QB Race

Instead of saying one guy will be the next "before" guy, how about we just hope they're the guy that people down the road will say "Jeez, he's got all the potential to be like that guy from Nebraska a few years ago...".

Sounds better to me, at least.

 
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I don't really know what's so impressive with TMart's HS footage. He put together some decent runs, but his throwing technique looks like garbage.

I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that there's no reason to be fawning over him so much. He played fine in the opener, but some of the stuff he does isn't gonna fly once we start getting into conference play.

If he develops into a really good qb and dominates the big 12, then great, I don't think anyone will complain about that.

bshirt said:
Here's your original post...."I'd rather not go through this every single season where an untested QB is the next Crouch/Frazier"

You stated that "every year" there all these claims to us having another Crouch/Frazier. That's why I listed all the qbs we have had lately....and NO ONE said they looked like Frazier/Crouch. Yeah, I was on the board last years and while there was plenty of hype for Green for a short while, I don't remember "anybody" saying he was a Crouch or Frazier.

Of course Tmart is compared to Crouch because their both incredible speed burners. Duh! But if you noticed, I didn't include Tmart in that list for that one simple reason. He's the "only" qb we've had since Crouch that's being compared to him. That's all.
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And I wasn't being totally literal
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I'm quite aware of what I wrote. I was exaggerating to make a point. Obviously 2 years ago when we had Ganz we didn't have this ridiculousness going on

And yes, lots of people were saying Green what the next Frazier before the season even started. I'm sure a lot of people will back me up on that

 
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Malth said:
I don't really know what's so impressive with TMart's HS footage. He put together some decent runs, but his throwing technique looks like garbage.

I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that there's no reason to be fawning over him so much. He played fine in the opener, but some of the stuff he does isn't gonna fly once we start getting into conference play.

If he develops into a really good qb and dominates the big 12, then great, I don't think anyone will complain about that.
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:yeah

yep. im with you.

 
Malth said:
I don't really know what's so impressive with TMart's HS footage. He put together some decent runs, but his throwing technique looks like garbage.

I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that there's no reason to be fawning over him so much. He played fine in the opener, but some of the stuff he does isn't gonna fly once we start getting into conference play.

If he develops into a really good qb and dominates the big 12, then great, I don't think anyone will complain about that.
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I think by the end of the year, the Big 12 is going to be glad they don't have to deal with him anymore.

 
I have been very skeptical about starting a freshmen QB and here is why: I do not want this team to be held back by the occasional freshmen mistake when we have a chance to do something very special. Time will tell, TMart definately opened eyes, but he has not sold me yet.

 
95huskers said:
Malth said:
I don't really know what's so impressive with TMart's HS footage. He put together some decent runs, but his throwing technique looks like garbage.

I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that there's no reason to be fawning over him so much. He played fine in the opener, but some of the stuff he does isn't gonna fly once we start getting into conference play.

If he develops into a really good qb and dominates the big 12, then great, I don't think anyone will complain about that.
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:yeah

yep. im with you.
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i agree with what you said, and really felt that way before the wku game. his throwing motion in those games was garbage, and he just threw it has far as he could and the receiver, wide open, would just run to the ball. however, i walked away more impressed with him than i thought i would be. he was a better runner than suspected and he was pretty good with the short passes, and i think those are very important. his has yet to prove that he can complete the long ball, or sustain a drive through just short and mid-range passes. it will be interesting to see how well he can do in the big 12, but i am excited for his potential. i am pretty happy with all three qb's right now, which should make for an exciting/entertaining season.

 
zoogies said:
All told a fairly agonizing situation to follow. Clarity is always much better and unfortunately we aren't going to have it this season, short of Taylor breaking out to be an all-world player, which I know some of you are actually expecting to happen.
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More exciting than agonizing, don't you think? Unless you're Zac Lee. Who, let's face it, could be called upon at any second, at which point a tested and competent Senior is a pretty nice luxury.

