No position determined the fate of the Nebraska offense more in 2010 than quarterback. That figures to be the case once again in 2011. Granted, that could be said about any football team at any level but – you get the concept.
In the first ten games of 2010, Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the pasing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty oridinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.
Martinez sat out wins over Iowa State and Colorado but also left losses against Texas A&M and Washington, giving way to since transferred Cody Green in relief each time.
Other than since departed offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, Martinez was perhaps the biggest scapeoat in the offense’s struggles in the second half of the season. However, the coaching staff would have been much served to have Martinez sit out and hopefully return in the Big 12 title game, or whenever he reached full health. Putting a less than full strength Martinez on the field was a liability more than an asset.
Martinez’s performance in the second half of the season had may Husker fans wondering if the talented sophomore is truly the right person to lead the offense. One must also realize, however, that with the exception of Tommie Frazier, the great majority of other good college quarterbacks (San Bradford, Tim Tebow, Terrelle Pryor to name a few) as far as recent times go didn’t start shine right out of the gate. Most of them were unknowns outside of their local fanbase until they were juniors or seniors which is when they were finally good enough to start.
As far as the Martinez’s inconsistency goes, I think it’s only something that needs to be developed just like anything else. Many players improve after their first year of starting and while I’m not saying he’s going to be zipping the ball around with pinpoint accurancy like Stanford’s Andrew Luck, he should be better in every aspect of the game over last year.
Where Martinez especially needs to improve is his game management and leadership skills. He has the ability to be a great player, if he can understand the defense better and earn the respect of his comrades. Some people were put off by Martinez’s aloof demeanor but great NFL quarterbacks like Joe Montana and Tom Brady to name a few were the furthest thing from being drill seargants and it didn’t stop them from being all-time greats.
Again, there is plenty of reason to wonder how good Martinez truly is but when he is intact and has opportunities, look out! When the offensive line looks like a sieve and he is injured, Nebraska is in for a long game.
Nebraska’s 20-13 loss to Texas signifies why there is reason to wonder. The worst Texas team in literally years was able to shut Martinez totally down when he was plenty healthy.In that game, Martiez carried 13 times for 21 yards and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 63 yards before getting replaced by Zac Lee.
However, in that game, Nebraska receivers dropped five passes, two would have been for sure touchdowns. If anyone could catch a ball that day, his passing numbers would have been much better and probably would have opened up a lot more running lanes. Could have been a totally different game.
As for the leadership issue, if your quarterback has excellent leadership skills, that’s great but leadership also must come from coaches. They should be able to make the team play well together regardless of whether the quarterback is shy, a jerk or whatever.
You don’t want a jerk as your quarterback, but in college I don’t think he has to be the undisputed leader of the team. I’d rather see him perfom well on the field and keep to himself clean off of it (as long as it doesn’t cause locker room problems) than be a terrific guy who can’t play.
One also has to consider that Martinez became a starter as a freshman, which means even with his dynamite start, he probably would have endured growing pains at some point. Keep in mind, most good starters at good programs don’t start when they’re freshmen or sophomores, they struggle or sit behind someone for 2-3 years a lot of times.
We can only hope Martinez improve in general. Actually, if he can just hold on to the ball, that would be a major improvement. The problem is that if the Huskers don’t fix many of the problems with the offensive line, regardless of how well Martinez plays, the offense will stall.
Showing posts with label Joe Montana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Montana. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Craig, Rathman an underrated RB tandem
The football season appetizers are well underway.
There is college football Media Days that every major conference hosts. There’s the opening of NFL training camps and of course let’s not forget the high school youngsters that battle under the Friday Night lights.
There’s also the NFL Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony. The 2009 class is comprised of Rod Woodson, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Bob Hayes and Ralph Wilson Jr.
Several months ago, yours truly lobbied in this very space lobbying for former Nebraska running back Roger Craig to some day become inducted into the NFL Hall-of-Fame: http://napavince.blogspot.com/2009/05/roger-craig-belongs-in-nfl-hall-of-fame.html
I stand by that argument rather strongly to this day but I would also argue that Craig and Tom Rathman (also a former Nebraska running back) are one of the best and most underrated NFL running back tandems of all time. Would I take them over say Jim Taylor-Paul Hourning (Green Bay), Franco Harris-Rocky Blier (Pittsburgh) or Jim Kick-Larry Csonka (Miami)? No. However, like those aforementioned tandems, Craig and Rathman put up individual numbers and helped the San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowls, three for Craig and two for Rathman.
Craig finished his eleven NFL seasons with 8,189 rushing yards, 566 receptions for 4,911 receiving yards, and three kickoff returns for 43 yards. Overall, he amassed 13,143 total yards and scored 73 touchdowns (56 rushing and 17 receiving). As of today, Roger Craig remains the only running back to lead the NFL in receptions for a single season, and the only one ever to record over 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
Craig was the only running back to be elected to the Pro Bowl at both fullback and halfback (a feat which has since been matched by Stephen Davis). He is also the first player in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk achieved such a feat in 1999 but the difference is that Craig often ran on a muddy surface at Candlestick Park whereas Faulk played his whole career in a domed stadium.
