Recomputing 2010 College Football Quarterback Efficiency Ratings

A very interesting read that ranks all the college quarterbacks according to a formula that some really smart guy invented.

According to said smart guy formula, Taylor Martinez was the fifth-ranked quarterback last season in the Big 12. That put him ahead of NFL first-round draft choice Blaine Gabbert.

If you're one of those guys convinced that Martinez shouldn't be starting for Nebraska next season - I'm not sure where you're coming from.

about 1 year ago Jon Johnston 9 comments 0 recs |

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He's got talent

No one can argue with that. But does he have the leadership skills and QB smarts needed for Beck’s new offense? Right now I’m going to say no. But who knows, Watson’s offense probably could have made Tim Tebow look bad.

The fact is, he needs to improve his throwing mechanics. Hopefully Beck can coach him up there. It sounds like the new offensive scheme won’t have as much drop-back, sit in the pocket passing, and that should help Martinez or any dual threat QB. Regardless, Martinez needs to learn how to actually step away from a pass rush and throw the ball without panicking, and never ever do that strange forward pitch at some unsuspecting receiver under any circumstances. Then I think we’ll have a very talented dual-threat QB who is the fastest player on the field and can break make a big play at any moment.

Leadership wise though, I wasn’t impressed with what I saw last year. We need a guy that steps into the huddle and takes control. That’s why I’m rooting for Jamaal Turner. If you read any of his interviews from before he came to Nebraska, you’ll see that he’s a smart kid and definitely sounds like he’s got the potential to be a great leader.

by Billgrip on Feb 24, 2011 1:59 PM CST reply actions

You need to realize something...

A lot of people give flack to Martinez because of his leadership skills. The kid was ONLY a redshirt freshmen last year. He has a lot to learn and he will develop nicely into a great QB. If I recall correctly, Crouch’s first season as starter really wasn’t that great and look what he accomplished in his collegiate career. Martinez has 3 seasons left to adapt, and under the new offense headed by Beck, maybe it’s his chance to be the leader. a new offense with a fresh QB. He obviously has the talent if he was able to start ahead of our other QB’s that had experience in the game, he just needs to grow into the role a little bit. Cut the kid a little bit of slack and be positive so he can gain that confidence level. AMEN.

by tadub19 on Feb 24, 2011 2:21 PM CST reply actions

Amen!

It amazes me how many people forget that he was a Freshman! How many Freshman QBs are looked to as team leaders? None, even if they are good enough to see the field, playing a certain position doesn’t grant you a leadership role. That falls on the Seniors. That being said, being the front runner for the starting QB job next year should allow time for him to develop not only his passing skills (which were poorly managed by former coaches, get the kid out of the pocket more!), but his leadership skills as well. This should put the leadership role back into the more traditional hands of the QB.

And worrying about a kid like thats throwing mechanics his first year seems silly to me. Not a direct attack on you Billgrip, I’ve heard it from way too many people. You just happen to be right in front of me (figuratively).

by brutus1382 on Feb 24, 2011 2:45 PM CST up reply actions

No worries

My point is that he might be a bigger threat with his arm with improved mechanics. We all saw what he did against Oklahoma State…but that was just one game. Most defenses line up to stop the run and just dare him to beat them with his arm…which he didn’t do in all 4 losses. I know he was a freshman and we can’t expect to see as much leadership…but if you are a QB you have to be a leader because you are the one with the ball in your hands every single play! What you do with the ball effects everyone else on the team.

We can’t just sit around and wait until he is a senior before we finally have a true leader at QB. He needs to step up now. Otherwise it won’t matter what offensive scheme we run…when the going gets tough and we’re down by two scores in the 4th quarter, we need a guy who can get into the huddle and get everyone else on his team believing that with him at QB the game can still be won. Do you think he had his team believing that in the 4th quarter against Oklahoma and Washington (the 2nd time)? No, his teammates were probably just wondering “When is this guy going to get benched?” We need a guy at that won’t get benched because he always gives his team the best chance to win not just because of his ability to score touchdowns, but his ability to lead.

That’s why Zac Lee got put in against Texas. Meanwhile, T-magic stood on the sidelines away from his teammates, looking apathetic. Name me a great QB that gets hurt or pulled and just stands on the sidelines and does nothing? I can’t think of any. That’s because great QB’s are also great leaders, and if they aren’t in the game they are running up and down the sidelines getting their teammates jazzed up, encouraging players like Niles Paul after he dropped a touchdown pass that he can catch the next one.

by Billgrip on Feb 25, 2011 10:54 AM CST up reply actions

Agreed

We can’t wait til he is a Jr or Sr for him to become a true team leader. People on the team will look to him for that starting this offseason. But not one team I’ve been on looked to a Fr to be the team leader, no matter what the position.

So seeing that he’s been the starting QB for a year and is the favorite for next season as well, will leave other players more receptive to his leadership, because he’s earned their respect, i would assume.

So while Andrew Luck was easily seen as the leader of Stanford in his Soph. year, most of that role went to Gerhart the year before. So as long as he is able to make the jump going into this year, thats all that can be expected of him. And it no fault of the NU fanbase for expecting such, as we have not had an underclassman QB in quite some time. So we expect guys to step in and lead immediately, but not in this case.

by brutus1382 on Feb 28, 2011 12:17 PM CST up reply actions

I'd still love to know what happened to TMart after the A&M game

I know the injury gave him some problems, but he just looked like a deer in the headlights against an average OU defense, and a flat out bad UW defense. A big part of his quarterbacking future at Nebraska will rest on his mental rehabilitation and his ability to avoid another meltdown like the one he had to close out the 2010 season.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Feb 24, 2011 3:15 PM CST reply actions

I don't think he ever got healthy again...

I think he also struggled mentally, either not being confident in his decision making or not having confidence in his leg. Whatever edge he had the first two months of the season was gone. Compound that with playcalling that tried to compensate and made him even more uncomfortable, and you’ve got a bad situation.

by Husker Mike on Feb 24, 2011 10:11 PM CST up reply actions

A game-by-game analysis of the conference schedule

Assuming I did the math right and that the statistics at HuskerMax.com are correct, with Gabbert’s score in parentheses. Turnover data (fumbles) for Gabbert is incomplete.

KSU: 303 (130)
UT: 9
OSU: 273
Mizzou (1st half only): 68 (31)
KU: 77 (-1)
A&M: -10 (186)
OU: -53 (184)
ISU: 0 (113)
CU: 0 (42)

Conference game total: 667 (683)
Common opponent total: 317 (449)

I’d call Martinez pretty feast-or-famine at that point. His QB score by conference game has a standard devation of 139, whereas Gabbert’s was 78. Also, the trend for Martinez is not your friend – his last 4 conference games had a cumulative score of only 82.

Lighting up the Sun Belt when they didn’t have film on him doesn’t make Martinez a better player.

by Albino Tornado on Feb 25, 2011 12:34 PM CST reply actions

Well I don't think the injury can be understated

It clearly affected both his physical capabilities and his confidence. Pre-injury, he absolutely toasted Washington and Kansas State (admittedly not good defenses, but still BCS level), obliterated Okie State and led the offense in torching Mizzou for a half before he got hurt. The kid is very talented, and when he’s healthy/has his head screwed on straight there’s not a defense in the country that wouldn’t have issues with stopping him.

Those closing concerns are very relevant, though, and they need to be fixed if Nebraska’s going to make much noise in the Big 10 next year.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Feb 27, 2011 2:15 PM CST up reply actions