Post practice Bo interview. jeez

[knapplc]

So the media thows hissy fits over Bo and people just side with them?

Yes.

[Apathy]

Even if we would've beat Wisconsin and a few days later Bo answers the questions the way he did people would still be bitching. Seriously folks move on and go to Wal-Mart and buy some tissues and tampons.

[EZ-E]

I am a reporter. I have been to these pressers. And the thing that annoyed me completely was the fact that none of these guys seemed prepared to talk to Coach Bo. I mean, come on, spit out the questions. And please bring a question that can't be simply answered by anyone in sports information, i.e. injuries. Bo had said that the Cotton injury was already info readily available. Also, I am like Bo, I would have got a funny look on my face after the "Is the team rallying around Taylor" question. Let's see, we got blasted 48-17. Most of the talk was about how the defense didn't hold up well at all. Sure, Taylor threw interceptions, but he wasn't the glaring problem in the game. You could argue Tim Beck was more at fault than Taylor by far. And the heat was more on the defensive backfield anyway. Why is Taylor the guy under a particular fire storm? I don't get it. Sure, the quarterback always gets more critical comments and more praise than what he deserves, but at the end of the day, this week is not the week that Taylor should be feeling pressure. Now, if we play Ohio State to within three points, and the game winning field goal for the Buckeyes is set up by a bad decision by the quarterback, then, considering that people like the back-up already, there would be a fire storm.

 

Good post. I love how the first question in the presser was also very self-incriminating.

 

From what I gather, maybe Willie can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "wide gap" is just coach speak at the moment and I don't believe too much is ment by it.

 

Where Tmart and Carnes differ (prior to Saturday) is that Taylor can read run defenses pretty well. He has also made some very good audibles for us this season and gotten us in the right play multiple times a game. Brion still is "swimming" in that portion of the game. He can't always read the defense well enough to slide us into the right play, etc. Brion is the best passer on the team, but TMart is ahead of him in the sense that he makes better reads in the running game.

[zoogs]

He has also made some very good audibles for us this season and gotten us in the right play multiple times a game.

 

An extremely underrated part of the game that Taylor didn't really have last year. This isn't something that shows up on the stat sheet, but nonetheless it's part of what a QB needs to be.

[bshirt]

I am a reporter. I have been to these pressers. And the thing that annoyed me completely was the fact that none of these guys seemed prepared to talk to Coach Bo. I mean, come on, spit out the questions. And please bring a question that can't be simply answered by anyone in sports information, i.e. injuries. Bo had said that the Cotton injury was already info readily available. Also, I am like Bo, I would have got a funny look on my face after the "Is the team rallying around Taylor" question. Let's see, we got blasted 48-17. Most of the talk was about how the defense didn't hold up well at all. Sure, Taylor threw interceptions, but he wasn't the glaring problem in the game. You could argue Tim Beck was more at fault than Taylor by far. And the heat was more on the defensive backfield anyway. Why is Taylor the guy under a particular fire storm? I don't get it. Sure, the quarterback always gets more critical comments and more praise than what he deserves, but at the end of the day, this week is not the week that Taylor should be feeling pressure. Now, if we play Ohio State to within three points, and the game winning field goal for the Buckeyes is set up by a bad decision by the quarterback, then, considering that people like the back-up already, there would be a fire storm.

 

Good post. I love how the first question in the presser was also very self-incriminating.

 

From what I gather, maybe Willie can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "wide gap" is just coach speak at the moment and I don't believe too much is ment by it.

 

Where Tmart and Carnes differ (prior to Saturday) is that Taylor can read run defenses pretty well. He has also made some very good audibles for us this season and gotten us in the right play multiple times a game. Brion still is "swimming" in that portion of the game. He can't always read the defense well enough to slide us into the right play, etc. Brion is the best passer on the team, but TMart is ahead of him in the sense that he makes better reads in the running game.

 

 

Great post, EZ-E. Makes sense to me.

 

GBR!!

[dizzturbedNUfan]

Theres the old Bo coming out. I guess we can expect a hand in hand tunnel walk led by Taylor onto the field for this game.

There is no such thing as "the old Bo".......Bo has always been Bo, was 20 years ago, is today and most certainly will be tomorrow. I really don't understand why this is a topic every year. He isn't changing, not for you, not for Dr. Tom and not for the University. I wouldn't want it any other way, I hate people who change who they are just to be accepted.

[bshirt]

Dealing with the media is part of the job, and he dealt with them appropriately. Next topic.

