Throwing Martinez under the Bus

[CrabHusker]

Sounds like it. Him and Martinez are supposed to be the exact same person, but everything Frazier did was just plain better

Frazier was a better leader and true option quarterback, no question. I’m having a hard time thinking of another option quarterback is put in the same class. It is a really short list.

 

[MadRat]

This is not a pro or anti Martinez post...just an observation.

In the two most recent home games, durning pre-game warmups, Martinez has struggled with his accuracy. Especially on post routes. Watch him warm up next time you go to a game. Maybe a new mechanics issue? I dont know.

My first guess would be his thumb position, but I haven't seen close ups to know for certain. Maybe he has his thumb up and this causes some odd results consistent to what we've been seeing when you have a hurried release. But this would be one of the first things Verduzco would have identified. Because that would be too simple, it makes me think there is more to it.

 

[Huskerthom]

I pretty much agree with all of this. There is a lot of black and white thinking with some sure 100% of the issue is the OL and others equally certain it is 100% Martinez. It is almost certainly some combination of Martinez being in something of a funk, spotty (charitably speaking) line play and the inability of receivers not named Spielman or Robinson to get open. Martinez has the highest ceiling of our current QBs and I doubt McCaffrey is really ready for the full load with the other struggles the offense has had. For that reason, I suspect Frost is willing to try to let him play through his struggles in hopes he pulls it together and that he gets some help from his teammates. Frost is also likely concerned about the impact pulling Martinez would have on AM's' confidence. It will help to have someone other than Ohio State on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Wow this post is way too reasonable. I love it.

 

[Huskerthom]

My first guess would be his thumb position, but I haven't seen close ups to know for certain. Maybe he has his thumb up and this causes some odd results consistent to what we've been seeing when you have a hurried release. But this would be one of the first things Verduzco would have identified. Because that would be too simple, it makes me think there is more to it.

Interesting...please expound on thumb position. Not being sarcastic here. Truly interested on your thoughts here.

 

[jreb14]

Look at how QB in NFL and in college finish the throw it is thumbs down. You can watch on many of AM throws they are thumbs up.

 

[MadRat]

Interesting...please expound on thumb position. Not being sarcastic here. Truly interested on your thoughts here.

The shoulder, radialulna, and wrist joints have extreme variance when we do a throwing motion. Follow-through helps pull up slack in the joints that helps with consistency. Where the thumb begins on the ball to pointing down on release are all important for consistent releases.

Follow-through is one of the hardest technique to master at QB. It is also one of the most neglected aspects of passing offenses by coaches.

 

[MHKHusker]

Frazier was a better leader and true option quarterback, no question. I’m having a hard time thinking of another option quarterback is put in the same class. It is a really short list.

I cannot disagree

 

[Show Me State Red]

Look at how QB in NFL and in college finish the throw it is thumbs down. You can watch on many of AM throws they are thumbs up.

Agree. Makes it looks like he is throwing a shot put and not a football. I think we had another Martinez with similar issues.

His current throwing motion reminds me of playing with several very young kids and you "push" the ball through the air so as not to drill kids with a tight spiral.

 

[Middle-aged_Ball_Coach]

It's been a known fact, ever since the forward pass was invented, that if you hit a QB 3 or 4 times early, it will throw him off for the entire game. His internal clock gets accelerated, so he subconsciously thinks he has less time to get the ball off, even when no one's coming after him.

As both a Rams and a Huskers fan, it pains me to bring up this classic example, but I give you Jim Everett and the Phantom Sack....

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The Rams and 49ers were neck and neck in the late 80s, but the 49ers always won in the playoffs when it mattered. Jim Everett was on a path to be a Hall of Fame QB,... and then that happened. He was never the same. The Rams O-line had been the best in the NFL for most of the 80s, and they didn't suddenly become awful, but they aged and wore down, and suddenly Jim Everett's sky-high passing numbers took a nosedive that gave the Hindenburg a challenge for the title of "Most Fiery Nosedive Crash."

 

[Deleted member 3570]

You know he was 4-8 last year? If not for a fortunate rainstorm we probably would have been 3-9. That statistical jigsaw puzzle of a season left a lot of room for improvement. Martinez is the Damon Benning of the 1990's, only at the QB position. Can easily rally against nobodies, but get rolled by the big boys. The coaches like him so he plays a lot. Martinez failed quite often largely due to the same problems when under pressure this year, he just cannot take the pressure. It's not going to change. The trend has a lot of data supporting the theory. People are sentimental to him, but the truth is he is not going to get us to the promised land. The ineptitude of the OL in long passing downs is largely based on his scrambling errors, too. He's not changing for the better against the better competition. The sooner we explore other options the sooner we fix the actual problems on the team.

Good Lord, you really outdid yourself with this post.

 

[jreb14]

I am begging to think that certain quirks with AM are not really changeable. The difference this year is people understand his tendencies and have scouted him well. I do not think it is sophomore slump as much as his lack of creativity is on film. Teams scout film and understand his weakness. I think AM needs to break the mold to make teams second guess what he is going to do. It is pretty hard to undo people throwing motion and cognitive decision skills. Maybe there are too many decisions for him too make so he looks for Spielman or Wan Dale. He trusts these targets when pressure or mental breakdowns happen.

 

[solesrfr]

I would throw AM under the bus but he was snapped over my head.



C

 

[wcbsas]

Frazier was a better leader and true option quarterback, no question. I’m having a hard time thinking of another option quarterback is put in the same class. It is a really short list.

Not sure I could completely agree on the leader part.
He was the ultimate competitor and a true warrior but he also was a bit divisive. The locker room was very strong and could handle the TF v BB competition and split it created.

I believe he wasn't elected a captain.

With the game on the line nobody better but leader ... not so sure.

 

[jreb14]

AM says all the right things but words and actions are not matching. His lack of vision and tunnel vision are things the good teams can scout and will bait him into situations. I would not consider AM scrambling a true threat anymore he has great straight-line speed. He lacks lateral cut speed and so it makes it tough to scramble under pressure.

 

[Huskerwisdom]

As both a Rams and a Huskers fan, it pains me to bring up this classic example, but I give you Jim Everett and the Phantom Sack....

NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League

The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more.

www.nfl.com

The Rams and 49ers were neck and neck in the late 80s, but the 49ers always won in the playoffs when it mattered. Jim Everett was on a path to be a Hall of Fame QB,... and then that happened. He was never the same. The Rams O-line had been the best in the NFL for most of the 80s, and they didn't suddenly become awful, but they aged and wore down, and suddenly Jim Everett's sky-high passing numbers took a nosedive that gave the Hindenburg a challenge for the title of "Most Fiery Nosedive Crash."

Wasn't that our Kordell Stewart strategy? Hit him until he couldn't focus on his passing and couldn't run as hard