Nebraska Football has a special quarterback on their hands.

Quite frankly it’s hard to criticize sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez. After a stellar 2018 season in which he passed for 2,617 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, to say that he would need to improve upon those numbers would seem a little demanding. In addition to a 64.6 completion percentage, Martinez showed that he could be the face of the Nebraska football program for the next couple of years.

Even still, Martinez and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco are continuing to work hard at getting better. Of course no player is perfect, even though it seemed like Martinez could do no wrong at times last season. Nevertheless as Martinez enters his sophomore year, both him and Verduzco want to work on improving. By their own admissions, Martinez could have done several things better last season in terms of efficiency and maximizing each play. That seems to be a goal for 2019.

Last season, the pair worked on improving Martinez’s throwing motion, and it yielded positive results. Now, they want to work on how he moves inside the pocket. Feet are very important to the quarterback, especially in terms of moving and avoiding pressure. That could make the difference between a sack and keeping the play alive. With the Big Ten boasting several tough defenses, footwork is going to be important for Martinez to master.

“I think you’re going to find, 5 percent? Yeah. Some of those throws we missed ball placement on last year are going to be made,” Verduzco said. “When his feet are better, his eyes will be better and he will get to his response faster, so just cleaning up those sort of things will be a tremendous help for him.

In terms of play maximization, both player and coach want to keep striving for the best results. That is certainly a good thing to work on, as the program will undoubtedly look to Martinez as a leader. The habits that Martinez takes part in could be mimicked by fellow players. Especially in a leadership position, that is very much a possibility.

“One thing we’re talking about now is ‘one more.’ One more blade of grass, one more completion. One more touchdown. One more whatever it might be. So if we can get one more third down conversion, God that’s tremendous.”

The fact that these two are working on the little things is great. Good habits on the football field especially for a quarterback can often lead to good results. Successful people never take a day off, and that appears to be the case with Martinez here. If the results on the field match work ethic so far in the offseason, there will be a lot of fun Saturdays in Lincoln. With an offense that boasts many playmakers, Martinez should have a lot to work with.

Martinez showed plenty of promise in 2018, and now it is his job to build off that. I know it’s easier said than done, but he has a tremendous skill set that should allow him to take the next step to continue to be a great quarterback and possibly be a Heisman front-runner. It all starts with working on the little things.