A second player in three weeks was arrested for misdemeanor traffic violations Wednesday when offensive lineman Vince Vance was taken into custody by the Athens-Clarke County police for driving without a license.
Head coach Mark Richt said Vance, 22, had a learner’s permit, which would allow him to operate the vehicle if another adult was present, but that was not the case at the time of the arrest. The violation is the second in the past year for Vance, who was arrested on a similar charge last November.
“He doesn’t have a car, and he claims that he never drives unless he has someone 21 (years old) with (him) which is legal to do," Richt said. "So here’s a kid who doesn’t have a suspended license. It’s a legal license. Now, why he has a learner’s permit at this age, everybody’s asking the same question. But he drove by himself and had a traffic violation and when they ran it, he broke the law."
Richt said the arrest will not affect Vance’s playing time in this week’s game against Florida.
“It’s not affecting his playing status at all,” Richt said. “If he starts, he was going to start, if he doesn’t start, he wasn’t going to start.”
Richt said further punishment is being handled in-house, but said that the team’s focus on these minor traffic offenses has increased in recent weeks.
Three weeks ago, cornerback Vance Cuff was arrested for driving a scooter with a suspended license, and linebacker Rennie Curran also had a bench warrant issued for him after he failed to appear in court following a speeding violation.
“I can’t even tell you what we’ve been trying to get done in regard to making sure these things don’t happen,” Richt said. “I’m highly frustrated. I’ve taken things a little bit more into my own hands to make sure these things get resolved.”
The problem, Richt said, is that rules are often nearly impossible to enforce. While the school tries to ensure each player has a valid license, situations like the one faced by Vance result from players not having the proper class of license, which is forcing Richt to take a firm stand on the issue.
“My feeling is, every single Georgia football player must have not only a valid license, but a Class C license,” Richt said.
Still, Richt said, it remains difficult to keep tabs on any potential moving violations, parking tickets and other minor issues that can, if ignored, become more serious. Finding a foolproof plan to combat the issues will take some time, he said.
“I can’t snap my finger and get it done overnight,” Richt said. “If a kid gets a ticket and he can’t take care of it quickly enough, he could find himself with an issue there. So it’s a real pain in the rear, quite frankly.”
While neither Vance nor Cuff were charged with anything more serious than a misdemeanor, Richt said the problem is more about image than substance.
"It’s one thing to get stopped and get a citation," Richt said. "I don’t think anybody gets too bent out of shape. But if a guy gets stopped and he’s arrested, that’s a more serious matter. These are misdemeanor issues, but it’s an arrest nonetheless, and it’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing to the program and to them. So we’ve got to do a better job, and I’m taking the blame for not making certain these things were taken care of, but we’re going to get it straight.”
Richt said he would personally take account of players' driving status and make an effort to constantly remind players that moving violations and other traffic citations must be reported to the coaching staff.
In Curran's case, a traffic ticket went unpaid, and a bench warrant was issued. That's not uncommon, Richt said, as the busy schedule of classes and football can often cause a player to forget to follow up on such issues.
While Richt is understanding of why the problems can arise, however, he's unwilling to tolerate further excuses.
“I don’t think anybody’s purposely trying to do those things, but if they don’t follow through, that’s another problem," he said. "So all these things can happen and they seem little … but those little things if you don’t handle your responsibilities, then you get bigger problems. That’s part of growing up, that’s part of college, that’s part of what we’re trying to help these guys understand. They’ve got to grow up, be a man, handle your responsibilities so we don’t have to deal with this. But we have got to make sure we’re monitoring these things so we don’t have these things blow up on us.”
RECORD CHASER
As far as the record books go, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is currently tied with former Georgia great Herschel Walker for the SEC’s record for career rushing touchdowns, meaning the much-reviled Gators star could set the mark against Walker’s old team this week. That doesn’t exactly sit well with some of Georgia’s players.
“It seems like everybody is trying to make history on us,” defensive tackle Jeff Owens said, referencing Eric Berry’s attempt to set a record for interceptions against Georgia three weeks ago. “We want to keep him out of the end zone. He’s a tough player, always trying to get that extra yard, so we’ve just got to scratch and claw and try to stop him.”
