Adrian Martinez

Levi Falck: 13 receptions for 122 yards 

Alante Brown: 3 receptions for 41 yards 

Oliver Martin: 5 receptions for 63 yards 

Not only are they not Mo Purfiy or Stan....They aren’t even close. Zavier Betts actually had 131 (the most out of any WR returning..I’m not even joking) and he got 45 of them on that one play. We had 0 downfield threat. Austin Allen was probably our best downfield threat last year. 

The TEs and WRs last year had a combined 5 touchdowns through the air. 5. 
If you look at the touches Wan'dale had.  He was really our only receiver who was "targeted".  Posted something similar in another thread.  I think only Allen had a few more touches than Levi.  In his defense, he was a pleasant side.  Had a decent target to catch ratio.  Again, IIRC, Betts had the best.  

RB-nothing proven

WR-Leading returner is a walk-on with 13 receptions

QB-Jekyll and Hyde

Wan'dale out......

McCaffrey- Possibly out......

Our O next year, with "proven" players consists of one QB.......That's about it.  I'll add Allen....

We have had a lot of potential arrive at NU the past few years.  Very few, if any have yet to live up to the hype.  And right now we have a whole lot of potential.  Again.....I'm just ready to see it finally click.

 
If you look at the touches Wan'dale had.  He was really our only receiver who was "targeted".  Posted something similar in another thread.  I think only Allen had a few more touches than Levi.  In his defense, he was a pleasant side.  Had a decent target to catch ratio.  Again, IIRC, Betts had the best.  

RB-nothing proven

WR-Leading returner is a walk-on with 13 receptions

QB-Jekyll and Hyde

Wan'dale out......

McCaffrey- Possibly out......

Our O next year, with "proven" players consists of one QB.......That's about it.  I'll add Allen....

We have had a lot of potential arrive at NU the past few years.  Very few, if any have yet to live up to the hype.  And right now we have a whole lot of potential.  Again.....I'm just ready to see it finally click.
Toure + Stepp and maybe one other transfer will help spark the offense a lot. We really, really need a spring and summer for max development. 

 
BlitzFirst said:
And you're forgetting Oliver Martin.  He was the 181st OVERALL ranked recruit and the 29th WR in his class.  That's elite level talent and people just dismiss him and others we have on the roster.


Martin is also a very solid athlete.

 
No one used any eligibility in 2020.


Well that puts Martinez and Frost in an even odder position.

Does Martinez want to go through the hard work and unnecessary academic year to play two more full seasons? With three years as a starter under his belt, does Martinez have any realistic shot at the NFL? 

And to my original point, McCaffrey was praised for winning a game with modest Martinez-like stats. Then when he lost a game with bad Martinez-like stats, we went back to Martinez. Who was, in fact, the better quarterback. But he also had three years under his belt in Frost's system. We seem to think Martinez can clean up his errant downfield throws, occasional bad decision making, and turnovers in his forth season as a stater, but we're also declaring freshman McCaffrey a washout who can't be expected to correct similar deficits. Do you give Adrian Martinez a fourth and fifth year to become a competitive Big 10 quarterback, while not allowing a McCaffrey or Smothers the same mistakes or learning curve?

 
Well that puts Martinez and Frost in an even odder position.

Does Martinez want to go through the hard work and unnecessary academic year to play two more full seasons? With three years as a starter under his belt, does Martinez have any realistic shot at the NFL? 

And to my original point, McCaffrey was praised for winning a game with modest Martinez-like stats. Then when he lost a game with bad Martinez-like stats, we went back to Martinez. Who was, in fact, the better quarterback. But he also had three years under his belt in Frost's system. We seem to think Martinez can clean up his errant downfield throws, occasional bad decision making, and turnovers in his forth season as a stater, but we're also declaring freshman McCaffrey a washout who can't be expected to correct similar deficits. Do you give Adrian Martinez a fourth and fifth year to become a competitive Big 10 quarterback, while not allowing a McCaffrey or Smothers the same mistakes or learning curve?
The bolded statement is where you're getting hung up I think.  Luke simply doesn't have the arm talent to be a D1 quarterback, Adrian does.  Nothing wrong with that,  he could be special at another spot. You can work to overcome mental mistakes, improve the play of those around a QB etc., but you can't overcome a guy who simply can't make the throws.   

