Spring Position Battles - Quarterback

[Mavric]

I think we averaged around 8 called rushes for Tommy and a half dozen improvised scrambles per game last year.

That's not a bad use of Tommy's legs. I'd like to see a couple more called rushes a game.

I think the missed opportunity was for Tommy not to take off running EVERY TIME the defense gave him so much green on those pass plays. Not only would those have been good rushing yards, it would eventually loosen up the defensive secondary so he's not forcing throws into good coverage.

Well, TA had 98 attempts in 12 games which is 8.2 per game so those numbers are a bit high. And that includes sacks which were 14 on the season so probably just over 7 attempts per game.

Agree with you that he should pull it down and take off more but I'm not sure that's in the cards.

Considering he averaged 33.5 passing attempts per game, if we could take 8-10 of those attempts and turn them into running plays of which TA would get 3-5, that would be about right imo.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

I think we averaged around 8 called rushes for Tommy and a half dozen improvised scrambles per game last year.

That's not a bad use of Tommy's legs. I'd like to see a couple more called rushes a game.

I think the missed opportunity was for Tommy not to take off running EVERY TIME the defense gave him so much green on those pass plays. Not only would those have been good rushing yards, it would eventually loosen up the defensive secondary so he's not forcing throws into good coverage.

Well, TA had 98 attempts in 12 games which is 8.2 per game so those numbers are a bit high. And that includes sacks which were 14 on the season so probably just over 7 attempts per game.

Agree with you that he should pull it down and take off more but I'm not sure that's in the cards.

Considering he averaged 33.5 passing attempts per game, if we could take 8-10 of those attempts and turn them into running plays of which TA would get 3-5, that would be about right imo.

Very good Mavric! I didn't look but thought Guy's numbers were a little hight but I think we would have won 4 more games last year if: TA had not been hurt vs Purdue and had in fact had 7 more 'intended' carries per game and had 5 less passes per game.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

I said Tommy averaged "around 8" called rushes per game, and with sacks it's actually "just over 7."

Two posts to point out that was "a little high?"

Geez.

 

[cm husker]

I said Tommy averaged "around 8" called rushes per game, and with sacks it's actually "just over 7."

Two posts to point out that was "a little high?"

Geez.

Not to get into a semantics debate but your original estimate would indicate that Tommy had 14 carries a game. In fact, he had half of that.

Designed runs were probably around 2 to 3 per game at most.

 

[Enhance]

to be honest, if POB is the hot shot everyone thinks he is, he should be the #2 guy at least by mid season. besides, other than TA, who is his competition, really?

I think we should let what everyone thinks about this kid be exclusive of what he's actually going to do this year. The spring is a time of year where every program is working harder than ever, players are having better practices than they've had, players are looking better than ever before, and every team is poised for a breakout year...

Some great players take a long time to be ready to actually see the field, and if the coaches think redshirting the full year is best for his development, then I'm fine by it. Some people think game experience is always better than none and I don't think it's that black and white, particularly early in a career. Mismanagement of that play time and experience can lead to trouble.

 

[Saunders]

Very nice discussion in this thread. It will be interesting to see if POB ends up at #2 by August. I think if he's #2 or a coin toss with Fyfe, he needs to NOT redshirt this year. We all saw what happened with Taylor Martinez his senior year which paved the way for TA to start as a freshman. I'm not saying this will happen, but as much as TA likes to run the ball, the chances of getting banged up are pretty good. On top of that, if TA continues what he has done the past 3 years and uses bad judgment, Riley might be more inclined to trying out #2 who has the QB fundamentals down despite the lack of playing time.

TA was also a redshirt freshman in 2013. It would be asking a lot of POB to step in and be a potential starter as a true freshman if TA were to be ineffective or get injured.

Well I don't think anyone is asking POB to start game 1, but if he is truly the best backup in the group, I'd rather him get some experience in this season so he's ready to take over in 2017. Also, from all that I have heard, POB's football IQ and mechanics as a true freshman will be better than Martinez's as a redshirt freshman.

Martinez had one of the lowest football IQs I have ever seen, even as a senior. He made Forrest Gump look positively brilliant by comparison.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Very nice discussion in this thread. It will be interesting to see if POB ends up at #2 by August. I think if he's #2 or a coin toss with Fyfe, he needs to NOT redshirt this year. We all saw what happened with Taylor Martinez his senior year which paved the way for TA to start as a freshman. I'm not saying this will happen, but as much as TA likes to run the ball, the chances of getting banged up are pretty good. On top of that, if TA continues what he has done the past 3 years and uses bad judgment, Riley might be more inclined to trying out #2 who has the QB fundamentals down despite the lack of playing time.

TA was also a redshirt freshman in 2013. It would be asking a lot of POB to step in and be a potential starter as a true freshman if TA were to be ineffective or get injured.

Well I don't think anyone is asking POB to start game 1, but if he is truly the best backup in the group, I'd rather him get some experience in this season so he's ready to take over in 2017. Also, from all that I have heard, POB's football IQ and mechanics as a true freshman will be better than Martinez's as a redshirt freshman.

Martinez had one of the lowest football IQs I have ever seen, even as a senior. He made Forrest Gump look positively brilliant by comparison.

I'll add one more to yours.

