What could have been....

[HANC]

Listening to local sports talk today and host brought up pretty good points.   It began with talk around Hunt and Legrone, but expanded.   Hunt was penciled in as starting #1 WR.   This would have given us a piece was desperately missed, along with letting JD remain at the #2 where he was most comfortable.  Combine that with the Mo situation and now you have 2 unplanned, off the field things that totally disrupted the "plan".  Combine that with sub par qb play (which I am sure that the first 2 pts contributed too)..... Then you add in the Wandale injury situation.....Furthermore, toss in Williams injury on the back end of the defense

 

I understand that you are Nebraska and  we should have the depth to overcome these issues and other teams deal with similar problems, but because this team was so close in many games and the positive vibe was there in Spring and Fall, until the above happened, it makes me wonder what, if anything could have been different.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

The loss of Hunt as the X receiver had a big impact, as that forced Spielman and Noa to play more X and Z (outside receivers) and less of the Y (slot) receiver.  I think Spielman was going to be the #1 target for Martinez on most routes, but yes, Hunt's suspension was a bigger loss than most people admit.

[knapplc]

6 minutes ago, HANC said:

Furthermore, toss in Williams injury on the back end of the defense

 

People don't realize how huge this injury was.

[ColoradoHusk]

10 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

People don't realize how huge this injury was.

Great point.  The coaches were very reluctant to play Dime packages once he went down.

[HANC]

Last year Minnesota lost their All-American caliber players in both the offensive backfield and defensive backfield.  Their season fell way short of the hype last year.  Both players return and people around them tend to step up.   I am not saying our guys were All-American, but once they return (maybe not Mo...we will see), others will step up.  Not predicting a Minnesota type of turn around because of the schedule is tough.....but a little optimism

[Redux]

Martinez's issues were mostly self induced

[kc_husker]

7 minutes ago, HANC said:

Last year Minnesota lost their All-American caliber players in both the offensive backfield and defensive backfield.  Their season fell way short of the hype last year.  Both players return and people around them tend to step up.   I am not saying our guys were All-American, but once they return (maybe not Mo...we will see), others will step up.  Not predicting a Minnesota type of turn around because of the schedule is tough.....but a little optimism

 

7 minutes ago, HANC said:

Last year Minnesota lost their All-American caliber players in both the offensive backfield and defensive backfield.  Their season fell way short of the hype last year.  Both players return and people around them tend to step up.   I am not saying our guys were All-American, but once they return (maybe not Mo...we will see), others will step up.  Not predicting a Minnesota type of turn around because of the schedule is tough.....but a little optimism

Is this the same HANC I go to the games with? LOL. Good post buddy!!

[Husker in WI]

20 minutes ago, Redux said:

Martinez's issues were mostly self induced

 

Based on how he (allegedly) hurt his shoulder, or you don't think the injury affected his play?

[Guy Chamberlin]

I think we had a couple perfectly healthy and competent tight ends who rarely got into the mix of an offense made for tight ends, and the running back we now wish had run more often was healthy and available all season. Mills emerged a a legit featured running back when we couldn't rely on Wan'dale to do everything. And we lost to teams that were missing even more crucial players. So it's hard to say if we were simply an injury or two away from winning. 

[BigRedBuster]

36 minutes ago, Redux said:

Martinez's issues were mostly self induced

A good portion of Martinez's issues very well could have been because the WR position was all screwed up as indicated in the OP.

[HANC]

25 minutes ago, kc_husker said:

 

Is this the same HANC I go to the games with? LOL. Good post buddy!!

Funny how I think a little more rationally when the alcohol gets out of the system..lol

I just understand how a few key pieces makes a huge  difference and how it can make the people around them better or worse.

Minnesota dearly missed both guys last season, and both turned in great seasons this year and the rest of the team followed suit.

 

Yes, Martinez issues were as much mechanical , but if you he also lost keys "cogs" that can take people out of their comfort zone.  I am not making excuses for him, because he definitely needs to play better if he is the guy.

[junior4949]

4 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

I think we had a couple perfectly healthy and competent tight ends who rarely got into the mix of an offense made for tight ends, and the running back we now wish had run more often was healthy and available all season. Mills emerged a a legit featured running back when we couldn't rely on Wan'dale to do everything. And we lost to teams that were missing even more crucial players. So it's hard to say if we were simply an injury or two away from winning. 

 

What I really wonder with regards to Mills is how well he actually knew the playbook?  The reason I ask is because of one particular play against Iowa which I believe occurred in the second quarter.  Mills barely even got the handoff before two Iowa defenders smacked him for a four yard loss.  I watched the replay and could then see why they got there so fast.  The guard and tackle both pulled or released allowing the defenders to run right at Mills.  I have no idea who was in the wrong here on this play, but it looked like the two OL thought it was a screen pass. 

[HANC]

6 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

I think we had a couple perfectly healthy and competent tight ends who rarely got into the mix of an offense made for tight ends, and the running back we now wish had run more often was healthy and available all season. Mills emerged a a legit featured running back when we couldn't rely on Wan'dale to do everything. And we lost to teams that were missing even more crucial players. So it's hard to say if we were simply an injury or two away from winning. 

You are absolutely correct.  No one can argue that point.  I am saying there weren't deeper issues that contributed to the losses.  Play calling was iffy at best.  I do believe that a few dynamic players completely change the face. Not saying win the West, but at least a few more games.

[Guy Chamberlin]

15 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

 

Based on how he (allegedly) hurt his shoulder, or you don't think the injury affected his play?

 

Martinez had outstanding plays, series, quarters and games, mixed in with some awful plays, series, quarters, and games. 

 

So no, his shoulder wasn't healthy on the good pass, then suddenly sore on the bad pass. He was going to get tackled on every run, whether he ran decisively and with confidence, or haltingly at the last second. Interceptions and fumbles  didn't come from his shoulder. If he somehow thought he had a lesser arm, or was worried about getting hit, it would certainly play with his head and his decision making, but the evidence suggests this was mostly in his head. 

 

He has a chance to fix this, but it needs to happen soon and that might add to the pressure. But pressure is what being a QB is all about.  

[Guy Chamberlin]

4 minutes ago, HANC said:

You are absolutely correct.  No one can argue that point.  I am saying there weren't deeper issues that contributed to the losses.  Play calling was iffy at best.  I do believe that a few dynamic players completely change the face. Not saying win the West, but at least a few more games.

 

True enough. But Wan'dale seemed like the perfect  dynamic game-changer, and Noa  was a seasoned player with the build of an NFL WR. Warner was healthy enough to have earned a few more targets, and always seemed ready to deliver. Stolle would be clutch across the middle, then disappear for games at a time. Of course we also had the most prolific receiver in Husker history in JD, a possession receiver as well as a constant game-breaking threat. Our sophomore QB was on a lot of Heisman short lists, the very definition of a dynamic game changer. 

 

So it's not like the cupboard was bare, dull, or injured. Turns out we just looked better on paper.