Taylor Martinez
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Taylor Todd Martinez (born September 15, 1990) is an American former
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who played for the
Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...
. Following the
2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
he signed with the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) as
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. His contract was voided prior to the season due to a failed physical.


Early life

Martinez played his senior year of high school football at Centennial High School in
Corona, California Corona (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crown") is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States, directly bordering Orange County, California, Orange and San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino counties. Its curre ...
, where he was a teammate of
Vontaze Burfict Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. ( ; born September 24, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. ...
and
Will Sutton William Sutton (born October 3, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played ...
. At Centennial he passed for over 3,000 yards, including 28 touchdowns with a 61 percent pass completion. Taylor also rushed for 750 yards with 12 touchdowns. Martinez received multiple awards for his performance and led Centennial to a state championship win and a perfect season (15–0). Centennial High School finished the 2007 season with a 13–2 record and ranked 24 by ''
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''. The undefeated 2008 Huskies team won a
California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...
state championship and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation by ''USA Today''. Martinez committed to the
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
on August 22, 2008. Martinez wasn't heavily recruited by
Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
schools as the only football scholarship offer he received to play quarterback was from Nebraska.


College career


2009

Martinez was
redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
for the entire year.


2010

After a three-way position battle, Martinez emerged over sophomore Cody Green and senior
Zac Lee Zac Lee (born April 26, 1987) is an American former professional football quarterback. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Nebraska. He is the son of former NFL quarterback, ...
for the majority of the 2010 season as the University of Nebraska's starting quarterback. In October, Martinez was named as a semi-finalist for the
Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
. Three impressive performances by Martinez came on the road with games against
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
,
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...
, and
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
. At the University of Washington on September 18, Martinez ran an 80-yard touchdown run on the Husky defense in a 56–21 Husker win. Martinez finished with three touchdowns while rushing 19 times for 137 yards and completing 7-of-11 passes for 150 yards. Against Kansas State on October 7 Martinez ran 15 times for 241 yards and completed 5-of-7 passes for 128 yards which included a 79-yard touchdown pass to Kyler Reed in the third quarter. Martinez had touchdown runs of 14, 35, 80, and 41 yards during the contest. Nebraska beat Kansas State, 48–13. His 241 yards rushing set a school record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback and most rushing yards in a game by a freshman. On October 23, in a 51–41 victory against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, he completed 23-of-35 passes for 323 yards that included five touchdown passes with three of those going to wide receiver Brandon Kinnie for 45, nine, and eight yards. Martinez ran 19 times for 112 yards in the contest at
Stillwater, Oklahoma Stillwater is the tenth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, Payne County. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177#Oklahoma, U.S. Route 177 and Oklahoma S ...
. He set a freshman all-time record for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single game for the Huskers. In November, Martinez received the 2010 All-Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award. The Cornhuskers reached the Big 12 Championship Game to face
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
(12–2, ranked No. 6 nationally in the AP College Football Poll by season's end) on December 4 as they finished 6–2 in conference play and first place in the Big 12 North Division under the direction of head coach
Bo Pelini Mark Anthony "Bo" Pelini (born December 13, 1967) is a former American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers football, Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He is the youn ...
. Unfortunately, a twisted ankle Martinez suffered back on October 30 in a 31–17 home win over Missouri wound up being a lingering injury. Oklahoma edged Nebraska, 23–20, as Martinez struggled to get on track while completing 12-of-24 passes for 143 yards. The Sooners defense kept the Husker ground game in check as Nebraska managed just 145 yards off 43 rushes. Martinez finished the season completing 116-of-196 passing attempts for 1,631 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 games. The 6–1, 205-pound redshirt freshman ran 162 times for 965 yards while running forward and scoring 12 touchdowns. Nebraska went 10–4 and was ranked No. 19 and No. 20 by the Coaches and AP Polls respectively.


2011

With a preseason No. 10 ranking for the redshirt sophomore starting quarterback, Martinez responded with early season successes and a 7–1 start as the University of Nebraska joined the Big Ten for the first time in the school's history after the realignment of many conferences had changed the college football landscape—which began to take place during the summer of 2010. On October 1, Martinez and Nebraska traveled to Madison, Wis. to face AP No. 7 nationally ranked
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
and quarterback, N.C. State transfer
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...
. With 12:45 left to play in the 2nd quarter, Nebraska led 14–7 off 1-yard touchdown runs by Martinez and
Rex Burkhead Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengal ...
. After that, Wisconsin continued to pull away and won by the score of 48–17. Wilson finished 14-of-20 passing for 255 yards with two touchdowns. Martinez had 20 rushes for 61 yards and completed 11-of-22 passes for 176 yards against the Badgers. Martinez and his teammates rebounded from the Wisconsin loss, however, by recording the biggest comeback win in
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
history as the Cornhuskers overcame a 27–6 deficit versus
Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
. Nebraska responded with 28 unanswered points as the biggest play of the game may have been Martinez' screen pass to Burkhead who ran 30 yards into the end zone to tie the score at 27–27 with 7:35 left in the contest. Burkhead also scored the game's winning touchdown off a 17-yard run as Martinez finished the game completing 16-of-22 passes for 191 yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 102 yards off 17 carries against the Buckeyes. Martinez' best performance throwing the football in 2011 came in a 28–25 loss to Northwestern on November 5 as he completed 28-of-37 passes for 289 yards without an interception. Martinez threw touchdown passes of 15 and 14 yards. He had 53 rushing yards on 12 carries against Northwestern. Martinez and Nebraska had their first experience in the Big Ten as they finished 5–3 in the conference. The 6–1, 200-pound redshirt sophomore led Nebraska to a 9–4 record as the Cornhuskers were nationally ranked No. 24 by the AP College Football Poll. Martinez's statistics for the season had him completing 162-of-288 passes for 2,089 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The spread option quarterback ran the ball 188 times for 874 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns in 13 games. Martinez's Cornhuskers were invited to play the nationally ranked No. 10
South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...
(10–2) in the Capital One-Citrus Bowl on January 2, 2012, in Orlando, Florida. Nebraska lost the game, 30–13.


