CornfedChris

White team will shove it down the red team's throat. Tackling and stamina will be the key factors.

BUMP! I'd like to add some votes to this poll we had going here.

which pixel is crouch?

Guess Garcia's a no-go for any Heisman talk now. haha

Remember when Bo took the mic as head coach for the first time, he was nervous, and he didn't always choose the best words. Look how far he has come since then. An interview shows no correlation to how good of a football player/coach is on the field or in the locker room with teammates.

Quiet leadership on the otherhand does work. Leading by example instead of words is a great form of leadership and was one thing Suh did very well. I think our team is full of players with that same form of quiet leadership. I think those are the type of players our coaching staff looks for when recruiting. Of course, at times, they need to step up and say things... but no one wants a team full of Terrell Owens'.

As long as they are out on the field producing, I have no problem with what they look like in an interview.

I posted this in the Husker Football Forum, but everyone insists on continuing the Taylor Martinez argument. So I thought I would try to post this here!

Here is a group of players I feel deserve more attention for their possible run at the Heisman this year. Of course none of these players are going to be clear cut picks, but neither was Cam Newton at this time last year. That is why they are labeled Dark Horse. These are players that were not included in the early 2011 Heisman Trophy Watch Betting-Odds List but still play a big role in their team's gameplan.

Geno Smith QB, West Virginia Wow looking at West Virginia's schedule and results from last year makes you wonder why this guy wasn't on everyone's watch list. Holy Cow! His line is good. QB Rating of 144, 2,763yds, 24 TDS. Only 7 INTS. The only 3 losses during the regular season last year were to LSU by 6 points, Syracuse by 5 points, and UConn by 3 points. He's an exciting, yet very efficient quarterback, and better yet he's only a Sophomore!

Stephen Garcia QB, South Carolina This is one of my favorite quarterbacks this year (I'm a South Carolina fan in case you didn't know) but his statistics were not too bad at all last year. QB Rating of 148, 3,059yds, and 20 TDS. He lead the Gamecocks with victories over Southern Miss, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and a victory over their biggest rival Clemson. He popped up in a few polls early last season earning himself some Heisman buzz. The Gamecocks return a ferocious defense as well as a developing young, but powerful offensive. Garcia joins two other possible Heisman candidates returning on offense as well. Look out SEC!

Robert Woods WR, Southern California Young, Talented, Great Hands. If you remember, he was the guy who caught for 224 yds/12 receptions/3TDS against one of the best teams in the nation, Stanford! In only his Freshman year he had 65 receptions for 794yds for 6 TDS. Not bad at all. The only thing holding this guy back is his youth, and the fact that he plays for Lane Kiffin, and new WR coach Ted Gilmore. Hmmmm..... (I don't even know if USC is allowed to win a Heisman given the sanctions placed on them. Guess I'll have to look into that.)

Edwin Baker RB, Michigan State This guy came on the scene last year where he split carries with a few other backs. His tough downhill running style and physical approach is awesome to watch. He seems to slip out of tackles brilliantly and is great at running up the gut. His stats don't lie. Last year he averaged over 5.8 yds per carry. He knows how to find the endzone when in the redzone that's for sure. 13 TDS almost a TD in everygame. Rushed for over 1,200 yds on a Michigan State team whose only regular season loss came to Iowa. I think this guy is one of the best rushers if not the best in the Big Ten, arguably Top 10 in the country. He needs to be on the list.

Why are the following players so hyped?

Taylor Martinez QB, Nebraska I wouldn't quite label this guy a Dark Horse Heisman caliber yet. Even last year, when the media started to do it, I don't think I would have. The Nebraska fan base has bowed down to this kid almost directly because of all the attention put on him, yet he has yet to prove anything to anyone. He's garnered the All-American Freshman Honor, but is he capable of taking his team to the next level to be considered "Heisman Status"? I don't think so. He will need to pull off a couple miracles and learn his position before I see this happening, honestly. Let's be real here. He's good.... and fun as hell to watch! But he's not that good. At least not yet. And he might not even be our starter.

Trent Richardson RB, Alabama - He plays for Alabama that could be why. He's not bad, but there is better.

Case Keenum QB, Houston - Destroys his crappy conference but can't beat a good team. ???

Greg Reid CB, Florida State - Seriously... a corner winning the Heisman? He's no Charles Woodsen.

