense. So many times last year he waited far to long to make his decision or to just get rid of the ball. I really don't know what to think. He looked great in the Holiday bowl and he will be coming back healthy and going into his second season as a starter. One would think he would be improved. I'm cautiously optimistic. I just wonder what kind of Zac Lee were going to get in 2010. A healthy and improved quarterback going into his second year as a starter or a quarterback who's exposed for just what he is. Guess we'll soon find out. Your bolded point and watching ZLee "lock" onto 1 receiver and never look away are my only criticisms of him. If he can work through his progressions better, he will be a MUCH better QB this year. Oh yeah. He was guilty of that too. (locking onto 1 receiver). There were just too many times when Lee would have his receiver wide open and he would NOT throw the ball to them until it was too late. For his sake and ours I'm really hoping we don't see the same thing this year.

He's been playing ball ever since he graduated from Nebraska in '95. He retired in Feb. of this year and will be joining the coaching staff of the team he retired from. Here's his Husker profile. That is darn impressive. I had no idea he had such an illustrious and long career in the CFL. I loved Barron Miles. He was small but mighty. Great story.

I have been saying this since last year, Lee is gonna start. No matter what Green, Martinez, etc do saturday.The coaching staff will go with the expierence factor. Unless Lees arm causes him problems. I see no way that Lee does not start the first game. (actually I like to see Martinez, but it just is not going to happen) I'm still trying to decide if the Bowl game was Zac Lee showing that he finally felt comfortable in our offense. So many times last year he waited far to long to make his decision or to just get rid of the ball. I really don't know what to think. He looked great in the Holiday bowl and he will be coming back healthy and going into his second season as a starter. One would think he would be improved. I'm cautiously optimistic. I just wonder what kind of Zac Lee were going to get in 2010. A healthy and improved quarterback going into his second year as a starter or a quarterback who's exposed for just what he is. Guess we'll soon find out.

I'm most excited about Carnes. I really want to see what Martinez can do. Green- Even if he gets better I don't know. He's really done nothing to make me get overly excited about him. I want to see how Zac Lee plays when the game is on the line and he's healthy. The whole QB race is a toss up. You've got guys who have potential but they're all so inexperienced except for Zac Lee who really has only played one season himself. Such a crazy time at QB right now.

Holy jeebus, Batman. Calm 'er down about 3 notches before you give yourself a coronary. Source: myself. Martinez has always been a project as a passer, as I have noted since his HS days. His motion was horrid, which he has corrected quite a bit. All reports I have heard coming from practice is that Martinez still throws quite a bad ball, and doesn't have a grip on the offense either. Been more than one occasion where he forget the play between the huddle an getting to the line. Yes, I saw Green pass last year. I also saw more video than I should have of him in HS and noted back then that Cody would have an incredibly difficult time adapting to college as a passer. Got beat to heck for saying that as well. Cody still has a ways to go himself, but he has spent more time in this offense than Taylor and has not been playing other positions as well in the past year. I'm sure you do like articles like that. But there are hundreds of them every spring. Never do you see an article talking about how bad a player performs, but only building players up. You won't see articles about how none of our safeties are stepping up. Or the same about our LBs. You will not hear an article talking about how no one outside of Niles Paul is stepping up at WR. Stuff like that won't get mentioned in the press this time of year, and it never is. Articles are all bright and sunshiney (is that a word?) that leaves us all with huge expectations for a player. And that article especially won't mention how Bo was insanely close to putting Taylor at WR for good just a few weeks ago. Which is why I have said what I have said. And lastly, that is great for you. However, you cannot take what these coaches say and believe it as the complete truth. It's like the situation with Carnes, where Bo would not put any blame on Carnes, but instead put full blame on recruiting websites for what happened. Or the Cody Glenn situation. Bo will NEVER say a bad word about one of his kids, regardless of situation or circumstance. Which is why you have to take pretty much everything he says with a grain of salt. Personally, IMO, this spring is showing the coaching staff more and more that Zac Lee is the only QB we have that is really ready to do work. I know, Zac Lee, blasphemy! But no one can even compete with him as a passer right now, and it isn't even close. Good post Willie. I do agree with you regarding how some articles can create hype. Truly it boils down to when a guy is finally playing and what he can on the field. I respect your opinion and enjoyed your post. I just can't wait to see how the qb race plays out and honestly I think it's going to be Zac Lee in the end with his experience. I want to see what he can do healthy too and if there's a difference. Anyone wish they were televising the spring game? I can't wait to see the highlights.