 

 

[Enhance]

2) Bo and the media go back to an often debated question of whether or not the media has any right to be at the practices. Technically they do, and technically they don't.

 

Under no circumstances, either professionally or legally, does the media have any right whatsoever to be at practice.

 

I suppose, Nebraska being a public institution, the media could attempt to force their way in under FOIA, but even that won't get it done - likely the courts would rule that the team has a right to privacy under an amateur version of a trade secret protection (and yes I know I'm explaining that horribly, we can have a lawerly type chime in if they like).

 

If a court ruled that the media has rights to practice, likely the only thing they'd be able to get, after a FOIA request was submitted, would be tapes of practices from weeks, if not months prior. I can't see any legal method by which the press could force the university's hand into letting them attend live practices.

 

Enhance, you've mentioned that you're a J-school student. Have your instructors said anything about any possible method of gaining entrance to practice? I would be really curious to know how they'd do it.

What I meant by saying "technically they do and technically they don't" is two-fold. It's not guaranteed and the fact that they have any access at all is really just the AD being nice. It's kind of like how Nebraska has a law that you aren't required to take an unpaid lunch break unless you work in a certain kind of industry, but the fact that most companies do offer an unpaid lunch break is kind of a benefit. Hopefully that's a useful comparison? And by saying they technically do...I just mean that from the standpoint that fans would probably be really upset if they weren't given practice coverage. It's not like the fans are necessarily owed anything by any means, but we still crave information more than most fan bases. Bleh...bad job of explaining myself I think.

 

As far as gaining entrance to practice, most instructors in the j-school know how our athletic department is. Any time somebody wants to do a story involving athletics, instructors get a little wary because they know - things are going to be a little difficult depending on what you want. I don't work with Husker Vision or anything like that, but they're the one "media" group that probably has the most access to the players, coaches and practice. Was there something more specific you wanted to know?

[mnhusker]

I liked it, I was a vintage Bo Moment.

[BigWillie]

 

I didn't take what Bo said about Brion as a "dig." Only someone who is no longer objective concerning the situation would look at what Bo said about Brion as a dig.

 

Bo said that Brion is getting better, but that there is a wide gap between him and Taylor. Oh, SNAP! The head coach just said that his starting QB is better than his backup QB. Stop the presses!

 

When asked if he was going to put in his backup QB in place of the starter during the biggest game of the year when his team was down by 30 points, he said, "Hell, no." There he goes again, not understanding the role of "backup" and "starter." Of course, the media didn't ask him if he considered replacing Rex Burkhead with Ameer Abdullah in the second half. It's a good thing too, because finding out that his head coach didn't think he was as good as Rex quite yet might have really hurt Ameer's feelings. Of course, it only would have hurt his feelings if he hadn't already gotten the idea of what his coaches thought by reading the depth chart.

 

I'm sure all of his is null and void though, since of course Brion is truly the better player. Bo just can't see that because he has a man-crush on Taylor and isn't competitive enough to want to start the players who will give him the best chance at winning. Either that, or Bo just doesn't know very much about football.

 

In all seriousness, the "Hell no" had less to do with a commentary on Brion's abilities, and more to do with, "You stay the course, you don't panic and screw with your plan like that. Remember when I did it against Texas last year and it didn't work at all?"

 

You don't think Brion or the team will take it as a dig when Brion consistently plays as good or better than Taylor in nearly every practice? Mind you, this is not my 'opinion', but the opinion of numerous others (inb4 "SHOW PROOF!"). Kid works his tail off, practices as good or better than the person ahead of him, and when the person ahead of him struggles, he has to listen to his coach says the race isn't even close.

 

Wait, what?

 

I can understand what Bo's intent was in trying to build Taylor's confidence by trying to say his job isn't in doubt, at all. But just as Bo has shown in his entire time here, he has never been the greatest man with words and tends to put his foot in his mouth more than get his intended point across. If Bo would stop and think more often, I guarantee he wouldn't run into half as many issues as he does with the media.

 

And frankly, I DO NOT KNOW if Brion is the answer. What I do know is that Brion practices and scrimmages VERY WELL, and does as good as or better than Taylor in practices as well. I also know that Taylor has thrown more INTs than TDs on the season, and has put the football on the turf 9 times this year as well. If Brion comes in, throws an INT or two, or even fumbles the ball, how is it that much different from what we currently are getting out of our QB position?

