I hope Turner or another QB gets a long hard look this offseason.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

The backup quarterback is often the most popular person on the team.

That's 100% correct. So give him a series or two, if he flops, then the question is answered. The thing is, no one, not Bo, not us fans, no one, can say how "the backup" might have performed if given an opportunity. Because he never was given that opportunity.

If he flops, the third string becomes the most popular.

 

[Stickney]

Just a thought...does anyone remember how sure handed our receivers were back in the day when Ron Brown coached them? I have never coached receivers, so I am not sure exactly what you can do as a coach to get them to catch the damb ball...I just wonder how much of a part coaching has played in our receiver issues.

I like to reference Swift and Petersen as sure handed as well, but credit needs to go Ganz and Z Taylor for being pretty accurate as well.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

I giggle every time someone tries to down grade winning 9-10 games a year for the past 4 years. By that perspective,there are like 8 not that impressive teams over the course of that time span and the rest of college football must suck a$$.

About 3/4 of the way through the season I shared this philosophy. Than I started to look at those records past and present and came to a different conclusion.

Losses are NOT the issue. Non-competitive losses, mistake prone, embarrassing losses, mental miscues etc are an issue.

How many times in your life have you seen teams get 4 penalties in drive. How many times have you seen that under Bo in the past 4 years?

The Chiefs did it this year. And this number is impossible to predict and there is a lot of fabrication by those who don't approve of him as a coach--but I bet this number is a lot lower than you all want to believe.

Bringing up the Chiefs to disprove my point, I think, proves my point. haha.

I think it is very hard to state that Bo's teams have been "disciplined", unless of course you think that the ref's flagging them and the resulting yardage penalty results in them being "disciplined."

I never said they were disciplined. I just believe the number of times they've gotten 4 penalties in one drive is going to be vastly overestimated.

 

[Undone]

Just a thought...does anyone remember how sure handed our receivers were back in the day when Ron Brown coached them? I have never coached receivers, so I am not sure exactly what you can do as a coach to get them to catch the damb ball...I just wonder how much of a part coaching has played in our receiver issues.

I like to reference Swift and Petersen as sure handed as well, but credit needs to go Ganz and Z Taylor for being pretty accurate as well.

What is accuracy to you then? Is it completion percentage alone, the point the ball contacts the receiver alone, or both combined?

It's ridiculous to deny that we have churned out receivers over the last three years that simply drop balls that are not only "catchable" but just ridiculous to have dropped in the first place.

 

[California Husker]

The backup quarterback is often the most popular person on the team.

Agree, who could ever forget the calls for Frankie London to take Scott Frost's place during Scott's Junior year, or the calls for Joe Daily to "get a chance" during Jammal Lord's senior season. In both cases, the coaches were right in sticking with the starters...IMHO

 

[Hercules]

This thread is idiotic.

Taylor was 10/16 yesterday, which is a 62.5 completion percentage. At least 3 passes were dropped.

The interception was a miscommunication between the QB and the WR, not just an inaccurate pass. If Abdullah makes the cut he is supposed to, we're in field goal range - if Maher makes the kick, it's 16 - 9 Nebraska at halftime, not 16 - 13 USC. Better bench Abdullah next year.

Taylor put the ball into the endzone on our first possession with a perfect throw to Kenny Bell. Then Maher botches the extra point and it's 6-2 instead of 7-0. Then in the second half, Taylor kept on an option for a big gain, carrying the ball inside USC's 10 yard line, setting up a first goal. Several offensive line penalties later and Maher a 36 yard field goal attempt. Better bench Maher next year.

In the second half, Rex Burkhead gained 18 yards on 9 carries. Better bench him next year. Better bench the entire o-line too, with all those sacks they gave up.

 

[California Husker]

Just a thought...does anyone remember how sure handed our receivers were back in the day when Ron Brown coached them? I have never coached receivers, so I am not sure exactly what you can do as a coach to get them to catch the damb ball...I just wonder how much of a part coaching has played in our receiver issues.

I like to reference Swift and Petersen as sure handed as well, but credit needs to go Ganz and Z Taylor for being pretty accurate as well.

You get no argument from me there. Swift and Peterson were sure handed, but they had a different position coach than the receivers have now. I believe Gilmore was receivers coach for Swift and Peterson, and it was Fisher this year. I was in no way suggesting that Ron Brown was the only coach that is capable of coaching the receivers. I was simply asking a question...wondering out loud if you will, about how much impact the coach has on the receivers' ability to catch the ball in game situations.

 

[Stickney]

Just a thought...does anyone remember how sure handed our receivers were back in the day when Ron Brown coached them? I have never coached receivers, so I am not sure exactly what you can do as a coach to get them to catch the damb ball...I just wonder how much of a part coaching has played in our receiver issues.

I like to reference Swift and Petersen as sure handed as well, but credit needs to go Ganz and Z Taylor for being pretty accurate as well.

What is accuracy to you then? Is it completion percentage alone, the point the ball contacts the receiver alone, or both combined?

It's ridiculous to deny that we have churned out receivers over the last three years that simply drop balls that are not only "catchable" but just ridiculous to have dropped in the first place.

I actually think you make a valid point, (oops, sorry, you didn't make the point) Taylor, Ganz, and Lee all had receivers (#24, Nunn) who routinely didn't go and get the ##$%#% BALL. The ball was on target, but the wideout allowed the DB to get a hand on the ball because the WR didn't make a play on the ball.

In that example, the WR is at fault (Gilmore was the coach during this time).

However, currently, the drops aren't usually a function of a WR NOT going for the ball. Conversely, and again, this is easier to see live at a game, NU has had receivers running free and open all season long. They have dropped way to many balls certainly.

