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Luke McCaffery Transferring

As I was telling people all season, the kid just wasn't quite ready yet. But I think the staff was hosed either way. They told LM he would have a series or two in Northwestern, he didn't get in until the 4th, was in during the comeback attempt. So now the staff starts LM because everyone says he did great and should have been starting the whole game, but if the staff starts Martinez people ask why they left LM in at the end of the Northwestern game.

Just my opinion, I think LM would have landed on needing to move to the slot position on his own. But he wanted a seasons chance to be QB.

The good news is it appears he is taking his time trying to find somewhere else so we have til May to convince him to stay. But just like with JD, if a kid is choosing to opt out of a semester of training.... writing is kind of on the wall.

So he only wants to be at Nebraska if he can play QB?
 
If this is going to happen I say go out and get Jace Ruder. He has a couple of years left and he's from Kansas so closer to home than UNC! Make it happen!
I like Ruder. He was super fast in high school and had a good arm. I haven’t followed him since but looks like a little prone to injury too. Not that I wouldn’t take him. But he may be looking for an immediate opportunity rather than having to compete for the job in 2021.

I’ve been saying this for a while, you have to get a transfer QB to add depth and competition given what we have. Some people kept saying you can’t upset the QB room. Well, now look at the position we’re in. You can’t allow yourself to be held hostage by teenagers. That’s not a good roster management strategy.
 
I like Ruder. He was super fast in high school and had a good arm. I haven’t followed him since but looks like a little prone to injury too. Not that I wouldn’t take him. But he may be looking for an immediate opportunity rather than having to compete for the job in 2021.

I’ve been saying this for a while, you have to get a transfer QB to add depth and competition given what we have. Some people kept saying you can’t upset the QB room. Well, now look at the position we’re in. You can’t allow yourself to be held hostage by teenagers. That’s not a good roster management strategy.

It's definitely a gamble that this staff seems to be losing on more than not.
 
Maybe I’m being too harsh on Scott Frost but this is the kind of thing he’s paid 5 million to figure out and he seems to be failing in a lot of ways. The guy has to figure out a way to see these things around the corner and to build some robustness in the offensive roster. The whole thing feels like a house of cards.

Now we’re behind on getting a transfer QB. Now we have a starter QB that’s made of glass and isn’t that great even when he’s healthy and a redshirt freshmen who could be LM all over again.

This whole situation is exactly why you go out and get a transfer QB straight away.
 
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He basically told them he was gone (thus all the smoke) but Frost has had multiple meetings so it makes me think that he was at least getting some traction with them. But him deciding to not be here for spring semester and do everything remote is pretty much the writing on the wall. Smothers goes to getting second team reps.

I'm sure Frost did this, but if you opt out of winter conditioning we are of the opinion you won't be here for the 2021 season.
Who is them you’re referring to?
 
If he leaves, it's really too bad. He is not going to be an NFL QB. So if his aspiration is to play in the "League" like his brother then it seems to be a great fit to replace Wan'Dale. Play that utility role. He is even a threat to pass. He is such a great athlete and so quick off the line. Hopefully, someone can get through to him so he can see his future is not at QB.
 
So what's your take on Smothers? The post a few back was the first I've read that he wasn't getting raving reviews so to speak? Is he also a real project at this point? If so, and we lose LM, it's gonna be a rough year unless AM figures shite out quick.
Ya, i've said for about a month now that he has Luke's arm ability with less knowledge of the playbook. That's to be expected though, he didn't have a spring. Just needs time.
 
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If he opts out of winter conditioning and we let him come back a la Mo Wash, aren't we just enabling this preferential treatment issue that has plagued Frost since he got here?
I mean... I think both sides know that if he doesn't show up for winter conditioning it's over. If you are McCaffrey are you showing back up in June after skipping the entire spring?
 
but remember that Verduzco wrote a master's thesis on throwing mechanics, so it has to be right? I seriously wonder how many great QB coaches actually wrote a master's thesis on throwing mechanics? Maybe they wrote a book?

I'll compare throwing mechanics to the golf swing. About 20 years ago (historically I've been a 3-7 handicap), I got the shanks/hosel rockets (if you're a golfer you know what that is). I went to a very accomplished golf pro who has written at least 2 books that I know about and has several PGA clients. He is a great teaching pro BTW. I had an hour lesson, which included watching film of my swing and comparing it to other pros, etc. He knew what my problem was, but just couldn't get me to stop shanking and the hour was up.

I told my boss(a scratch player) at work about my swing issues and he referred me to another pro(very old school). I went to the other pro who did not film me, and kept watching me swing and would say: "can you do this?", I would do it, still a shank, then he'd say, can you do this? I'd try to do it, still a shank, after an hour, I thought my lesson was over and he said: "I can't leave you until we fix it". 90 minutes later, I wasn't shanking anymore. The moral of the story is that some of the best coaches can just watch you without getting over technical and fix what you're doing wrong.

I think most reasonable people would agree that under Verduzco at Nebraska, we haven't seen much if any improvement in our QB's from a throwing perspective. I think he must make it more complicated than it needs to be and although his thesis may be technically correct, if it can't be articulated to our QB's what use is it? I think he gets another year and just like the pilot flying any flight I'm on, I'm cheering for the pilot. So I'll be pulling for Verduzco if he stays and hope maybe some of what he is teaching sticks with our current QB's. I'm very curious to see what happens this spring and hopefully at least we'll have a spring game we can watch if only on TV. At this point, I'd be surprised if AM is not the starter next fall and I hope either LM improves and stays or switches to a WR and stays. I think LM is a good egg, but may be out of position. Time will tell as he is still young.
I think it’s hard to judge him yet. Really all we’ve seen is Martinez. Some limited film on Luke but he is a huge project anyway. Is it coach V. Or is Martinez injury prone? Maybe his shoulder is shot forever. Some guys just have bad shoulders. I’m one of those guys.
 



I think it’s hard to judge him yet. Really all we’ve seen is Martinez. Some limited film on Luke but he is a huge project anyway. Is it coach V. Or is Martinez injury prone? Maybe his shoulder is shot forever. Some guys just have bad shoulders. I’m one of those guys.
That’s where I’m at. Hard to judge coach V when AM has had multiple injuries and Luke is a project. He’s done well with other QBs in the past, so maybe it’s not him that’s the problem. I don’t know.
 
I guess I don't understand why LM is upset and wanting to leave? Does he think he should be QB1 at this point? Is he upset that they threw him out there when AM was struggling? The backup is always 1 play away from being the starter. Is it something besides his role on the team?
 

Just let Luke go and get a transfer QB. Hell, get two QBs. There's nothing to actually protect in the QB room. Literally every QB in that room is a super speculative project for 2021. Scott literally has to take time off play calling duties to micromanage AM, the starter by a mile. If our clear starter is such a project why are we even bothering?
 

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