Tebow has 49 career rushing touchdowns, five of which have come against Georgia. While that officially ties the record, Walker has five additional touchdowns that came in bowl games, which were not counted toward official totals at the time.
Regardless of the caveats, Georgia isn’t interested in seeing Tebow break Walker’s record – officially or unofficially – this week.
“Just knowing the type of player that Herschel was and the type of guy that he is now, we just want to represent for the guys who played before us,” linebacker Rennie Curran said. “That would be huge for us to hold their offense and Tebow and not let them score. We know they like to put the ball in his hands on the goal line so that is going to be our main goal. Not just because it is going to be a record but because as a defense we just want to play our best game.”
Of course, that’s as much a compliment to Tebow as anything. For as much as Georgia’s players hope they can maintain Walker’s record, quarterback Joe Cox admits he has a great deal of respect for Tebow, too.
“He’s unique being such a big, powerful runner,” Cox said. “You see a lot of quarterbacks nowadays that can run, but it’s not like a guy that runs like a fullback. You don’t have a lot of guys that play quarterback that are your goal line back. I think he’s different in that sense. I don’t know how many guys can take that many carries in a conference like this. I don’t know how many you’ll see that are like him. You’ll see a lot of guys that are dual-threat, but guys that can take that many carries and be the goal-line back? I don’t know.”
HAPPY TO BE BACK
Cox is making his first start in a Georgia-Florida game this season, and he’s happy to be doing it in Jacksonville, Fla.
There was a great deal of debate over the future of the game in recent months, but a deal to keep the game in Jacksonville appears imminent, and that’s just the way it should be, Cox said.
“I know there are people that think this game needs to come to Atlanta, but it doesn’t matter because wherever you are, it’s going to be a 50-50 crowd, and it’s always really cool to see it like that,” he said. “Two teams that are big rivals, they get to share the stadium, and it’s one of the best games in college football and it’s always fun to be a part of.”
NEW FACE EARNS PRAISE
Early in the season, Christian Robinson was buried on the depth chart at linebacker. But with injuries to Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin, the redshirt freshman has seen significant playing time the past two weeks, and he’s made the most of it.
In the past two games, Robinson has made six tackles – including one for a loss – in reserve duty, and linebackers coach John Jancek said his progress has been impressive.
“Christian has a very bright future here,” Jancek said. “He’s only a freshman, but he’s really caught on to things very well. He’s a dedicated player, he plays very hard. I look for him to continue getting better and better and better. His biggest thing will be his physical development once we end this season.”
EXTRA POINTS
-- Georgia practice in full pads today, a change from its normal schedule following a bye week. The Bulldogs were making up for yesterday’s indoor workout, which was necessitated due to bad weather. The team will practice in shorts Thursday and have a brief walk-through Friday in preparation for Saturday’s game against Florida.
-- Richt said he was not sure who would start at tailback this week but indicated several of Georgia’s five scholarship tailbacks could play. He said, to this point, no one back has emerged that can handle all of Georgia’s playbook to the standards necessary, so different backs will be used for different play calls. Of the backs on the roster, however, Richt said sophomore Caleb King is closest to being a full-time player.
-- Richt still would not comment on a starting lineup for the offensive line, but Clint Boling (LT), Cordy Glenn (LG), Ben Jones (C), Chris Davis (RG) and Josh Davis (RT) handled the first-team reps during the early periods of Wednesday’s practice.
-- Richt said linebacker Akeem Dent went through a full practice today and will be able to play Saturday. Defensive end Kiante Tripp has also been cleared to play after missing most of the season with a neck stinger.
Showing posts with label Tim Tebow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Tebow. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Curran Talks Big Hits, Tebow
To be clear, Rennie Curran was not happy to see Tim Tebow carted off to the hospital in the middle of Florida's win over Kentucky last weekend. There's nothing fun about that.
