Starting QB 2011

[girlknowsfootball]

We all know Taylor Martinez has the experience, the athleticism, and the Hype going into 2011. As a freshman he almost became one of the 4 highest rushing QB's in all time NCAA history. He showed glimpses of passing skills in the Oklahoma State Game. It's not going to be a suprise if Taylor wins the starting job in 2011... however!!

 

Tim Beck recently stated that the #1 attribute his starting quarterback will have is leadership. He wants a guy who has the respect of the team, who can lead the huddle, works hard, etc. Now here's where we question Taylor. There were rumors flying around last season everywhere that Taylor was not a leader for that offense. During the Texas a&m game, when Taylor got hurt, team members were frustrated. Several guys said Taylor lacked toughness, anytime he got hurt a little bit he took himself out of games. The kid didn't play well through injury. Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.

 

If there would have just been 1 or 2 reports of incidences that occured with Taylor then I wouldn't be talking here. But there were reports, and reports, and reports, it seemed like there was always some type of drama with this super talented guy last year. And you can't deny the sheer number of them.

 

So that brings me back to my first point... We know Taylor is talented but is he a leader who is well respected by his team. I do not believe at this point, that he is. So who's going to get the start? Cody Green is absolutely a leader and a team player but he does not have the foot speed to excel in the new offense and his passing skills are not quite there. Brion Carnes had rave reviews on the scout team... he has the foot speed, and appears to have the leadership, he was quoted by players as the second best passer on the team. But Brion doesn't have experience, he's very young learning a brand new system, and he needed to add several pounds of muscle to be durable enough at this level. Jamal Turner has already earned the respect of his teammates according to Beck. He's an extremely hard worker and athletic as promised, he's extremely mature for his age and has a spring camp jump going into fall. But Jamal is small... needs to add weight, doesn't have the passing skills quite yet, and is so young.

 

So who will start for Nebraska in 2011? Does Beck go with the experience and talent or the lack of experience and leadership? Based on what he has stated so far I would not be surprised if Taylor doesn't get the start. IF he is truly not respected by teammates then it would be suicide for Beck to start him, even if he has the most talent on the team. IF Taylor is not respected, Beck would be better to start a Carnes or a Green or a Turner with no experience... There are a lot of situations that could play out... a lot of time for things to change... but one thing I know here,

 

He who starts will be He who Leads with utmost respect.

[maskershake]

Talented kid that Taylor is, hopefully those were just 'growing' pains. Young guy needs to grow up this offseason and get tough, kinda like Brian Diaz....

[Saunders]

Tim Beck recently stated that the #1 attribute his starting quarterback will have is leadership. He wants a guy who has the respect of the team, who can lead the huddle, works hard, etc. Now here's where we question Taylor. There were rumors flying around last season everywhere that Taylor was not a leader for that offense. During the Texas a&m game, when Taylor got hurt, team members were frustrated. Several guys said Taylor lacked toughness, anytime he got hurt a little bit he took himself out of games. The kid didn't play well through injury. Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.

 

I take quite a bit of this with a grain of salt, because many of these rumors I've never heard before, even from insiders on other boards who aren't Taylor's biggest fans. Also, the boot wasn't on the "wrong" foot, it was for a Turf Toe. I've seen this confirmed in multiple places.

 

As for leadership, I do think he needs to grow up a bit, and take the reigns. We will see....

[BIG ERN]

I agree when Crouch said the team gave up on him. The other rumors who cares they are "rumors." Looking at the facts it was obvious when no one came to celebrate when he scored and he never went to anyone else when they did. This IS a problem no matter what anyone says. The QB has to have respect of the players and Martinez didn't last year. He was only a fresh so lets hope something changes otherwise even being talented get him out.

[zoogs]

It is about leadership and Taylor will either emerge this year a different man, or he could be in danger of losing the starting job.

 

I've dogged Taylor quite a bit and the events of last year don't sit well with me. His weaknesses as a player are not close to being the major point though. If he emerges next year a different man, I will get behind him, as I think will most of Husker nation.

[druski_2k5]

 

Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.

 

 

Do you have a link that to an article somewhere, or was it word of mouth this was found from?

 

I searched around and couldn't find a link talking about how the it appeared to Crouch that the team "gave up" on Taylor, and if it's true, that's sure how it looked like from time to time out there, and the signs were there all-season they may not have respected him, not that you have to "like" someone [ie, Frazier] but they respected Frazier and it seems they team may not have respected, or even liked, Martinez. The non-celebrations, the distance on the sideilnes, the non-communication, etc., all of those things eventually add up it seems like. Perhaps I missed this link somewhere.

