Time to Reflect
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 9:28 AM CDT
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Print[JJ - Promoted from Fanposts.... and time updated]
Please read this article before continuing, you shouldn't need it, to provide context, but it'll certainly help:
Hardrick: NU teammates rallying around ‘mad’ Martinez.
Alright now that you've read it...
Raise your hands if you've ever had literally half the people you come across criticize you for what you do? Nobody? OK.
Raise your hands if you've ever had literally one fourth of the people you come across criticize you for what you do? Nobody? OK then, let's try again.
Raise your hands if one fourth the people you come across even acknowledge your existence? Nobody? OK, more after the jump.
I'm writing this because just as I was going to sleep, I did my last round of checking my favorite news sources and came across that article above. It wasn't until then that it occurred to me: I know Taylor is only 20 years old, we all know that, what we fail to realize is for every criticism we put out there(well, here,) it only piles on to a MASSIVE, let me repeat that, MASSIVE amount of criticism.
I really have no idea, but I'd bet that nobody on this board, hell probably none of the writers on any of the SB Nation sites have been in a position under which your every move is under the microscope. Make the right move and you're a superstar, but make the wrong move and man, the entire state turns on you. According to this article, a classmate in Spanish class threw out a jab about his interceptions. Come on people, we can do better, hell we ARE better.
The great majority of us have jobs, bosses, stakeholders, etc etc. If we screw up, we hear about, but we hear about it from our boss. Think of your reaction when a person you don't know that works for a different department in your company goes on a rant about your work. Now think of your reaction of a person that doesn't even work there! A person whose only connection to you isn't even having any stock on the company, but merely owning a million shares of emotional stock with no value to you whatsoever, to come and tear your performance apart using their four years' worth of high school football experience as the credentials for doing so.
This is getting out of hand. I just think, we ought to reflect on our reactions sometimes. Maybe our anger as fans is misdirected when it is aimed at a single person, maybe it is more humane to criticize the team and/or staff as a unit than it is to single someone out. I remember last year when Boise St lost to Nevada, god I felt awful for their kicker. It's was easy for someone to place the blame on him alone, but Kellen Moore knew better and spoke out. If it hadn't been for a number of things not executed the way they should have been, they wouldn't have needed the field goal to win to begin with.
That's the moral. Your criticism about Martinez, or any other player as individuals may make you feel better about a loss, but just like you think that person failed, you also failed to reflect on what it is that happened out there. That the game is a complex system, with no one moving part being any more important than the next.
I swear, my rant is almost over so bare with me.
Lastly, for those calling for Martinez to get benched and Carnes or anybody else to start based on preconceived notions formed through reading articles by writers who have probably never coached a football game in their life: Bo has not only won the BCS National Championship, but he's also won the Superbowl and has been around football first hand the better part of his life. So consider comparing your or your favorite writer's credentials vs. his before going on to say someone needs benched and someone else needs to start.
That's it, feel free to agree with me or tear me a new one in the comments below.
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One last thing.
Criticize Beck all you want. He’s not a child, he’s a paid professional and is better at disregarding your or my opinion and filing them in his “not personal” file.
Thank you,
thank you, thank you, for so eloquently expressing my thoughts.
For the Husker fanbase on numerous internet sites to go so rabidly against Martinez, it has sickened me…as it did last year when it happened to an injured Martinez. As it did when it happened to Niles Paul.
Taylor showed much growth in the first four games. He had a bad outing against Wisconsin, greatly due to piss-poor play calling by Beck. This loss is NOT on his back. It was a team loss, and even more, a coaching staff’s loss.
I am tired of Nebraska fans ganging up on one player. I’m ashamed of it.
And I’ve said it before…leave the name-calling and criticism to those who are getting paid the big bucks. Be thankful for these young men who are going to class and working their butts off for our pleasure. And, except for the paper towel dispenser incident, keeping their noses remarkably clean.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
by redvalley on Oct 5, 2011 2:09 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs
And,
a thousand recs for this article.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
And one more thing:
If you don’t like Taylor as our QB…well, he’s not inserting himself in the lineup.
Think about that before you start spewing more hate, and direct it where it should be directed.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
Like you said.
The coaching staff, they’re old enough, they understand what they got themselves into. The likes Martinez don’t, they decided to come here when they were 17/18.
