Taylor Martinez bleeds Husker Red....

[HuskerNMO]

The guys a head case, he transfered twice in high school because he could'nt get along with teammates.

 

Proof?

 

He's an outrageous talent and you have "zero" proof he's a head case. Just because you can type insulting things about a player from your Mom's computer doesn't make it true.

 

To be fair, you have zero proof that he is NOT one.

 

The media has definitely questioned it, enough people that know the program have mentioned it (even before he started a single game) and a former player has come out and said it.

 

Just because Taylor has maturity issues doesn't mean he's not a nice kid in general, but he has a long ways to go to be a good teamate and leader.

 

 

You can facepalm all you want, but the truth is you are making an assumption with little to no evidence, where as there's quite a bit of evidence pointing the other direction.

 

You used religion's argument against science, like "Well, you can't prove that God DOESN'T exist, so obviously you're not right!" That deserved a

 

The fact that you're still bashing a kid that played hurt, and that you're doing it based on the same internet message board crap that said he quit the team, also deserved a

 

I don't call that crap, "evidence." I call that crap, "crap."

 

Like everyone who bashes Cody Green when he's a team player, and goes about things the right way? You said he had zero evidence, I pointed out that you had the same amount. If you want to infer something beyond that, have fun.

 

I'm not basing my views on Taylor based on "crap that said he quit the team", ex players have called Taylor out, teamates have called Taylor out during games (McNeill during the CCG), his head coach went bananas on him on the sideline. I'm not sure what else you need, but I think that is more than zero evidence.

 

People bash Cody Green because he fumbles the ball. If you want to bash Taylor because he fumbles the ball, fine. But you're bashing Taylor because you just don't like him. You're playing "Mean Girls," on an internet message board behind a screen name that makes you anonymous, and I don't respect that. So,

 

I like Taylor Martinez, I think he's a good kid that needs to mature and develop a team first mentality, but then again i've said that for the last year, as have others who know far more than I do.

[HuskerNMO]

He's an outrageous talent and you have "zero" proof he's a head case

 

To be fair, you have zero proof that he is NOT one/

 

The burden of proof lies with the accuser, not the accused. Does this really need explaining?

 

After the quitting rumors turned out to be a big fat nothing burger it's borderline insulting that people are still questioning Taylor's loyalty or willingness to put it all out on the field. He spent 5 hours a day in tedious rehab trying to get ready for the OU game and help us win. He didn't get much help from the play calling or the line picking up blitzes. In a nutshell that's why we lost.

 

There was significant drama revolving around Taylor this fall in camp, if he quit the team or not is up for debate, sure, but to deny that there was drama there is naive. There was obvious drama that caused Phil Dillard to blast Martinez on Facebook, there was something that has caused local writers to talk about Taylor's sideline demeanor, there was something that caused Taylor to get ripped on the sideline by Bo in the A&M game, and something that caused McNeill to do the same thing Saturday night.

 

I'm not questioning Taylor's loyalty or willingness to put it all out on the field, I'm questioning his maturity in dealing with his teamates and situations that he gets involved with, and I'm not alone.

[CFHusker]

By the time Martinez graduates from this program I believe he will go down as one of the best Huskers of all time. He will be one of the best Wide Receivers ever!!!

[knapplc]

We were exactly 1 game better this year than last year (and that is because we had Washington instead of VT on the schedule) with a worse defense than the previous year. I don't see that Taylor made a huge difference in the Win column, and I've already posted many other times that Watson and the staff should be given credit for what the offense DID accomplish this year. Obviously I can't go back and have us replay the season with Zac or Cody to prove what they would have done, but I doubt the record would be much different.

You're destroying your own point here. With a Redshirt Freshman and a worse defense in 2010 we're a game better in the W column than in 2009. We're actually playing a tougher schedule with that Redshirt Freshman under the helm (30th in 2010, 52nd in 2009), and yet we still won one more game. If you don't see that Taylor made a huge difference then you're not looking at facts. We have the #35 Total Offense and #28 Scoring Offense this year. Last year, with a better defense, we had the #99 total offense and the #75 Scoring Offense. The major difference between last year and this year, aside from health, is Taylor Martinez. Now, if you're going to say that HEALTH is the determining factor you've got a leg to stand on. If you're going to say that we're worse with Taylor under center than we would have been with Zac or Cody, you have no leg to stand on, to use your phrase.