 

 

Cody seems like a natural leader, but not the fastest nor best passer, but could be serviceable, Carnes has the speed and arm strength, just needs some muscle, Turner sounds like a natural leader with the tools as well to make plays with his feet and his arms, and Starling looks like a great runner but I think needs to work on his passing big time before he can come in and take the job, if he even steps on campus that is.

 

Even with all the hearsay, all the drama, I'm looking forward to Camp Quarterback 2011.

[Hunter94]

if he is head and shoulders better than the rest, he's gonna start anyway.....Beck is challenging him publicly, if doesn't respond then he could be out, but i doubt it.

[gratefullred]

I can't argue with the short comings of Martinez. I agree with everything stated. I also think the guy deserves credit for gutting it out in the second half of the season. He was hurt and answered the bell to play every time he was called upon. I would think his teammates would respect that.

[robsker]

I agree when Crouch said the team gave up on him. The other rumors who cares they are "rumors." Looking at the facts it was obvious when no one came to celebrate when he scored and he never went to anyone else when they did. This IS a problem no matter what anyone says. The QB has to have respect of the players and Martinez didn't last year. He was only a fresh so lets hope something changes otherwise even being talented get him out.

 

 

If the team "gave up on Taylor" then that is a major, major coaching problem...

 

If in fact the team did give up on Taylor (and it is reasonable to suggest that they did --- and, if the Washington game was an indicator... it could be argued that the team just simply gave up.. on each other, their fans, etc. simply bellying up and not caring) --- then the coaching staff is to blame for letting it get that bad. Certainly, the professional leadership on the team (the coaches) are called to be aware of team dynamics, team cohesiveness, team morale... and proactively stop the little problems before they become big problems. A team that has given up on its QB --- and maybe just given up --- well,.... blame the coaches (the players too... but the coaches should be able to work through such things to keep the team focused... and they did not).

 

I hope the new coaching staff will perform better than the last one did at getting these kids prepared, focused and playing hard.

[Husker from Kansas]

i wouldnt count on starling ever being at NU, i have a friend whos little brother is friends with bubba and bubba has said if he goes top 15 in the MLB draft he is going to play baseball, and honestly he would be a fool to risk inury and play sports in college and miss out on millions

[robsker]

We all know Taylor Martinez has the experience, the athleticism, and the Hype going into 2011. As a freshman he almost became one of the 4 highest rushing QB's in all time NCAA history. He showed glimpses of passing skills in the Oklahoma State Game. It's not going to be a suprise if Taylor wins the starting job in 2011... however!!

 

Tim Beck recently stated that the #1 attribute his starting quarterback will have is leadership. He wants a guy who has the respect of the team, who can lead the huddle, works hard, etc. Now here's where we question Taylor. There were rumors flying around last season everywhere that Taylor was not a leader for that offense. During the Texas a&m game, when Taylor got hurt, team members were frustrated. Several guys said Taylor lacked toughness, anytime he got hurt a little bit he took himself out of games. The kid didn't play well through injury. Eric Crouch stated after the Washington game, that he believed by the end of the season the team had given up on T-mart. When asked why he believed this he pointed out several things... 1) The team never went over to celebrate with T-mart when he scored, and T-mart never went over to celebrate with his team when they scored. 2) A lot of the offense was playing through injuries (ankles, bruises, etc.) and felt like T-mart lacked toughness and didn't work through pain, he simply said he couldn't. 3) There were numerous rumors of Taylor missing practices and threatening to quit the team. He missed a couple of fall practices when he was mad he didn't get his reps and got kicked out of a practice when he was texting his girlfriend during team meetings, he wore his boot on his wrong foot when his ankle went down as if to say f* you, he skipped a couple of team meetings during the season and it was reported his dad showed up a couple of times to talk to Bo. And It was apparent at the end of the season Taylor's team did not want to follow him.

 

If there would have just been 1 or 2 reports of incidences that occured with Taylor then I wouldn't be talking here. But there were reports, and reports, and reports, it seemed like there was always some type of drama with this super talented guy last year. And you can't deny the sheer number of them.