Rathman’s NFL career spanned nine years as a fullback. The first eight of those with the 49ers. While in San Francisco, he paved the way for Craig. In 1989, he led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 616 yards. He spent his last season with the Los Angeles Raiders. Rathman finished his NFL career with 2,020 rushing yards, 320 receptions for 2,684 yards, five kickoff returns for 103 yards, and 34 touchdowns.
This story hits a nerve with me because I grew up in Northern California (Napa, CA to be exact) as a 49er fan who later went on to gain an opportunity to cover the Oakland Raiders as a freelance writer for Silver & Black Illustrated. The 49ers became the revered dynasty that most people know them as today when I became old enough to understand football. Keep in mind, I was born in 1972.San Francisco drafted Craig in 1983 and Rathman in 1986. I had a great NFL team to root for in the 49ers, they haven’t been relevant since 2002 but I digress. I just needed a good college team to root for – but Cal and Stanford just didn’t do it for me. They still don’t. USC has a great tradition in football. So does UCLA in basketball – but rooting for a Southern California team was a hard sell for me. Well, it still is as much as I respect their tradition. So I became a Husker fan in 1986. I later became a Husker graduate in 1997.I moved back to Northern California in 1998 after getting my degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska in 1997. Sorry, I can’t bring myself to saying “NoCal” or “SoCal.” That sounds way too damn dorky and juvenile. When I hear people those terms, it sounds like a pipsqueak that has not reached puberty yet.
I know Husker fans will never fully embrace the West Coast Offense that Bill Callahan brought to Nebraska but I would consider Craig the prototypical WCO running back, one who can run both outside and between the tackles, as well as pass catch out of the backfield.
Granted, when we think of the 49ers dynasty, people like Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott are the hub of the wheel. You also can’t forget names like Steve Young, Fred Dean, John Taylor or Brent Jones. But, take away the running back production and you likely don’t see the 49ers win five Super Bowls. Craig and Rathman are might never enter the NFL Hall of Fame, but their contributions no doubt played a major part in shaping football history and by extension the future of Husker football.
Craig was a unique player whose contribution to his game and the game of football goes why past his numbers. Take what Faulk did in repeating the 1000/1000 in a season that was great but it was done on turf, Craig did his on grass much harder to do. Craig made history in football and changed the game.
Craig deserves to be in the Hall-of-Fame. He revolutionized the position. Craig hasn't been inducted into the Hall-of-Fame and for that matter he and Rathman are seldom mentioned in the same breath as other great running back tandems because they lived in the shadow of Montana and Rice. And it’s hard to argue because with Montana and Rice, you have the two best ever to play their position. In Montana’s case, you could make the argument that he’s the best “football player” in NFL history. Keep in mind; he led the 49ers to two Super Bowls before they drafted Rice. I think another thing to consider is that Craig and Rathman had to share the ball a lot over their careers.
Rathman made a name for himself in the Bay Area as a 49ers’ back who was a punishing hitter, sure footed runner that could catch out of the backfield. He was everything the 49ers wanted in a fullback and everything that Roger Craig could have hoped for in a lead blocker. Today, Rathman is rarely talked about in connection with the success of the organization. But make no mistake; he played an extremely large role in it.
I also think a huge reason Craig and Rathman are not mentioned in connection with the 49ers success is because, you take the Green Bay Packers and you think of Taylor and Hourning running the power sweep. You think of Vince Lombardi on the blackboard in his Brooklyn-ese accent, “What we wanna get is a seal here and a seal here. And run this play in the alley.” You think of the 49ers and it’s about Montana orchestrating the offense with pinpoint precision and poise. Whereas you don’t think of the role Craig and Rathman played in punishing defenders in their wake.
In fact, I would argue that the biggest misconception of the WCO is that it’s a “finesse” offense that de-emphasizes the running game. Sure, it might not rely on using the run to set up the pass but using the pass to set up the run is every bit as effective.
There is college football Media Days that every major conference hosts. There’s the opening of NFL training camps and of course let’s not forget the high school youngsters that battle under the Friday Night lights.
There’s also the NFL Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony. The 2009 class is comprised of Rod Woodson, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Bob Hayes and Ralph Wilson Jr.
Several months ago, yours truly lobbied in this very space lobbying for former Nebraska running back Roger Craig to some day become inducted into the NFL Hall-of-Fame: http://napavince.blogspot.com/2009/05/roger-craig-belongs-in-nfl-hall-of-fame.html
I stand by that argument rather strongly to this day but I would also argue that Craig and Tom Rathman (also a former Nebraska running back) are one of the best and most underrated NFL running back tandems of all time. Would I take them over say Jim Taylor-Paul Hourning (Green Bay), Franco Harris-Rocky Blier (Pittsburgh) or Jim Kick-Larry Csonka (Miami)? No. However, like those aforementioned tandems, Craig and Rathman put up individual numbers and helped the San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowls, three for Craig and two for Rathman.
