Anyone anxious for Martinez to come back?

[Warrior10]

Yep Armstrong had a tough game, but I recall two bad drops for about 80 yards and a TD. I'm not convinced, with those kind of obvious gaffes, the WRs didn't have a few more on some of those routes where TA missed wildly.

 

I do appreciate RK III more for being a very steady hand on the road while TA was shaky. However, to the poster that said RKI III is mobile at all: HUH?!?

 

I should answer the question though, with TM still in a walking boot I am not anxious at all to see him play. At least now we know he can be pulled from a game without the world ending.

I'm going to give our veteran WR's the benefit of the doubt...highly doubt they ran the wrong route. Not something we have seen them do before, my guess is it was Tommy.

[caveman99]

Me.

 

I have been the whole time. Not just now.

 

TA and even Kellog 111 has looked pretty good, but not near Martin-ez

+1

[dvdcrr]

Not that anyone on the team is better. I just really miss Nebraska football. You know what I mean. The kind of football that Barry Alvarez took to Wisconsin. The kind of football where pancakes were counted on Saturdays and not so much at breakfast. The kind of football which brought the Kansas City Chiefs asking how to run the counter-tre. For you young kids that dont remember, there was a time when weekly predictions for game scores were usually Big Red 48 , so and so 21, and that was every week until we played OU. And that was every year I can remember from 1981-1998. Running the ball and option football, are not dead. Its just that our REAL commitment to it is dead.

[Shockley03]

I've read many, many of the posts on here. No one is looking at or discussing the film footage from Nebraska's encounter with Illinois two weeks ago. I acknowledge that Ron Kellogg III ran the table against Purdue by going 10-of-13 for 141 yards and was pretty special that day -- this past Saturday.

 

Still, I recall the Illini defense. Their defensive line got after Kellogg III forcing him into throwing passes into the dirt. He looked completely overwhelmed by Illinois enroute to going 3-for-6 for 51 yards. Dad and I were just shaking our heads looking at each other when we saw how inept Kellogg III was against Illinois' quick defensive line.

 

I'm from the SEC where defensive lines put lots of pressure on quarterbacks, and we have several defensive teams that would put tons of pressure on Kellogg III. He'd struggle mightily against defenses like LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Florida...maybe even Tennessee!

 

Tommy Armstrong, however, handled Illinois' pressure as a talented athletic QB would by moving around in the pocket and buying some extra time to extend the play. Armstrong went 8-of-13 for a modest 135 yards and 2 touchdowns when the pressure was on on Oct. 5 against Illinois.

 

Now guys, I know he struck out this past Saturday at Purdue (6-of-18, 43 yards, 3 interceptions). I watched the game on my laptop---Saw it all! I understand why you all feel the way you do. But remember this. He's just a freshman. He'll get better. Armstrong is the athlete and QB-in-learning while Kellogg III is the experienced 5th year senior assisting coach Bo Pelini's offense. Soon, Taylor Martinez will reclaim his role as the starter just as soon as...maybe a matter of days. I can't tell.

 

I'm just going to go with what coach Pelini decides to do. He's said in a recent article that he'll keep playing both Armstrong and Kellogg III while Martinez is out -- but that Martinez will start as soon as he's ready. That's good enough for me.

[I am I]

^^^

 

I totally agree about Kellogg really looking bad against Illinois.

 

Look, he's doing everything he needs to do as a back up against teams he's facing. Hell, he's helping IMMENSLEY w TA progress, giving 2-4 series a game to just allow TA to compose himself. RKIII has been great, actually...really happy for him. But he is not a mich beater. Or MSU or PSU or tOSU.

 

Neither is TA.

 

But we know TM is. He's done it.

[The King]

^^^

 

I totally agree about Kellogg really looking bad against Illinois.

 

Look, he's doing everything he needs to do as a back up against teams he's facing. Hell, he's helping IMMENSLEY w TA progress, giving 2-4 series a game to just allow TA to compose himself. RKIII has been great, actually...really happy for him. But he is not a mich beater. Or MSU or PSU or tOSU.

 

Neither is TA.

 

But we know TM is. He's done it.

 

And how do we know playing against those teams won't raise their level of play? Before TM beat tOSU do we think he shouldn't of started against him because he hadn't beat them before?

 

That's ridiculous. Not to mention, Taylor has had his horrendous games against lesser opponents as well.

 

That said, I'd like to see TA get some snaps against those teams at the very least. Even if its just a decoy or a series.

[Chaddyboxer]

Even if we get TM back.......