Quarterback, linebacker and safety are all going to be really interesting positions to watch with so many guys in the mix and battling for positions. D line as well. So much competition this year. I can't wait to see what players come out if it and end up as our starters.

And .. ? Did you expect Bo to come out and openly criticize or talk about a potential move for any player? Martinez was going to get his shot this spring to prove he is a QB, and Bo is giving it to him. And while Taylor can run with anyone, the kid is still a horrid passer. Further, these stories that come out ever spring need to be toned down 10 notches to get their real value. Every spring it it is full of cheer, outstanding progressions of players, and everything of the sort. Writers and coaches fill us fans up with expectations to get us excited for the season. Happens every year. Well let me ask you this, what would you rather talk about? Also could you please cite a source, proof, anything regarding how horrible of a passer Martinez is????? Did you see Green pass the ball last year????? I like articles like this. It does get me excited about someone's potential. If you do not choose to do so then there's nothing wrong with that either. That's your perogative. It is the spring. Football is right around the corner. The quarterback race is a toss up right now. A complete and total toss up. There are Green fans, there are anti Green fans. There are Lee and Martinez fans. There's even Spano and Washington fans out there. If someone tells me not to get excited about any member of our football team I guess I don't understand that logic. I love talking about Nebraska football. The what if's, sharing opinions with people. It is significant that the coaches have said Martinez is staying put at quarterback since coming in that was not the case. Of course it's possible that down the road things could change. That goes for any player on our roster. Lastly the quarterback I am the most excited about is Carnes. It's not even Martinez....

I would definitely agree that it's crazy that people think Green should think about transferring. I just have to say that this is one of the craziest quarterback races I can remember. So many guys being talked about and so many questions left to be answered. Thanks for reminding me about Taylor also...!

Really, I think Willie offers more useful insight than the hype filled surface stuff you get from spring training articles. He's well in the know, and he's shown this over the years. Those doors aren't closed. Does that sound like a quarterback of the future to you, or does that sound like a project that's still in the experimental stages? And where's the quote from Pelini that shows him being adamant? Sounds like a little wishful thinking on the part of the journalist to me. Also, reports that Martinez is a humble kid is pretty contradictory to things that floated around last year ... I don't know anything about that, so I'll reserve an opinion - just one thing I read and went, "hmm, I'll take that with a grain of salt." Of course it's in the experimental stages! edit: He's a redshirt freshman. (zoogies reminded me of this...thank you..!) Look, I have no idea how good Martinez is besides the film I've seen on him and from what I've read. I guess for me if Pelini is saying 'hey, this kid is staying put at quarterback' and that he's now not considering moving him to another position to me that says that he and the other coaches feel he's legit as a quarterback. Especially if you consider how many guys we have at the position now not to mention the two new truly hyped recruits we have coming in. (Carnes, Turner) Also I keep on reading references of how bad Martinez's arm is in comparison to Cody Green? Really? Could someone please back this up with some actual proof??? I'll just sum it up by saying I just think it's cool that the coaches came out and said what they did about Martinez regarding him staying put at QB. I don't care who our quarterback is as long as someone steps up and plays better than our qb's did last year. To me at least it makes the quarterback race a little more exciting. In case you missed it Nebraska's quarterback's were nothing to get to excited over last year... May the best man win and if anything I'm just glad there's a lot of competition at QB.

Very well put. I had no idea Idaho had good quarterback. Those are some impressive numbers.

I definitely would not say that, at all. Martinez's athleticism was never a question mark, it's his ability to understand the offense, clean up his throwing motion, understand reads, etc,. I have no doubts Taylor will be the guy to talk the 'Wildcat' from Rex, just because we need his athleticism on the field. But right now, Taylor offers about as much with his arm as Cody did last year. You might want to go back and re-read the article. Direct quote from the coaches themselves: 'Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was adamant in his pre-spring news conference about the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Martinez playing — and staying — at quarterback'. Not wide receiver. Not safety. Sure, they're options. Watson said those doors aren't closed, and that the quiet, humble Martinez is open-minded about playing another position. "But are we going to do it? No, because we want to see this through," Watson said. "He's got talent."

Wow. That was an awesome article. Basically they're saying he's impressed them enough in the short time he's been there that they aren't even thinking about moving him to another position. It sounds like he has the poise that a good quarterback needs too. I can't wait for the spring game.