Alright, since every thread I start tends to turn into a "Your a Martinez Hater" thread... I'm going to attempt to steer this one back on track.

Back to the Heisman Dark Horse Candidates.

Here is a group of players I feel deserve more attention for their possible run at the Heisman this year. Of course none of these players are going to be clear cut picks, but neither was Cam Newton at this time last year. That is why they are labeled Dark Horse. These are players that were not included in the early 2011 Heisman Trophy Watch Betting-Odds List but still play a big role in their team's gameplan.

Geno Smith QB, West Virginia Wow looking at West Virginia's schedule and results from last year makes you wonder why this guy wasn't on everyone's watch list. Holy Cow! His line isn't bad. QB Rating of 144, 2,763yds, 24 TDS. Only 7 INTS. The only 3 losses during the regular season last year were to LSU by 6 points, Syracuse by 5 points, and UConn by 3 points. He's an exciting, yet very efficient quarterback, and better yet he's only a Sophomore!

Stephen Garcia QB, South Carolina This is one of my favorite quarterbacks this year (I'm a South Carolina fan in case you didn't know) but his statistics were not too bad at all last year. QB Rating of 148, 3,059yds, and 20 TDS. He lead the Gamecocks with victories over Southern Miss, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and a victory over their biggest rival Clemson. He popped up in a few polls early last season earning himself some Heisman buzz. The Gamecocks return a ferocious defense as well as a developing young, but powerful offensive. Garcia joins two other possible Heisman candidates returning on offense as well. Look out SEC!

Robert Woods WR, Southern California Young, Talented, Great Hands. If you remember, he was the guy who caught for 224 yds/12 receptions/3TDS against one of the best teams in the nation, Stanford! In only his Freshman year he had 65 receptions for 794yds for 6 TDS. Not bad at all. The only thing holding this guy back is his youth, and the fact that he plays for Lane Kiffin, and new WR coach Ted Gilmore. Hmmmm..... (I don't even know if USC is allowed to win a Heisman given the sanctions placed on them. Guess I'll have to look into that.)

Edwin Baker RB, Michigan State This guy came on the scene last year where he split carries with a few other backs. His tough downhill running style and physical approach is awesome to watch. He seems to slip out of tackles brilliantly and is great at running up the gut. His stats don't lie. Last year he averages over 5.8 yds per carry. He knows how to find the endzone when in the redzone that's for sure. 13 TDS almost a TD in everygame. Rushed for over 1,200 yds on a Michigan State team whose only regular season loss came to Iowa. I think this guy is one of the best rushers if not the best in the Big Ten, arguably Top 10 in the country. He needs to be on the list.

Why are the following players so hyped?

Taylor Martinez QB, Nebraska I wouldn't quite label this guy a Dark Horse Heisman caliber yet. Even last year, when the media started to do it, I don't think I would have. The Nebraska fan base has bowed down to this kid almost directly because of all the attention put on him, yet he has yet to prove anything to anyone. He's garnered the All-American Freshman Honor, but is he capable of taking his team to the next level to be considered "Heisman Status". I don't think so. He will need to pull off a couple miracles and learn his position before I see this happening, honestly. Let's be real here. He's good.... and fun as hell to watch! But he's not that good. At least not yet. And he might not even be our starter.

Trent Richardson RB, Alabama - He plays for Alabama that could be why. He's not bad, but there is better.

Case Keenum QB, Houston - Destroys his crappy conference but can't beat a good team. ???

Greg Reid CB, Florida State - Seriously... a corner winning the Heisman? He's no Charles Woodsen

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg elaborated on Feldman's Heisman Dark Horse picks during a blog post yesterday and gave his input on the BIG 10 Dark Horse Heisman candidates Taylor Martinez and Edwin Baker and some others. He believes Dan Persa, Edwin Baker, and Montee Ball are more intriguing candidates.

Click Here

He may never win the Hypsman, but he is the best Freshman QB Nebraska has ever had. And still the hate.

 

We hate the media when they knock us and we hate when they give us props, some of you need to take your dislike for Taylor and stuff it. He was the best we had last year, period, and most likely will be again this year. Deal with it, support the kid and the team.

I wouldnt call it hate at all. Taylor did some stuff last year that rubbed some in this fan base the wrong way. With a fan base like Nebraska's, there will always be support, but when you rub them the wrong way there will be a little questioning. He was young, and he will learn how to handle himself better with the spotlight directly on him. We support him, and support the team to the fullest. GBR!