Craig finished his eleven NFL seasons with 8,189 rushing yards, 566 receptions for 4,911 receiving yards, and three kickoff returns for 43 yards. Overall, he amassed 13,143 total yards and scored 73 touchdowns (56 rushing and 17 receiving). As of today, Roger Craig remains the only running back to lead the NFL in receptions for a single season, and the only one ever to record over 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
Craig was the only running back to be elected to the Pro Bowl at both fullback and halfback (a feat which has since been matched by Stephen Davis). He is also the first player in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk achieved such a feat in 1999 but the difference is that Craig often ran on a muddy surface at Candlestick Park whereas Faulk played his whole career in a domed stadium.
Rathman’s NFL career spanned nine years as a fullback. The first eight of those with the 49ers. While in San Francisco, he paved the way for Craig. In 1989, he led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 616 yards. He spent his last season with the Los Angeles Raiders. Rathman finished his NFL career with 2,020 rushing yards, 320 receptions for 2,684 yards, five kickoff returns for 103 yards, and 34 touchdowns.
This story hits a nerve with me because I grew up in Northern California (Napa, CA to be exact) as a 49er fan who later went on to gain an opportunity to cover the Oakland Raiders as a freelance writer for Silver & Black Illustrated. The 49ers became the revered dynasty that most people know them as today when I became old enough to understand football. Keep in mind, I was born in 1972.San Francisco drafted Craig in 1983 and Rathman in 1986. I had a great NFL team to root for in the 49ers, they haven’t been relevant since 2002 but I digress. I just needed a good college team to root for – but Cal and Stanford just didn’t do it for me. They still don’t. USC has a great tradition in football. So does UCLA in basketball – but rooting for a Southern California team was a hard sell for me. Well, it still is as much as I respect their tradition. So I became a Husker fan in 1986. I later became a Husker graduate in 1997.I moved back to Northern California in 1998 after getting my degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska in 1997. Sorry, I can’t bring myself to saying “NoCal” or “SoCal.” That sounds way too damn dorky and juvenile. When I hear people those terms, it sounds like a pipsqueak that has not reached puberty yet.
I know Husker fans will never fully embrace the West Coast Offense that Bill Callahan brought to Nebraska but I would consider Craig the prototypical WCO running back, one who can run both outside and between the tackles, as well as pass catch out of the backfield.
Granted, when we think of the 49ers dynasty, people like Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott are the hub of the wheel. You also can’t forget names like Steve Young, Fred Dean, John Taylor or Brent Jones. But, take away the running back production and you likely don’t see the 49ers win five Super Bowls. Craig and Rathman are might never enter the NFL Hall of Fame, but their contributions no doubt played a major part in shaping football history and by extension the future of Husker football.
Craig was a unique player whose contribution to his game and the game of football goes why past his numbers. Take what Faulk did in repeating the 1000/1000 in a season that was great but it was done on turf, Craig did his on grass much harder to do. Craig made history in football and changed the game.
Craig deserves to be in the Hall-of-Fame. He revolutionized the position. Craig hasn't been inducted into the Hall-of-Fame and for that matter he and Rathman are seldom mentioned in the same breath as other great running back tandems because they lived in the shadow of Montana and Rice. And it’s hard to argue because with Montana and Rice, you have the two best ever to play their position. In Montana’s case, you could make the argument that he’s the best “football player” in NFL history. Keep in mind; he led the 49ers to two Super Bowls before they drafted Rice. I think another thing to consider is that Craig and Rathman had to share the ball a lot over their careers.
Rathman made a name for himself in the Bay Area as a 49ers’ back who was a punishing hitter, sure footed runner that could catch out of the backfield. He was everything the 49ers wanted in a fullback and everything that Roger Craig could have hoped for in a lead blocker. Today, Rathman is rarely talked about in connection with the success of the organization. But make no mistake; he played an extremely large role in it.
I also think a huge reason Craig and Rathman are not mentioned in connection with the 49ers success is because, you take the Green Bay Packers and you think of Taylor and Hourning running the power sweep. You think of Vince Lombardi on the blackboard in his Brooklyn-ese accent, “What we wanna get is a seal here and a seal here. And run this play in the alley.” You think of the 49ers and it’s about Montana orchestrating the offense with pinpoint precision and poise. Whereas you don’t think of the role Craig and Rathman played in punishing defenders in their wake.
In fact, I would argue that the biggest misconception of the WCO is that it’s a “finesse” offense that de-emphasizes the running game. Sure, it might not rely on using the run to set up the pass but using the pass to set up the run is every bit as effective.
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