My thoughts on Just About Everything that is Husker at the Moment

[AFhusker]

All I know is that most of the QB's on new years day can throw a pass to WR's.

NU can't do that with Green and or Martinez. They can do it against weak competition or against Okie State but NU will continue to lose 4 games per year if they don't get some dual threat/passing QB's in place.

It helps if the WR would catch the ball once it gets there too. And don't forget the OL, that is the most important facet of offense and it won't matter if TMart improves his footwork, he will still be running for his life more times than naught.

If you get rid of Watson and keep Cotton and Gilmore, the offense will be more imaginative, but will still fail due to porous OL and WR play.

 

[Vince from ShamWOW]

One sentence: Zac Lee should have been the starting quarterback this season.

Which was a lot harder to say when Taylor was murderating K-State and Washington.

...and Oklahoma State.

However, I don't think Zac Lee plays the LT spot very well, so don't now how anybody would have helped that much. He probably gets rid of the ball more often, but we lose the first downs created by Taylor's legs. I say it was probably a wash between the two.

He's just a bit undersized to play left tackle.

Once Martinez got dinged, his play went out the window. At that point is when Lee should have been moved to starter. Failing to make that move is just another example of Pelini's need to grow and learn.

Yea but didn't lee get hurt around that same time

I think it was post Mizzou week where he popped his hand on a helmet in practice. It was beyond sore for a week then all was back to normal.

 

[AFhusker]

One sentence: Zac Lee should have been the starting quarterback this season.

Which was a lot harder to say when Taylor was murderating K-State and Washington.

...and Oklahoma State.

However, I don't think Zac Lee plays the LT spot very well, so don't now how anybody would have helped that much. He probably gets rid of the ball more often, but we lose the first downs created by Taylor's legs. I say it was probably a wash between the two.

He's just a bit undersized to play left tackle.

Once Martinez got dinged, his play went out the window. At that point is when Lee should have been moved to starter. Failing to make that move is just another example of Pelini's need to grow and learn.

Yea but didn't lee get hurt around that same time

I don't think Zac ever totally healed from his surgery in the first place. Then he hurt it against UT and then he was pretty much unavailable the rest of the year. Which is why he never played anymore. I believe enough in Bo that he would have played him if he was available over a dinged up TMart and a very inconsistent Green.

I know Bo wants us to run the Oregon offense, (which is why the rumor about Frost coming back is out there) but other than TMart we didn't have that QB this year. Hopefully with the new guys coming in at the QB position, we will have the depth required to run that offense if that is what still wants.

 

[wilber24]

One sentence: Zac Lee should have been the starting quarterback this season.

Which was a lot harder to say when Taylor was murderating K-State and Washington.

I agree with Husker_X.

Do people even remember all the hate Zac was getting last season and that we wanting a new QB? Do people remember Taylor surprising EVERYBODY during the opening game with his 3 TD's and then to back that up against K-State, UW, and Okie State? Does anybody realize how much love was going Husker Nation during Martinez's first 7 career starts?

Got a bunch of hypocrites on this board

Yep, I was one of those, but after watching Martinez hold the ball and take a sack, basically not being able to pass, not improve on reading defenses. I would of took anybody else at QB. Did martinez ever make a cut, nope just straight line speed, no shifty moves.Looks to me if he has anykind of injury he is useless, just because he cannot throw.

 

[Vince from ShamWOW]

One sentence: Zac Lee should have been the starting quarterback this season.

Which was a lot harder to say when Taylor was murderating K-State and Washington.

...and Oklahoma State.

However, I don't think Zac Lee plays the LT spot very well, so don't now how anybody would have helped that much. He probably gets rid of the ball more often, but we lose the first downs created by Taylor's legs. I say it was probably a wash between the two.

He's just a bit undersized to play left tackle.

Once Martinez got dinged, his play went out the window. At that point is when Lee should have been moved to starter. Failing to make that move is just another example of Pelini's need to grow and learn.

Yea but didn't lee get hurt around that same time

I don't think Zac ever totally healed from his surgery in the first place. Then he hurt it against UT and then he was pretty much unavailable the rest of the year. Which is why he never played anymore. I believe enough in Bo that he would have played him if he was available over a dinged up TMart and a very inconsistent Green.

I know Bo wants us to run the Oregon offense, (which is why the rumor about Frost coming back is out there) but other than TMart we didn't have that QB this year. Hopefully with the new guys coming in at the QB position, we will have the depth required to run that offense if that is what still wants.

That was the rumor but it was not all accurate. The realities are Lee was healthy to play all but one week where he popped his hand into a helmet at practice.

The truth is his elbow, after surgery, was evaluated at around 90%. At this level the doctors said his play would not he hampered at all. In practice he proved them right.

 

[zoogs]

I think it was post Mizzou week where he popped his hand on a helmet in practice. It was beyond sore for a week then all was back to normal.

That was the week Taylor got dinged.

LoneStar - hell of a post!

 

[tschu]

One sentence: Zac Lee should have been the starting quarterback this season.

Which was a lot harder to say when Taylor was murderating K-State and Washington.

I agree with Husker_X.

Do people even remember all the hate Zac was getting last season and that we wanting a new QB? Do people remember Taylor surprising EVERYBODY during the opening game with his 3 TD's and then to back that up against K-State, UW, and Okie State? Does anybody realize how much love was going Husker Nation during Martinez's first 7 career starts?

Got a bunch of hypocrites on this board

Hindsight is 20/20. I realize that I was a Martinez fan, but looking back, all of his good performances came against absolutely terrible defenses. Against good defenses where we really needed some experience, a decently accurate passer, and most importantly, a game manager, Taylor failed. Badly. People need to stop using Western Kentucky, K-state, UW, and Ok. St as examples.

