knapplc's deviation from topic tangent Minnesota tin-foil-hat nonsense thread

[knapplc]

NOTE - this thread was split off the "Martinez Legacy" thread because I went off topic for some unknown reason. Credit to QMany for suggesting that we not derail that thread.

Taylor's last game as a Husker will go down as a microcosm of his career. In that Minnesota game, he started out throwing the ball well, and Beck became enthralled with the idea of beating Minnesota with the pass game. For whatever reason, the offense stalled in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Was it all Taylor's fault? No, but he didn't play well. Then when NU was down and against their back, Taylor had a big gain on a designed run, and NU was able to score. But, in the last big drive of the game, Taylor and the offense came up short. Taylor showed glimpses of brilliance in that Minnesota game, but the team lost. Yes, the defense deserved plenty of blame for that loss. But, watching in the stands, the offense was driving me nuts with its inconsistency in terms of play-calling and performance.

Makes you wonder why he was ever in that Minnesota game. There are a lot of tinfoil-hat theories I could come up with to explain that utterly bizarre game.

I kinda agree with Beck's idea of beating Minny with the pass. They were loading up the box big-time. But Taylor wasn't throwing easy-to-catch passes, and the passes that hit our receivers' hands were tough catches, and many weren't caught. We have a capable passer in Kellogg, so why not put him in? Maybe he could throw a more-catchable pass. Maybe he could give the defense something to think about besides loading the box.

Why not put Armstrong in at all? I mean, not even one series, or the two-series thing that they do for Kellogg when Armstrong starts. That's just... weird.

Minnesota is playing inspired football right now, but that was a winnable game. I will never understand the QB decisions made in that game. Nobody can convince me that, no matter how inspired they were, that Minny's defense is better than Michigan's.

 

[sd'sker]

+1 knapp. well said and it is confounding. especially given casey martinez's statements about how long taylor has been injured. he had no business to play that whole game. it became clear that another qb should have taken over, if not start from the beginning.

 

[T_O_Bull]

Makes you wonder why he was ever in that Minnesota game. There are a lot of tinfoil-hat theories I could come up with to explain that utterly bizarre game.

I kinda agree with Beck's idea of beating Minny with the pass. They were loading up the box big-time. But Taylor wasn't throwing easy-to-catch passes, and the passes that hit our receivers' hands were tough catches, and many weren't caught. We have a capable passer in Kellogg, so why not put him in? Maybe he could throw a more-catchable pass. Maybe he could give the defense something to think about besides loading the box.

Why not put Armstrong in at all? I mean, not even one series, or the two-series thing that they do for Kellogg when Armstrong starts. That's just... weird.

Minnesota is playing inspired football right now, but that was a winnable game. I will never understand the QB decisions made in that game. Nobody can convince me that, no matter how inspired they were, that Minny's defense is better than Michigan's.

I agree totally with you Knapp. To leave a less than 100% TM in a game and then have him throw the ball 33 times is bewildering. Then again lots of Beck's play calling is bewildering if not stupid. To get back to TM the young man is pure excitement when healthy which for much of his career he wasn't. I will always remember the first half of his Freshman year and wonder, "What if?" T_O_B

 

[ColoradoHusk]

+1 knapp. well said and it is confounding. especially given casey martinez's statements about how long taylor has been injured. he had no business to play that whole game. it became clear that another qb should have taken over, if not start from the beginning.

Honestly, I think Bo and Beck wanted to show some loyalty to Martinez, and give him a shot at winning the game, even though he wasn't 100% healthy. They probably thought they would need Taylor to play in games after Minnesota, and they were using that game as a barometer for the rest of the season. Remember, the QB play by Armstrong/Kellogg was sketchy against Purdue. In hindsight, it was clearly the wrong decision, but we know how loyal/stubborn Bo can be.

 

[QMany]

How about we don't turn the "Martinez Legacy" thread into a "Tim Beck is an idiot, TA is better" thread?

 

[knapplc]

+1 sir, and you're right. I split this off from the original thread. Didn't belong there.

 

[QMany]

+1 sir, and you're right. I split this off from the original thread. Didn't belong there.

Thanks for making this. It doesn't mean your opinion was wrong. I just didn't want to deviate from a thread that TMagic earned. He's had enough negative threads.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Sorry if I helped move the original TMart thread off-topic.

There is another conspiracy theory going around that Bo played TMart against Minnesota so that he wouldn't qualify for a medical redshirt. It's far fetched, but plausible.

 

[StPaulHusker]

And let's revisit the "beat them with the pass because they are loading the box" theory. Ameer Abdullah had 165 yards rushing for the game and an 8.7 yard average. So we could have kept running it. We didn't need to "win with the pass."

 

[QMany]

Sorry if I helped move the original TMart thread off-topic.

There is another conspiracy theory going around that Bo played TMart against Minnesota so that he wouldn't qualify for a medical redshirt. It's far fetched, but plausible.

That's ridiculous.

 

[knapplc]

Is it more ridiculous than playing an obviously very-hurt quarterback every snap of a winnable game that you're losing despite having not one but two very capable quarterbacks sitting on the bench?

 

[StPaulHusker]

Sorry if I helped move the original TMart thread off-topic.

There is another conspiracy theory going around that Bo played TMart against Minnesota so that he wouldn't qualify for a medical redshirt. It's far fetched, but plausible.

That's ridiculous.

I think if Bo has proven anything during his head coaching career it's that he looks out for players and the team. He doesn't try to affect someone's eligibility.

Lets also not forget that he started a redshirt freshman over a returning senior starter a few years ago. Even if Martinez would remain eligible next year, who is to say he would start over Armstrong by then?

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Upon reading the thread title, I assumed that Jerry Kill was the victim of an alien abduction that led to his health problems but that allowed Minnesota to be a B1G Champ contender...

 

[Ulty]

Sorry if I helped move the original TMart thread off-topic.

There is another conspiracy theory going around that Bo played TMart against Minnesota so that he wouldn't qualify for a medical redshirt. It's far fetched, but plausible.

That's ridiculous.

Is it more ridiculous than playing an obviously very-hurt quarterback every snap of a winnable game that you're losing despite having not one but two very capable quarterbacks sitting on the bench?

Both situations are ridiculous, but I don't find it plausible that Pelini would intentionally sabotage any hope for a medical hardship. This staff has made questionable personnel decisions in the past that seem silly to the rest of us, and Beck's playcalling has produced many headscratching moments. It's not difficult to see the Minnesota game as another set of blunders in this area. It's very hard to imagine suddenly sabotaging the career of the very guy that Pelini stubbornly hitched his wagon to three years ago for better or for worse.

 

[mel4red]

That game was coaching ego at it's finest. Bo and crew NEVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS thought we would lose that game, and when the death spiral started, not a one of them was smart enough to get us out of it. If anything, T-Magic will go down as the greatest Husker scapegoat of all time.