I’m in my early 20s, so if I rewind just a few years and put me in Taylor’s position, MAYBE if a few people tossed something negative out in my direction then I wouldn’t feel so bad about it, but when it feels like everyone is out to get you, I’d have a hard time even concentrating on something as simple as doing my homework for ______ class.
Oh hey and thanks for being on my side, I thought I was gonna be alone on this one.
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 8:23 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Until you wrote this
I thought I was alone in my anger over all of the Martinez bashing. But, from reading the supportive comments on this post, it appears that there are others who are fed up with his treatment by the “fans”.
Now, wouldn’t it be great if that support carries over to game day. Show the kid some love, and help repair his psyche.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
You certainly aren't alone on this
I’ve felt this way all last year and this year too. The kid has limitations thats for sure, hell we all do. But I also think he’s giving it his all every time he steps on the field. One thing he has never been accused of it sandbagging it out there. He isn’t Peyton Martinez and shouldn’t be forced to try and become one (80 passes in the 2nd Quarter, looking at you Tim Beck). He can and will win games for us going forward. And one player cannot lose a game by a score of 44-17 or whatever the hell it was, to blame him for that loss is like blaming one cigarette for lung cancer, there is plenty of blame to go around.
Do we go fetal and beg for mercy? Or do we pick up that broken piece of pipe laying on the ground and come up swinging? I choose pipe.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
by nateforchiefs on Oct 5, 2011 8:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Um. Accidentally flagged instead of rec'd.
Thank you FakePelini and redvalley for bringing the right perspective.
A Cornhusker through feast or famine. Get up, dust yourself off and run the ball. That's the Nebraska way.
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Oct 5, 2011 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm glad
to know a few fans still share in my perspective and are willing to voice it. Thanks FP & red!
I'll admit I messed up.
Let’s go out and release hell on Ohio State.
A Cornhusker through feast or famine. Get up, dust yourself off and run the ball. That's the Nebraska way.
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Oct 5, 2011 9:48 AM CDT reply actions
I call BS
I understand you should not go up to T-Ragic and yell at him for losing the game, but when universities start giving away all the tickets to the game for free, when all the shirts and hats I get are given to me at no cost, then I will say “Hey the coaches know best and I will never criticize their decisions.”
I am a fan of this team, and with that fandom comes a requirment to pay for the cable (and upgraded sports package) to watch the games, the occasional game tickets, the apperal and my free time. If I want to express my feelings about how things are done, then thats what I am going to do.
Now does Bo or anyone at Nebraska have to listen to me? NO.
But that doesnt mean I cant bitch and moan.
So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!
I think you missed the point
It’s not that we can’t bitch about a bad game, it’s the @ssholes that go directly to Taylor or his girlfriend and tell him he sucks to his face. It’s the @ssholes that bring it up in a college classroom in front of everybody. That shit is not necessary.
by HuskerHammer on Oct 5, 2011 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions
I will agree with that
Its never ok to be an asshole period.
So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!
It is the "T-Ragic" mentality that I'm talking about.
Yes he threw 3 interceptions and yes he got rattled, and yes he has a history of turning the ball over. But guess what? He’s only a sophomore. He played against a top 10 team, a team that could quite realistically be the best college football team in the nation.
The game was lost on defense, a unit, not an individual. We need to, as a fan base, show support to the guys that work their butts of trying to win out there. T-Ragic isn’t showing support. It’s kicking a man when he’s down.
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 11:16 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
By man I didn't mean you know, "man."
By it would sound weird to say “Kicking a person when he’s down.”
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 11:17 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Clever nick names is kicking a man when he is down?
I guess i should only talk about rainbows and unicorns?
I didnt spray paint T-Ragic on his house, I used to describe his play at QB.
So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!
Well said.
Now Beck on the other hand, he needs to make sure he uses the full playbook, not one section per quarter.
Taylor, well, he will continue to grow and develop. He is an athlete and maybe this is his moment that turns the tide from good to great.
I continue to vent my anger and disappointment at the coaching staff.
Fans haven't changed
The way we communicate has. Fans have called players bums since the beginning of time, but with Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc, all those Armchair QB’s now have a much bigger voice.