But the medical issues aside, the Georgia linebacker absolutely loved the hit delivered by Wildcats defensive end Taylor Wyndham.
“That was a vicious hit," Curran said. "Those are the kind of hits you dream about as a defensive player where the guy doesn’t see you coming and you get him right under his chin. There’s no better opportunity than that. It sucks that he had to go into the hospital. You never want to see that happen to any guy, but those are the kind of hits that you just lick your lips for those opportunities as a defensive player.”
Curran's not trying to sound like a bad guy, it's just the mentality that a good linebacker has to have. You're not looking to kill a guy, but you do want the quarterback to fear for his life. It's a fine line.
“Defensively you want to go out there and have fun," Curran said. "The greatest thing in the world for the defense is to intimidate, for the offense to have that fear and to let them know that they’ll have to look around and watch their back. Especially for that quarterback, when you’ve got him rattled and wondering if his line can hold up, that’s a great feeling as a defense. You never want to put a guy in a situation where it can affect the rest of his life, but at the same time you want to play fast, you want to play physical and you want to play hard-nosed.”
That's all Wyndham was doing, Curran said, and in a similar situation, the Georgia linebacker would have loved to deliver the same type of hit.
The really good shots -- the memorable ones where everyone takes notice, regardless of the presence of medical personnel on the field -- those hits are what make football great.
“I’m just like, ‘Oh, boy, this is going to be beautiful,’" Curran said of the lead-up to a big hit. "As a player, that’s what you dream about. That’s what you play for is shots like those where you can make everybody go, ‘Oooh.’”
Curran said he hopes to have a chance at one of those hits in this week's game against LSU. With quarterback Jordan Jefferson willing to roll out of the pocket and freshman Russell Shepard occasionally entering the game at QB to run the football, there should be plenty of opportunities. And should one of those send the QB to the sidelines, Curran won't be too upset about that either.
“We look at it as an opportunity to get a good hit on him and hopefully take him out of the game," Curran said. "We’re going to be hungry no matter what quarterback is back there taking snaps.”
A few links for today...
-- I have a story in the Telegraph on the intriguing matchup of A.J. Green against LSU's Patrick Peterson and Chad Jones.
-- Green got some serious compliments from Arizona State's safeties coach following last week's game.
-- Idaho State has lost 19 of its last 20 games and has been outscored so far this season by a combined tally of 191-42. They'll be headed to Athens next year, and Blogging Pantsless offers a few reasons why that's a good thing.
-- Eric Zeier remains awfully confident about this Georgia team, and while I'd argue he's probably playing the role of company man a little bit, I tend to agree with him. There's a lot of room for improvement, which means you can complain about the past or be encouraged about the future (or both).
-- Three players from Georgia will be looking to impress in their home state for LSU this weekend.
-- Bleacher Report finds three areas of concern that Georgia must improve if the Dawgs hope to beat LSU.
-- Mark Richt says it's still too early to say if Washaun Ealey will redshirt. I say if he were close to playing, they'd have used him by now. Either way, Ealey is eagerly awaiting his opportunity.
-- Leonard Pope found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs.
-- And finally, I thought this was interesting: The New York Times recently ran a story on former Georgia basketball player Tim Bassett, who talked about the racism he faced while playing for the Bulldogs in the 1960s. Bassett was among the first black athletes to play at Georgia, and his stories underscore how bad things were -- particularly from former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. It's a really interesting read.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Media Days Notes: Florida Dominates Preseason Projections
A year ago, Georgia was the top team in the country to start the season, but the media in Hoover, Ala. for SEC Media Days still picked Florida to win the East. It probably shouldn't come as a big surprise then that the Gators were the runaway pick to repeat in 2009.
Florida was a unanimous selection by media to win the SEC East in the preseason balloting released Friday. Only one of the 64 voters selected anyone other than the Gators to win the conference. The lone dissenting vote went to Mississippi.
With the exception of receiver Percy Harvin, Florida returns nearly every key contributor from last year's national championship team, and the Gators' selection as the odds-on favorite to repeat as conference champs came as no surprise to the rest of the SEC.