 

So that brings me back to my first point... We know Taylor is talented but is he a leader who is well respected by his team. I do not believe at this point, that he is. So who's going to get the start? Cody Green is absolutely a leader and a team player but he does not have the foot speed to excel in the new offense and his passing skills are not quite there. Brion Carnes had rave reviews on the scout team... he has the foot speed, and appears to have the leadership, he was quoted by players as the second best passer on the team. But Brion doesn't have experience, he's very young learning a brand new system, and he needed to add several pounds of muscle to be durable enough at this level. Jamal Turner has already earned the respect of his teammates according to Beck. He's an extremely hard worker and athletic as promised, he's extremely mature for his age and has a spring camp jump going into fall. But Jamal is small... needs to add weight, doesn't have the passing skills quite yet, and is so young.

 

So who will start for Nebraska in 2011? Does Beck go with the experience and talent or the lack of experience and leadership? Based on what he has stated so far I would not be surprised if Taylor doesn't get the start. IF he is truly not respected by teammates then it would be suicide for Beck to start him, even if he has the most talent on the team. IF Taylor is not respected, Beck would be better to start a Carnes or a Green or a Turner with no experience... There are a lot of situations that could play out... a lot of time for things to change... but one thing I know here,

 

He who starts will be He who Leads with utmost respect.

 

 

I posted this once before... but I will repeat it here because it is quite applicable...

 

In San Diego, the day after the bowl loss, I ran into a UW defensive player whose eligibility had expired (he played his last game the year before, but was still on campus finishing up his degree). I asked this young man if he was surprised that UW beat NU... he said no... then when I asked why, he said (paraphrase) "That the defensive players (who he hangs with and talk to) watched film and were convinced that if they hit TMart once really hard --- get physical with him --- that TMart's productivity for the rest of the game would be compromised." Basically, they said that TMart's lack of toughness could be exploited. In particular, if TMart was rocked, his focus was then shot for that game.

 

That is what the UW defense assumed going in and they were confident that they could make TMart ineffective.

 

So... I cannot say whether the NU players doubt TMart's toughness. But I can assure you that the UW defense certainly doubted his toughness.

[druski_2k5]

 

If the team "gave up on Taylor" then that is a major, major coaching problem...

 

If in fact the team did give up on Taylor (and it is reasonable to suggest that they did --- and, if the Washington game was an indicator... it could be argued that the team just simply gave up.. on each other, their fans, etc. simply bellying up and not caring) --- then the coaching staff is to blame for letting it get that bad. Certainly, the professional leadership on the team (the coaches) are called to be aware of team dynamics, team cohesiveness, team morale... and proactively stop the little problems before they become big problems. A team that has given up on its QB --- and maybe just given up --- well,.... blame the coaches (the players too... but the coaches should be able to work through such things to keep the team focused... and they did not).

 

I hope the new coaching staff will perform better than the last one did at getting these kids prepared, focused and playing hard.

 

 

Well said.

 

It's the coaches job not to let it get "that bad". As much as this appears to be true, I'm sure another part of it was the fact we already stomped Washington into the ground earlier in the year and we just plain old "didn't want to be there", because during the Oklahoma game it didn't look like we gave up, but for the bowl game, combining the fact that the team may have started turning on Martinez plus the fact we didn't want to play in a re-match, could have all equaled what we saw on the field that night.

 

I just think with all the hooplah of the last Big XII season, Texas, Oklahoma, getting robbed against A&M, last conference trips to Manhattan, Stillwater, Ames, College Station, still upset about 00:01, moving conferences, "not running from Texas", Freshman Quarterback, dropped passes, Watson under controversy, Eric Martin hit/suspension, Cotton's parts being grabbed and nothing was done about it, Beebe not showing up to present us the North trophy, Beebe saying there were threats against him that were never followed up on, Taylor quitting/not quitting/quitting/not quitting, Bo's demeanor at A&M, one last time against Oklahoma, Another Biased Call signs and waving yellow flags during the Colorado game, quarterback controversy at the start of the year, Zac Who talk, minimal depth at quarterback....I think that just mentally wore on the team, coaching staff, and fans to the fact that we choked away the Big XII Championship game, and a re-match in the same bowl as the year before against a team we already blew out....ya we were done after the announcement of what bowl we would play in. We clearly weren't interested in being there, and it showed, and it showed even more if that was the game the team gave up on the season and finally Martinez at that point in time if it happened

 

However, it's still the coaches jobs to not let it get to that level. Time to circle the wagons, move on and all we can worry about is next year.

[SaturnDrew]

I remember the ESPN writer for the Big 12 (sorry, name not coming to me and don't feel like looking it up) said that Nebraska was the most interesting team off the field to watch last season, and you really hit the nail on the head here. It's pretty amazing we were as successful as we were with all the distractions.