Just as players have historically said they don’t read the paper or watch the news, perhaps they need to not Tweet or FB. I don’t hear players complaining when they get praised by fans (remember T-Magic for Heisman?). Can’t have it both ways.
Harassing players to their face or to their GF’s is uncool, but there’s always been A-Holes out there.
With that said, FP makes a good call in reminding fans to check themselves & keep things in perspective.
Same screen name since AOL- 'cause like many Nebraska fans, I'm stuck in the '90s.
Great point.
I remember years and years of witnessing my dad at his workbench on a Saturday morning, calling Osborne every name in the book.
He also went to every book signing he could, and admired the man despite his goofs. I doubt he would have ever considered airing those frustrations in a public forum. That’s not what being a fan is all about.
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on Oct 5, 2011 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Here's my take
I’m not one of those types to jump all over someone because they are forced into a square peg round hole type of thing. I think Taylor is a phenomenal athlete. He’s just not a great qb. He is a speed guy,would make an outstanding reciever. It’s the coaching pushing him to do what he’s not real good at that’s killing us. Why doesn’t pelini give him a shot at trying WR in practice sometime? God knows he’s fast enough to beat coverage.
My guess is we just don't have a better QB than Martinez.
The other day I read Pelini say the gap between him and Carnes was pretty wide. So as much as he’s a hell of an athlete, we are showing to have a pretty good receiving corp with bell, enunwa, and turner, so leaving Martinez at QB might be the best for him and the best for the team.
Let’s not forget that the great majority of starters at different big name programs don’t start until they’re like juniors or seniors, and that’s probably because their frosh and sophomore years would have probably been just like Martinez’.
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 11:00 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Ya Know......
A bit off subject here but, that loss may be the best one we could have hoped for? Any loss sucks, but Wiscy will be in Indy, & it is very tough to beat a team twice, so if we meet them again, I say, advantage Huskers. Oh, &, nice article. GBR
by SONOFLY on Oct 5, 2011 10:44 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
Fans in general suck.
I watch and cheer for the Huskers because I am a Nebraskan and an alumnus from the engineering college at UNL. I want them to win, but if they don’t, it doesn’t affect who I am or where I am from. Unfortunately, there are many fans who want to use the Cornhuskers as their identity and therefore are delusional enough to believe the team owes them something. These KIDS have my full support representing the university and themselves. I hope you all do the same and don’t link yourself to the team to validate your existence. It is a game and I wish the team and coaches well the remainder of this year and I hope we can move past this as a fan base. With that being said, I will make my own personal assessments of the coaching staff and/or AD from time to time which are grown men making the decisions for the university and program. They deserve some level of scrutiny for decisions being made, but for now I am withholding judgement until after the season is completed. GBR!
by JimmytheRed on Oct 5, 2011 10:48 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs
Well said,
and rec’d also.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
I agree with JimmytheRed's comment above.
for the most part. However, I do think it is a bit disingenuous in the sense that Husker Nation was, collectively, more than eager to “link themselves to the team to validate their existence” – as long as they were banging out championships and dropping 70 points on conference foes.
More to the point of the article, of course a fan base is going to be critical. A programs financial well-being is based upon the optimism of a fan base, their revenue contributions, and thus, fans, as individuals, get pretty bent out of shape.
If you’re an athlete, a public figure, you better have some pretty thick skin, or you are going to get burned.
Having said all of that, Nebraska will NEVER compete for conference championships with Beck’s utilization of Martinez. I don’t know who in the hell beck thinks Martinez is, but he is not an improvisational, read passer, nor does he have the arm for accurate drop-back passing. And seeing how we abandoned the (mostly) successful first quarter running for that gameplan, I found myself pretty disgusted.
Get a system that fits the players, and fucking stick with it.
" Husker Nation was, collectively, more than eager to "link themselves to the team to validate their existence"
And that might be a larger point. Feeling bad or good based upon your teams win/loss is acceptable, but overdoing it and basing one’s entire self perspective upon it is overboard.
Do we go fetal and beg for mercy? Or do we pick up that broken piece of pipe laying on the ground and come up swinging? I choose pipe.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
by nateforchiefs on Oct 5, 2011 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions
not to change the subject..
but where are the week 5 pick results?
So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!
ah shit.
I knew i forgot something!
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on Oct 5, 2011 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I only ask...
cuase I think I won!
ok back to the argument.