 

You are presuming a lot into my statements that weren't there, obviously Bo made his choice and it worked out okay. I personally think it would have been the same, if not better had he made a different choice, but I can't prove that, obviously. But my logic is that we have 2 QB's that could run a more 2008 like offense if the other went down in Zac and Cody (or even Kellogg), where we didn't have a backup to Taylor that could step in the same. We saw what happened without a healthy Taylor, it wasn't pretty.

We can't prove anything, sure, but we have stats to back up Taylor's impact on our offense - especially at the QB position. The funny thing is, you're destroying your argument further by bringing up the lack of "pretty" when Taylor wasn't in. Cody, if he was a viable option, should have at least been productive when he was given the ball. Rather than productivity, we saw clear regression, bordering on stagnation. Cody wasn't shafted by Bo - Cody was given an opportunity to succeed, and he did not.

 

Cody, by many accounts beat out Taylor in practice in Watson's grading system. Did it in Spring, did it this fall. Bo decided that Martinez was more of a weapon because of his feet, and rolled that way. Cody was a team player, and did what was best for the team. Cody was put into tough situations, and struggled early in the year, he kept fighting. Cody got another chance in the Iowa State game, took a serious hit and got a concussion. Rather than tell the public what happened, he played it down and did what was best for the team. Cody got called on again for the CU game, he got a weeks prep and played a pretty good game. The next week, they decide that Taylor is healthy and despite Bo preaching open competition, Cody never gets reps with the 1's and Taylor is left out there during the CCG taking 7 sacks, putting the ball on the turf 3 times and throws a costly INT. If you're the second string QB, that tells you they have no confidence in you or no respect for you.

 

So my concern is, that Cody will say screw it and transfer, leaving us next year without a backup QB on the roster that has ever taken a live snap when Taylor is one play away from getting hurt (as is any QB).

 

If there are so many accounts that Cody actually beat out Taylor, but was screwed by Bo when Bo decided to go with Martinez, it should be pretty easy to show me one. Please do so.

 

While we're waiting for this, let's look at Taylor's first start against Western Kentucky, compared with Green's first start against Baylor. Cody had already had in-game experience in four live games before getting his first start, including "the frying pan" against Texas Tech. Taylor... not so much.

 

Cody vs. Baylor:

 

Rushing:

8/43 (5.4 YPC) 0 TD

 

Passing:

12/21/1 128 Yards, 0 TD

 

Overall, Cody accounted for 171 yards of total offense against the weakest opponent we faced last year outside of the Sun Belt teams, in his first significant action.

 

Contrast that with Martinez against W. Kentucky:

 

Rushing:

7/127 (18.1 YPC) 3 TD

 

Passing:

9/15/0 136 Yards, 0 TD

 

Taylor, in his first game against college-level opposition, amassed 263 yards of offense and three TDs. Cody, in his first game, amassed about half that, and no TDs.

 

If you like we can use Washington (ranked 42nd by Sagarin in '10) as an example, since they were a lot more analogous to Baylor (ranked 80th by Sagarin in '09) than Western Kentucky (ranked 180th by Sagarin in '10), but you know what Martinez did against Washington, and it would further destroy the point you're trying to make. Fact is that Cody isn't getting shafted by Martinez playing any more than Joe Broekemeier was getting shafted by Niles Paul playing - Niles was light-years ahead of Broekemeier, and everyone knows it. Taylor is light-years ahead of Cody, and the stats back it up.

[cdw]

His Toe was hurting is the reason he was crying.

 

made that up

 

I also heard today the Unity council wants to kick him from the team.

 

I really did hear that today. Of course I was at work a few hundered miles away from Lincoln from a person that knows nobody on the Football team let alone on whatever council he was talking about

[Chaddyboxer]

Martinez did not do himself well if he is thinking about transferring, because he looked totally clueless, and I believe he showed that he is pretty much one dimensional, and if he is dinged up, he is pretty much worthless as a QB. Martinez, when healthy is a one man offense, but that is about it, and teams will pick up on that and exploit it. I think the Martinez experiment is pretty much about over.

Go watch the Okie St game...he threw all over their defense...even though it may be a mediacore defense...he still executed against them very well...he's NOT one dimensional..

[zoogs]

If there are so many accounts that Cody actually beat out Taylor, but was screwed by Bo when Bo decided to go with Martinez, it should be pretty easy to show me one. Please do so.