 

 

If the team "gave up on Taylor" then that is a major, major coaching problem...

 

If in fact the team did give up on Taylor (and it is reasonable to suggest that they did --- and, if the Washington game was an indicator... it could be argued that the team just simply gave up.. on each other, their fans, etc. simply bellying up and not caring) --- then the coaching staff is to blame for letting it get that bad. Certainly, the professional leadership on the team (the coaches) are called to be aware of team dynamics, team cohesiveness, team morale... and proactively stop the little problems before they become big problems. A team that has given up on its QB --- and maybe just given up --- well,.... blame the coaches (the players too... but the coaches should be able to work through such things to keep the team focused... and they did not).

 

I hope the new coaching staff will perform better than the last one did at getting these kids prepared, focused and playing hard.

 

 

Well said.

 

It's the coaches job not to let it get "that bad". As much as this appears to be true, I'm sure another part of it was the fact we already stomped Washington into the ground earlier in the year and we just plain old "didn't want to be there", because during the Oklahoma game it didn't look like we gave up, but for the bowl game, combining the fact that the team may have started turning on Martinez plus the fact we didn't want to play in a re-match, could have all equaled what we saw on the field that night.

 

I just think with all the hooplah of the last Big XII season, Texas, Oklahoma, getting robbed against A&M, last conference trips to Manhattan, Stillwater, Ames, College Station, still upset about 00:01, moving conferences, "not running from Texas", Freshman Quarterback, dropped passes, Watson under controversy, Eric Martin hit/suspension, Cotton's parts being grabbed and nothing was done about it, Beebe not showing up to present us the North trophy, Beebe saying there were threats against him that were never followed up on, Taylor quitting/not quitting/quitting/not quitting, Bo's demeanor at A&M, one last time against Oklahoma, Another Biased Call signs and waving yellow flags during the Colorado game, quarterback controversy at the start of the year, Zac Who talk, minimal depth at quarterback....I think that just mentally wore on the team, coaching staff, and fans to the fact that we choked away the Big XII Championship game, and a re-match in the same bowl as the year before against a team we already blew out....ya we were done after the announcement of what bowl we would play in. We clearly weren't interested in being there, and it showed, and it showed even more if that was the game the team gave up on the season and finally Martinez at that point in time if it happened

 

However, it's still the coaches jobs to not let it get to that level. Time to circle the wagons, move on and all we can worry about is next year.

[bshirt]

I agree when Crouch said the team gave up on him. The other rumors who cares they are "rumors." Looking at the facts it was obvious when no one came to celebrate when he scored and he never went to anyone else when they did. This IS a problem no matter what anyone says. The QB has to have respect of the players and Martinez didn't last year. He was only a fresh so lets hope something changes otherwise even being talented get him out.

 

 

If the team "gave up on Taylor" then that is a major, major coaching problem...

 

If in fact the team did give up on Taylor (and it is reasonable to suggest that they did --- and, if the Washington game was an indicator... it could be argued that the team just simply gave up.. on each other, their fans, etc. simply bellying up and not caring) --- then the coaching staff is to blame for letting it get that bad. Certainly, the professional leadership on the team (the coaches) are called to be aware of team dynamics, team cohesiveness, team morale... and proactively stop the little problems before they become big problems. A team that has given up on its QB --- and maybe just given up --- well,.... blame the coaches (the players too... but the coaches should be able to work through such things to keep the team focused... and they did not).

 

I hope the new coaching staff will perform better than the last one did at getting these kids prepared, focused and playing hard.

 

 

100% agree.

 

We can talk rah-rah until the cows come home but it doesn't mean squat on Saturdays. We had great qb "leadership" in 2009 but yet had even far worse offensive performance than 2010.

 

I too think the overwhelming vast majority of the problems on offense are coaching. Obviously Bo agrees to a good extent are he just got rid of the WRs & OC/qb coaches. It's sad that so many want to throw all the problems of our hopelessly inept offense on our freshman qb.

[druski_2k5]

I remember the ESPN writer for the Big 12 (sorry, name not coming to me and don't feel like looking it up) said that Nebraska was the most interesting team off the field to watch last season, and you really hit the nail on the head here. It's pretty amazing we were as successful as we were with all the distractions.

 

 

Dave Ubben. He wrote that article about a month and a half ago I think, probably still in the Nebraska section on ESPN, it was posted around here too I believe. We were the most "talked about" team in 2010. It was quite interesting with all the drama we had, and we are never one for drama here, but that's how last year turned out, and it showed on the field in my opinion.