2012

Leading up to the 2012 season, Martinez was heavily criticized by fans and media for his awkward passing motion and tendency to turn the ball over. During the spring and summer of 2012, Martinez spent time working on his throwing motion with Steve Calhoun, a private quarterback's coach that operates a football camp in California called "Armed and Dangerous." Calhoun was known for his work with college quarterbacks, and had helped prepare some college quarterbacks for the NFL, including
Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...
and
Jake Locker Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selec ...
. Although Martinez had only completed 56% of his passes in 2011, he was confident that his second season as quarterback for in Tim Beck's offense would be better. When asked if he had a completion rate goal for 2012, Martinez responded "70 percent or above." The season opener against
Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...
ended up being a showcase for Martinez's improvement over the spring and summer. Martinez went 26/34 passing with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions and lead Huskers to a 49–20 win. His throwing motion improved and no longer appeared to be an issue. In the game against Wisconsin defensive end David Gilbert wasn't convinced of Martinez' improvement. When asked he said, "It still looks like he’s skipping rocks out there to me... He still can’t throw. I’m just going to say it. He still can’t throw. He’s not going to beat us with his arm." Martinez led scoring drives on 5 of Nebraska's last 6 possessions to take a 30–27 lead late in the 4th quarter—which ended up being the final score. Martinez accounted for all 4 of Nebraska's touchdowns, throwing for 2 and running for 2 more. The victory was Nebraska's 2nd largest comeback in school history, 2nd only to the 21 point comeback win against Ohio State the season before (also featuring Martinez at QB). One of Martinez's best games of 2012 came at Michigan State on November 3. Michigan State was 5–4 heading into the game, but featured the best defense statistically in college football at that point in the season, including the best run defense in the Big Ten. Martinez ended the day with the second best rushing performance of his career with 205 yards on 17 carries. Despite throwing 3 interceptions, Martinez was able to make important throws late in the game. Down by 3 with no timeouts and only 1:20 left, Martinez led an 80-yard drive that included a 38-yard completion to Kyler Reed on 4th and 10 at the Nebraska 40-yard line, and the game-winning touchdown pass to sophomore WR Jamal Turner with :06 seconds left. Martinez received Player of the Week honors in the Big Ten for his performance. During the game, Martinez passed former Heisman winner
Eric Crouch Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 2001. Running Nebraska's opti ...
as the all-time leader in total yardage at Nebraska. Martinez helped lead another comeback the following week against Penn State, where he rushed for 105 yards and threw for 171 more with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Martinez had another fine passing performance in the next game against Minnesota when he completed 72% of his passes for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. Nebraska finished the regular season at 10–2, and headed to the Big Ten championship for a rematch with unranked, 7–5 Wisconsin. Nebraska was a 10-point favorite heading into the game. However, a bad defensive performance by the Cornhuskers led to a 70–31 loss. After the loss, the Huskers went on to lose to #7 ranked
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
in the
Capital One Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Florida Classic. The g ...
45–31. Martinez threw for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions (including a late-game desperation throw). The 2012 Cornhuskers finished the season at 10–4 and Nebraska was ranked No. 25 in the final AP Top 25 Poll. Martinez improved statistically, and had nearly 800 more passing yards, 10 more touchdowns, and a 6% higher completion rate than the season before. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career. Although he fell short of his 70% completion goal, it was clear that he had improved his passing while still being a major threat running the ball. Martinez had broken many QB records at Nebraska and headed into the 2013 season as one of the top dual threat QBs in the country. Many sports analysts thought that if he continued to work with Steve Calhoun to improve his passing game in the offseason, he could have been a Heisman trophy candidate in 2013 barring injury.


2013

Martinez suffered a debilitating injury close to the ball of his left foot affecting the second and third toes. The injury occurred during the first week of the season against Wyoming. The specifics of Martinez' 2013 injury were revealed in January as a "...plantar plate tear of the second metatarsal phalangeal joint." The injury occurred on a running play in the middle of the fourth quarter during the Wyoming game and was aggravated during the
Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...
game. He played again in the
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
game, but the pain came back during the second half. The last game of his collegiate career was against
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
(a 34–23 loss). Playing aggravated the injury. It was reported in November recovery would not be full until February or March 2014.


Statistics


Professional career

Martinez signed with the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
on May 12, 2014, as an undrafted rookie free agent. The Eagles already had
Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of six teams, he achieved his greatest success wi ...
,
Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...
and
Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the USC Trojans, setting set the Pac-12 Conference season record for touchdown passes as a junior. Due to suffer ...
on their roster, but the team reportedly planned to use Martinez as a wide receiver or defensive back. However, he failed his physical, and his contract was voided two days later.


References


External links


Nebraska profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Taylor 1990 births Living people American football quarterbacks Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Players of American football from Corona, California Centennial High School (Corona, California) alumni