"They win the big games, and you can't take anything from them," Georgia senior Jeff Owens said of the Gators. "They're a great football team, and we know that if you're going to be successful in this league, you've got to beat Florida. If you want to win a national championship or an SEC championship, you've got to beat Florida. That's the No. 1 thing."
Georgia was the consensus pick to finish second in the East, and the Bulldogs also landed five players on the All-SEC teams, as selected by the media. Receiver A.J. Green was the team's lone first-team representative, while linemen Clint Boling and Trinton Sturdivant, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and linebacker Rennie Curran were both named to the second team.
In the coach's poll, Curran was a first-team selection, but South Carolina's Eric Norwood said the demotion by the media was a reflection of the immense talent at linebacker in the conference.
"Our conference, you've got to have good linebackers," Norwood said. "It's not an option. It's not like you're in the Pac-10. This is a tough, physical conference, and you've got to be able to hit."
Alabama was selected by the media to win the SEC West, but the balloting was much closer. The Crimson Tide received 33 first-place votes, followed by Mississippi with 16 and LSU with 15.
Florida led all teams with 12 representatives on the All-SEC teams, including eight first teamers. Alabama had eight selections, while LSU and Ole Miss tied Georgia with five.
MY BAD, GUYS
The long national nightmare is over. The culprit has been found. The mystery has been solved.
The coach who left Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's name off his preseason All-SEC ballot was South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, but he promised the slight was unintentional.
Spurrier said an assistant filled out the ballot, leaving Tebow's name off and instead voting for Mississippi's Jevan Snead. Spurrier signed off on the ballot and admitted it was a mistake.
"I've called (SEC media relations director) Charles Bloom and said, 'Can I change our selection and put Tim Tebow in?'" Spurrier said. "I was able to put Tim Tebow in today, so now it's unanimous."
But even after Spurrier took full responsibility for leaving Tebow's name off his ballot and corrected the mistake, large contingent of reporters refused to let the story die. Nine more questions were posed to Spurrier involving Tebow, Florida or his voting habits, and a horde of reporters followed the former Gators coach off the stage and into the lobby to pose additional inquiries.
"I know some of you may not think that's right," Spurrier said of the voting error, hoping to end the discussion. "We made a mistake. Tim Tebow is not only the best quarterback in this league, I think he's the best in the country. … I admire and respect him. I apologize to him. He should have been on that ballot. I messed up, and I take full blame for it."
DELIGATION OF AUTHORITY
Spurrier's admission of the voting snafu put an end to the week's biggest story, but it created a second wave of inquiries from the reporters in attendance.
After admitting that an assistant filled out his ballot, Spurrier added a bit of fuel to the fire surrounding the decision this spring to keep coaches' ballots anonymous in the top-25 poll, beginning in 2010.
The coaches' poll represents one-third of the formula for determining the final BCS standings, which in turn determine which teams play for the national championship. Many coaches, like Spurrier, don't fill out their own ballots, instead delegating the job to assistants, and the South Carolina coach understands why that creates a problem.
"I've been doing the preseason ballots for 17 years, and I've never filled one out," Spurrier said. "I don't know why we vote. I guess it's because college football is still without a playoff system. I really believe most coaches do not know a whole lot about other teams, but we do vote. That's what they ask us to do, and I think we all try to do the best we can."
The sentiment isn't one LSU's Les Miles disagrees with, but he thinks delegating the voting to assistants at least makes the system work a bit better, as head coaches focus primarily on teams in their own conference.
In the end, Miles agreed the system was far from perfect, but argued that he hadn't heard a better alternative.
"I am for the playoffs, I just don't see how it works effectively," Miles said. "Everyone in the room can come up with a playoff system … but until it gets done, I'm not going to complain."
STILL WAITING
With just 10 days before Georgia begins fall practice, head coach Mark Richt is still waiting on one more recruit to arrive.
Lineman Kwame Geathers still hasn't qualified officially, and while Richt remains confident that he will, nothing is set in stone yet.