I believe he won't be completely 100%......

And if what Pelini says holds true.......we may not see TM the rest of the season.....or until the bowl game.

TM needs to be able to plant his foot and go at close to 100%, if that can't happen, I don't think he is the best QB to play.

Now, if he is somehow healthy, then definitely NEB NEEDS HIM and he should get the start.

[The King]

Even if we get TM back.......

I believe he won't be completely 100%......

And if what Pelini says holds true.......we may not see TM the rest of the season.....or until the bowl game.

TM needs to be able to plant his foot and go at close to 100%, if that can't happen, I don't think he is the best QB to play.

Now, if he is somehow healthy, then definitely NEB NEEDS HIM and he should get the start.

 

He won't be 100% at any point this year. Guaranteed. Remember last time he had "turf toe"? His ankles are pretty fragile.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I think we're pretty lucky right now to have the options we do.

 

Beats the hell out of 2009 & 2010.

[Chaddyboxer]

Even if we get TM back.......

I believe he won't be completely 100%......

And if what Pelini says holds true.......we may not see TM the rest of the season.....or until the bowl game.

TM needs to be able to plant his foot and go at close to 100%, if that can't happen, I don't think he is the best QB to play.

Now, if he is somehow healthy, then definitely NEB NEEDS HIM and he should get the start.

 

He won't be 100% at any point this year. Guaranteed. Remember last time he had "turf toe"? His ankles are pretty fragile.

Yep...really unfortunate

[NUance]

He won't be 100% at any point this year. Guaranteed. Remember last time he had "turf toe"? His ankles are pretty fragile.

What?

[adc7236]

I am good with playing our "backups".

[Shockley03]

TeacherCD,

 

I'm not so sure I agree with that assessment. You said earlier, "The TA love was insane, not that he won't be good, but he is not going to scare anyone with his legs or arm this year."

 

I don't think you see Tommy Armstrong the way I see him or the way other SEC fans would see Tommy Armstrong (6-2, 220, 4.53 40). I tell you what we see in him---and I'm speaking from a Georgia Bulldog perspective, and my Auburn fans would agree, maybe comparing Armstrong with their starter Nick Marshall.

 

These fans would tell you their beliefs in a guy like Armstrong that he would be able to break off that same long run T-Mart executes, but in a different way. Tommy Armstrong and Nick Marshall are the type of athletes to where they will translate their 4.5 40 mobility by breaking away on a decent run of length that could easily be extended as these two have the skill to make the cut-back move and race past defenders for more yardage. It might not result in a 75 yard run, but Nick Marshall and Tommy Armstrong will race about 55 to 60 yards on any given play. (Auburn fans expect it from Marshall this year!) Isn't 60 or 55 yards far enough off a breakaway run? I know it's not 90 yards as T-Mart (4.31 40) had against UCLA last year, but I'll take a 50 yard run by Armstrong off a scramble or keeper -- and I'm sure that Auburn fans will be thrilled by Nick Marshall racing 60 yards off a zone-read option run keeper. And they are expecting it too. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn wouldn't have Marshall out there running his offense if he couldn't pop the 40 yard run.

 

I guess you guys might be considering Armstrong to be a little bit slowed down by the "minor" knee surgery he had to clean out the knee back in July, but I still see him at 100% in game action when the adrenaline has kicked in. He gets loose; he's going to go! I loved that run where he quickly reversed field (defenders were in his face at the time) and raced down to the 2-yard line against Illinois last week!

 

T-Mart will register the 75 yard scoring run while Armstrong has plenty of ability to record the 40 yard run. It's not that big of a drop-off there between them. Both players have the ability to break away.

[The King]

He won't be 100% at any point this year. Guaranteed. Remember last time he had "turf toe"? His ankles are pretty fragile.

What?

 

You'll see.

[Enhance]

I think we can all agree RKIII is the best pure passer of the three, but where he can't help you is where this offense also uses the QB - in the ground game. It's all fine and dandy to say we have the backs/line to rush well without a running QB threat, but if memory serves, we failed on three straight attempts to punch the ball into the end zone from a few yards out when RKIII was in. We had to go for it on fourth, and even then, it was a close. Whereas earlier in the game, Purdue's blitzing/overpursuit cost them when we ran the option from four yards out.

 

It's very similar to the Philly Eagles situation right now. Foles played great against a poor Tampa team throwing the football, and the debate right now is whether Vick can make *enough* of the throws and use his feet, and whether that's more valuable than Foles' arm.