Will Cody Green rise to expectations in 2010?

[Nexus]

When Cody Green was recruited in 2008, expectations were high. He was compared to Vince Young because of the physical similarities and to Tommie Frazier since he was a true freshman capable of stepping in and starting midway through his first season. Those expectations are too much to lay on anyone, but particularly when Green stepped into tougher circumstances than either Young or Frazier. Young had the benefit of a full redshirt season and a team surrounding him that was loaded with blue chip offensive talent. Frazier joined a team that was the defending champion of the Big 8 at a time when a number of conference teams were not very competitive.

 

Like Young, Green struggled as a passer as a freshman. Young ran wild, racking up nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns despite sharing quarterback duties with Chance Mock (yes, that was his real name). Green was second only to Roy Helu in yards per carry, though at 5.1 it was much more modest than Young's gaudy 7.4. Still it was better than Frazier's freshman average of 4.6. Another NU quarterback to consider for comparison's sake might be Steve Taylor, who also played as a true freshman and shares the ten-yard dash record for quarterbacks at Nebraska with Cody Green. Taylor walked away with most of the NU quarterback rushing records, a Big 8 title and All-America honors. Taylor appeared in just five games as a freshman though, rushing for over 7 yards per carry with a pair of touchdowns, but completing just 3 of 6 passes with an interception.

 

As a sophomore, Young finally managed more touchdowns than interceptions, over 1,000 yards rushing and most importantly an 11-1 record and a Rose Bowl victory. Frazier boosted his yards per carry by a full yard and took his team to an 11-1 record and a near miss at a national championship in his second season. Taylor similarly grabbed the reins at quarterback as a sophomore and led Nebraska to a 10-2 record and Sugar Bowl victory over LSU to put NU in the top 5 nationally. None of these players put up gaudy passing numbers, but all were still able to use their dual-threat skills to help make their team a dominant one.

 

Is it fair to compare Green to such an accomplished set of quarterbacks? Maybe, maybe not. But the point is that none of them had it all figured out as freshmen or even really as sophomores. Still, the gains they and their teams made in one year took them from outside the top ten, to a top five ranking. It's certainly conceivable that the same could happen with Green. He likely won't become as good as he'll ever be. But he could become effective enough to help make Nebraska a top team nationally, and his somewhat underwhelming freshman year certainly doesn't take him out of the running to be the kind of prospect he looked to be coming out of high school.

 

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[jsneb83]

Do you ever sleep Nexus?

[Pedro Guerrero]

It depends on whose expectations he is rising to. Is it the people that were realistic and figured it would take a couple years for things to click or is it all the leg humping, second coming claiming, wonder bread exclaiming, Jim Jones following, man crushing, chub popping, types that said he would start and be a star from day one?

 

If you they mean the first bunch then chances are high, if it is the second bunch then he will never live up to those standards unless he wins multiple Heisman Trophies and National Championships.

[husker B-rent]

yeah he will rise to his backup position yeah....

[RedDenver]

My hope is Spano, Martinez, or Washington emerges as a quality backup to Lee, and Green can redshirt this season. That would meet my expectation that QB's need time to develop and not be called on to produce in their first 2 seasons unless injuries demand it. If he does better than that, he'd exceed my expectations.

[junior4949]

The problem with Green redshirting this year is that he started a couple of games last year. I highly doubt he'll be motivated and willing to take a seat for a year while potentially watching Martinez or someone else pass him by going into next year. I wish he would have redshirted last year, but it's not always in the cards.

[knapplc]

It depends on whose expectations he is rising to. Is it the people that were realistic and figured it would take a couple years for things to click or is it all the leg humping, second coming claiming, wonder bread exclaiming, Jim Jones following, man crushing, chub popping, types that said he would start and be a star from day one?

 

If you they mean the first bunch then chances are high, if it is the second bunch then he will never live up to those standards unless he wins multiple Heisman Trophies and National Championships.

 

Brilliant! You have a way with words, sir.

[NUance]

and his somewhat underwhelming freshman year certainly doesn't take him out of the running to be the kind of prospect he looked to be coming out of high school.

 

WTF? It’s not like our offense was running up and down the field when Zac was in instead of Cody. All things considered, Cody Green looked fine for a true freshman. He has a strong arm, quick feet, and can lower his shoulder for an extra yard when he needs to.

