Crouch says faster D's will test Martinez

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Nexus

All-American
Let’s set up a meeting. Memorial Stadium. Buell Stadium in Millard. Maybe shut down a block or two of O Street. Sell tickets.
Who’s faster, Eric Crouch or Taylor Martinez? Crouch says it’s time to find out.

“I don’t know, I think I better get back in training, so we can get a race going,’’ Crouch said. “Get it over with so people can finally find out.’’

Crouch was joking — I think — as he drove back Monday from a job in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 2001 Heisman Trophy winner has four jobs now: He sells medical equipment to hospitals in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota; he still has a playground equipment company in Omaha that his wife runs; and he just started gigs as a college football analyst for Sirius/XM (with Eddie George) radio and the Versus cable channel.

In his spare time, he answers questions about Martinez (“I get asked 25 times a day”), the redshirt freshman quarterback at NU whose speed has drawn quick comparison to Crouch. Crouch was more than happy to answer a few more on Monday.

On Martinez’s running style: “He looks fast. Real fast. After seeing him play against Kansas State and South Dakota State and a half against Washington, I was impressed.

“I’m a little jealous that he’s not getting touched very much. He’s been walking (into the end zone) in clean. I don’t know that that will continue very much longer. I think you can expect him to play defenses with more speed and defenses that start scheming to stop him with that speed. That’s when his true colors will come out. It’s just great to have an exciting player at quarterback in an offense fans are used to. That’s not to say that Joe Ganz and Zac Taylor weren’t exciting, too. But this is an offense that Nebraska fans equate with success.’’

On Crouch-Martinez comparisons: “He’s kind of a dictating type of runner, and I was, too. I didn’t let the defense force me to make a decision. I always made my own decision. You have to make that decision in a split second. He makes the decision, and he doesn’t tippy-toe around. He goes full speed.

“I was a little lower as a runner. I got hit a lot, and I learned to keep myself lower. He’ll learn that, too, after awhile. He doesn’t fool around. He gets to top speed faster than any quarterback I’ve seen.

“I want to see if he can make someone miss in the open field. So far he hasn’t had to do that. He’s just been running free. I want to see when there’s a guy, or two guys, in front of him in the open field and he’s got to make something happen.’’

On the zone read: “The majority of my career, I was under center, reading the three- and five-techniques and then usually getting hit by those guys. It’s smart to play him back there (shotgun). He can use his vision and keep the linebackers guessing. I love his patience. My senior year, they ran some quarterback counter traps and quarterback power plays for me because defenses took away the outside. I wonder if defenses start doing that to him if they will have to go to some of that.’’

So who’s faster?

“I’m 31,’’ Crouch said. “I’m not even sure he’s 20 yet. He’s faster. I think he’s definitely faster than me.’’

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Part of the magician in Taylor is his ball fake. So many plays this season have made me cross eyed. Even watching the plays slowed down two or three times, it's still hard to believe how late he yanks that thing out and goes for a TD.

 
Husker_x said:
Part of the magician in Taylor is his ball fake. So many plays this season have made me cross eyed. Even watching the plays slowed down two or three times, it's still hard to believe how late he yanks that thing out and goes for a TD.
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I agree, it's crazy good.

He needs to learn to pretend he still has it when he does hand it off though.

 
Husker_x said:
Part of the magician in Taylor is his ball fake. So many plays this season have made me cross eyed. Even watching the plays slowed down two or three times, it's still hard to believe how late he yanks that thing out and goes for a TD.
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I agree. That ball fake to Rex in the KSU game when Taylor broke off a 40-some yard TD run was incredible. He fools the cameraman, he fools me, and you better believe he's fooling the defense.

 
Husker Richard said:
Husker_x said:
Part of the magician in Taylor is his ball fake. So many plays this season have made me cross eyed. Even watching the plays slowed down two or three times, it's still hard to believe how late he yanks that thing out and goes for a TD.
Click to expand...

I agree. That ball fake to Rex in the KSU game when Taylor broke off a 40-some yard TD run was incredible. He fools the cameraman, he fools me, and you better believe he's fooling the defense.
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he has even fooled himself, like when he goes left and roy goes right.

 
This is why Martinez got the job. He was ripping off runs like this against our top Defensive units during Fall Camp, so Bo figured he could probably do it to other teams, too. Turns out Bo was right.

Now we just have to see if he can keep it up for the whole season.

 
I don't blame Crouch for pointing out the slight differences in style - but one of the reasons Martinez isn't taking the hits Crouch took is because Martinez is faster. And Martinez actually IS putting moves on guys in the open field, but he's so fast he can do it with the shoulders instead of the feet. It's a weave instead of a juke.

It's counter-intuitve, but I'm equally impressed by how Martinez takes a sack. Instead of trying to make something out of nothing (and the mistakes that come with it) like almost every athletic freshman, Martinez goes down quick, pops up quick and takes his redemption on the next play.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
I don't blame Crouch for pointing out the slight differences in style - but one of the reasons Martinez isn't taking the hits Crouch took is because Martinez is faster. And Martinez actually IS putting moves on guys in the open field, but he's so fast he can do it with the shoulders instead of the feet. It's a weave instead of a juke.

It's counter-intuitve, but I'm equally impressed by how Martinez takes a sack. Instead of trying to make something out of nothing (and the mistakes that come with it) like almost every athletic freshman, Martinez goes down quick, pops up quick and takes his redemption on the next play.
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Instead of taking the sack he needs to get better at throwing the ball away. That will come with experience.

 
HuskerJosh said:
You mean the faster one he faces in practice every day? :koolaid2: :koolaid2: :koolaid2:
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During the season the 1's don't play the 1's terribly often, likely less than half the time. They play scout team players running the opposing teams schemes so they can prepare for the upcoming opponent.

 
I really wish he'd learn to slide sometimes when there's no escape. That run vs. KSU after he got the first down comes to mind. I love the aggression, but once you have the first it's time to slide. He's too valuable to lose to an injury that's easily avoided.

 
Martinez is more explosive, faster and quicker. Crouch was def tougher and gave hits, plus had incredible speed.

The thing about Taylor is that he does not have to do it all himself on every play. Roy and Rex both look terrific this year and are getting big chunks of yards. Plus McNeil, Kinnie, Paul can get first downs and spread the field.... But everything always starts up front with the O-Line.

 
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