Who's really our BEST Quarterback?

[CornfedChris]

This is my opinion. No disrespect but if you don't like it, I don't care.

 

I would rank our QBs as of right now based on QB talent seen in film, not a predicted depth chart!

 

1. Brion Carnes

2. Bubba Starling

3. Taylor Martinez

4. Cody Green

5. Jamal Turner

 

 

Bubba & Brion

Setting aside the fact that these kids are very young and probably don't know the NU system well enough, I feel they have just as much of a shot at the starting role as Taylor does. They are both similar to Taylor (before last season) in that they possess strong quick legs and can be very explosive. The difference between these kids and Taylor is how comfortable they look when standing in the pocket, or rolling out. They CAN sense pressure. And when pressure gets to them, they have great decision making ability. Brion looks VERY similar to Tyrod Taylor. He can sling the ball 60 yards rolling out & off the playaction. I love the fact that these kids just look like they KNOW what the QB position is. They have that mindset. They are true quarterbacks. I think Brion gives us a better chance to win with the game on the line. Bubba has the same love for the game as Taylor, but is he thinking about football right now? or baseball? or basketball for that matter...

 

Taylor Martinez

I just don't think Taylor has the QB mindset in him. The goal of the QB is to manage, distribute, and execute, and keep possession. Yeah, it was his freshman year, but he showed us so many different flaws in his mechanics and his overall game that even I could see. I'm no expert at any position but what I did see is a speedster able to extend plays with his legs and make the big play. He has a godly amount of speed and athleticism and a real passion for the game to succeed, but at the quarterback position... you cannot survive on just passion and speed. You need the ability to control the game. YOU are the tempo of the game. He does NOT have patience. He does NOT pace himself. He has one speed. FAST. Which is why he became such a target so early in the year, and injured his ankle. He does NOT cover up the ball correctly. If and that's a big IF he can learn to calm down, and pace himself, learn the system, broaden his knowledge of the position, and NOT try to be a star himself, (The kid has the game running through his blood, I'm sure he's gone over the system more than the coaches have themselves by now) ... he will become a better quarterback. But if he tries to be the same Taylor he was early last season, I have no doubt that our coaching staff with find another spot on the field to put him. And he will have to earn that too.

 

"Poor" Cody Green

I know it, you know it, he knows it. He was overrated. He loves football, yet his mind is somewhere else most of the time... Well either that or he hasn't grown into his 6-4 230lb frame quite yet to be running the ball all over the field. He was a great quarterback in the spread during highschool putting up almost 4,000 yards passing and 1,700 yards rushing, But he hasn't quite got the hang of NU's hybrid of the spread. I have faith that this kid will figure it out. He's probably the smartest of our quarterbacks on paper and also has the ability to switch to another position. Last year he reportedly offered coach to move to Tight End, so that tells you what he thinks of himself.

 

Jamal Turner

This kid's highlight tape was amazing. But we will see how he grasps our new system as a quarterback. He's got a great football IQ though I don't think he's got the spark in him that Bubba or Brion could provide at the QB position. Maybe he will flourish into a starter in the years to come, but right now I think watching the game from the sideline will be best for him. He will enjoy the team and make many great relationships pushing him to excel. He has a little bit of experience at the WR position as well. We might see a change there very soon as we lack depth at wideout. Hmmm.. maybe this year.

 

Position Changes

I think the quarterback most likely to switch would be Jamal Turner switching from quarterback to Wide Reciever. Taylor Martinez helping out our safeties on defense might be a smart move too, which is where USC originally saw him fitting in better. Of course, for that to happen he would need to bulk up a little bit, learn to tackle, and study the defensive scheme. And with him being on the offensive side of the game for so long, he might be a step ahead of everyone. This will not happen this year though. Our coaching staff will give him time to develop, which I think is good. But I think the quarterback position is something that you can't just learn. You need some kind of base set skills, and this kid is JUST NOW learning them.

 

Summary

Yes I know I left out a few others, but do we really care? No one has a clue how these guys will perform this spring and in practice. No one knows which of these kids is going be able to put it all together and come away as a front runner. They will have to earn every snap they get, and until that time comes we will never know. But those are my thoughts based on what I feel is most likely to happen. Who know's... Bubba might not even stay after the MLB Draft.... Maybe Ron Kellogg III comes out of training with a better grasp for the system than them all. And most people don't even know who Tyson Broekemeier is.

 

What I DO know is that they will all be competing against each other for one spot, which in turn will make them ALL better and a BETTER TEAM overall. That is Bo's ultimate goal right?

 

 

 

P.S. People need to quit complaining about our coaches. This is football. It's a dirty sport. Bo doesn't have time for you guys, he's busy puting together YOUR football team. So hush it!

[corncraze]

Dear Lord people, he's a starter for a reason...

[Hercules]

2 kids that have never played a snap of division 1 football over a guy who set a number of freshman records at Nebraska, was a dark horse heisman contender before he got hurt?

 

I understand that Taylor's got a long ways to go, but really?

[HuskerNMO]

Depends on what type of offense Beck wants to run, I think Taylor and Cody will be neck and neck for the starting spot with the nod going to how we want to run the offense. If we go back to a more even run\pass ration it wouldn't shock me to see Cody get the nod. If we stay with a 70/30 mix like this year then Taylor is the most likely option.

