One loss to a very good team is not cause for alarm.

[ZRod]

Premature for Martinez but not for the others. Changing starting QBs is a big deal because of the scrutiny it invites on the team. Other positions have been fluid since game 1. Although I believe Brion should have had more of a shot to showcase his abilities early in the year, and going forward, an outright change is premature.
But guys like Blatchford, A-Rod, Kinnie, etc...have not been safe. And guys like Fisher and Thorell should have their seats getting prety hot by now. Acknowledging that the team is still built around Taylor on offense, there are still a lot of pieces that could be shuffled around, as far as personnel goes - especially on defense.

I agree with you though. Yeah it was a bad loss, but it was a game that got away from us. We were going to lose to Wisconsin probably no matter what. We got killed because we shot ourselves in the foot. We can recover, and we should support the team through this. Stop freakin' panicking and jumping off the bandwagon!

I agree with just about everything you said but I think Kinnie is becoming more of a go to possession receiver. He looks to be over his injury (thumb iir) and seems to be finding his groove. He looks really good catching now and he usually fights for yardage when he gets the chance. But like the other guys I think his biggest limitation is the quality of passes.

 

[tschu]

Then after that we'll be in the Big House trying to stop Denard Robinson. The way the D is playing I would expect Michigan to score close to 50. Michigan's defense isn't the paper wall it was last year. They have actually improved. Michigan was kind of the antithesis of Nebraska last year. We had a stellar defense and absolutely horrible offense. However this year our offense is slightly better (in comparison to last year), but our D is no where to the level they were. Michigan on the other hand still has a stellar O being lead by Robinson and the D has improved greatly from last years pop warner division play.

Denard can't throw the ball though - he's similar to Taylor in that regard. So as long as we can stop him to some extent on the ground we'll be fine. Michigan scores 20-30 points, but we roll their defense and win.

 

[Hunter94]

Then after that we'll be in the Big House trying to stop Denard Robinson. The way the D is playing I would expect Michigan to score close to 50. Michigan's defense isn't the paper wall it was last year. They have actually improved. Michigan was kind of the antithesis of Nebraska last year. We had a stellar defense and absolutely horrible offense. However this year our offense is slightly better (in comparison to last year), but our D is no where to the level they were. Michigan on the other hand still has a stellar O being lead by Robinson and the D has improved greatly from last years pop warner division play.

Denard can't throw the ball though - he's similar to Taylor in that regard. So as long as we can stop him to some extent on the ground we'll be fine. Michigan scores 20-30 points, but we roll their defense and win.

Robinson can't throw? Really?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[HuskerFowler]

Robinson 41 of 78... 52.9% 6 ints

Martinez 54 of 107..50.5% 5 ints

unless you think Taylor is a good passer as well??? And Robinson got to play against Minnesota already

 

[da skers]

This summer I figured we were probably an 8-4 type team plus or minus one win or loss. I became pretty optimistic that maybe we were that 9-3 or 10-2 team as the offense really has been better than expected and we've still not seen a lot of what we can do once its all mastered. Taylor receives some of the blame for the picks he threw but honestly an equal if not greater amount of the blame falls on Beck for forcing passes those 11, 12 times in a row that allowed us to have those three key turn overs. Most people could figure out a smarter plan was to run the ball, use up the clock and get maybe an easy field goal that has the game with in 3-6 points with either team being ahead. Then the pressure is completely different in the second half and we see a different team since we got down on ourselves.

I think we learn a lot more about this team over the next 3 games. I think we'll also have a chance this weekend to see if Beck learned anything which when you talk with him or anyone has interviewed him he was quick to point out that he made a mistake and wont do it again. At least that leaves me with some hope for the future that we haven't seen in a few years.

 

[Mierin]

Robinson can't throw? Really?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Why are people so blind about this guy? He's 54.9% with 6 interceptions. Take out his best game and he's 50.3% with 6 interceptions. Take out Taylor's best game and he's 48.8% with 5 interceptions. Where in the hell is the huge difference here? Denard has better hair. I'll give him that. But where did people get the idea that he's a good passer?

Taylor receives some of the blame for the picks he threw but honestly an equal if not greater amount of the blame falls on Beck for forcing passes those 11, 12 times in a row that allowed us to have those three key turn overs.

I agree. I asked the television several times why they weren't running the ball. When that last drive started they had around 3 minutes (maybe 2.5). They could have run it a few times. Instead they passed passed passed and not even play action. I still don't get it.

 

[The Dude]

Robinson can't throw? Really?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Why are people so blind about this guy? He's 54.9% with 6 interceptions. Take out his best game and he's 50.3% with 6 interceptions. Take out Taylor's best game and he's 48.8% with 5 interceptions. Where in the hell is the huge difference here? Denard has better hair. I'll give him that. But where did people get the idea that he's a good passer?

He did do pretty good throwing the ball last year in Rich Rod's system. This year, yeah, not so much.

 

[HuskerFowler]

Robinson can't throw? Really?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Why are people so blind about this guy? He's 54.9% with 6 interceptions. Take out his best game and he's 50.3% with 6 interceptions. Take out Taylor's best game and he's 48.8% with 5 interceptions. Where in the hell is the huge difference here? Denard has better hair. I'll give him that. But where did people get the idea that he's a good passer?