 

What exactly did he do to rub the fan base the wrong way? Did he Charlie Sheen his way through a press conference? Flip off a fan asking him for an autograph? Was it that he only made freshman all-america lists, and not actual all-america lists? I guess that would get me pretty steamed myself...

 

I'm not sure if your aware of this but we're Nebraska. We want to win Championships here. It's not all about what they accomplish for themselves but how they get the rest of the team involved. I know, it's not all his fault. 10-4 isn't bad when you first look at it. But when you look at our schedule last year, you wonder why we even lost more than 2 games to begin with. Injury Shminjury, we want players that don't get hurt, not cry babies who run to daddy when things aren't going their way. It's that mental aspect of the game that's not there anymore with Nebraska Football. We remember the good ol' days when almost every play went our way, and nothing is good enough for us anymore until we return to perfection. Until we win, nothing will ever be good enough for us. That is just the way we are. We will always point the finger where the problem is. You can only make so many excuses for someone, but Nebraska fans will always have and show passion for their team, you can count on that forever. So go ahead and keep giving the excuses for why someone didn't get the job done.

 

You either win or you lose, there is no in between with Nebraska football.

 

haha, that totally sounds like a coach.

 

Alright, so let's see if I got this right. Taylor "rubbed some in this fan base the wrong way," because he:

 

1. Didn't lead Nebraska to a national championship as a freshman QB (even though he would have been only the 4th Nebraska QB ever to win a national championship, and the first to do it as a freshman).

 

2. Because he got hurt (seriously... you said, "we want players that don't get hurt.")

 

3. Because he didn't lead Nebraska back to "perfection."

 

I don't think Martinez is the problem in this particular conversation.

By "not getting hurt".... I didn't literally mean "Don't get hurt", I meant don't let it affect your game. Mental Toughness.

Look, we had problems all over our team last year from bad coaching, bad play calling, turnovers, bad quarterbacking, bad receiving, bad blocking etc... I realize that. But a good leader can fix a lot of those problems and set the tone of a game.

Some people don't think he fits the criteria of a leader. I don't know yet what to think of him yet personally. Do I think he's a great QB? No. Does he have potential? Yes.

Honestly, I think most of you guys mistake the criticism as "hate" and are the ones blowing it way out of proportion. Your going to have people pointing things like that out about your quarterback. He's a quarterback. All eyes are on him. And it's like that with every team around the nation.

The B1G is not stuck in the 50's.

 

One could contend that teams like Michigan State with their traditional sets and Wisconsin's power game undermine any sense of offensive 'progress' demonstrated by the changing college football landscape.

 

However,

 

Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Penn State and Ohio State have all ran some if not total spread.

 

Hell, there are some games where the Hoosiers think it's a penalty to run the ball at all, and Purdue and Northwestern have been spread teams since the late 90's. The Purdue spread produced Drew Brees, Ohio State utilizes Pryor's mobility quite a bit, and while Michigan might be in transition, you can bet their jitterbug QB will be taking snaps out of the gun in some form or fashion.

 

Illinois took their spread all the way to the Rose Bowl in '07 with Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall and Aurelious Benn while we were struggling to score against mediocre Okie State and aTm defenses.

Dan Persa is a sniper when he's healthy.

 

If you think we're going to shut everyone down, you have another thing coming. It will be as challenging if not moreso in our new conference digs, so the boys in red better buckle down.

Bo-fense has already figured out how to minimize the effectiveness of the spread offense. I don't see it hurting us at all. Especially in our division. I've got a feeling Osborne knows what he's doing.

The absolute NUMBER 1 thing that hurts our team is ourself. We cut back on turnovers, and stupid penalties, we'll be in good shape.

I find that sort of "winning is the only thing" attitude obnoxious. It basically flies in the face of everything the Nebraska fan base is supposed to pride itself on.

Bingo. We've turned into a fanbase of spoiled brats. If we aren't dominating like the mid 90's, somebody needs fired or replaced.

 

Newflash, we dominated a crappy conference, and had very little competition until the bowl game.It won't ever happen, for any team, again.

 

We have a freshman All-American who has a record setting season with an OC who wants him on the bench, an doesn't like the offense. He gets injured, has sone growing pains, and is thrown under a bus by way too many of our "fans." And what do they base their hate towards Taylor on? Internet message board rumors started from hearesay and 3rd party information.

