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Haarberg Spring Game Throws

HuskerWeatherman said:
I think you're trying too hard with my word choice.

I'll put it another way. Quarterbacks in the current era are much more apt to throw well under pressure, outside the pocket, than they were 20+ years ago. Sure, there were a few back then, but it's commonplace now. By "designed" I mean, taught. And by taught, I mean football players with that type of athletic ability were commonly placed in positions other than quarterback -- but more recently, coaches created offenses to take advantage of their skill set and put them into the quarterbacking position where their feet are almost important as their arms. Not long ago, arm strength and accuracy meant infinitely more than the ability to throw on the run -- because that's how offenses were designed (sorry, poor word choice). Russell Wilson is much more capable of throwing a dart and completing it while being chased than Peyton Manning. And yes, this is the same style of quarterbacking Martinez has always played. He was never a pro-style quarterback (which is a term that is fading quickly). He was and is a dual threat. Dual threat quarterbacks are much more capable of throwing well on the run, under pressure than pure pocket passers -- or that's what they are supposed to be able to do -- or "designed" to do.
Click to expand...

Yes, word choice is important to me. Neither drop back passers or dual threat QB’s are anything new. Perhaps there has been a shift to preferring more mobility in the QB position. But I don’t think it is because more people are being “designed” that way. It is more likely that teams are more open to a mobile QB as a wrinkle to help thwart opposing defenses.

If the whole point of this is NU should be recruiting more athletic QB’s who can throw on the run, that certainly is necessary during this rebuilding where our O-line has been porous. As the line improves, our running game gets established, and we develop WR’s, the mobility of the QB is less of an issue. A great supporting cast on offense allows a QB to scan ALL receivers and pick defenses apart. Something that is very difficult with a QB running for their lives on 50% of the plays.
 

Captkenny said:
Yes, word choice is important to me. Neither drop back passers or dual threat QB’s are anything new. Perhaps there has been a shift to preferring more mobility in the QB position. But I don’t think it is because more people are being “designed” that way. It is more likely that teams are more open to a mobile QB as a wrinkle to help thwart opposing defenses.

If the whole point of this is NU should be recruiting more athletic QB’s who can throw on the run, that certainly is necessary during this rebuilding where our O-line has been porous. As the line improves, our running game gets established, and we develop WR’s, the mobility of the QB is less of an issue. A great supporting cast on offense allows a QB to scan ALL receivers and pick defenses apart. Something that is very difficult with a QB running for their lives on 50% of the plays.
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I hate to agree with Huskerweatherman but here it goes. Some guys just have a more athletic natural ability to throw on the run or scramble around before making tge throw. Yes mobile quarterbacks have been around for awhile but definitely a little different in 2021. The old stand in the pocket statue is now more rare in both college and the NFL. I’m guessing any QB Frost recruits has the ability to run and throw. I’ve watched some kids work hard and transform their bodies or become more athletic in high school. Others are just born more athletic.
 
A lot of HS teams are running the spread. Going 4 wide,or 1 RB with moving TEs and a wing/duck-r type lowers the numbers of defensemen at the LOS.
This gives numbers fora qb run game, so the stay in the pocket of old type qbs are now expected to run, or rpo, which includes the qb run obviously.
 



Captkenny said:
I watched the NU - Tennessee game recently on BTN. They had a similar problem with their QB. His name was Pietown Manchild, or something like that. i also watched the game against Miami where NU won a national championship. It seems like the more pressure you can put a QB, the less effective they become. It’s like, if they are running for their lives, they just can’t do as good a job at completing passes. In the spring game, you can add in the 30-40 Mph winds and it’s a wonder he completed any.