Bo is saying what he needs to say because we've only played one game and a lot could happen. But I think he spoke with lots of clarity by starting Taylor Martinez, and Martinez responded with clarity. The prospect of continuing to start Martinez, while bringing in either Green or Lee for a strategic series of downs doesn't necessarily muddy the waters, it's using all the tools in your belt.

 
Sounds like the only people not in the know are the fans. Sounds like, from this article, that all three quarterbacks have been in the loop the entire time, and that all three are working together to make this team better. I know it's fun to talk about drama and be outraged at this or that player getting "slapped in the face" or thrown into "Bo's doghouse," but not one thing we've seen or heard substantiates this. Meanwhile, all three QBs seem to be on the same page with the OC.

Shawn Watson’s honesty quells Husker QB friction
Shawn Watson isn't big into secrets.

That might draw a sarcastic chuckle from any Nebraska fan who lost sleep over the past couple of weeks, wondering who'd be starting at quarterback. Secrecy practically drove an entire state nutty.

Of course, the answer is now clear. But before pointing to redshirted freshman Taylor Martinez early last week, Watson kept all three players involved in the race well-informed.

Openness, it seems, is one way to prevent disgruntled players.

"It'd be a lot worse if everything was secretive, and then all of the sudden, ‘Bam! Here's the starter.' But it wasn't like that," said sophomore Cody Green, the No. 2 quarterback.

"We knew (Martinez) was starting and the reasons why he was starting. It wasn't like, 'Oh, well, we're just going to pick Taylor.' We knew all the way through the things he did, the things we had done, the good and the bad. It wasn't such a big surprise to us."

Green admits, though, he wouldn't want Watson's job of keeping smiles on the faces of three quarterbacks.

How does Watson hope to do it?

Good, old-fashioned honesty.

"I don't like closed-door meetings, because I think that fosters secrecy, and that's not the deal," Watson said. "We wanted these guys to know, because we knew from the onset we needed everybody. We needed all three to win. We wanted to create an environment where there was just up-front honesty."

That's why Watson never held individual meetings. If he was talking to one quarterback, he was talking to three quarterbacks. Everybody heard the same thing at the same time.

"We knew exactly where we stood, exactly what everybody else did," Green said. "He doesn't hold anything back in the meeting rooms. He'll tell us, 'Taylor, you did this; Cody, you did this; Zac (Lee), you did this.' We all knew where everybody stood, and that's all you can ask for."

That, and equal repetitions in practice. Everybody got those, too, Green said.

"You do with those chances as you want to do, and if you mess up, then heck, you mess up," Green said. "But you got a chance. That's all you can ask for as a competitor. Give us reps, give us chances to go out there and compete. And that's what he did."

That doesn't make everything easy, though. Especially not telling last year's starter of 12 games that he's now No. 3 on the depth chart.

How has Lee responded?

"I think he's answered like a champion. He's been awesome," Watson said. "Zac, he's been helpful, he's been a resource to the two younger guys. He's been a real champion with those guys. He's been great."

All three quarterbacks played in Saturday's season opener, a 49-10 victory over Western Kentucky. Martinez and Green played in the first half, and Lee entered midway through the fourth quarter.

Watson, while emphasizing Martinez is the starting quarterback, said he's leaving his options open as to how to play Green and Lee. Bringing in either quarterback as a change of pace could present problems for defenses.

"I leave the box open. I want to color outside the lines a little bit," Watson said. "We have to grow there, though."

That doesn't mean Watson wants to pinpoint one quarterback for running, and another for passing.

"I've watched people try to run a system where they have a runner and they have a passer. I think that's a bad deal," Watson said. "So we have not trained these kids or raised these guys that way. We are user-friendly, man. You do both. And you have to do both at a high level in order to get in the mix."

Does Watson see a point where Martinez plays the entire game?

"Stay tuned," he said. "We'll see where we go to. We'll see what happens."

And if that happens, Cody?

