Was Martinez playing hurt at Minnesota?

Hilltop said:
All of us that understand the game of football beyond a 30 pack on game day.  Guessing even most of those guys understand that a QB constantly under pressure will not perform as well as one who is not.
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How about those that have actually played the position beyond HS.   Trust me, the Oline does have its issues, but AM exacerbates the problem with his poor play when it counts, he does not helping to create a pocket with poor footwork on drop backs, the eternity it takes for him to make a decision throwing the ball, stunning lack of accuracy in games like Minnesota.  
 

Saying it’s all the Olines fault is an ill-informed take.  

 
Archy1221 said:
How about those that have actually played the position beyond HS.   Trust me, the Oline does have its issues, but AM exacerbates the problem with his poor play when it counts, he does not helping to create a pocket with poor footwork on drop backs, the eternity it takes for him to make a decision throwing the ball, stunning lack of accuracy in games like Minnesota.  
 

Saying it’s all the Olines fault is an ill-informed take.  
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Never said he was perfect.  I said he is good enough to win a lot of ball games.  Look at the number of sacks/pressures allowed and consider how many he has evaded.  We are ranked near the bottom with an extremely mobile QB.  Add to that if we had an decent O line play our running backs could take some heat off Adrian... And maybe we could punch the ball in from the 2.  

If you can't see those things as the glaring issue, I'm not sure what to say.  If Adrian entered the portal today, there would be a very long line of interested teams.    

 
Born N Bled Red said:
We did that. Martinez's first year after he was taken out of Colorado, a game we would have won had they not intentionally injured him, we started Vedral for 2 games who played horribly and we lost 2 we would have easily won... we had to play Vedral because our number 2 qb bolted the second he lost the starting job. Those 3 games keep getting thrown in to the 15- whatever stat. When every game is apparently  a "must win or get fired," game you play whomever you think give you the best chance to win. Apparently in spite of minor injuries, that was Martinez. 

What are we going to have a fit about next please?
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That was Andrew Bunch.  A 4th team walk-on QB.  

If our backup QB situation isn't better than that in year 4, that is another indictment of Frost's roster development.  

EDIT: on paper, our QB situation is light years ahead of where it was 4 years ago.  That's why it's frustrating to not see it used if they could help.  Apparently Frost believed a hobbled Martinez was still better than the #2.

 
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Born N Bled Red said:
Or an indictment of the realities of the quarterback position in the age of the transfer portal. 
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Logan Smothers looked adequate in the Fordham and Northwestern games.  Granted, it's hard to compare those situations to the starting Minnesota defense.

If Frost felt a hobbled Martinez was still better than a 4-star, dual threat recruit in his 3rd year (I'll call it 2.5 because of COVID) then I feel it is appropriate for fans to ask why.

 
VectorVictor said:
https://nebraska.rivals.com/news/the-weekly-rundown-a-long-two-weeks-for-nebraska

These are some good callouts by Sean Callahan...and it was obvious something was amiss when Martinez wasn't taking off when he could have scrambled for 5, 7, 10+ yards at times and instead went with the pass. If Martinez was hurt...why are we not going with Smothers? If Martinez was out of practice this whole week and gimpy, it may also explain why his throws were off too--many of those balls, Smothers could hit, right?

I'm not calling for Smothers to permanently replace Martinez...but one must look at the decision making and wonder what's going on. If a gimpy Martinez is better than a 100% Smothers, then what does that say about our QB development? Or decision making on the offensive side of the ball? 
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It’s probably decision making on the offensive side of the ball.

Do the players have trust issues with the offensive coaches? Could be why we keep losing some key players over the years on offense and why they voted against playing in a bowl game. 
 

 
huskerfan74 said:
Exactly my thought. How bad do our second and third string QBs perform in practice that an injured Martinez is preferred over them. What is Verduzco doing then and what does that mean for the future of this team? Are we hoping to magically recruit an excellent QB next year? You have to wonder what Frost is thinking?
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Ironically, a lot think AM's first year was his best....Luke flashed in his limited play his 1st year.....Is it that they truly got worse or Verduzco made them worse.....Just asking.  That dude should have been sent packing.