Rabble, rabble
So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!
well
yeah you did!
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
I think this might fit this topic
"Where do you put the bayonet?" (upon seeing a flamethrower fo the first time)
Some highlights from that Mike Gundy speech:
“He’s not a professional athlete, and he doesn’t deserve to be kicked when he’s down.”
“If you go after an athlete, you go after one who doesn’t do the right thing. You don’t down-grade him because he does everything right and may not play as well on Saturday.”
“Attacking an amature athlete for doing everything right…where are we at as a society today?”
It’s a shame that all people remember from Gundy’s 2007 speech is his “I’m 40, I’m a man” statement. There was so much more to it.
They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.
Awwe...
You just think he’s cute, and probably want to run your fingers though his lucious, porcupine hair!
Wrong of fans to bash Martinez and his girlfriend like they are
First thing is his girlfriend has nothing to do with football people should get there ass kicked for saying thing to her. Martinez screwed up a bunch of times i bash him im a fan thats what fans do. Dont act like if Wilson had a bad game and we won that Wisky fans wouldnt be doing the same things its fans. That being said Martinez is not a QB he got thrown into the fire by the coaches (wrong on the coaches). Give another guy a chance, in a game where Martinez is in quick sand and cant pull himself out, pull himself out yourself sit him down maybe not for the whole game but for a part of it. Good coaches would of did that. TF got benched one game for being bad not the whole game but for part of it and look how good he was. Pelini will turn it around i trust him, but i dont know if he can do it this year, alot of bad things on d. We’ll make a bowl game but till the d gets better not a good bowl game.
Seriously?
Nebraskans are attacking Martinez’ girlfriend now? How grotesque is that?
I don’t understand the vilification of the boys, themselves, but going after their girlfriends?
We play tackle football.
Yes, let's get outraged at the actions of college students and generalize to the whole population!
Because Iowa students are paragons of society.
A Cornhusker through feast or famine. Get up, dust yourself off and run the ball. That's the Nebraska way.
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Oct 5, 2011 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Don't feed the troll.
Disregarding them is the best cure for them.
by Fake Pelini on Oct 5, 2011 9:27 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
yea
it’s that guy.
How’d your day go?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on Oct 5, 2011 10:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Our team needs our support
I think with how well publicized college sports are now that we tend to forget these are not pro athletes, but young adults just coming out of their teens who are learning the high-level skills of the sport for the first time. Players are going to have bad games, it happens to the best of the best. As a fanbase we have to understand this and support our team during the down times just as much as the good times.
For me I try to keep any criticism to the coaches because after all these players are still learning and what they do know is the result of good or bad coaching. It is also unfairly harsh to come down on a player for a lack of talent or ability. These guys are playing their hearts out week in and week out and for that they deserve to have fans that support them no matter what happens.
SEC...great conference or the greatest conference?
I agree with this
It’s so easy to blame one player and heap criticism on him like he’s not even a real person, when we ourselves have no idea what it’s like to play football at the university of Nebraska. That said…if the coaching staff continues to fail to give the ball to Rex Burkhead and tries to make Martinez into something he’s not, they are the failures here. Rex Burkhead isn’t the flashiest player on offense, but he’s the best and the most consistent. Give him the ball more! They are putting too much on Martinez’s shoulder, they need to ask him to manage the game rather than try to make big plays all the time. When he learns to be an efficient game manager, then let him pull out the big play card. Until then, REX BURKHEAD
Look me up on youtube sometime...if you're really bored.
All those pass plays
Why? It does boggle the mind, as if Wats was still on the sidelines. I loved it when we ran the ball on Wy, what changed? We didn’t use the young talented running backs, why? I don’t get it.
by SONOFLY on Oct 5, 2011 2:51 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I guess the thing that gets me is
that throughout the off-season, the talk was about the transition to the new offense and that Nebraska will struggle at times. It’s something that we have seen each week this season.
Even the defense hasn’t played well. They were smoked last Saturday, but the writing has been on the wall all season. The frustrating thing is too see the same players playing the same way every week. There seems to be very little progress as the season has moved on. Here’s to hoping to see improvement this weekend!
In the deed, the glory.
Corn Nation!
Follow @Aaron_Musfeldt
He is what he is.
