Martinez improved this year, but he needs to take a seat on the bench if he cant' stop fumbling

[Landlord]

70-31, 63-38, 48-17, 45-17..... can go back and forth all day if we want.

 

 

 

You're exactly right. Thank you for proving my point. You can go back and forth, seeing games where Taylor hasn't shown poise, and games where he has shown tremendous poise. You're the one claiming he has none. Good day.

[CheeseHusker]

OK.... I suppose I need a caveat. First I'll concede a couple of the wins... Michigan St and Northwestern were pretty gritty. But they tend to be the exception, not the rule.... perhaps I should say when he faces pressure, he doesn't have any poise. Some of that needs to be blamed on the line.

 

50% of our opponents' points for the season are off turnovers and most of those are his.

 

Whoever coaches the guy, they need to teach him to take care of the ball, to learn to check down, to get out of the pocket quicker, to throw the ball away. Against bad teams he does this, but against good teams he can't.

 

Likewise, against the lesser teams, he does enough to overcome the mistakes he makes. In the big games, he doesn't.

[NUance]

Why is a third-year starter playing rattled all the time? Why does he always look like he is scared and confused. I think he's just not very smart and he forgets to hold onto the ball if a play goes on to long. Short term memory.

.... perhaps I should say when he faces pressure, he doesn't have any poise. Some of that needs to be blamed on the line.

 

He didn't look rattled on that play.

[CheeseHusker]

The Sportscenter highlights are great, but he turned it over three times and got sacked six times. He gets a free pass for the fluky pick 6 (although he should have thrown to Jamal who wide open).

 

I guess I would just like to see more of an emphasis on trying to end the mistakes. I'm not convinced that the staff is all that interested in maximizing the effort to reduce the absolute chasm between his best and his worst? Or are they trying and it just isn't happening?

 

I like Taylor..... I know he is not playing defense. I know the pick six wasn't his fault. I don't think Taylor is doing anything wrong himself. I just don't think he's getting enough guidance. Isn't he paying money out of his own pocket for off-season tutelage? That says a lot about his work ethic, but why is he paying for it?

 

Do we have a dedicated QB coach for him? Imagine what Turner Gill would do for Taylor. I don't think it's a coincidence that arguably three best Nebraska quarterbacks or all time (other than himself) were the guys he mentored. Of course, Turner has moved on but it sure is a nice theoretical.

 

I think the thing that seems to be missing the most from the Pelini-era is player development. Why else would there be so many seniors still making freshman mistakes? Taylor probably gets the most criticism (perhaps unfairly) because he's the quarterback and also one of the most visible players. And he's also the poster child for the red hot / ice cold fortunes of the three teams he's led.

[knapplc]

70-31, 63-38, 48-17, 45-17..... can go back and forth all day if we want.

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

[I'maSker]

Martinez is going to go down as the most decorated quarterback in the history of the Skers! Get off of him. He was QB of the year in the B10. The Skers are the #1 offense in the B10. That run he had Saturday was the best run in Sker history, hands down. He looked like Fran Tarkington out there. And that is SEC talent. It is not his fault Wisconsin had a month to prepare for one game. Maybe they should have put him in at Safety on Saturday to help contain that edge. Taylor is not the problem. After next season all NU QB records will be out of reach because of this Rolls Royce the Skers have out there!

[CheeseHusker]

70-31, 63-38, 48-17, 45-17..... can go back and forth all day if we want.

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

 

Turnovers!

 

Your defense doesn't have much of a chance when you give the opposition 3-4 short fields a game.

[knapplc]

70-31, 63-38, 48-17, 45-17..... can go back and forth all day if we want.

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

 

Turnovers!

 

Your defense doesn't have much of a chance when you give the opposition 3-4 short fields a game.

 

You honestly think Taylor Martinez' turnovers are the sole reason our defense hemorrhages yards and points in epic fashion?

 

How about this - what if Taylor played out of control because we get in such deep holes so often that he has to take risks? The fumbles, aside from the blindside hits when he's in the pocket, are on him. Some of the INTs are on him, but again, he's forcing the ball trying to play catch-up half the time. But the INT to start Saturday's game wasn't his fault - he put it right on Bell's hands, but Bell slipped on the turf. Boom, pick-six, it's another turnover for Martinez, but that's not on him.

 

Taylor has a problem with turnovers and he needs to fix it. That's a given, even with turnovers that aren't his fault. But the defense is, BY FAR, the biggest problem on this team, and why we lost three games. Not Taylor Martinez, and not turnovers.

[robsker]

While it is true that Taylor's turnovers are costly and it would be great if they did not continue... the notion of benching him is untenable... no way. Again, yes his turnovers do hurt the team... but his feet and even his arm at times gives us plays that are very, very positive... plays that, seemingly none of our non-redshirting QB's would likely make (at least as often). So... TMart adds more to the team's probability of winning (I think by far) than his turnovers detract from NU's ability to win. He is, basically, like a high risk stock... great gains and great losses... but a high risk stock that is rising.