 
Hilltop said:
Never said he was perfect.  I said he is good enough to win a lot of ball games.  Look at the number of sacks/pressures allowed and consider how many he has evaded.  We are ranked near the bottom with an extremely mobile QB.  Add to that if we had an decent O line play our running backs could take some heat off Adrian... And maybe we could punch the ball in from the 2.  

If you can't see those things as the glaring issue, I'm not sure what to say.  If Adrian entered the portal today, there would be a very long line of interested teams.    
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That’s quite a different take than your previous one of its all the OLines fault.   Progress!

BTW…in my reply post to you I did say the OLine has its problems.  So you claiming I “can’t see those things as a glaring issue” is just lazy and wrong.  

 
lo country said:
Ironically, a lot think AM's first year was his best....Luke flashed in his limited play his 1st year.....Is it that they truly got worse or Verduzco made them worse.....Just asking.  That dude should have been sent packing.
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You could say that but you’d need to call out the QB development at Rice and Louisville if you’re going to reference Luke.  I happen to think his first year success was more about the cast around him.  I think he’s the exact same player.  The signs were there in year 1.

I’ll beat the drum as long as I can.  Your QB is basically what you got when he steps on campus when it comes to a skill set.  Sure he needs to learn plays and maybe needs to get stronger.  If he struggles with accuracy, isn’t comfortable in the pocket, has a Taylor Martinez throwing motion a coach isn’t going to fix that.  Mike Leach has said it multiple times.

https://footballscoop.com/news/mike-leach-quarterback-isnt-accurate-shouldnt-recruit

At the end of the day there are very few people that can play QB at a high level.  Even less teams have two that can.  It will become even more difficult with transfer rules and NIL.

 
Archy1221 said:
That’s quite a different take than your previous one of its all the OLines fault.   Progress!

BTW…in my reply post to you I did say the OLine has its problems.  So you claiming I “can’t see those things as a glaring issue” is just lazy and wrong.  
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My words - "Adrian is plenty good to win when he isn't asked to carry the entire offense alone".  I can't control how others perceive them but in no way did I state he was perfect.  He is good enough to win games when the rest of the team does their part - specifically the O Line.  

Saying the Oline has it's problems is different than stating they are THE problem, which they are.  You obviously are not seeing that as the glaring issue on the team.  

 
funhusker said:
EDIT: on paper, our QB situation is light years ahead of where it was 4 years ago.  That's why it's frustrating to not see it used if they could help.  Apparently Frost believed a hobbled Martinez was still better than the #2.
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Or, Frost doesn't want to ruin another QB behind that O-Line.. :/

 
Hilltop said:
My words - "Adrian is plenty good to win when he isn't asked to carry the entire offense alone".  I can't control how others perceive them but in no way did I state he was perfect.  He is good enough to win games when the rest of the team does their part - specifically the O Line.  

Saying the Oline has it's problems is different than stating they are THE problem, which they are.  You obviously are not seeing that as the glaring issue on the team.  
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How about saying the oline, receiver and running back rooms all have deficiencies that outweigh, but magnify Martinez's deficiencies. How many of his interceptions were balls that receivers got hands on but didn't catch? How many touchdowns did Warner drop alone? How many other incompletions were balls that may not have been perfect, but better receivers could have made a play on. Do slow receivers that can't create separation have something to do with why Martinez holds the ball so long sometimes? 

Does constant pressure prevent a qb from being comfortable in the pocket? Make him rush through his reads, unload the ball quickly without proper form to avoid a sack? 

Do running backs that can't pass block compound or detract from a poor offensive line? Does a running back that gets 2 yards, runs into the back of the offensive lineman and falls down leaving the offense behind the sticks make it easier for a defense to tee off on the quarterback? 

Those of us who say Martinez isn't the problem can see this impacting his game. A single player can't rise above his supporting cast on every single play. Especially when opposing teams know he is our best weapon.

Martinez isn't perfect, but his deficiencies are amplified and magnified by the cast around him. That is what we mean when we say he is the least of our problems. Unfortunately, these problems will not be resolved by replacing the quarterback. We're lucky to have the one we got.

 
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Does anyone know exactly what was hurt when he took the Jaw shot during the MSU game.  I could be way off but I feel like he has a Broke or some what fractured jaw. If you notice and i have watched every play almost since he came back. He barley speaks or calls out stuff on the field. If you notice he has some type of wire or stick looking thing in mouth on the one side. 

Anyone know?

 
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