This isn't "Passing with the Stars."

Playing quarterback at Nebraska is about substance, not style. It's about the W's. Show me the rings.

Look down the Mount Rushmore of Big Red quarterbacks. Most of them had a hitch in their windup. Some of them looked like shot putters. Their throwing mechanics needed a good mechanic. Turner Gill was smoother than the rest, and they still remember him for the winning, too, not to mention the one time he fell just short of winning.

Tell it to the national media wiseguys who had fun with Taylor Martinez's throwing motion last Saturday. We've heard it all about the way Martinez rears back on his back foot and throws the football like he's tossing a javelin.

"Tim Tebow says Taylor Martinez throws weird."

"If I'm Bo Pelini, I never let No. 3 throw it."

"Stop running the option with this quarterback."

The latter was a tweet from a guy named Tommie Frazier, and we'll get to him in a minute. The thing is, when it comes to guys who don't always look the part, and guys who get roughed up by the critics as well as the linebackers, Martinez has company.

That's not to say that Martinez belongs with the Fraziers, Gills, Steve Taylors, Scott Frosts and Eric Crouches.

But if you've noticed lately, the kid is moving closer to becoming, well, a quarterback.

Nebraska plays at Michigan on Saturday, and this was supposed to be Martinez vs. Denard Robinson. The media has been selling this one, like a prize fight, or two big-time sprinters going head to head, since Martinez ran up and down the field at Kansas State more than a year ago.

But that was then and this is now: Martinez isn't that guy anymore. He doesn't sprint much anymore. He's morphing into something else, a life form known as a quarterback who manages a game with decisions and making key plays, someone who can win big-boy games with his head.

The transformation has been gradual, and yet stunning, too.

A year ago, Martinez was a phenomenon. A roadrunner from California. Beep, beep, there he goes again, 80 yards and leaving them in his dust.

Then we saw him throw, and we cringed, and then he was hurt, and then we saw he wasn't a pocket passer, and couldn't make reads, and then came that ugly Holiday Bowl. And nobody was sure about Martinez. Should he be a receiver? Or could you design an offense to harness that gift?

Then we saw him running the option early in the 2011 season. Intriguing notion, with his speed, but option-making is a skill you learn over time.

Then came that night in Wisconsin, when the interceptions and bad decisions rained down, and everyone was ready to toss the kid into the recycle bin.

Then he pushed back, sniping at the media, at the critics, and people were aghast and said the kid will never be a leader. He'll never be that quarterback.

It's been a dizzying run. But the fact is, Martinez is still here, still playing quarterback, still a mystery-in-progress.

The fact is, also, he's improving. And a lot of folks are saying it, even the harshest critics, who never imagined they would.

"He's getting better," Frazier said.

Frazier does not say this grudgingly, but it's clear he's not sold yet. Touchdown Tommie always told it the way he saw it and was never shy about stepping on feelings, in the huddle or wherever. Now he's got a weekly radio show in Omaha and he's still the same Tommie.

What does Frazier see? He sees Martinez as a young guy, a guy with limitations, but a guy with potential if you put him in the right position to succeed.

That's the Martinez we've seen since the Wisconsin game. A little smarter, a little more patient, a little more careful with the ball. A check-down pass to Rex Burkhead for a touchdown against Ohio State. Last week, Martinez was chased from the pocket with 7 yards to a first down and instead of running he dropped the ball off to an outlet receiver, who got the yardage.

He completed 28 of 37 for 289 yards against Northwestern, which was a loss, but nobody blamed Martinez. He was 13 of 26 for 143 yards last week but ran the offense and got enough points to win at emotional Penn State. Martinez has been cutting down on the bad plays that kill you. But there have been more little plays that are good plays, quarterback plays.

"It's getting better," Frazier said. "You can tell he's going through first reads — not there, throw it away. You can tell his management of the game has gotten better. He's getting guys lined up. He's not making the bad throws he's made earlier in the year. So I've seen some improvement there, and that's what you want to see.

"But Nebraska's not going to win many games with him throwing the ball 37 times."

Frazier adds the last line because he knows that's not Martinez's strength, just as it wasn't Frazier's forte, or Frost's or Crouch's, either. He wonders why Martinez isn't running the ball more, why he isn't finishing runs. And Frazier knows the answer: they want to keep Martinez healthy.

It should be noted that Frazier is the cousin of redshirt freshman quarterback Brion Carnes. So when Frazier says they should give Carnes more snaps, in case Martinez gets hurt, that's something to keep in mind.

But Frazier will also tell you that Martinez is not an option quarterback, nor should he ever be one on a regular basis because "I don't think he can take that pounding, every hit, every play."

So what do we have here? According to Frazier, a quarterback who can help you win, if you put him in the right position, but a guy whose strength is taken away by making him slide and not finish runs.

"They're doing things to make the game easier for him, so he's not having to think,'' Frazier said. "I think they've pulled some of the offense to make sure he's successful. You have to give the guy confidence. But I think some parts of his game are lacking because of it. He's running not to get hurt. Earlier in his career, he was just running and made more explosive plays. He needs to get back to that."

This is one opinion, a highly educated one, but one opinion. When it comes to the quarterback at Nebraska, everyone has an opinion. And few are afraid to share it.

That's something Martinez needs to come to grips with. In this state, it's called tough love. Nobody wants Martinez to fail. The fans, critics, want him to be great. Frost got ripped. Crouch got criticized. The folks who didn't vote for Frazier to win the Heisman said he couldn't pass.

It's part of the gig. And yet you still sense that Martinez is holding a grudge. He does the obligatory press conferences, but there's some tension. Short answers. He may not be a big talker. Once upon a time, before he got a radio show, Frazier was a man of few words, too.

But a man of many wins.

"Bottom line is, you're not going to change his throwing motion now. It is what it is," Frazier said. "Just put him in positions where he feels comfortable and he can succeed and help the team win.

"That's what all quarterbacks are judged by. Winning. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you look. It's who's winning and who's losing."

Martinez is starting to figure that out, one win at a time.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

twitter.com/tomshatelOWH

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