Everyone has their limitations. You can complain about a 5’ tall kid not dunking in basketball all you want but it isn’t going to change things. TM isn’t a great passer so yelling at him or complaining about him isn’t going to change it. If someone better was on the team they would be playing. So the best we can do is support our guy and the coaches need to play to the strengths. These guys are Fr/So and Beck is in his first year. They are preparing for a real run in two years.
It would be interesting to see a guy like Jamal Turner at corner.
I agree...
I admit to yelling at the TV when I see poor coaching/play (I tone it way down when attending the games) and it’s sometimes easy to forget that these young men are working hard and doing their best. I also know that Bo and his staff have forgotten more about football then someone like me with only “four years’ worth of high school football experience” and a few hours playing NCAA ‘12 will ever know. If Bo thinks the people he has placed in each position are the best fit for a game… I’m going continue to believe he knows what he’s doing (I’m still going to second guess some of the play calling in the privacy of my own home).
But when it comes to some of the cheap shots a small portion of our fan base is taking at some of our players all I have to do is think of my 19 year old son who currently attends UNL. I see the pressure he places on himself to maintain his Chancellor’s Scholarship and Honors Program status (yes… I’m bragging… sue me… I’m a proud dad) and then try to imagine what it would be like for him if there was an entire state watching his every move and criticizing him every time he made a misstep.
When I think about it that way I’m amazed that these young people can even get out of bed every morning without throwing up all over themselves. As someone who grew up all over this country (military brat who moved 14 times before high school) I know that what makes Nebraska one of the best places in this country to live is the compassionate sentiment being shared by the majority of fans in this thread. I remain proud to have adopted Nebraska as my home state 35 years ago.
Finally… for the few that feel that because “I am a fan of this team, and with that fandom comes a requirement to… Blah Blah Blah”. I’m sorry but you’re wrong… it is not a requirement… it’s a choice and if you make the choice to be a fan it does not give you the right to behave in any manner you feel like towards these young athletes. You should share in the joy and cheer them when they do well but you should also share the pain and help lift them up when they fall short… that should be the requirement that comes with choosing to be a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers!
by HuskerDad on Oct 5, 2011 5:07 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
He's still got my support (pretty much since he's the only option at the moment)....
I do know for sure is every time he’s picked off while there’s a different receiver wide open on the other side of the field I just want to scream.
On that note, at some point one has to wonder if maybe a new Quarterback Coach would be a good addition… let Beck handle the big picture only…
No room on staff.
Ganz is our de facto QB coach, isn’t he?
A Cornhusker through feast or famine. Get up, dust yourself off and run the ball. That's the Nebraska way.
by Salt Creek and Stadium on Oct 5, 2011 11:42 PM CDT up reply actions
It is what it is!
Bo has coached on a team that won the titles he didn’t coach the team. I don’t think people personally attacking Martinez is right. That being said you are the QUARTERBACK for the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS. It comes with the territory and if you can’t prove the doubters wrong you aren’t the man for the job. People doubted Osborne in the eighties, questioned the option attack in the early nineties, and wondered if it could ever win the big one. All I am trying to say is the opportunity is their prove the doubters wrong Taylor. Because frankly I am one of them. Not because I want to be because the past makes me be that way. As for Pelini he is the right man for the job you don’t have to go back very far to find a Callahan era.
Yes, I hope he's able to prove the doubters wrong...
but he should be allowed to do it on the field… not in the classroom… not through his girlfriend… not on a blog… and not in an interview with some media wanna be who never threw a football under pressure in pee wee league much less college. I don’t believe those are things that should come with the territory (unfortunately it seems they do more often than not) and has no bearing on whether he is the man for the job during the game.
Don’t get me wrong… I come to this site to listen to the opinions of the wonderful fans who post here. The discussions are always great and I always walk away learning something… it’s the comments that get personal or when the blame gets placed on one or two individuals that I strongly disagree. The bottom line is that this is a team sport and everyone should share some of the blame when things don’t go well and be congratulated when they do.
Having doubt is fine… we all do at some point but whether we express our doubts constructively or destructively is the issue. I choose to try to be part of the fan base that wants to build our players and coaches up… not tear them down. Saturday’s another game and another opportunity for a win… I’ll be the one in the stands wearing red and cheering for our team… if you see me feel free to say hello… Go Big Red!
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