The NU quarterback saga:  A not so brief history

By Kim Hawkins  |   Thursday, July 13, 2006  |  Comments( 61 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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For those of us who count ourselves among the legions of the Cornhusker football faithful, the last year to year and a half has been particularly exasperating when it comes to a topic of perpetual concern and scrutiny. Anytime the discussion turns to athletic pursuits in the capital city of Nebraska, inevitably one query will rise above all others in its volume and tone of urgency, namely, "Why can't we just sell the men's basketball team to generate whatever revenue is needed?" You know, I'm going to immediately apologize for that. That was a low blow, totally unnecessary and devoid of humor. Unless it actually is feasible, in which case, let's get down to brass tacks.

Anyways, I'm actually talking about the one guy who is often held most responsible for any football team's fortune, be it triumphant or disastrous. Every position is important, but the catalyst for any given squad is almost always that of the signalcaller. Some could argue otherwise, (Ray Lewis and Barry Sanders spring to mind,) but that is another discussion for another day. And when one reflects back upon the often dramatic, often turbulent, and always engaging history of the Nebraska (capital Q) Quarterback, you can find miles and miles of print covering the intrigue that seems inherently woven into the lore and mystique of all those who have played the position here in this, the most football-absorbed state of the Union. (I hear you Texas, snorting out there. I'd like to point out the Red Raiders of Texas Tech, particularly the tradition of the fans in Lubbock of taunting opponents while using their fingers to simulate firing guns into the air. Nebraska 1, Texas negative 25.)

Among the forums and on the endless yammering of the AM sports radio shows, it seems like things are back to a common point of concern and anxiety in regard to our current QB situation. This is nothing new. Even when NU had a certain player who wore the number 15 on his jersey at the helm of an offense that can easily be described as devastatingly efficient and ceaseless, we unflinching Nebraska supporters conjured up some bickering and occasionally acerbic debate concerning the merits of the peerless Tommie and the guy with movie star looks who backed him up. Granted, this particular second stringer just so happened to be Brook Berringer, a man who would've started on almost every other team in NU history, and who in his own right assembled a pretty impressive highlight reel. And here I will repeat an assertion I've made many times before to the empty seat next to me in many a bar; I believe Brook quite possibly may have exceeded Vince Ferragamo in regard to having the most success of any Nebraska QB in the NFL, had tragedy not intruded upon his promising future.

The point of which being, even in times of unprecedented success and triumph, we managed to find a little angle of dissent amongst ourselves. The following years brought events of exponentially increasing absurdity. Scott Frost was always a source of ire and underlying contempt. The Wood River native committed an act akin to treason when he spurned his Cornhusker roots and went to, of all places, Stanford. To play for, of all people, Bill Walsh. Grown fat and spoiled off the heels of a 3 year run that even today seems hard to believe, young Frost even endured the seemingly alien and surreal sound of boos raining down upon him from the Memorial Stadium masses. Even today he remains a dependable whipping object, as evidenced by the distasteful backlash of his new pursuits at a Big 12 North rival, Kansas State. (I'm not saying I don't understand some of the negative commentary, mind you. Like most of you, I also find it appalling that the K-State program routinely kicks puppies, and I too am deeply disgusted with their tradition of watching Ivan Drago kill Apollo Creed in Rocky IV before every home game. Still, I wish Scott all the best, in spite of that.)

Before this gets even more long-winded then it already has become, let me run down a quick recap of what followed:

A. Bobby Newcombe loses his starting role when Eric Crouch calls Coach Solich a "big, stupid jerk-face" and runs out of the Coach's office declaring, "I'll never even say the word football again. I hope I get into an accident on the way home, 'cause then you'll all be sorry." Naturally, a hastily constructed mission is outlined, and the NU offense is placed in the hands of a wildly talented athlete in terms of speed, agility, and ankle breaking quickness. Frazier/Berringer like leadership? Not so much.

B. Jamal Lord requires a blood transfusion after every quarter of play during his tenure at the helm of a suddenly sagging Husker offense. And let's give this guy some due acknowledgement here: Jamal Lord was a heck of an athlete, and the toughest guy this side of Abdul Muhammad I've seen in a long time. He incurred the wrath of a frustrated Nebraska Nation, but truthfully, he deserved a lot more appreciation.

C. Joe Daily. I knew it was gonna be a long, LONG, excruciating and seemingly endless season when Joe ran out of bounds and inside the first down marker, inside the opponents 10 yard line, on fourth down, to end our chances of escaping a sickening loss to Southern Mississippi. The worst part of one of the most disheartening losses I remember in my unremarkable 26 years? The look on Joe's face when the play was over. It was pretty evident to me that Joe didn't know it was fourth down. Not an encouraging sign.

So, the whole gist of the preceding is to hopefully shore up my personal take on the concern and dismay many of my fellow Husker fans seem to hold in relation to the current QB status, which can be simplified in the following word: RELAX. For a few reasons, and reasons that are finding me quite complacent and optimistic as of late.