Personally I think he had the luxury (and luck) that Joe Ganz stepped up the way he did while he was the starter here. Those stats say a lot but mostly I just look at some of the decisions he made last year and the direction that he tried to take our offense. So many things that had me scratching my head last season from a playcalling standpoint. Also in interviews Pelini seems to totally be behind Watson. I trust Pelini wholeheartedly but at the same time he can't throw one of his coaches under the bus publicly either. I guess despite what success you have as a team you still have to look at the actual decisions that are being made. I saw enough last year to pretty much convince me that the guy simply was an overhyped offensive coordinator when we hired him. That's just my opinion. Now that I say this sure enough the Nebraska offense will suddenly come alive this year...LOL.

It seems like Spano is kind of that unsung guy. Not really talked about too much in comparison to Green and Zac Lee. He's almost the Joe Ganz of the group in terms of not coming in with all the accolades like some of the other quarterbacks have. It would be really cool if he emerged. I wish I knew more about him talent wise. I think I read somewhere on this board, maybe it was a quote from Watson that Spano may have the strongest arm of all the quarterbacks? I am not sure.

I had no problems voting for Suh when a similiar voting thread came up because I felt he was the best defensive player in all of college football last year. I can't vote for Paul as far as being the best returning wide receiver though. Hope he has a good senior season. I also hope he drops less passes this year and becomes more consistant.

I know our defense will be good. I just honestly think who is going to step up and make the 'big play' when we need it the most on defense. O'Hanlon had a lot of those plays last year as did Suh and Asante. Can't forget about Dillard either. I know he had some pretty big stops at crucial times last year. I cannot wait to see all of the new talent. We lost some talent to graduation but I'm really excited to see how we react this year. I was also just thinking I wonder if Crick is going to be the guy seeing all of the double teams now?!!! Good article.

I've always really liked Bobby Bowden. It was kind of sad to see how he was treated when he left/retired especially with him bringing FSU football to the forefront and making that program what it is today. It's great hearing that he came to talk to the Huskers.

absolutely spot on, Wats has always been a dollar late and a day short IMO. We didn't try in 2008? McNeil was seriously injured and played through it for a lot of 2009. And, we had no legit WR playmaking threats for most of the year, allowing teams to take away the TE without worrying as much on the outside. Not to mention we had less able QBs...but yet, people still want to see QBs that will just be fast and run with the ball, which would entail even less getting the ball to our TEs and WRs. It doesn't make sense to me. McNeil had 28 receptions to Paul's 40. And he had 32 in his breakout 2008 campaign. Though his 2009 campaign had less TDs and much less yardage, it was no less short of incredibly clutch catches on 3rd down and TDs (Mizzou) that really were really game-defining. McNeil was seriously injured? What was his serious injury???? Regardless McNeill should have been our go to guy last year after what he showed in 2008. (that he is one of our best receivers) Besides Kansas and his one catch against Missouri that happened to be a huge TD his stats in some of our bigger games speak volumes. Florida Atlantic: Started 13th career game, tying for team lead with four catches... posted 51 yards, including long of 29 yards. Arkansas State: Posted second straight four-catch performance for 57 yards... caught first two TDs of season on 13- and 32-yard tosses from Zac Lee... first multi-TD game of career. Virginia Tech (L): Recorded just one catch for four yards. Louisiana-Lafayette: Posted two receptions on the night. Missouri: Only catch of the game was an eight-yard TD reception. Texas Tech (L): Posted two catches for 14 yards. Iowa State (L): Had two catches for 22 yards. Baylor: Did not have a catch, snapping streak of 17 straight games with a reception. Oklahoma: Recorded one catch for two yards. Kansas: Had four catches. Kansas State: Had three catches for 26 yards. Colorado: Posted one catch for three yards. Texas (L): Played. Did not have a catch. If he did have an injury then I will definitely agree, that would have a huge impact obviously on his touches. It just seems to me like when we needed him the most he was sort of a forgotten man.

You're right, Helu actually rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season. I agree that he might not be an all-time great, but he is definitely better than Brandon Jackson. Better than Brandon Jackson? I like Helu alright but I'd take B Jax any day of the week over Helu.

The entire offense. Defense- Every linebacker who starts and whomever plays at either safety position.

I just found out this morning that my father got him and I tickets to this game. They are really good seats too! Whoo hoo!!! I cannot wait!

I just wonder who was the one who decided it was time to finally try to get McNeil the ball. This is great news. I also wish they would have did this last year. (Looking at you Shawn Watson...)