"The only guy who hasn't been in is Geathers, and we still expect him to be here," Richt said. "There's a couple more hoops that he had to jump through that hopefully he's jumping through right now."
BEAUTIFUL MIND
Norwood figures to be South Carolina's defensive leader when the Gamecocks arrive in Athens on Sept. 12, but if he knew in high school what he knows now, he might have been in the opposite locker room.
Georgia recruited Norwood heavily, he said, but issues with his grades – he had a 1.6 GPA at the end of his senior season – forced the Bulldogs to give up their pursuit.
"I had a grade problem," Norwood said. "Clearinghouse was like a 2.3, but by then it was too late. Teams have to recruit."
Auburn and Oklahoma State joined South Carolina in offering a scholarship to Norwood, but the majority of the other teams that had shown interest dropped out after learning of his grades. Once he chose South Carolina, it took three tries before he could be admitted. The process was a lesson learned for the All-SEC linebacker.
Since joining the Gamecocks, Norwood has turned his academic life around. He has made the Dean's list five times, he said, and he is scheduled to graduate in December.
The key, Norwood said, was simple. He just had to commit to his studies and believe he could do it.
"Applying myself, that's the main thing," Norwood said. "In high school, I used just walk around the halls and stuff like that. Now, we have a great academic support staff, and they let me believe that if I didn't have football, I could still succeed academically in college."
GIVING UP ALREADY?
Tebow was the dominant topic of conversation throughout media days, and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin knows why. His fan base may hope the Volunteers will be national championship contenders this year, but Kiffin is already handing the title over to the Gators and their star quarterback.
"I think there will be a million articles written after Tim has another great year," Kiffin said. "With all the great players, they'll win another national championship. He'll win a Heisman. I'm serious about that. I really believe that."
Florida was a unanimous selection by media to win the SEC East in the preseason balloting released Friday. Only one of the 64 voters selected anyone other than the Gators to win the conference. The lone dissenting vote went to Mississippi.
With the exception of receiver Percy Harvin, Florida returns nearly every key contributor from last year's national championship team, and the Gators' selection as the odds-on favorite to repeat as conference champs came as no surprise to the rest of the SEC.
"They win the big games, and you can't take anything from them," Georgia senior Jeff Owens said of the Gators. "They're a great football team, and we know that if you're going to be successful in this league, you've got to beat Florida. If you want to win a national championship or an SEC championship, you've got to beat Florida. That's the No. 1 thing."
Georgia was the consensus pick to finish second in the East, and the Bulldogs also landed five players on the All-SEC teams, as selected by the media. Receiver A.J. Green was the team's lone first-team representative, while linemen Clint Boling and Trinton Sturdivant, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and linebacker Rennie Curran were both named to the second team.
In the coach's poll, Curran was a first-team selection, but South Carolina's Eric Norwood said the demotion by the media was a reflection of the immense talent at linebacker in the conference.
"Our conference, you've got to have good linebackers," Norwood said. "It's not an option. It's not like you're in the Pac-10. This is a tough, physical conference, and you've got to be able to hit."
Alabama was selected by the media to win the SEC West, but the balloting was much closer. The Crimson Tide received 33 first-place votes, followed by Mississippi with 16 and LSU with 15.
Florida led all teams with 12 representatives on the All-SEC teams, including eight first teamers. Alabama had eight selections, while LSU and Ole Miss tied Georgia with five.
MY BAD, GUYS
The long national nightmare is over. The culprit has been found. The mystery has been solved.
The coach who left Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's name off his preseason All-SEC ballot was South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, but he promised the slight was unintentional.
Spurrier said an assistant filled out the ballot, leaving Tebow's name off and instead voting for Mississippi's Jevan Snead. Spurrier signed off on the ballot and admitted it was a mistake.
"I've called (SEC media relations director) Charles Bloom and said, 'Can I change our selection and put Tim Tebow in?'" Spurrier said. "I was able to put Tim Tebow in today, so now it's unanimous."