"As long as we're still in the loop," Green said. "I'm pretty sure we'll all be happy."
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EZ-E said:
I have been very skeptical about starting a freshmen QB and here is why: I do not want this team to be held back by the occasional freshmen mistake when we have a chance to do something very special. Time will tell, TMart definately opened eyes, but he has not sold me yet.
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I'm just as skeptical as the next guy. We all have been burned to many times in the recent past on QB's. That being said there has been alot of talk on here about letting freshmen play if they give us a chance to have a spark. This is definitely that chance, there is no doubt he is a homerun threat on the ground, it remains to be scene what he can do in the air. I am willing to bet Tmart is going to be pretty good as he developes over the next few years. He already has the running ability, his knowledge of the O will increase and his throwing ability will develope over time. Is he going to be great, maybe. Only time will tell. Everyone has to start someshere.

 
knapplc said:
Sounds like the only people not in the know are the fans. Sounds like, from this article, that all three quarterbacks have been in the loop the entire time, and that all three are working together to make this team better. I know it's fun to talk about drama and be outraged at this or that player getting "slapped in the face" or thrown into "Bo's doghouse," but not one thing we've seen or heard substantiates this. Meanwhile, all three QBs seem to be on the same page with the OC.

Shawn Watson's honesty quells Husker QB friction
Shawn Watson isn't big into secrets.

That might draw a sarcastic chuckle from any Nebraska fan who lost sleep over the past couple of weeks, wondering who'd be starting at quarterback. Secrecy practically drove an entire state nutty.

Of course, the answer is now clear. But before pointing to redshirted freshman Taylor Martinez early last week, Watson kept all three players involved in the race well-informed.

Openness, it seems, is one way to prevent disgruntled players.

"It'd be a lot worse if everything was secretive, and then all of the sudden, 'Bam! Here's the starter.' But it wasn't like that," said sophomore Cody Green, the No. 2 quarterback.

"We knew (Martinez) was starting and the reasons why he was starting. It wasn't like, 'Oh, well, we're just going to pick Taylor.' We knew all the way through the things he did, the things we had done, the good and the bad. It wasn't such a big surprise to us."

Green admits, though, he wouldn't want Watson's job of keeping smiles on the faces of three quarterbacks.

How does Watson hope to do it?

Good, old-fashioned honesty.

"I don't like closed-door meetings, because I think that fosters secrecy, and that's not the deal," Watson said. "We wanted these guys to know, because we knew from the onset we needed everybody. We needed all three to win. We wanted to create an environment where there was just up-front honesty."

That's why Watson never held individual meetings. If he was talking to one quarterback, he was talking to three quarterbacks. Everybody heard the same thing at the same time.

"We knew exactly where we stood, exactly what everybody else did," Green said. "He doesn't hold anything back in the meeting rooms. He'll tell us, 'Taylor, you did this; Cody, you did this; Zac (Lee), you did this.' We all knew where everybody stood, and that's all you can ask for."

That, and equal repetitions in practice. Everybody got those, too, Green said.

"You do with those chances as you want to do, and if you mess up, then heck, you mess up," Green said. "But you got a chance. That's all you can ask for as a competitor. Give us reps, give us chances to go out there and compete. And that's what he did."

That doesn't make everything easy, though. Especially not telling last year's starter of 12 games that he's now No. 3 on the depth chart.

How has Lee responded?

"I think he's answered like a champion. He's been awesome," Watson said. "Zac, he's been helpful, he's been a resource to the two younger guys. He's been a real champion with those guys. He's been great."

All three quarterbacks played in Saturday's season opener, a 49-10 victory over Western Kentucky. Martinez and Green played in the first half, and Lee entered midway through the fourth quarter.

Watson, while emphasizing Martinez is the starting quarterback, said he's leaving his options open as to how to play Green and Lee. Bringing in either quarterback as a change of pace could present problems for defenses.

"I leave the box open. I want to color outside the lines a little bit," Watson said. "We have to grow there, though."

That doesn't mean Watson wants to pinpoint one quarterback for running, and another for passing.