However, T-Mart has also been way late, innaccurate, or otherwise made an easy catch far more difficult far to often as well.

It's not all T-Mart and it's not all WRs.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

This thread is idiotic.

Taylor was 10/16 yesterday, which is a 62.5 completion percentage. At least 3 passes were dropped.

The interception was a miscommunication between the QB and the WR, not just an inaccurate pass. If Abdullah makes the cut he is supposed to, we're in field goal range - if Maher makes the kick, it's 16 - 9 Nebraska at halftime, not 16 - 13 USC. Better bench Abdullah next year.

Taylor put the ball into the endzone on our first possession with a perfect throw to Kenny Bell. Then Maher botches the extra point and it's 6-2 instead of 7-0. Then in the second half, Taylor kept on an option for a big gain, carrying the ball inside USC's 10 yard line, setting up a first goal. Several offensive line penalties later and Maher a 36 yard field goal attempt. Better bench Maher next year.

In the second half, Rex Burkhead gained 18 yards on 9 carries. Better bench him next year. Better bench the entire o-line too, with all those sacks they gave up.

Taylor gets so much flak. It's as if he's the reason Rex didn't perform well or the offensive line play was awful.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

It's not all T-Mart and it's not all WRs.

This this and this some more.

 

[HuskerFowler]

I wonder what kind of similar analogy Taylor would use to describe his receivers that constantly, and I do mean CONSTANTLY, drop balls that hit them right in the hands.

That is a much bigger problem with regards to the passing game than Taylor's footwork or pocket presence.

First, the receivers have ALL dropped balls. Many have also made some outstanding grabs.

On television lots of throws that a receiver gets his hands on look catchable. You even hear announcers say "He's got to make that catch." Then the announcers see the end zone view and they realize it was a much, much harder catch than it looked from the sideline angle and they tone down the rhetoric.

I only was able to see two games in person (WA and IA). In both games, T-Mart played ok. But, from my end zone seats, it is very apparent how late he is with reads, windows, and deliveries.

In big games, against good teams, those little issues are magnified and become the difference between winning and losing.

Believe me, I would LOVE for T-Mart to take a major step forward, but 2 seasons of game tape don't show it to me. Here's hoping I am wrong.

Laugh Out Loud

 

[GMoose]

I don't think Martinez is "the problem" for one reason - we haven't heard the complaints about his leadership skills or "character flaws" like last season. The big losses this year? Against elite mobile QBs. The inexcusable loss to NW? Against a mobile QB. And Shaw? decently mobile.

If NU could contain those QBs just decently, the losses to MU and UW probably aren't blowouts, NU probably beats NW, and possibly beats SCAR. And that's possibly still with those ugly mistakes against NW and Scar.

I've said before I don't think NU can win big with this style of offense, but even so, they could be 11-2 with two closer losses if the QB contain was better, in spite of the offense.

 

[Stickney]

This thread is idiotic.

Taylor was 10/16 yesterday, which is a 62.5 completion percentage. At least 3 passes were dropped.

The interception was a miscommunication between the QB and the WR, not just an inaccurate pass. If Abdullah makes the cut he is supposed to, we're in field goal range - if Maher makes the kick, it's 16 - 9 Nebraska at halftime, not 16 - 13 USC. Better bench Abdullah next year.

Taylor put the ball into the endzone on our first possession with a perfect throw to Kenny Bell. Then Maher botches the extra point and it's 6-2 instead of 7-0. Then in the second half, Taylor kept on an option for a big gain, carrying the ball inside USC's 10 yard line, setting up a first goal. Several offensive line penalties later and Maher a 36 yard field goal attempt. Better bench Maher next year.

In the second half, Rex Burkhead gained 18 yards on 9 carries. Better bench him next year. Better bench the entire o-line too, with all those sacks they gave up.

You are pointing out 2 things -- the litany of mistakes from a fundamentally unsound football team and that stats never tell the entire story.

I agree with both of those thoughts.

 

[huskerscott]

Im just gonna chime because I feel like it. Many of you know my feelings regarding Taylor last off season. So I thought I would give my take on Taylor this season.

Taylor DID not lose us any games this year. He limited his mistakes had more pocket presence, had considerably less turnovers, and proved with his wacky throwing motion he can be an alright passer.

To you people that said Taylor didnt win us any games despite being 9-4. Does anybody remember the Ohio State game???? Oh how forgetful you are all. He took the team on his back in 2nd half and led them to a victory. Remember the Northwestern game when our defense couldnt stop a nose bleed. He almost did it again rallying the team from 2 TDs down to get within a FG. He had almost 400 yards of offense that game.

He put up decent numbers against Washington and Fresno when those teams were giving us fits and we had a terrible time putting those teams away. Our backup wouldnt have gotten it done. To say Taylor didnt win us any games this year is the most arrogant thing a "hater"(just for you, bshirt) could say.

Am I gonna sit here and say that Taylor will be a heisman contender, All American, all conference type of player, No. He is the best we got right now and he isnt doing anything to change that.

Happy offseason!

 

[HuskerExpat]

Martinez was not the QB he was last year. His passing was marginally better this year, but his running was way, way off the mark from last year. Last year I thought he might score a TD every time he ran the ball. This year he lacked the vision and breakaway speed we saw last year. I think his running game started to change when they got worried about him getting injured and after several fumbles. His zone read this year were horrible. I'm not sure what he was reading, but it was not the defensive player he is supposed to be reading. The bowl game showed plenty of examples where the read was the defensive end and the DE clearly keyed on Martinez and he kept the ball anyway. Horrible.