1. There are fears about life after Zac Taylor. Is Beck a player of amplified hype who lacks the physical and mental fortitude to match the heralded accolades that preceded him? Well...if I'm honest, then the answer is, "I don't have the slightest clue, buddy. He was pretty freaking good on my Playstation 2 dynasty, though." But I suspect the answer lies somewhere between the proven axiom that implies pomp and fanfare brings almost certain pratfalls. Or, if you build up a high school senior to be the next John Elway, then chances are he's gonna fall somewhere around the Scott Mitchell line instead, at least early in his career. Here are some things that I like. That I REALLY like: For all the press he received coming in, he has been surprisingly silent up to this point. For a guy who didn't play the vast majority of the season, he sure garnered a lot of coverage in the various media outlets in state, and to his credit he kept his opinions and feelings completely out of the reach of journalists who would have pushed their mothers out of the way to be first in line for a sound bite. And where some may have seen a meekness maybe, or a tin man's caliber of heart, I saw a kid who took a tough season in stride. The fact is, he didn't take enough snaps to offer even a minute glimpse into his potential, and defining him on the almost nonexistent body of work he has on his resume thus far isn't fair or justifiable. I'd also like to point out that we did, in fact, beat Kansas State with the true freshman filling in for Taylor after he absorbed a wince inducing hit. And while his performance was not exemplary, it also wasn't cause to build a bomb shelter and start hoarding batteries and non-perishable food items. Beck did recover after his potentially back breaking interception, and was able to convert a crucial first down that allowed the saintly Jordan Cogden his chance to drill an incredibly difficult field goal into a swirling wind to send the Wildcats home in what I assume was a very quiet bus. (Man. Did you guys forget, like I did, how beautiful it is to have a dependable place kicker? He's worth 10 obscenity laced tirades a season, all by himself.) For those of you who grew a sick of the Eric Crouch show as I did, (and boy, it's hard to defend that statement after watching any collection of Crouch highlights but I'll stand by it) perhaps you are as encouraged as I by the apparent selflessness this kid has shown. At a bear minimum, he's keeping any sort of discontent to himself. That tells me he is confident that his time will come, as well as a sign that he has a reservoir of maturity at his disposal. Just that in and of itself is an invaluable trait for any leader.

2. Which is a nice way to transition into the Freeman issue. I'm going to try to keep this fairly brief, but believe me when I say my view on this can be summarized simply with, "good riddance." Now, I'm not allied with those that denigrate the kid on backing out of his so-called obligation or "oath of allegiance" to the NU football program. This is a massive decision for any blue chip athlete, the decision of which school will be best suited to his talents for the next four or five years. And in my humble opinion, I think the kid has a bigger obligation to his own well being and happiness then that of any University. But here is the other side of that coin in my estimation: I take his defection as a strong indication of the fight (or lack thereof) inside this kid. Why did he leave? Ron Prince could conceivably be the most charming and engaging coach since Devaney and Switzer, but I ain't buying it. First off, I suspect he knew what kind aftershock this announcement would bring, and something tells me he was eager for that thrust back into the headlines. I don't see that as a positive. Secondly, Nebraska brought in Manelik Holt and Maurice Purify, among other major coups at the wide receiver position, not to mention proven and experienced talent in Terrence Nunn and Nate Swift. The RB situation is still pretty solid, although all of us know how massive Cory Ross' shoulder pads were, and somebody will have to step up and accept that considerable weight that #4 bore so admirably for the last few years. And the upside of Matt Herian, assuming he retains his old magic, leads to a very promising surrounding cast for a young NU signal caller. Therefore, the only logical conclusion that I can draw from this defection is that Freeman might have wanted some preferential guarantees that Norvell and Callahan couldn't, or wouldn't, give. And if Freeman didn't have the cocksure belief that all the great quarterbacks have, that inward unwavering assurance that his skills will prevail in any competition when all the cards are on the table, then I'm glad to see him go. He knew that going into Manhattan he would have the physical edge over his positional peers, and his tools would be glaring in their raw athletic superiority. Not the case in Lincoln. So, to the vocal camp out there who viewed this situation as one in which Nebraska was out played by the upstart new coach in the little apple, allow me to offer an alternative theory. We didn't lose the next all-world quarterback in some stunning collapse. All we lost was a recruit who didn't have a resolute determination to earn what looks to be a very difficult position to capture. And if he could snap his fingers and reverse his position after months and months of declaring his commitment to Nebraska, then something tells me we should save our wide eyed panic for another day. To me, the Freeman departure indicates the strength of Callahan and his coaching comrades. The small shrug they offered when this story broke speaks volumes to me. And I'll take that reaction over a frantic drive to Omaha to beg for a player to return any day.

3. Zac Taylor. He came from Butler Community College. He was working with a playbook that was foreign not only to him, but to basically every other major skill position player on the team. Matt Herian, who accounted for the only viable threat outside of the workhorse Cory Ross, was down for the season. The offensive line was in shambles. The receivers didn't know their routes. His continuity with his center was built on one spring and one fall practice session. It took him and his mates about 8 games to get down this fairly complex playbook. In the end, we beat Michigan. With the Butler transplant at the helm, who came to embody the toughness and humility that most Nebraskans like to hold up as what makes being a native Nebraskan something worth holding onto. I'm not trying to criticize or belittle anybody with the following...but something tells me that Zac Taylor and the rest of this team wouldn't have accomplished what they did under a previous coaching regime. Again: Zac Taylor, a community college transfer, was our starting quarterback on a team with substantial problems at the offensive line position, a star TE out for the season and no reserve available with anything resembling the dynamic skills he brought with him, and a fleet of unproven, untested, and inexperienced wide receivers with no familiarity with their quarterbacks nuances and tendencies. On the last game of the season, Nebraska rallied from a two score deficit to beat Michigan. I won't give up on Beck until this staff does. As far as Witt...if Callahan and Norvell are excited by him, then by God so am I. So far, they've proven themselves to be great judges of talent in that particular position.

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CommentsComments: 61  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Shannon		04:58 AM
07/13/2006
Honestly, there is no question about Harrison Beck, period. The guy has a wealth of character. He has the desire to learn, and...
No.2
Epp34		06:29 AM
07/13/2006
That is one of the most well written and detailed articles of the entire offseason. I think all of us husker fans agree with...
No.3
Gordon		08:17 AM
07/13/2006
Awesome article! I can't say enough good things about Pederson, Callahan and the coaching staff. They are doing the right...
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