 

Knapp I think you were around and this was discussed back then, how Zac was screwed out of a job.

 

Taylor beat neither Zac nor Cody in a competition as QB, but it was decided that his gamebreaking potential overrode all of that, and we could mold our offense around that with success. That's what we did, too, with success. I don't think even now you could say Taylor is better at most QB things than Zac or than Cody, but our offense is built to work around that and it's the offense that Bo wanted going forward anyway. So from an offense development standpoint, I agree this year wasn't a push at all.

It's not like Taylor is some miracle passer that will pick apart defenses - but defenses are forced to respect his ability to run, and that opens up things a lot in the passing game. How about that kid Kyler Reed's stats this year? 20 catches, 392 yards, 18+ avg, 7TD. Ballin'.

 

If we were always going to transition to this, the lumps the staff took with adapting to it this year are going to be invaluable going forward.

[chamrocck]

TMart had a rough end to the year but I hope he is 100% and shows us his high level of play in the Holiday Bowl.

 

I have no idea why he'd transfer....it would be a really bad decision. He is already starting on a top 20 team that runs a style of offense suited to fit him. Why would he take a year off and then come back to compete for a job elsewhere? UCLA and Neuheisal? Who knows if that guy will be there in 2 years and what offense will a new coach run? We are committed to having dual threat QB's. TMart does seem a bit injury prone and he has to learn not to take hits and sacks as it not only puts our offense in a bad position but wears him down also. Carnes and Turner are perfect behind him. When I think about it, where is there a better fit for TMart? We gave him the shot at QB he wanted. Guys like Masoli and Thomas at Oregon have less speed than him but show they have learned to pass but still be great runners. I think TMart can progress in his passing game as well.

[mnhusker]

I hope he stays as I thing he has huge upside, without injury who knows what his years would like.

[knapplc]

If there are so many accounts that Cody actually beat out Taylor, but was screwed by Bo when Bo decided to go with Martinez, it should be pretty easy to show me one. Please do so.

 

Knapp I think you were around and this was discussed back then, how Zac was screwed out of a job.

 

Taylor beat neither Zac nor Cody in a competition as QB, but it was decided that his gamebreaking potential overrode all of that, and we could mold our offense around that with success. That's what we did, too, with success. I don't think even now you could say Taylor is better at most QB things than Zac or than Cody, but our offense is built to work around that and it's the offense that Bo wanted going forward anyway. So from an offense development standpoint, I agree this year wasn't a push at all.

It's not like Taylor is some miracle passer that will pick apart defenses - but defenses are forced to respect his ability to run, and that opens up things a lot in the passing game. How about that kid Kyler Reed's stats this year? 20 catches, 392 yards, 18+ avg, 7TD. Ballin'.

 

If we were always going to transition to this, the lumps the staff took with adapting to it this year are going to be invaluable going forward.

 

I was around, and I don't remember anything other than complete unfounded conjecture, which is why I asked for any kind of proof, fact or data to back that up. To date there has been nothing shown that says Taylor was worse than either Zac or Cody, yet was still "given" the job. There have been multiple games where Taylor has shown, with his legs and with his arm, that he's more capable of moving this offense than Zac or Cody ever showed.

 

And in case anyone forgets, I have been and continue to be the biggest Zac Lee fan on this board. I'm still giddy at meeting and chatting with the guy. If we didn't have a playmaker with Taylor's overriding ability, I'd still be driving the Zac Lee bandwagon. The thing is, we have that player, and much as I personally like Zac Lee (and feel positively toward Cody as well), Taylor is the better QB all around of those three.

[zoogs]

I wouldn't say he was given the job so much as it was felt that his big play running ability overrode the inconsistencies/weaknesses in other parts of the game. A prudent, deliberate decision, as you would say.

 

Taylor is not a better QB all around but I won't argue that we've shown we can produce with Taylor in all facets of the game, although we haven't seen healthy Taylor vs top defense aside from Texas yet. The more exotic looks/blitzes defenses give can really rattle Taylor. Still, what we have seen is pretty outstanding maximization of production, passing and running out of Taylor considering his weaknesses in the passing game and just reading with QB responsibilities. Bo was right - we really can lean on the dynamic big play ability of Taylor and watch that open up things for us everywhere.

[knapplc]

I wouldn't say he was given the job so much as it was felt that his big play running ability overrode the inconsistencies/weaknesses in other parts of the game. A prudent, deliberate decision, as you would say.

