Wide Receiver Mike McNeill

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010
Pre-Idaho

Mike McNeill
Senior, Wide Receiver
On the cause of not being a frequent offensive target on Saturday - coverage or Taylor Martinez's first start
"I dropped the first pass thrown to me. I was overshot on one. Then I actually was targeted on a few but based on coverages we had to go to checkdowns. I'm not worried about it. New quarterback and I think the rest of the season will be fine."

On Taylor Martinez's huddles
"He did a really good job, I was very impressed how Taylor ran everything. He played really well. He controlled the game. He got the ball snapped when we were running out of time a few times. So overall I'd say he had a good game and played really well."

On having a lot of offensive weapons and not being used as much
"Just going back to last year, I've faced this question several times. There is nothing I can do about it. I can't let it get to me. I just gotta keep playing and the touches will come when they come, and I just have to deal with that."

On how Taylor has improved with communicating both in the huddle and among the team
"When they were all battling, people were a little unsure - not that the huddle was unsure - but I just feel like now he know it's his huddle, and he's going to run the show. He's got a lot of confidence, he a confident kid, and he did a good job of running the huddle."

On how Martinez is different from other quarterbacks he's played with at Nebraska
"He definitely has the best wheels of any of them. Joe Gantz could run pretty well but not as well as Taylor. He's just different in the sense that I don't know if he's as vocal as some of the other guys I've been around. He leads just by the way he plays, and I think he's a confident player, but it's not like he's out there talking and motivating. Kind of like, I thought Joe was the leader - the rah-rah guy. But he's a little bit different in that sense. But he's definitely good. He's talented.

On if that type of quiet leadership should be expected by a freshman
"I don't know what he's thinking, but I think he wants to go out there and perform and not necessarily have to be telling us what to do. We usually know what to do, and we just expect him to get us in the right situation and make the right play calls, and as long as he does that I don't think he needs to necessarily be saying things in the huddle to us."

On if this was expected with Taylor, not just on the field but as the total player
"We all knew what he could do. A lot of time people get hyped up during camp or spring ball, you never really know what you're going to get. But we all knew, that kid can flat out run. We've known that for a while. We've known how talented he is. I was really impressed with how he managed the game, and how he got things going. I knew he was going to run the ball well, but I was just impressed with the clock management and the play calls. Like I said he did a great job and it was all expected."

On if the seniors have talked to Taylor about handling all the extra attention
"People handle it differently. You can tell him not to get caught up in the hype, or don't let people blow you out of the water by saying you're this or that, but you have to experience that for yourself. I don't know how he handles things, but you have to just go with that as they come."

On if the offense talked to him about throwing the bones after the touchdown
"I saw it yesterday when we were playing the game. I don't know if he knows that's a defense thing or not, but if that's his celebration, then that's his celebration."

On how changing the offense affects him as a wide receiver with Taylor being a running quarterback
"Well we've got to be on our blocks real quick just because he hits the hole so quick. He goes through his progressions in the passing game. It's not like he's ready to take off as soon as he drops back. He's done a good job of reading through players and taking off if he has to. We need to get blocks downfield because he will definitely be there pretty quick and quite often."

On if the coaches conveyed Zac Lee's role to the rest of the team
"Well when Taylor started taking reps with the ones we just assumed that was the way it was going, but as far as the talk between Coach (Shawn) Watson and Zac, we don't know what was said or what went on."

On if McNeill felt like he had to show his support to Martinez as a new, young quarterback, especially with the game-time decision on a starter 
"I hope he didn't feel that. I hope that's not the way we came across. As far as the offense goes, we were open to whoever won the battle, because as far as we are concerned, whoever wins competition, plays. You may be better friends with one person on the team, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be upset if he's not playing or if he loses his job. We're going to stick by what the coaches decide, and if Taylor won the competition, then he should know he had the faith from all of us, and the belief that he can do it from all the offensive guys."

On what he saw from Cody Green on Saturday
"He was really poised from what I saw. He did a really good job. He made some checks into the blitzes they ran and got the ball to the right place. He threw a touchdown pass. He did a really good job. I keep saying they've all done a good job all throughout fall camp, and they've all improved and they've all gotten better. And they have. I think Cody did a good job."

On if he (Green) was more confident than his true freshman year
"I think that with the playing experience he's gotten in the time being here. Obviously the longer you're here and the more time you've played and the more games you've played in, the more confident you are. I think that's starting to happen with him."

On how was the response from Zac and Cody once Taylor got the nod to start on Saturday
"Just going on with everyday life, you've just got to go out and compete. It's not final. He started the first game, but if things change and one starts playing better, I'm sure the coaches will put whoever they feel is doing the best. They're not going to give up. They're not going to pout. They're going to go out and compete every day."

On if he would prefer if one guy won the quarterback job and took over the role for the season
"It's always nice when someone's earned the role, but if someone else steps up halfway through the season and is the better choice, then we have to go with what's going to help us win games. If that's not the same person all year, then that's how it's going to be and we're just going to have to deal with it. Obviously you get used to someone calling the plays and being in the huddle and throwing the ball and their release and their timing, and that's all important, but ultimately we've worked with all three for so long that we know how they all are."

On how the win feels with all the hype about the season
"We started off pretty high. The first quarter looked real good, with a three-and-out we scored on our third play I think, but then we got kind of sloppy. Championship teams don't do that. We didn't play as well as we like to, and we didn't play like a championship team. I still think we can. I still think we have the ability to, be we've got to play a lot better than we did against Western Kentucky."

On what he thinks about Shawn Watson's strategy about multiple people getting multiple touches
"We've got a lot of guys who can make a lot of plays. We're rotating running backs. We're switching up formations to get receivers in different spots and run certain plays."