 

I want NU to win every game, and I want whoever our QB is to do well. But some people seem as if they are making it personal, which is going to far.

Like it or not, that's the way our fan base is. And that is my point. But complaining about our fans it isn't going to do any good. And is what I find annoying. What do you expect from fans who've watched their team lay down and get spanked on national television for the past decade. Unlike you, I'm happy to see the energy and criticism with our football program this year. It only provides more fuel for our players.

I wouldn't call it "Hatred". I don't see anyone running Taylor out of town like Callahan or Cosgrove. Now that was hatred. Watson recieved more "hate" than Taylor has.

He may never win the Hypsman, but he is the best Freshman QB Nebraska has ever had. And still the hate.

 

We hate the media when they knock us and we hate when they give us props, some of you need to take your dislike for Taylor and stuff it. He was the best we had last year, period, and most likely will be again this year. Deal with it, support the kid and the team.

I wouldnt call it hate at all. Taylor did some stuff last year that rubbed some in this fan base the wrong way. With a fan base like Nebraska's, there will always be support, but when you rub them the wrong way there will be a little questioning. He was young, and he will learn how to handle himself better with the spotlight directly on him. We support him, and support the team to the fullest. GBR!

 

What exactly did he do to rub the fan base the wrong way? Did he Charlie Sheen his way through a press conference? Flip off a fan asking him for an autograph? Was it that he only made freshman all-america lists, and not actual all-america lists? I guess that would get me pretty steamed myself...

I'm not sure if your aware of this but we're Nebraska. We want to win Championships here. It's not all about what they accomplish for themselves but how they get the rest of the team involved. I know, it's not all his fault. 10-4 isn't bad when you first look at it. But when you look at our schedule last year, you wonder why we even lost more than 2 games to begin with. Injury Shminjury, we want players that don't get hurt, not cry babies who run to daddy when things aren't going their way. It's that mental aspect of the game that's not there anymore with Nebraska Football. We remember the good ol' days when almost every play went our way, and nothing is good enough for us anymore until we return to perfection. Until we win, nothing will ever be good enough for us. That is just the way we are. We will always point the finger where the problem is. You can only make so many excuses for someone, but Nebraska fans will always have and show passion for their team, you can count on that forever. So go ahead and keep giving the excuses for why someone didn't get the job done.

You either win or you lose, there is no in between with Nebraska football.

haha, that totally sounds like a coach.

ESPN is trying to jinx Taylor. Remember what happened last season? Thanks to ESPN, his hype status went up after the oklahoma state game. After that he fell in a slump

No what happened was he started to play against good defenses that knew how to defend the zone read. and they figured out that he can't throw to save his life when he has pressure coming at him.

 

Yeah, injury had nothing to do with it! Who cares that he torched Oklahoma State and had a better QB rating against them than any other Quarterback over the year.

Who really does care that torched Okie Lite, nobody. Why because Okie Lite was terrible on defense.

 

I will get on Tmart bandwagon when he is productive against a top 40 defense. Until then he is just an athlete playing QB.

A very fast athlete. I'm not even sure that if Taylor finished out last year the same way he started, he would contend for the Heisman. He didn't show the same all around skillset that others did. ESPN did us a favor by hyping him up so early on in his career. Now he has to live up to the high standards they set for him. Could be a good and bad thing at the same time. Only time will tell. Until then, He's just a good athlete!

I can't say I agree with every player on the list, but most of them will have very productive years im sure.

If you read the top paragraph of the article, he says that he was puting a list together of the best players NOT on the oddsmaker's list. Since last year at this time Cam Newton was miles away from any Heisman talk.

It's basically an extended heisman list, nice to see Taylor near the top tho

This is an insider article by ESPN's Bruce Feldman. Click Here

He ranks the top 10 Heisman Dark Horse Candidates of 2011 and has Taylor Martinez on the list as number 2! He gives an analysis of each of his picks and why they are on his list, but here is the list.

It's nice to see ESPN starting to give us some love lately!