If Zac started all season, I fully believe that we would not have beaten down UW and K-state as badly, but we could have had a much better chance to win the 4 games we lost. Probably like a 12-2, Fiesta Bowl season.

Yes, all in hindsight. I'm not pretending to have been calling for Zac Lee all season, and I'm not pretending that I didn't love Martinez at first. But this is what I believe now. I'm allowed to change my mind.

 

[southernoregonhusker]

Apparently a lot of people have forgotten how bad the offense was last year and how awesome Martinez was early in the year.

 

[Lincolnite]

I'm a Taylor Martinez fan, and I think he deserves another shot at QB since he was pretty good before the injury, but if he can't get along with teammates and he's potentially a cancer then I don't want him on the field, period. I don't want Bo to force him to transfer, but if that's best for all parties then so be it. I hope people appreciate what he's done for Nebraska, though. I seriously doubt we'd see this type of negativity if those articles about Taylor's attitude problems are proven to be false.

 

[CFHusker]

I was really looking forward to seeing a healthy Zac Lee. I was also looking for him to be the Sr leader of the offense.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

I can, however say that myself, zoogies, and several others have been calling for Zac Lee all season. We all said at the beginning of the year we were handing a potential championship season (due to the schedule) over to a guy with no experience who will make mistakes and cost us games. We were 100% correct.

Not that it really mattered, because I feel the real failure was at the hands of Barney Cotton.

 

[Hercules]

It's hard to take anyone on this board seriously when they're this reactionary and predictable.

Martinez has good game - "Martinez for Heisman!"

Martinez has bad game - "See, Zac Lee should have been the starter all along!"

Cody Green has good game against bottom feeder Colorado - "See, why isn't Cody Green starting?! He looked great!"

Please. When Zac Lee did play, the offense still dropped passes, fumbled the ball, and made stupid penalties, both against Texas and Missouri. The offense was not more consistent with him in the game, and they did not have better production than when Martinez was in the game. And anybody who thinks that all of those QB mistakes by Martinez just up and disappear with Zac Lee playing, you have clearly blacked out the entire 2009 season. Lee wasn't criticized for his arm strength or accuracy, he was criticized for the decisions he was making with the ball, and that has nothing to do with his elbow and everything to do with his mental game.

As for those of you who claim that Martinez only did well early in the season because we were playing terrible defenses? Check this stat out from Sam McKewon, who measured the offense's production from before Martinez's injury to after Martinez's injury.

I distinctly remember Martinez's injury just before halftime of the Missouri game. He tried to beat a Tiger defender to the sideline for the big play instead of darting back inside for the first down. It's what Martinez always did. What he does even now. He got hit hard in the leg. It looked like his knee, frankly, but as he fell to the turf, his ankle rolled and twisted.

At that moment in time, here were NU's offensive season statistics. That's roughly 7 ½ games.

Total: 467 plays, 3,495 yards, 7.48 yards per play

Rushing: 323 for 2,196 yards, 6.79 yards per carry

Passing: 86-144 (59%) for 1,299 yards,15 yards per completion

Avg NCAA Rank of Opponent Defense: 81st

And the stats after Martinez got hurt, or 6½ games, plus five plays at the end of the Missouri first half:

Total: 449 plays, 2,079 yards, 4.63 yards per play

Rushing: 311 carries for 1180 yards, 3.79 yards per carry

Passing: 77-138 (55%) for 809 yards, 10.5 yards per completion

Avg NCAA Rank of Opponent Defense: 71st

The defenses didn't really get much better. Yet our offensive production nearly sank to 2009 levels of suckiness.

We saw Zac Lee against Texas, and he was as ineffective as Martinez. We saw Zac Lee against Missouri, where he was roughly as effective as Martinez. By the time Texas A&M rolled around, Zac Lee wasn't even available to do anything but hand the ball off. Zac Lee all by himself would not have magically changed this season into a championship season.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Hercules, when you can't make all the throws it does effect your decision making. It takes decisions away from you that you might have normally taken. Again, not saying it would have eliminated all of the mistakes, but I would nearly guarantee we wouldn't have seen the QB take all of those sacks against OU.

I am rooting for Taylor to develop and am not writing him off forever, that would be asinine. I do question the current QB coach and his ability to develop him. I question the OL coach and his ability to put a line in front of ANY QB that will be effective. I question the WR coach and his ability to develop the athletes at WR we have to take some pressure off of the QB no matter who it is.

Let's be honest, the problems on the offense this year are much deeper than who was playing QB. I also get sick of hearing about how QB is the most important position in football. Sure if you are in the NFL and it is Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers it is. In a run first offense, the OL is the most important part of the team and Nebraska doesn't possess a good OL at this point.

 

[n.e.husker]

In a run first offense, the OL is the most important part of the team and Nebraska doesn't possess a good OL at this point.

This. It all starts up front. Taylor is young in will be brought along in his development. We all got spoiled by his success early on and seemed to forget that he is still raw. With a young guy under center, he will need all the help he can get, from players to coaches. Im not sure he always received that help or maybe wasnt receptive to help?

We have seen what a healthy TM can do with his legs, now with a full year under his belt and this offseason heading into the 2011 season, we should see big steps taken by this team. A little competition from CG and Brion will only push him further.

Hopefully they can gel and get comfortable in this system in the spring/summer.

 

[gratefullred]

I am confident the OL will be better. I see T-Mart's off-season development as the key to the offense. He is a very talented QB, but can he take it to the next level or is he the primadona people talk about. If T-Mart kicks things up a notch NU should be beter. If he takes a step backwards the wheels could come off.