But even after Spurrier took full responsibility for leaving Tebow's name off his ballot and corrected the mistake, large contingent of reporters refused to let the story die. Nine more questions were posed to Spurrier involving Tebow, Florida or his voting habits, and a horde of reporters followed the former Gators coach off the stage and into the lobby to pose additional inquiries.
"I know some of you may not think that's right," Spurrier said of the voting error, hoping to end the discussion. "We made a mistake. Tim Tebow is not only the best quarterback in this league, I think he's the best in the country. … I admire and respect him. I apologize to him. He should have been on that ballot. I messed up, and I take full blame for it."
DELIGATION OF AUTHORITY
Spurrier's admission of the voting snafu put an end to the week's biggest story, but it created a second wave of inquiries from the reporters in attendance.
After admitting that an assistant filled out his ballot, Spurrier added a bit of fuel to the fire surrounding the decision this spring to keep coaches' ballots anonymous in the top-25 poll, beginning in 2010.
The coaches' poll represents one-third of the formula for determining the final BCS standings, which in turn determine which teams play for the national championship. Many coaches, like Spurrier, don't fill out their own ballots, instead delegating the job to assistants, and the South Carolina coach understands why that creates a problem.
"I've been doing the preseason ballots for 17 years, and I've never filled one out," Spurrier said. "I don't know why we vote. I guess it's because college football is still without a playoff system. I really believe most coaches do not know a whole lot about other teams, but we do vote. That's what they ask us to do, and I think we all try to do the best we can."
The sentiment isn't one LSU's Les Miles disagrees with, but he thinks delegating the voting to assistants at least makes the system work a bit better, as head coaches focus primarily on teams in their own conference.
In the end, Miles agreed the system was far from perfect, but argued that he hadn't heard a better alternative.
"I am for the playoffs, I just don't see how it works effectively," Miles said. "Everyone in the room can come up with a playoff system … but until it gets done, I'm not going to complain."
STILL WAITING
With just 10 days before Georgia begins fall practice, head coach Mark Richt is still waiting on one more recruit to arrive.
Lineman Kwame Geathers still hasn't qualified officially, and while Richt remains confident that he will, nothing is set in stone yet.
"The only guy who hasn't been in is Geathers, and we still expect him to be here," Richt said. "There's a couple more hoops that he had to jump through that hopefully he's jumping through right now."
BEAUTIFUL MIND
Norwood figures to be South Carolina's defensive leader when the Gamecocks arrive in Athens on Sept. 12, but if he knew in high school what he knows now, he might have been in the opposite locker room.
Georgia recruited Norwood heavily, he said, but issues with his grades – he had a 1.6 GPA at the end of his senior season – forced the Bulldogs to give up their pursuit.
"I had a grade problem," Norwood said. "Clearinghouse was like a 2.3, but by then it was too late. Teams have to recruit."
Auburn and Oklahoma State joined South Carolina in offering a scholarship to Norwood, but the majority of the other teams that had shown interest dropped out after learning of his grades. Once he chose South Carolina, it took three tries before he could be admitted. The process was a lesson learned for the All-SEC linebacker.
Since joining the Gamecocks, Norwood has turned his academic life around. He has made the Dean's list five times, he said, and he is scheduled to graduate in December.
The key, Norwood said, was simple. He just had to commit to his studies and believe he could do it.
"Applying myself, that's the main thing," Norwood said. "In high school, I used just walk around the halls and stuff like that. Now, we have a great academic support staff, and they let me believe that if I didn't have football, I could still succeed academically in college."
GIVING UP ALREADY?
Tebow was the dominant topic of conversation throughout media days, and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin knows why. His fan base may hope the Volunteers will be national championship contenders this year, but Kiffin is already handing the title over to the Gators and their star quarterback.
"I think there will be a million articles written after Tim has another great year," Kiffin said. "With all the great players, they'll win another national championship. He'll win a Heisman. I'm serious about that. I really believe that."
Media Days '09: Cox Talks Tebow
Which has become more tiresome -- the Tebow talk or all the video I've posted? Well, here's more of both, courtesy of Joe Cox...
Media Days '09: Day 2 Highlights
Some video of the non-UGA moments of Media Days Day 2...