I think the solution is to develop a top tier o-line and running game.
Click to expand...
As football is the ultimate team sport, any one solution only attends to one part of an issue. Whereas in basketball, a much simpler game, one player can "takeover" a game. Equally, one recruit can change a team's fortune. But consider, a QB might well get out of pressure and achieve a posture to release a well-thrown ball. But the target is not a stationary net that none may interfere with, rather, it is a moving person with those intent on disrupting that pass all about. With many moving parts, all must succeed at a role to make a play.
Often times, an unsuccessful scramble has less to do with the QB than what appears on a TV screen. Even addressing this situation in practice, how well can coaches design "scramble" situations that actually mate up with what a QB is confronted with on such "broken" plays? A QB can learn to hit a target on the run, but at every angle of retreat or advance, at all distances, both sides, possibly throwing off platform, and with targets in other than designed motions?
Science plays a role in scrambles, but art is also required. Court vision cant be taught.
 
Woodhead said:
As football is the ultimate team sport, any one solution only attends to one part of an issue. Whereas in basketball, a much simpler game, one player can "takeover" a game. Equally, one recruit can change a team's fortune. But consider, a QB might well get out of pressure and achieve a posture to release a well-thrown ball. But the target is not a stationary net that none may interfere with, rather, it is a moving person with those intent on disrupting that pass all about. With many moving parts, all must succeed at a role to make a play.
Often times, an unsuccessful scramble has less to do with the QB than what appears on a TV screen. Even addressing this situation in practice, how well can coaches design "scramble" situations that actually mate up with what a QB is confronted with on such "broken" plays? A QB can learn to hit a target on the run, but at every angle of retreat or advance, at all distances, both sides, possibly throwing off platform, and with targets in other than designed motions?
Science plays a role in scrambles, but art is also required. Court vision cant be taught.
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Yep some kids are born with court vision. You just see how they read everything in front of them and make the right decisions. Those kids are usually special players.
 
Frosty1980 said:
I hate to agree with Huskerweatherman but here it goes. Some guys just have a more athletic natural ability to throw on the run or scramble around before making tge throw. Yes mobile quarterbacks have been around for awhile but definitely a little different in 2021. The old stand in the pocket statue is now more rare in both college and the NFL. I’m guessing any QB Frost recruits has the ability to run and throw. I’ve watched some kids work hard and transform their bodies or become more athletic in high school. Others are just born more athletic.
Click to expand...

Why would you hate to agree with Huskerweatherman? I agree with him too. My original objection in this thread has to do with the suggestion that Haarberg is not such an athlete because during a Spring scrimmage, he was not as effective throwing passes on the run in a 30-40 mile an hour wind. That is too small of a data set, and frankly, none of our QB's had stellar days passing the ball in that wind.

And I certainly can't disagree with your assertion that an athlete can make him or herself better at certain tasks through working hard to transform their bodies. I would assume our strength and conditioning staff is trying to make our QB's as flexible and as fast as they can be.
 
Woodhead said:
As football is the ultimate team sport, any one solution only attends to one part of an issue. Whereas in basketball, a much simpler game, one player can "takeover" a game. Equally, one recruit can change a team's fortune. But consider, a QB might well get out of pressure and achieve a posture to release a well-thrown ball. But the target is not a stationary net that none may interfere with, rather, it is a moving person with those intent on disrupting that pass all about. With many moving parts, all must succeed at a role to make a play.
Often times, an unsuccessful scramble has less to do with the QB than what appears on a TV screen. Even addressing this situation in practice, how well can coaches design "scramble" situations that actually mate up with what a QB is confronted with on such "broken" plays? A QB can learn to hit a target on the run, but at every angle of retreat or advance, at all distances, both sides, possibly throwing off platform, and with targets in other than designed motions?
Science plays a role in scrambles, but art is also required. Court vision cant be taught.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

And as a practical matter, probably less variables involved in just trying to make "run for your" life scrambles a small part of the total number of plays. The end result of a scramble has as much of a chance at leading to a fumble or interception as it has to result in a positive play for the offense. I would assume coaches prefer relatively "controlled" action on the field rather than the type of chaos that a scramble brings into the game. You often hear people talk about wanting QB who can "manage" the game.