 

It's why it drives me mad when people act like Taylor is clearly the better QB than Brion. No one knows what Brion is capable of, and we never will know at this rate either. What we will continue with is a turnover prone QB with a propensity to make silly mistakes at the wrong time and a complete inability to use ALL of our weapons (i.e., our talented WRs) which limits our offense.

 

It's just absurd how we have weapons, especially at the receiver positions, but we are content with sticking with a QB who has little ability to get them the ball consistently.

 

Kyler Reed and Jamal Turner should reserve the right to punch Taylor in the face after every single game for the touches he costs them in every single game. Hell, a LB trying to cover Kyler should result in at least 5-6 targets for that guy alone. But Kyler has something like 5 catches, the entire year.

 

Just sad at how willing people are to stick with the status quo than at least finding out what we have and what we can do without him.

[Enhance]

For Martinez only being a sophomore, and for him having a better completion percentage than Frazier and Frost, you're railing on his inability to get the ball to his playmakers pretty hard BigWillie.

 

I'm not saying I entirely disagree with what you're saying, especially the last half, but obviously there are discrepancies with the first part. Either Bo Pelini has no idea what quarterback talent is when it smacks him in the face, or he just might know more than your friends in practice and Carnes himself. I'm leaning towards the latter. If Bo says Martinez is better, either he is desperately trying to prove himself right for his own arrogant means, or he truly thinks Martinez is better. Again, I'm more inclined to believe the latter.

 

The biggest danger with Carnes right now is the unknown, as you've said. Others tend to think of the "positive" unknowns more than the negative ones. Carnes could just as easily throw four interceptions as four touchdowns, run for 80 or get sacked five times, be great or be bad for all you know. We've screwed with quarterbacks far too much in the last three years to know the dangers of this.

 

Carnes is better on the shelf gaining mental reps than he is being thrust into the spotlight. Players that can come in as redshirt freshman and make a difference are few and far between. Carnes playing sets the offense back, and this is an absolute fact. He's young and inexperienced. Undeniable fact.

 

Don't misinterpret me - I like Carnes and think he has potential, and I'm not pro-Martinez. But Carnes' final two schools came down to Nebraska and Western Kentucky, of all places. We almost lost the kid to practically a division two school.

[Enhance]

If Carnes' struggles, like Martinez has at times, some of you think "well what's the big difference, then?"

 

The big difference is that Martinez has been there - he knows adversity, he knows defeat and he knows the challenge that is involved with bouncing back. If Carnes comes in and lays an egg you risk destroying his entire psyche. That's not worth it, especially if Martinez is "better", as the coaches eluded to.

 

If Carnes' takes Martinez' spot, I'll have no problem with it. But until the coaches believe this is the best move for the team, talking about replacing Martinez is unfair and destructive.

[Igetbored216]

 

I didn't take what Bo said about Brion as a "dig." Only someone who is no longer objective concerning the situation would look at what Bo said about Brion as a dig.

 

Bo said that Brion is getting better, but that there is a wide gap between him and Taylor. Oh, SNAP! The head coach just said that his starting QB is better than his backup QB. Stop the presses!

 

When asked if he was going to put in his backup QB in place of the starter during the biggest game of the year when his team was down by 30 points, he said, "Hell, no." There he goes again, not understanding the role of "backup" and "starter." Of course, the media didn't ask him if he considered replacing Rex Burkhead with Ameer Abdullah in the second half. It's a good thing too, because finding out that his head coach didn't think he was as good as Rex quite yet might have really hurt Ameer's feelings. Of course, it only would have hurt his feelings if he hadn't already gotten the idea of what his coaches thought by reading the depth chart.

 

I'm sure all of his is null and void though, since of course Brion is truly the better player. Bo just can't see that because he has a man-crush on Taylor and isn't competitive enough to want to start the players who will give him the best chance at winning. Either that, or Bo just doesn't know very much about football.

 

In all seriousness, the "Hell no" had less to do with a commentary on Brion's abilities, and more to do with, "You stay the course, you don't panic and screw with your plan like that. Remember when I did it against Texas last year and it didn't work at all?"

 

You don't think Brion or the team will take it as a dig when Brion consistently plays as good or better than Taylor in nearly every practice? Mind you, this is not my 'opinion', but the opinion of numerous others (inb4 "SHOW PROOF!"). Kid works his tail off, practices as good or better than the person ahead of him, and when the person ahead of him struggles, he has to listen to his coach says the race isn't even close.