Florida coach Urban Meyer talks about defending himself against rumors of his eventual departure for Notre Dame.
Florida QB Tim Tebow discusses his thoughts about the media hype surrounding the lone missing vote from his first-team All-SEC selection.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt talks about how his team plans to handle lofty preseason expectations.
Alabama coach Nick Saban discusses the benefit to playing big-time opponents in Atlanta to kick off the 2008 and '09 seasons.
Florida coach Urban Meyer talks about defending himself against rumors of his eventual departure for Notre Dame.
Florida QB Tim Tebow discusses his thoughts about the media hype surrounding the lone missing vote from his first-team All-SEC selection.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt talks about how his team plans to handle lofty preseason expectations.
Alabama coach Nick Saban discusses the benefit to playing big-time opponents in Atlanta to kick off the 2008 and '09 seasons.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Media Days Notes: Lower Expectations For Dawgs
Joe Cox wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived at the Wynfrey Hotel for SEC Media Days on Thursday, but there was one question he figured he would hear early and often.
"I figured a lot of questions would just be about how we're going to come back this year after losing so many guys, about everybody's expectations," Cox said. "Our expectations haven't changed. We know a lot of people are probably overlooking us, and that's probably the best thing for us. It's made us have a good offseason."
Georgia's expectations may not have changed, but the perception of the program by the great majority of the media members in attendance Thursday had.
A year ago, Mark Richt and his Bulldogs contingent came to Hoover as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, fresh off an 11-win season and with star quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno the backbone of what figured to be an offensive juggernaut.
This year, Moreno and Stafford are gone – both were selected in the first round of the NFL draft – and so are the hefty expectations that Georgia failed to realize last season. The way Richt sees it, that's a good thing.
"Everybody expected us to win 'em all because we had two guys that everybody considered stars, and then maybe subconsciously our guys thought, we can count on these guys," Richt said. "Now that they're gone, I think our team understands the only chance they hace is to play together, work together, earn it as a team. They've done a great job of buying into that."
NO OFFENSE TAKEN
Beyond Florida's Tim Tebow and Mississippi's Jevan Snead – both of whom made appearances at Thursday's second session of SEC Media Days – there isn't a lot of experience among the SEC's quarterbacks. But that didn't stop one Arkansas columnist from slotting Cox, who has started just one game in his four seasons in Athens, at the bottom of the class in a well-publicized column recently.
The slight might come as a major insult to some quarterbacks, but not Cox, who admitted he probably wouldn't have ranked himself much higher.
"I'm probably the one with the least amount of playing experience," Cox said. "If I had to choose between all those guys, I wouldn't put myself up very high. It's something I'm going to have to prove to everyone, and I'm looking forward to doing that."
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Richt spent a good portion of his time in Hoover hyping his new starting quarterback, but he couldn't avoid a question about the three players behind Cox on the depth chart.
Freshmen Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray both arrived in Athens in January and managed to impress coaches with their quick adjustments to the college game. While nothing is set in stone yet, Richt said there's chance one of the two will earn considerable playing time this year.
"When it comes to the true freshmen, if I feel one is the true second-team quarterback, we will play him, get him as much experience as we can," Richt said.
Of course, for that to happen, either Murray or Mettenberger will need to pass sophomore Logan Gray on the depth chart first. Gray looked sharp this spring, and his athleticism makes him an interesting change-of-pace on offense for Georgia's coaching staff. With that in mind, Richt said he expects Gray to see the field regardless of where he ends up on the depth chart.
"We may still have a kind of package for him separate from our overall package just because he is athletic enough to do those kind of things that people do in the wildcat (offense)," Richt said.
A WIN SOLVES EVERYTHING
After creating a bit of controversy earlier this offseason, Richt seems to have learned his lesson when it comes to discussing the future of the Florida-Georgia game.
This spring, the coach told reporters he felt Florida had an unfair advantage by playing the game in Jacksonville, but when posed the question again Thursday, Richt dodged any potential bulletin-board fodder.