Smothers will be the backup this season, and Adrian might well leave with a solid year in 2020. Smothers could still be a redshirt freshman after this year if they don't burn it, and have 4 years still in front of him to play.

 
Well that puts Martinez and Frost in an even odder position.

Does Martinez want to go through the hard work and unnecessary academic year to play two more full seasons? With three years as a starter under his belt, does Martinez have any realistic shot at the NFL? 

And to my original point, McCaffrey was praised for winning a game with modest Martinez-like stats. Then when he lost a game with bad Martinez-like stats, we went back to Martinez. Who was, in fact, the better quarterback. But he also had three years under his belt in Frost's system. We seem to think Martinez can clean up his errant downfield throws, occasional bad decision making, and turnovers in his forth season as a stater, but we're also declaring freshman McCaffrey a washout who can't be expected to correct similar deficits. Do you give Adrian Martinez a fourth and fifth year to become a competitive Big 10 quarterback, while not allowing a McCaffrey or Smothers the same mistakes or learning curve?
I'd follow you, but Martinez has shown to be a good QB option in his freshman year. He's been TO prone, but none of NU's QBs have been particularly safe with the ball for about 20 years. McCaffery, IMO, has shown enough in his time as QB to know that while he's a good runner, he's limited in passing and pushing the ball down the field. Martinez has the arm strength and has a number of throws on tape that prove he can get the ball down the field. We have no clue about Smothers.

 
I’m glad they are at least stating they will make changes. But a lot of this stuff needed to be done after last year. Hope it’s not too little too late. 

 
I’m glad they are at least stating they will make changes. But a lot of this stuff needed to be done after last year. Hope it’s not too little too late. 
I didn't catch an actual plan in that.  I heard things they're not going to do and things they'd like to have happen but that just feels like yet more coach speak.

 
Lightfighter214 said:
I hopes its not to little to late, but it seems like it.

Maybe we get lucky and some players develop at wr/rb that we arent expecting. But with all the problems this might be the youngest/least talented skill position group since scott got here.

Their plan for special teams also seems awful, i just dont see how this teams turns it around,  hopefully im wrong.
There is no way this team is less talented at WR than last year. Young, injured, & distracted (in the case of Omar Manning) perhaps. But not less talented. 

 
I didn't catch an actual plan in that.  I heard things they're not going to do and things they'd like to have happen but that just feels like yet more coach speak.
The plan is this ... "we are gonna get this fixed" ... which has been repeated each of the last three years.  This motto/mantra is getting to the equivalent of what a politician usually bleeds after getting put into office.  If Scott entered into the Shark Tank, he would get eaten up and spit out ... especially by Kevin O'Leary [Mr. Wonderful].  I'm actually not a fan of Mr. O'Leary, but I'm taking on his type of attitude moving forward.  Scott has his coaching staff, his guys [his own selections] ... so, both him and Moos no longer get a "pass" on "we are gonna get this fixed" ... IMHO.

 
Here's the quote that has me scratching my head......

“Just a little more instinctual things — things he’s going to encounter in a game,” said Frost, who won a national title quarterbacking the Huskers in 1997, then played as an NFL safety trying to pick off quarterbacks. “Mario does an unbelievable job getting them prepared. Our quarterbacks never go into a game without knowing everything they’re supposed to do. I think just continuing to talk to Adrian about off-the-field things, drill work, to make some things that may not be natural just instinctual for him. Really dialing in on making sure there’s efficiency, and no mistakes. Adrian’s hungry for those things.”

To the bolded, WTH does Verduzco do?  AM is hungry to actually do the things QB's do?  Verduzco works on the "system", but it doesn't translate to actually being "better"?  SMH.....

 
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