 

Wait, what?

 

I can understand what Bo's intent was in trying to build Taylor's confidence by trying to say his job isn't in doubt, at all. But just as Bo has shown in his entire time here, he has never been the greatest man with words and tends to put his foot in his mouth more than get his intended point across. If Bo would stop and think more often, I guarantee he wouldn't run into half as many issues as he does with the media.

 

And frankly, I DO NOT KNOW if Brion is the answer. What I do know is that Brion practices and scrimmages VERY WELL, and does as good as or better than Taylor in practices as well. I also know that Taylor has thrown more INTs than TDs on the season, and has put the football on the turf 9 times this year as well. If Brion comes in, throws an INT or two, or even fumbles the ball, how is it that much different from what we currently are getting out of our QB position?

 

It's why it drives me mad when people act like Taylor is clearly the better QB than Brion. No one knows what Brion is capable of, and we never will know at this rate either. What we will continue with is a turnover prone QB with a propensity to make silly mistakes at the wrong time and a complete inability to use ALL of our weapons (i.e., our talented WRs) which limits our offense.

 

It's just absurd how we have weapons, especially at the receiver positions, but we are content with sticking with a QB who has little ability to get them the ball consistently.

 

Kyler Reed and Jamal Turner should reserve the right to punch Taylor in the face after every single game for the touches he costs them in every single game. Hell, a LB trying to cover Kyler should result in at least 5-6 targets for that guy alone. But Kyler has something like 5 catches, the entire year.

 

Just sad at how willing people are to stick with the status quo than at least finding out what we have and what we can do without him.

 

This is very interesting insight. I have said all along that our receivers should be the strength of our team, but since the current QB cannot get them the ball consistently we have to rely more on the run game.

 

And I have always kind of thought how it could be worse if Carnes comes in. Martinez is usually good for at least one pick and a few fumbles per game, so how is it different if Carnes does it? Maybe because Martinez has fumbled so much that he/the team has become so good at jumping on the ball and recovering it? I'm not really sure. Would someone like to explain the difference?

 

I really hope Carnes gets a chance to show what he can do if Martinez struggles against Ohio St. While Martinez is a weapon just being on the field because he can run, imagine how much of a threat a running AND throwing QB would be.

[zoogs]

If Carnes' struggles, like Martinez has at times, some of you think "well what's the big difference, then?"

 

The big difference is that Martinez has been there - he knows adversity, he knows defeat and he knows the challenge that is involved with bouncing back. If Carnes comes in and lays an egg you risk destroying his entire psyche. That's not worth it, especially if Martinez is "better", as the coaches eluded to.

 

If Carnes' takes Martinez' spot, I'll have no problem with it. But until the coaches believe this is the best move for the team, talking about replacing Martinez is unfair and destructive.

 

I agree with this - but I think Willie's basis for saying we don't get the ball to our playmakers enough is pretty grounded in fact. We have a TE that is a matchup nightmare for pretty much any team, and a set of solid, growing WRs, each of whom brings something different to the table. We're getting something like 21, 22 attempts per game and even that number is being decried as several too high, given what Taylor is good at. So people want to cut that down, let's say to 17, 18, or something - and then on top of that, work in more RB screens. Big waste of some our biggest weapons, if you ask me.

[Igetbored216]

If Carnes' struggles, like Martinez has at times, some of you think "well what's the big difference, then?"

 

The big difference is that Martinez has been there - he knows adversity, he knows defeat and he knows the challenge that is involved with bouncing back. If Carnes comes in and lays an egg you risk destroying his entire psyche. That's not worth it, especially if Martinez is "better", as the coaches eluded to.

 

If Carnes' takes Martinez' spot, I'll have no problem with it. But until the coaches believe this is the best move for the team, talking about replacing Martinez is unfair and destructive.

 

I agree with this - but I think Willie's basis for saying we don't get the ball to our playmakers enough is pretty grounded in fact. We have a TE that is a matchup nightmare for pretty much any team, and a set of solid, growing WRs, each of whom brings something different to the table. We're getting something like 21, 22 attempts per game and even that number is being decried as several too high, given what Taylor is good at.

 

Yeah, there's no denying the TEs are being under utilized. Mike McNeill and now Kyler Reed. Now there has also been an injection of talent at the WR position who need to get the ball in space to take advantage of their speed. But if we are throwing to them 20 something passes per game and that is considered too high, how are they not going to be underutilized (nevermind that many are not catchable)?