 

[BRV920]

Since you asked if I played football AF I'll give you my resume. My dad was a football coach who played college football. My uncle was a all state lineman that was recruited by Nebraska and played in college. I was a 4 year starter in highschool. Was a linebacker on the all state football team and played in college for 2 years until 2 major shoulder injury forced me to hang it up. My younger brother was also a all state wide receiver and played in college. So as you can see I actually have been around football my whole life and played at a pretty high level. I'm dying to hear about your vast experience in the game.

My point is that it's pretty low class to bash on a college age kid that is pouring his heart into our football team.

 

[cm husker]

Since you asked if I played football AF I'll give you my resume. My dad was a football coach who played college football. My uncle was a all state lineman that was recruited by Nebraska and played in college. I was a 4 year starter in highschool. Was a linebacker on the all state football team and played in college for 2 years until 2 major shoulder injury forced me to hang it up. My younger brother was also a all state wide receiver and played in college. So as you can see I actually have been around football my whole life and played at a pretty high level. I'm dying to hear about your vast experience in the game.

My point is that it's pretty low class to bash on a college age kid that is pouring his heart into our football team.

It's always interesting to me that those of us who played CFB tend to be on the same side of these "debates."

 

[GBRFAN]

Since you asked if I played football AF I'll give you my resume. My dad was a football coach who played college football. My uncle was a all state lineman that was recruited by Nebraska and played in college. I was a 4 year starter in highschool. Was a linebacker on the all state football team and played in college for 2 years until 2 major shoulder injury forced me to hang it up. My younger brother was also a all state wide receiver and played in college. So as you can see I actually have been around football my whole life and played at a pretty high level. I'm dying to hear about your vast experience in the game.

My point is that it's pretty low class to bash on a college age kid that is pouring his heart into our football team.

It's always interesting to me that those of us who played CFB tend to be on the same side of these "debates."

You guys should get together and compare resumes - since the rest of us probably haven't ever set foot on the actual field.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Since you asked if I played football AF I'll give you my resume. My dad was a football coach who played college football. My uncle was a all state lineman that was recruited by Nebraska and played in college. I was a 4 year starter in highschool. Was a linebacker on the all state football team and played in college for 2 years until 2 major shoulder injury forced me to hang it up. My younger brother was also a all state wide receiver and played in college. So as you can see I actually have been around football my whole life and played at a pretty high level. I'm dying to hear about your vast experience in the game.

My point is that it's pretty low class to bash on a college age kid that is pouring his heart into our football team.

It's always interesting to me that those of us who played CFB tend to be on the same side of these "debates."

And fascinating to me how often you criticize people with vastly more experience than you.

(Last I checked, everyone on Mike Riley's staff played college football. And then some.)

 

[BRV920]

Yep, and they make millions of dollars for the hassle. Big difference.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Fun Fact: Do you know who loudly suggested that Tommy Armstrong needs to self-motivate and get better this season, or risk letting down his teammates?

Answer: Tommy Armstrong.

There is no "debate" here. Let's move on.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

Very nice discussion in this thread. It will be interesting to see if POB ends up at #2 by August. I think if he's #2 or a coin toss with Fyfe, he needs to NOT redshirt this year. We all saw what happened with Taylor Martinez his senior year which paved the way for TA to start as a freshman. I'm not saying this will happen, but as much as TA likes to run the ball, the chances of getting banged up are pretty good. On top of that, if TA continues what he has done the past 3 years and uses bad judgment, Riley might be more inclined to trying out #2 who has the QB fundamentals down despite the lack of playing time.

TA was also a redshirt freshman in 2013. It would be asking a lot of POB to step in and be a potential starter as a true freshman if TA were to be ineffective or get injured.

Well I don't think anyone is asking POB to start game 1, but if he is truly the best backup in the group, I'd rather him get some experience in this season so he's ready to take over in 2017. Also, from all that I have heard, POB's football IQ and mechanics as a true freshman will be better than Martinez's as a redshirt freshman.

Martinez had one of the lowest football IQs I have ever seen, even as a senior. He made Forrest Gump look positively brilliant by comparison.

I was not a Martinez fan after his sophomore year but felt all along that he never recorvered from his foot injury and the loss of his lightning speed edge made him into an average QB at best. Like Eric Crouch, TMart had one gift which made him a special player - pure unadulterated speed to go 99 yards at any given moment. Both were nomrally the fastest player on the field when inserted into the game. Neither would be caught from behind nor would they be prevented from scoring by taking a good angle. When Taylor got hurt, he was never the same again. Sadly, he needed surgery right away and needed to rest for a year or something to fully heal. Or, maybe it was a permanent (unfixable) deal. Very sad because he was a legitimate heisman hopeful AS A FRESHMAN until injured. He piled up a ton of yards, plays, TDs, etc but was NOT a championship QB. Tommy Armstrong is breaking all the records but unless magic happens this fall, he, too, will NOT be remembered as a champion and will be destined to NOT be considered on the short list of all time Husker greats. In fact, he won't be remembered as a 'great' player. He is physically gifted enough to be one of the greats but has just not become a champion. Let's hope that changes this fall. If so, we will all be so happy for Tommy, the team and Husker Nation. GBR.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Yep, and they make millions of dollars for the hassle. Big difference.

If by "big difference" you mean anonymous internet blatherers who won't be held responsible when their advice and predictions prove wrong, yes. That is a difference.