 

I don't see Carnes pushing either Cody or Taylor at this point. Turner will have a leg up in the freshmen QB category due to making it through spring ball, and while Bubba is an exciting athlete, IMO he's Cody Green V2 with a little more speed, but still a very raw passer. Kellogg and Spano may be our 2 best true passers on the team, Taylor is improving (the ankle injury really hurt his development in the passing game) and Cody gets a fresh start hopefully (he struggled with the West Coast route concepts, as did just about every QB and WR in the program).

 

I think the most interesting thing will be what will the offense look like under Beck, do we stick with the 2010 type schemes or do we move to something more like KU's offense back in 2007? My guess is somewhere in between where we try to spread the ball around the field a bit more to get our playmakers in space.

[CornfedChris]

I would love to see the 2007 KU offense instilled. But I don't think T-Mart could handle it. Reesing had very good peripheral vision. Saw the whole field most of the time.

 

The system has ALOT to do with it. Who knows who excels in the new system. I don't see any of the freshman really jumping Taylor this year. But based on what I have seen from them in their systems, I think Carnes is amazing.

[HuskerNMO]

I would love to see the 2007 KU offense instilled. But I don't think T-Mart could handle it.

 

And the funny thing is everyone remembers the 2007 KU offense as one that threw the ball all over the field, but they actually ran the ball 486 times to 502 passes after factoring sacks in as passes rather than runs. That's pretty balanced in reality, but I would expect to see more of a 60/40 to 65/35 run/pass ratio at least this year.

[nathanwindu]

I voted Cody Green, just because I've met him, and he's the most experienced QB on the roster,

 

I wouldn't say I was completely kidding, either. I think Cody has the best work ethic out of the QB's that we've seen (not really counting Carnes, Turner, or Starling in that group) and I always like guys who have a drive to play and win, and earn the job. I think Cody has just been set up to fail by the previous offensive staff, maybe Beck will give him more of a chance, hopefully. I really want to see him succeed.

[CornfedChris]

I would love to see the 2007 KU offense instilled. But I don't think T-Mart could handle it.

 

And the funny thing is everyone remembers the 2007 KU offense as one that threw the ball all over the field, but they actually ran the ball 486 times to 502 passes after factoring sacks in as passes rather than runs. That's pretty balanced in reality, but I would expect to see more of a 60/40 to 65/35 run/pass ratio at least this year.

 

I could be wrong, but it seemed like he mis-managed quite a bit. And lots of plays were botched not to mention the penalties. Maybe, it was his fault, maybe it was someone else. I think Taylor being uncomfortable is a bigger flaw than his passing skills.

 

And with a quicker and more advanced offensive scheme... I just don't know if he's got it in him.

 

Maybe he does. Guess we'll see.

[oldgoldknight]

I think Carnes' highschool tape is amazing. Over and over he fires 60 yard bombs and 20 yard frozen ropes on a dead sprint....whether on a designed bootleg or after escaping the pocket. Being able to accurately throw on the run like that is priceless in my opinion because the defense will most likely be out of position. If Carnes has been putting in his time and really knows the playbook inside and out I think he can definitely be our guy.

[The Dude]

-Martinez

-Green

-Carnes

-Turner (redshirt)

 

Given there are no position changes.

[CornKing]

Until the others show me on the field they are paper tigers. T-mart #1 Green #2 then Carnes and Turner lumped as unknown.

[Fuzzy]

Well that kind of depends on what your description of a QB is.

 

If you want to ask who is the best all round QB its Taylor Martinez, with a lot room for some one to take that spot away from him (not the starter spot but my opinion of the best all round QB).

 

If you want to ask who is the best running QB its Taylor Martinez.

 

If you want to ask who is the best passing QB, i truly have no clue. I mean I can't say that Taylor Martinez is the best the passing QB we have, because i don't feel he is. I think he is better than Cody Green as a passer, but the best, well I hope not. Maybe I'll have a good feel for who the best passer is after the Spring Game.

[Hunter94]

Until the others show me on the field they are paper tigers. T-mart #1 Green #2 then Carnes and Turner lumped as unknown.

 

at this point, i don't know what other conclusion one could logically make...point is, none show the entire package and have been poorly coached.

[southernoregonhusker]

While you're watching that highlight tape of Carnes, think about how Western Kentucky was his best offer before DONU snagged him the last days of recruiting last season.

 

As for Bubba, hearing that the all star game playbook had to be dumbed down for him was all I needed to know. If he can't figure out an already dumbed down all star game playbook, what makes you think he is bright enough to run DONU's offense? But who am I kidding? He's our next Carl Crawford. I wish the kid luck.

 

Whine all you want about Martinez, but he was great prior to getting hurt. His passing motion needs TONS of work as it is way too slow to be effective on a consistent basis. He also needs to learn how to hold onto the ball and when to throw the ball out of bounds.

 

Green seems like a really nice kid who isn't good enough to play QB at an upper echelon D-1 school. He's a poor passer and slow footed.

 

Nobody knows what Turner and Spano can bring. Spano wasn't highly regarded out of high school and can't stay healthy. Turner wasn't recruited as a QB except by DONU.

 

Our QBs all have major flaws. Hopefully a few of them can develop into good college quarterbacks. I have my doubts that any of them will be good enough to get us into the NC.

[Haspula]

Taylor, i've seen other freshman make far worst mistakes than Martinez. He will improve and get better during his sophomore year