1. Geno Smith QB, West Virginia Mountaineers

2. Taylor Martinez QB, Nebraska Cornhuskers

3. EJ Manuel QB, Florida State Seminoles

4. Ryan Tannehill QB, Texas A&M Aggies

5. Alshon Jeffery WR, South Carolina Gamecocks

6. Brock Osweiler QB, Arizona State Sun Devils

7. Edwin Baker RB, Michigan State Spartans

8. Michael Dyer RB, Auburn Tigers

9. David Wilson RB, Virginia Tech Hokies

10. (tie) Jeff Godfrey QB, UCF Knights

& Isaiah Crowell RB, Georgia Bulldogs

personally, i think the kid under-estimated the toughness needed to play college ball.

things came way too easy for him early on, then when big, rangy defensive guys showed up, he got throttled.....welcome to D-1 ball, son.

I think it's safe to say Virgin Mobile had his cherry popped!

Hes just a freshman and had to go through injures

haha, so I hear.

I did not read the article, I am sick of seeing them.

 

I remember Cory Ross being carried off the field with turf toe, I might add one of the toughest players we have ever had, not being able to stand on it with out great pain. I see a young freshman, thrown into a starting role, most likely beyond his wildest dreams, working with a lame duck offensive coordinator who did not want him to start, playing great until injured. Both wheels injured and one of the most painfull injuries you could have for a running QB.

 

We need to get off the kids ass. He did all that was asked of him, and did it better than any freshman at Nebraska has ever done. Damned near every team in America would give their starter to have him on the sidelines. Simply amazing how the greatest fans/sports writers have thrown this kid under the bus.

 

This type of stuff does the team or the player no good.

 

I would like to see the writer do his job, and I mean reporting with two seriously injured ankles/toes. You know I bet it would affect his ability to do it. Let alone playing division 1 football in a screwed up offensive system.

 

Again I am not a Martinez fan, anymore than the others, but it is time to quit beating this poor injured horse, as we may just beat it to death. We need Taylor to be the best he can be. Nothing being said seems to point to the good he did. All American, I wonder if the writer/fans ever performed at that level in their chosen fields.

 

I'm sick of the cheapshots at our freshman qb too. But this is HuskerBoard and it'll never stop.

Cheapshots? It was an optimistically written article simply breaking down his stats. How is that a cheapshot?

I'm sick of everyone trying to give the excuse that he was injured. He had a leg injury!!!!!!!! Not an arm injury. If his little leg was too hurt for him to play all he had to do was say "Coach, I don't think I can do this again, for the 4th time." ...instead of ruining every husker fan's day. Injuries are part of the game. Yea, your gonna get hurt. That's no excuse for what you do when you're on the field with a game on the line. "He's just a freshman!" (most of you have said) ....uhhh yea. No one is on here saying "Taylor Martinez SUCKS and DOESN'T deserve to be our starter!" Most of what I have heard is people hoping he makes the certain proper adjustments to be a better player.

Get your panties out of a wad. Were rooting for the same team here. Geez Louise.

I dunno about you guys but this is what I like to see out of an injured quarterback. No excuses just plain getting it done when it matters the most.

A great read from Big Red Network about Taylor Martinez not being as strong of a finisher as some would hope. They break down his quarter-to-quarter statistics and give you a different view on his passing skills.

Click Here

Bummer. I was all set to post a great article from ESPN about Taylor's passing ability, but I didn't realize until just before I hit POST that it was an Insider article.

 

Here's the link: Huskers Taylor-made for Big Ten

 

 

The Cliff's Notes version:

 

Statistical metrics from Taylor's final seven games (KSU, Texas, OSU, Missouri, A&M, Oklahoma & Washington) show that his ability to pass - which analysis shows is the best way to attack the Big 10 - is more than good enough to lead Nebraska into next season. Had all of Taylor's passes been caught (he had nine drops), he would have posted a 9.54 YPA average, which would have ranked him fourth nationally behind Cam Newton, Kellen Moore and Greg McElroy. They further break it down to show that Taylor was excellent on the short passes as well as vertical throws downfield. Further down the article they cite Kyler Reed as an example of why we can possibly take advantage of the Big 10's defenses.

 

The article was written by the webmaster and blogger for TheFootballScientist.com, KC Joyner.

Interesting. Although I'm pretty sure both Beck and Pelini have both said we will be a run first team the first year in the B10.

Tim Beck: “We're going to run the ball first and foremost and we're going to hang our hat on that.”

Not saying we won't develop into a more pass-heavy scheme down the road.

Can't wait to see what Taylor brings!

All this speed is nice, but IMO we need a back to step up and give us some yards between the tackles. We don't have many of those.

And I find it foolish to judge any other QB's entire careers based on a chance they haven't been given....yet.