[KingBlank]

yeah he will rise to his backup position yeah....

Well put and so true, you will all bow to the Zac Lee ruthless pump fake TD bombs

[The Maudfather]

yeah he will rise to his backup position yeah....

Wouldn't bank on it, buddy.

[Igetbored216]

Wouldn't bank on it, buddy.

 

What makes you so sure that he took large enough steps to surpass Lee? Lee was INJURED the whole season and Green still barely saw the field.

 

I don't know...I don't have much expectations for Green or this offense in general. After the crap they put on the field last year, they have alot to prove.

[Rep The 402]

I have hope in Cody Green to be honest. The kid just got out of his freshman year. You can't expect a back up freshman kid to do "out standing" things in his first start as a freshman. He didn't even know how to read an offense yet. This year will probably be a lot different for him. And I bet if he starts this year, the kid will be outstanding.

[The Maudfather]

Wouldn't bank on it, buddy.

 

What makes you so sure that he took large enough steps to surpass Lee? Lee was INJURED the whole season and Green still barely saw the field.

 

I don't know...I don't have much expectations for Green or this offense in general. After the crap they put on the field last year, they have alot to prove.

I'm not necessarily saying that Green is going to start to begin the season, but I think he will be starting by the season's end. I really think that people are putting too much stock into Zac Lee's injury. I don't care how hurt the guy's elbow was, he still didn't make good decisions and didn't have competent pocket presence.

[Igetbored216]

I'm not necessarily saying that Green is going to start to begin the season, but I think he will be starting by the season's end. I really think that people are putting too much stock into Zac Lee's injury. I don't care how hurt the guy's elbow was, he still didn't make good decisions and didn't have competent pocket presence.

 

Alot of people were saying Green would be starting by the end of last season too...didn't happen, even with a gimped up QB who was performing way below average.

 

Yeah, Lee didn't have competent pocket presence, because for a fair amount of the season, there was no pocket for him to have presence in. Lee was put into the game BECAUSE he made good decisions and didn't try to throw it to the other team on every pass, and "managed" the game (this is definitely true after the Iowa St game).

 

Sure Green only had two picks on the year, but that's because about six or seven of them were dropped. There was at least one in the Oklahoma game and then three in the TT game that were dropped. I'm sure there were more. So he either has a really inaccurate arm, or makes poor decisions. Maybe he has gotten better one year later, but that remains to be seen and I don't have much expectations for the QB position. I just haven't seen alot from that unit nor have I seen much improvement in the players that are there, which is kind of weird considering many feel this is one of Watson's strong points.

 

So we shall see if 2010 is a different story.

[Enhance]

and his somewhat underwhelming freshman year certainly doesn't take him out of the running to be the kind of prospect he looked to be coming out of high school.

 

WTF? It’s not like our offense was running up and down the field when Zac was in instead of Cody. All things considered, Cody Green looked fine for a true freshman. He has a strong arm, quick feet, and can lower his shoulder for an extra yard when he needs to.

Well I think you have to look at it from their point of view. He was a very highly touted recruit coming into the program, who many had given early "Frazier" type status (further showcasing our collective need for dominance ). He was then given the opportunity to start, and didn't really impress anybody. He played one full game that involved a pick 6 and an underwhelming second half. He got pulled from the Oklahoma game (which, you can't really fault him considering his age and that it was on a stage he'd never been at before). After that, he was a relatively unknown commodity the rest of the season that didn't really do much of anything.

 

I'm not saying that's my point of view, but that's probably the reasoning they took when writing that.

 

Wouldn't bank on it, buddy.

 

What makes you so sure that he took large enough steps to surpass Lee? Lee was INJURED the whole season and Green still barely saw the field.

 

I don't know...I don't have much expectations for Green or this offense in general. After the crap they put on the field last year, they have alot to prove.

I'm not necessarily saying that Green is going to start to begin the season, but I think he will be starting by the season's end. I really think that people are putting too much stock into Zac Lee's injury. I don't care how hurt the guy's elbow was, he still didn't make good decisions and didn't have competent pocket presence.

I agree. I think his injury did affect him quite a bit, but I still think his decision making in certain situations was very poor. Sometimes, you couldn't distinguish between Green the true Freshman's passing ability and Zac Lee the guy who's been in the system for three years.