"I've watched people try to run a system where they have a runner and they have a passer. I think that's a bad deal," Watson said. "So we have not trained these kids or raised these guys that way. We are user-friendly, man. You do both. And you have to do both at a high level in order to get in the mix."

Does Watson see a point where Martinez plays the entire game?

"Stay tuned," he said. "We'll see where we go to. We'll see what happens."

And if that happens, Cody?

"As long as we're still in the loop," Green said. "I'm pretty sure we'll all be happy."
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I gotta give Zac Lee credit. The guy's taking a lot of crap from fans and he's still a trooper and hanging in there. Good on him. A lot of other quarterbacks would have either quit or wanted to transfer. Hats off to him.

 
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I don't understand why we continue to cite articles such as this as evidence. As if there is even the slightest possibility they would say otherwise.

I don't think it was claimed that Zac was shocked by what happened. Given what it is - he probably understands what is going on, and why. We can see it as the coaches are moving to a style of offense that doesn't suit Zac (I don't think so, but it's what some have said), but what we've heard should give us reason to believe that the coaching staff flat out doesn't believe in Zac anymore.

There's no real conspiracy in it. Fans don't believe in Zac either. If many of the coaches on the staff think that Zac is too soft, there's no way they think he's the guy that gives us the best chance to win, or is the best man to lead this team. We have heard that this is the reason Zac lost out so badly in this race, although it is opinion, I suppose, whether or not Zac is soft or not. Some feel he toughed it out through injury and was a warrior last year. Coaches, apparently, don't.

Unless you choose not to believe the 'coaches think Zac is soft' line. Again, though, this is a suggestion that comes from people in the know. I would be the last person to know if it's right or wrong, but it's just something that nobody seems to want to believe. I say at least consider this to be a possibility, given that we rely on the same sources to believe many other things, from recruiting stories to practice stories to Sam Keller's effect on Corey McKeon. A lot of these things, like Keller's effect, are subjective. The difference is that is something you might not mind believing when told, even when it goes against preconceived notions (knapp, I'm referring to you specifically with this :) ) But why accept that possibility rather easily, while continuing to search for every sign - in what amounts to a fan-pleasing interview article, no less - to not believe something that you don't want to?

I don't think it's the biggest deal in the world either. I personally have faith in Zac and have a high opinion of the guy as a player. Many of you don't, and all we've heard is that the coaches don't either. Just like with Dillard being in the doghouse, it was a matter of the coaches not believing in the guy to do well, and believing in other, younger linebackers instead. They had their reasons, but fortunately gave Dillard a second chance in the end and Dillard made the most of it. If Taylor does reasonably well, Zac possibly won't get that chance, but none of us will mind in the end as we roll to a 10-3 or 11-3 season.

What's wrong with believing that Zac should be rewarded with a LOT more faith from the staff this season? The fanbase isn't showing him any love, based on last season, even though he shoulders an unfair amount of blame for injuries to half the offense, as well as to his throwing arm. But we loved the story of Zac Taylor, who came in and gutted it out, took hit after hit and sack after sack, and was a tough SOB who didn't put up an overwhelming season by any means - despite having hyped up sophomore Harrison Beck in the program. Very few even rooted for Beck, though of course he was no good in the end anyway. Same with Joe Ganz: a guy who patiently paid his dues in the program, waiting in the wings for four years before getting his shot. Even though he had talent behind him in Witt and Lee, the fanbase never questioned that this was Ganz's team. The younger guys with more physical tools? (A redshirt freshman and a sophomore at the time) They could wait. And they did. And Ganz rewarded us all with a far better season than most would have hoped for.

 
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zoogies said:
We can see it as the coaches are moving to a style of offense that doesn't suit Zac (I don't think so, but it's what some have said)
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This is exactly the reason. There's nothing wrong with it. It is what it is. Zac was recruited to be a pocket passer. Cody and Taylor was recruited as dual threat QBs to run a option read offense. At some point you have to make that transition. You saw some of that transition last year even though due to mostly injury, it was painful to watch.

 
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