Adrian Martinez Quotes

Nebraska Football
Spring Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Adrian Martinez
On winter conditioning
“We were hungry, excited in a way to start fresh with winter conditioning and start fresh and use last year’s fuel. I think the guys responded well to what the coaches wanted us to do and what the strength staff wanted us to do and we really hit the weight room hard.”

On how different this season feels
“I think there is always competition and you never want to be complacent. I never want to have the mindset that I’m the guy. I feel like as a team, as a whole, we’re all in a different place. Just from knowing the offense and knowing how to warm up. Something so small, but something we know now like the back of our hand. We’re able to move a lot quicker.”

On having more experience than last year
“I think it has helped me a lot. Last year, a lot of my play was trying to learn the offense and make strides in the weight room. Now, I have a pretty good grip on the offense and I feel like it has allowed me to make strides as a leader in ways I didn’t get to last year.”

On having younger guys on offense
“It has only been one practice, so we will definitely have some time to let this develop. It will be good. There’s a lot of competition going on and a lot of hungry guys at the receiver spot, at the running back spot… it’s a good deal, we have right now and very promising.”

On being called a top Heisman Trophy candidate
“It’s humbling. Obviously, it’s an award that you grow up knowing about. At the end of the day, that is not my primary focus. My primary focus is getting better each day and helping this team win more games, that’s what matters. Everything else will take care of itself.”

On early enrollees
“I have been in those shoes and I understand how tough it can be. I don’t want to see those guys make the same mistakes I did, or waste time in certain areas like I did. That goes for all of our early enrollees. They have handled it really well and something that I admire about those guys in particular is that they wanted to learn. They wanted to learn the playbook, they wanted to be as good as they can be, because they know it’s a competition… in the receiver room, you have Stanley [Morgan Jr.] going to the league. It’s up for grabs, it will be intriguing and I have been impressed by those guys.”

On self-analysis on his first season and what he would like to change
“Obviously, my overall game needs to improve. Certain decisions I made in key situations, I would love to take back. That happened in a few different games and having that experience has allowed me to get better and better. Getting to look back on it, I can’t promise I won’t make a mistake, but I try not to make the same mistake twice.”

On his role as a leader
“In a sense, it has been a natural progression and I have definitely tried to take on more of that leadership role more vocally. That can just be little things, but signs of encouragement and little things around the weight room and around campus to let the guys know I am there for them and try to do things the right way.”

On freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey
“Real good dude, real good dude. He fits in perfectly in the quarterback room and I’m thankful for that. He’s a heck of an athlete, I’m sure you guys could have guessed it, but he’s real fast and real athletic and I’m sure he’s going to be a real good quarterback.”

What one thing would he like to have back from his freshman season
“It’s tough to pick one thing, I would probably take eight things back. One thing would probably be the Colorado injury, if I’m being honest. It kind of happened because it was my own fault. I made an error about the way I went about the play and it ended up getting me hurt. I made a lot of mistakes last year and I do believe everything happens for a reason and you have to learn from them. I learned from that, as well as countless interceptions and poor decisions.”

On freshman wide receiver/running back Wan’Dale (Robinson’s) hype
“He has a great head on his shoulders already and I can tell that. I’ll be there for him, whatever he needs, but I’m confident that he’s going to be able to keep working hard and accomplish what he wants to if he keeps that mindset.”

On if he feels a difference in how he leads
“I believe leadership is performance and performance is leadership. Obviously last year, I got to play under some things that I think I can do as a leader now that I couldn’t do at the beginning of last year. As last year went on, I kind of stepped more into that role and this year I got to step more into that role. It’s validated in a sense that I got to become a leader, but I don’t want to change and I haven’t changed the person I am because of last season or anything in that nature. I’m the same guy that I’ve always been.”

On goals set in the winter
“I was just trying to attack and put on some weight and get stronger with each day. Obviously, try to be a good leader for the guys and set a good example.”

On if he has got to do anything in the snow
“Well, besides walk to class every day, not really. I’m just hopeful and hoping this weather gets better soon. I hope it does, I really do.”