Taylor receives some of the blame for the picks he threw but honestly an equal if not greater amount of the blame falls on Beck for forcing passes those 11, 12 times in a row that allowed us to have those three key turn overs.

I agree. I asked the television several times why they weren't running the ball. When that last drive started they had around 3 minutes (maybe 2.5). They could have run it a few times. Instead they passed passed passed and not even play action. I still don't get it.

because of his 6734 posts 6733 of em have been negative, just the way some people are, always finding the negative light in everything

 

[tschu]

Then after that we'll be in the Big House trying to stop Denard Robinson. The way the D is playing I would expect Michigan to score close to 50. Michigan's defense isn't the paper wall it was last year. They have actually improved. Michigan was kind of the antithesis of Nebraska last year. We had a stellar defense and absolutely horrible offense. However this year our offense is slightly better (in comparison to last year), but our D is no where to the level they were. Michigan on the other hand still has a stellar O being lead by Robinson and the D has improved greatly from last years pop warner division play.

Denard can't throw the ball though - he's similar to Taylor in that regard. So as long as we can stop him to some extent on the ground we'll be fine. Michigan scores 20-30 points, but we roll their defense and win.

Robinson can't throw? Really?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Uh, yes, really. Hopefully you were being sarcastic.

 

[robsker]

one loss to a really good team is not reason enough to cause alarm... agreed.

But... losing 3 of the last 4 games last year --- all the losses being attributable to NU lack of preparation/focus and/or implosions coupled with...

4 non-conference games this year (victories, yes) but without a single game where the O and the D played with intensity, played focused or played well for more than perhaps a quarter or two per game, coupled with...

a blowout loss to a good team --- but in which NU looked beyond bad for big portions of the game, coupled with...

a team that 4 years in to the Pelini era should be competitive (defined as being able to compete with top 5 or, at least, top 10 teams w/o getting embarrassed) and getting better but is not competitive (we get laughably smoked by top competition) and is not getting better, coupled with...

player attitude problems, and recruiting that is progressing somewhat.... slowly AND...,.

all these things together are reasons for concern --- the latest blowout loss on national TV is not alone as an indicator of "reason for concern" --- it is, however, certainly consistent with these other indicators that things are not going well for Big Red. The arrow is doubtless pointing, at least for the moment, in the wrong direction.

 

[HuskerTrucker]

This loss is hard to swallow because it was such a blow out, the defense looked 2nd rate and deserved the grade of F on their performance because they looked totally lost, and the offense is woeful to say the least.

As far as Martinez goes, I would have a lot more respect for him if he would just shut up and do the job (he is coming off like a little whiner). I would feel bad for any QB of ours right now, because IMHO the O-line is not doing the job. If they were, maybe we wouldn't have to have a QB running around like chicken little, throwing off the wrong foot to the other team. I still say Cotton is where the problem is...and if it don't get any better up front, he needs to pack his bags. If our O-line would do the job, and we could get a QB to settle in, we might have a passing game. Right now as far as running the ball, it is either the playground play of Martinez that works now and then, or it is Burkhead's skill and brut.

We have not progressed on offense near far enough, and on defense we are sliding backwards.

 

[Hunter94]

one loss to a really good team is not reason enough to cause alarm... agreed.

But... losing 3 of the last 4 games last year --- all the losses being attributable to NU lack of preparation/focus and/or implosions coupled with...

4 non-conference games this year (victories, yes) but without a single game where the O and the D played with intensity, played focused or played well for more than perhaps a quarter or two per game, coupled with...

a blowout loss to a good team --- but in which NU looked beyond bad for big portions of the game, coupled with...

a team that 4 years in to the Pelini era should be competitive (defined as being able to compete with top 5 or, at least, top 10 teams w/o getting embarrassed) and getting better but is not competitive (we get laughably smoked by top competition) and is not getting better, coupled with...

player attitude problems, and recruiting that is progressing somewhat.... slowly AND...,.

all these things together are reasons for concern --- the latest blowout loss on national TV is not alone as an indicator of "reason for concern" --- it is, however, certainly consistent with these other indicators that things are not going well for Big Red. The arrow is doubtless pointing, at least for the moment, in the wrong direction.

i will simplify this for you..........the defense has yet to play a whole game..........the offense has no rythm.

 

[walksalone]

One loss, not cause for alarm, you are right.

But when your team folds like superman on laundry day on national TV, again?

We got it handed to us, by yes a better team, but when elements of your team make you look completely inept, then yeah, alarm bells should be ringing.

 

[cornhuskers4ever]

Not a cause for alarm, but the team that was there for the 1st Quarter, forgot to show up for the other 3.

 

[AK-47]

One loss, not cause for alarm, you are right.

But when your team folds like superman on laundry day on national TV, again?

We got it handed to us, by yes a better team, but when elements of your team make you look completely inept, then yeah, alarm bells should be ringing.

I agree. I will be singing a very different tune if we lose to tOSU.