Having said that, I will never object to recruiting mobile quarterbacks.
 
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Captkenny said:
Why would you hate to agree with Huskerweatherman? I agree with him too. My original objection in this thread has to do with the suggestion that Haarberg is not such an athlete because during a Spring scrimmage, he was not as effective throwing passes on the run in a 30-40 mile an hour wind. That is too small of a data set, and frankly, none of our QB's had stellar days passing the ball in that wind.

And I certainly can't disagree with your assertion that an athlete can make him or herself better at certain tasks through working hard to transform their bodies. I would assume our strength and conditioning staff is trying to make our QB's as flexible and as fast as they can be.
Click to expand...
I was messing with Wearherman! Trust me he knows it. He takes a beating on this board sometimes. I actually do agree with everything he posted in this thread. I have no clue what our strength and conditioning staff is doing. I personally have watched a kid in our high school turn himself into a elite athlete on his own. I agree with you also. We can’t judge Harberg off the spring game. As you said too small of a sample.
 
Keeping eyes downfield is mandatory, and in this offense, available qb runs during a scramble can be buying time, but also may draw the qb in an open area near the LOS, here a defender may vacate his area, and a qb learns to simply throw over a defender whos dropping down, thats quick blinking while potentially on the run, knowing where you guys are, and keying a certain defensive player while knowing where youre at on the field, and th down marker etc.
A very good qb knows all this, is comfortable, and a rpo is created here, as the qb can throw the ball at any point until hes past the LOS.

This kind of play stresses defenses much more than simply sliding in a pocket, because it maintains the run part of the rpo
 
AM has been bothered less by the "pressure" and more by the "impact" of his protection or lack there of.
His passing has deteriorated the last two years which I would guess is more due to his multiple injuries than anything else if we were to know the whole story.

It would also be interesting to know how much his injuries have accounted for his turnovers: Ints (some due to poor choices, some to inability to make throw due to injury?) and fumbles (pain on contact from previous contact).

2021 success in large part will rely on:
-good o-line play(better pass protection yes, but more importantly a good RB driven run game)
-pass game that focuses on ball getting out quickly: increased involvement of TE. even without Fidone, we have got some good ones, and some BIG WR's that functionally are TE's.
-de-emphasis of QB run game. Or better said, QB run is a specialty play with Haarberg. Maybe we even see the "Red Cat" with Haarberg this year :) ?
-HEALTHY AM: can he start every game as a healthy QB? If so, 9 wins is possible.

GBR
 



Captkenny said:
I watched the NU - Tennessee game recently on BTN. They had a similar problem with their QB. His name was Pietown Manchild, or something like that. i also watched the game against Miami where NU won a national championship. It seems like the more pressure you can put a QB, the less effective they become. It’s like, if they are running for their lives, they just can’t do as good a job at completing passes. In the spring game, you can add in the 30-40 Mph winds and it’s a wonder he completed any.

I think the solution is to develop a top tier o-line and running game.
Click to expand...
My god I have been saying this for two years with AM and having to defend him. Everyone thinks he should complete every pass. Everyone thinks the guy behind him will. Nobody ever does because the surrounding cast of lineman, running backs and receivers haven’t been to his level. And yes his completion percentage was like 5th best in the country last year.
Cue the naysayers who dwell on his short passes to the sideline as the reason for the high percentage. Just remember the most dangerous pass in college football for throwing a pick six is the sideline pass which has to cover about 20 yards. And in Nebraska’s case……most of the teams we play know it’s coming. I’m amazed at the few pick sixes AM throws.
 

Haarberg's arm strength was on display in the spring game. But I was more curious about his feet than his arm, given how much the qb run game has factored in. I thought he looked swifter than I had expected. Exceeded expectations here.

Accuracy is going to be the factor separating good and really really good.
 
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