 

You're parsing words here. Of course he won the job - his big play ability overrode that of Lee's and Green's. He outperformed Lee's Junior season as a Redshirt Freshman. You can phrase it however you like - bottom line is, Taylor was the better QB and he won the job. On-field production supports this, and I've posted the stats.

 

Taylor is not a better QB all around but I won't argue that we've shown we can produce with Taylor in all facets of the game, although we haven't seen healthy Taylor vs top defense aside from Texas yet. The more exotic looks/blitzes defenses give can really rattle Taylor. Still, what we have seen is pretty outstanding maximization of production, passing and running out of Taylor considering his weaknesses in the passing game and just reading with QB responsibilities. Bo was right - we really can lean on the dynamic big play ability of Taylor and watch that open up things for us everywhere.

 

Of course Taylor is a better all-around QB. Again, I've posted the stats, and they're in support of my argument. More total offense, more touchdowns, better passing percentage, better QB Rating, better Yards Per Completion, better rushing stats, all done against overall better competition... what else do you need to prove that he's a better overall QB? Go look up the stats at NCAA.org if you don't believe me. There isn't a single major statistical category that Martinez doesn't lead Lee and Green in - and he's a Redshirt Freshman.

[irieboy8]

reality check... look what the kid did as redshirt freshman... the kid can only go up!

[Hercules]

Hey Huskerboard - stop making Pelini frustrated. Seriously.

 

Sipple blog

 

You hear rumor after rumor regarding Taylor Martinez.

You hear and read stuff often enough, you can't help but wonder if Martinez will play for Nebraska next season.

“I would assume so,” Husker head coach Bo Pelini told me Monday, seemingly surprised by the question. “I guess I really don’t know why he wouldn’t.”

Has Martinez ever talked to Pelini about transferring to another school?

“The subject’s never even come up,” Pelini said flatly.

Thing is, I’m not sure Pelini’s comments Monday will convince some folks that Martinez isn’t planning to take the next bus to California, such is the energy of the rumor mill and recent speculation.

I sensed Pelini’s frustration as I stammered on about Martinez-related rumors. He said he didn’t like the idea of me lending credence to rumors “that are completely false.”

More from Bo in a Tuesday column in which I raise a few other questions, such as:

Does it serve Pelini well to shoot down various rumors? Is that a good use of his time? Is it simply part of coaching at a high-profile program in this day and age?

We're always interested in your thoughts.

 

edit: and here's the full sipple article

[California Husker]

The guys a head case, he transfered twice in high school because he could'nt get along with teammates.

 

He transferred to improve the level of football he played. When he was done transferring he was in California's top level of football. He then went on to be named, "... the Big VIII League's Most Valuable Player and also earned the Los Angeles Times' Glen Davis Player-of-the-Year Award. A first-team all-state selection, Martinez was the Inland Division Offensive Player of the Year, the Max Preps California Player of the Year and the Golden States Prep Southern California Offensive Player of the Year. "

 

If you're just making stuff up, be more creative. Maybe claim he was in the Witness Protection Program or that he was a super hero and had to move to hide his secret identity. It's still bogus, but it's more entertaining.

His dad also went broke, was left by his wife and rejuvenated his career. They moved to a small house then a bigger house, and Taylor was helping get his younger brothers to school.

I wish T-Mart had more of Cody's personality, but he doesn't. We know he's a magnificent athlete who was in a crucible Saturday, injured and poorly protected. The Sooners came after him, as they should have. (Wish we'd gone after Jones a bit more, but that's beside the point.)

What we don't know about T-Mart is what's going on in his head and what he had to do mentally and emotionally to adapt to having his mom leave the family, having his dad go broke, changing peers in high school, getting a new mom, having money again and, now, being the subject of all these Internet expert fans' expectations and vitriol.

Think we took the loss hard?

Martinez may be a really cold, difficult, aloof, arrogant guy. He looks that way and comes off that way. Those usually are signs of being really shy and socially awkward. What he knows how to do to compensate for that is do amazing athletic things. Injuries and tougher competition made that difficult the second half of this year, so he has a chance to grow through adversity.

Understatement here: It's just as important to his development as a quarterback, as a Husker and potential lifelong representative of the University of Nebraska that he grow personally as that he learn to throw the ball away under duress.

I'd hate to be judged by the person I was at 20. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy meeting the person I was at 20.

 

I was freakin awesome when I was 20.