 

I agree with those who assert that NU has a dozen or more problems that are more problematic than is Taylor. frankly, we would have several more losses this year than we do were it not for Taylor.

[CheeseHusker]

70-31, 63-38, 48-17, 45-17..... can go back and forth all day if we want.

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

 

Turnovers!

 

Your defense doesn't have much of a chance when you give the opposition 3-4 short fields a game.

 

You honestly think Taylor Martinez' turnovers are the sole reason our defense hemorrhages yards and points in epic fashion?

 

How about this - what if Taylor played out of control because we get in such deep holes so often that he has to take risks? The fumbles, aside from the blindside hits when he's in the pocket, are on him. Some of the INTs are on him, but again, he's forcing the ball trying to play catch-up half the time. But the INT to start Saturday's game wasn't his fault - he put it right on Bell's hands, but Bell slipped on the turf. Boom, pick-six, it's another turnover for Martinez, but that's not on him.

 

Taylor has a problem with turnovers and he needs to fix it. That's a given, even with turnovers that aren't his fault. But the defense is, BY FAR, the biggest problem on this team, and why we lost three games. Not Taylor Martinez, and not turnovers.

 

Nobody said he was the sole reason. I don't disagree that there are HUGE defensive problems with this squad.

 

I just think we should be very concerned that we have a quarterback who spots the opposing team 14-21 points or more in every game, with the timing of those mistakes often having a magnifying effect. I don't think the occasional Crouch-like marathon touchdown is enough to overshadow these things.

 

I also have made great efforts in previous posts to 1) point out that I like him as a player, 2) not blame him for the pick six, and 3) praise his off-season work ethic and his pride, none of which seems to be acknowledged.

[CheeseHusker]

I'll take back the benching comment.... that was made during the game. We all say stupid things while the game is happening, particularly a disaster like that one.

 

I thought at the time that getting him out for a series and slowing the game way, way down might have stopped the bleeding. It was a suggestion. Know what.... that's why I'm a stooge at a computer and not a division 1 coach.

[Stickney]

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

 

 

Look, the defense was awful. But football is a team sport. The offense HAS to protect the defense and vice versa. In big games (and most games) T-Mart has been a turnover machine.

 

 

 

Now, I think the issue is more than simply T-Mart's turnovers. It' the accountability.

 

 

Last year Abdullah was scintillating in the return game. But, when he got a case of the fumbles, he was replaced. Since then, our punt return game has been heart burn if not a nightmare (shades of Santino Panico -- you can't cede one phase of the game for half a season).

 

 

My point, if there is no back-up QB competition, you have to at least have the threat of accountability, Even if this is meaningless to T-Mart, you need to show the team that accountability exists for ALL positions.

 

 

(and no you don't have to use Kellogg (though you should be able too), you could have used Burkhead in wildcat, or Turner in wildcat, there are options).

[robsker]

 

I can't believe Taylor gave up so many points in those games. He's terrible at defense.

 

 

Look, the defense was awful. But football is a team sport. The offense HAS to protect the defense and vice versa. In big games (and most games) T-Mart has been a turnover machine.

 

 

 

Now, I think the issue is more than simply T-Mart's turnovers. It' the accountability.

 

 

Last year Abdullah was scintillating in the return game. But, when he got a case of the fumbles, he was replaced. Since then, our punt return game has been heart burn if not a nightmare (shades of Santino Panico -- you can't cede one phase of the game for half a season).

 

 

My point, if there is no back-up QB competition, you have to at least have the threat of accountability, Even if this is meaningless to T-Mart, you need to show the team that accountability exists for ALL positions.

 

 

(and no you don't have to use Kellogg (though you should be able too), you could have used Burkhead in wildcat, or Turner in wildcat, there are options).

 

you do have some good points there.

[CheeseHusker]

Look, I don't want Taylor benched. I know he's the best we got. I just want him to get better.... I want coaches that want him to get better.

 

I'd like to see him coached to be a better game manager than he currently is. I don't think a lot of these margins blow out the way they have without a series of mistakes that lead to easy, quick, and cheap touchdowns by the opposition. I thought being 105th in turnover margin would be a bigger point of emphasis than it seems to be here.

 

Everyone says "it's the defense, it's the defense".... you're not wrong. It's because the defense has been so poor that the offense has a responsibility to not put them under even more pressure by putting the ball on the ground. For a moment, try not to isolate the most recent game in a vacuum and look at all the blowouts together.

 

And yeah, it works both ways.... the defense has got to perform better. They flat out quit and laid down late in the second quarter. The TD that made it 42-10 was the most pathetic defensive series I've ever seen. Yeah, you only ask a QB to do so much when that happens.

[4skers89]

I think he needs to develop some bicep and forearm strength similar to Scott Frost. That first fumble wasn't much of a hit. They just grabbed his arm and the ball came out.