Funny article on Taylor Martinez

[Highway6]

Came across this just now in the husker subreddit. Pretty funny take on whether or not Taylor Martinez was elite. Kind of refreshing compared to all the other husker talk.

 

http://bigredturtle.com/embrace-debate-taylor-martinez-elite/

[Dagerow]

Thanks. Taylor, as the author put it, was my guy, and in my opinion, clearly elite. The only thing that could slow him down was injuries, which sadly did. Without those injuries, the recent history of the huskers could be very different. While I think coaching is always the key, I also think that luck (whether it's injuries, schedule, or otherwise) plays a big part whether or not a team wins 9 games or competes for a championship. Most of the time, when a good coach gets one real difference maker (e.g., Vince Young at Texas) the team becomes different.

[Highway6]

I agree, would have been awesome to see 4 solid years.

[Landlord]

The guy writing the article is off on some nitty gritty factual details.

 

Taylor was injured in the Missouri game - I think right before half, not during the K-State game. He also saw his passing regress quite a bit his sophomore year, instead of improve like the author claims. That was due mostly to his turf toe adjusting his footwork which resulted in the worst examples of his mocked throwing motion (How To Throw the Perfect Pass), but he did improve in his awareness and decision-making (Rex Burkhead pass to the flat against OSU).

 

 

Anyways, healthy freshman Taylor Martinez was absolutely an elite playmaker, and junior Martinez was borderline elite as a quarterback (voted first team all conference by the coaches, which says a lot), but still mistake prone.

 

(imo)

[B.B. Hemingway]

I enjoyed T-Magic, but also hated him.

[skersfan]

What that kid went thru for Nebraska was beyond belief. He played hurt most of his career, and that took him out of every playing after college. He gave us everything he had every time he stepped on the field. Austin Allen at Arkansas reminds so much of Taylor, never quit, never say die. He kept us in games we should not have been in. He is and always will be ELITE to me. Not just for his game, but for the person he is.

[suh_fan93]

Did he have good speed? Yes. He was hard for me to stomach as a QB though. You always knew the longer they kept putting him in passing situations it was only a matter of time before he either fumbled the ball or threw a horrible pick. Most polarizing QB ever and for good reason.

 

 

 

[skersfan]

Kid barely played as a QB prior to arriving at Nebraska. His speed sealed his future and kept him from playing a position he was more suited for. When your playing hurt every week, behind a sieve for a line and a moron head coach that kept putting him in even though he new he was hurt. Taylor being the warrior he was would never say no if he could have crawled out to play. A better head coach/better person would have put his players above his win loss total. Taylor paid the price for our sh#t hire. And he still is from the above comments. He did the best job he could every game. Hooray for anyone on the board that can say they do the best they can do every play, every day at work. I would believe when I saw it.

[Landlord]

that's a hot take with some extra salt

[The Dude]

When healthy he had elite speed. For any position, really.

[huKSer]

Kid barely played as a QB prior to arriving at Nebraska. His speed sealed his future and kept him from playing a position he was more suited for. When your playing hurt every week, behind a sieve for a line and a moron head coach that kept putting him in even though he new he was hurt. Taylor being the warrior he was would never say no if he could have crawled out to play. A better head coach/better person would have put his players above his win loss total. Taylor paid the price for our sh#t hire. And he still is from the above comments. He did the best job he could every game. Hooray for anyone on the board that can say they do the best they can do every play, every day at work. I would believe when I saw it.

Unless Taylor or Bo tells their story we will never know, but I thought at the time that Taylor kept how badly he hurt from the coaching staff, so I feel it went both ways. Especially his last game against Minny I feel the coaching staff was caught off guard.

[Enhance]

Most polarizing QB ever and for good reason.

It's been a common theme with Nebraska football for some time now and can be directly correlated with the roller coaster ride of a program. Joe Ganz was the last NU quarterback who I felt comfortable about the entire season. Martinez permanently lost the comfort factor after his 2010 injury, and Armstrong was inconsistent most of his career.

 

As a side note, I think it's unwise for anyone to blame Martinez or Pelini, or question either of their motivations. We just don't have enough solid information. Martinez very well could have lied about the extent of his injuries throughout his career. If a player says they're good to go and you don't have anyone else on the roster you feel comfortable starting... what do you do? It's easy to sit at the computer and say 'sit him down and care about your players!' But, it's different when you're the guy making the calls and the salary.

 

Bo did care about his players. That's one thing most people seem to agree on about Bo, despite his other faults. And his staff's quarterback recruiting, in conjunction with that position's coaching, left fans wanting.

[Mavric]

Kid barely played as a QB prior to arriving at Nebraska. His speed sealed his future and kept him from playing a position he was more suited for. When your playing hurt every week, behind a sieve for a line and a moron head coach that kept putting him in even though he new he was hurt. Taylor being the warrior he was would never say no if he could have crawled out to play. A better head coach/better person would have put his players above his win loss total. Taylor paid the price for our sh#t hire. And he still is from the above comments. He did the best job he could every game. Hooray for anyone on the board that can say they do the best they can do every play, every day at work. I would believe when I saw it.

 

So do we still have a moron for a head coach? Because TA was probably more hurt last year than TM was.

[Swiv3D]

Considering TA was able to try out with the Vikings and TM couldn't even pass the Eagles physical, I'd guess that's false.

[Guy Chamberlin]

Remember, two of Taylor Martinez's longest and most memorable touchdown runs came in 2012, two seasons after his initial injury.

 

I think that 2010 injury and the rush to get him back on the field screwed with his fearlessness more than his athletic ability. That was the biggest loss.