"I want to focus on winning that game," he said. "That's all I want to focus on when it comes to that game. That will be my pat answer from now on."
QB CONTROVERSIES
Cox, Snead and Tebow appear to be among a select group of SEC quarterbacks with a firm grasp on the starting job this season, a trend that has grown during the past two years.
A year ago, only five quarterbacks in the conference started every game for their teams, and three are no longer with those programs. The fluid situations at so many programs may be a function of increasing impatience by SEC fans.
Cox thinks the same pressure to win early and often that cost established coaches like Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer their jobs last year has trickled down to the quarterback position, and potentially productive quarterbacks simply aren't being given the chance to develop.
"That comes with when people start recruiting different types of quarterbacks and two in the same year, and when something goes wrong or someone gets injured, things get shuffled all around," Cox said. "Then you get in a situation where people say they don't have a quarterback. Well, obviously they have one, you just need to find the one who can get it done."
DON'T BLAME RICHT
Day 2 of Media Days found most of the coaches a bit more prepared for the interrogation by reporters wanting to know who left Tebow off their All-SEC ballot. For his part, Richt assured everyone it wasn't him.
"If I had a vote on a national level, I'd have voted for him, too," Richt said. "I think that guy might be the greatest player/leader, maybe the greatest one ever in college football. When you take his ability, his productivity, his leadership, his ability to get everybody to rally around him, I don't know if there's been many like that."
For what it's worth, Nick Saban and Houston Nutt also said they had Tebow on their ballot as well. Urban Meyer, the day's fourth presenter, was barred from voting for players on his own team.
HANDLING THE HYPE
Tebow was the topic du jour Thursday, as he has been most of the week. While the Florida quarterback finally addressed media as the final speaker of the day, virtually every other coach and player in attendance were forced to answer at least one Tebow-related inquiry.
By the time Georgia's Jeff Owens was posed a few questions about the former Heisman winner, the Tebow hype alone had become its own story. But when a reporter asked Owens if he was tired of hearing so much about Tebow, the Georgia defensive tackle said the hype would only make a game-day matchup that much sweeter.
"He's a great football player and will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play college football," Owens said. "He's a great talent, great leadership ability. You don't get tired of hearing about him. You just want to get after him, that's all."
"I figured a lot of questions would just be about how we're going to come back this year after losing so many guys, about everybody's expectations," Cox said. "Our expectations haven't changed. We know a lot of people are probably overlooking us, and that's probably the best thing for us. It's made us have a good offseason."
Georgia's expectations may not have changed, but the perception of the program by the great majority of the media members in attendance Thursday had.
A year ago, Mark Richt and his Bulldogs contingent came to Hoover as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, fresh off an 11-win season and with star quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno the backbone of what figured to be an offensive juggernaut.
This year, Moreno and Stafford are gone – both were selected in the first round of the NFL draft – and so are the hefty expectations that Georgia failed to realize last season. The way Richt sees it, that's a good thing.
"Everybody expected us to win 'em all because we had two guys that everybody considered stars, and then maybe subconsciously our guys thought, we can count on these guys," Richt said. "Now that they're gone, I think our team understands the only chance they hace is to play together, work together, earn it as a team. They've done a great job of buying into that."
NO OFFENSE TAKEN
Beyond Florida's Tim Tebow and Mississippi's Jevan Snead – both of whom made appearances at Thursday's second session of SEC Media Days – there isn't a lot of experience among the SEC's quarterbacks. But that didn't stop one Arkansas columnist from slotting Cox, who has started just one game in his four seasons in Athens, at the bottom of the class in a well-publicized column recently.
The slight might come as a major insult to some quarterbacks, but not Cox, who admitted he probably wouldn't have ranked himself much higher.
"I'm probably the one with the least amount of playing experience," Cox said. "If I had to choose between all those guys, I wouldn't put myself up very high. It's something I'm going to have to prove to everyone, and I'm looking forward to doing that."
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Richt spent a good portion of his time in Hoover hyping his new starting quarterback, but he couldn't avoid a question about the three players behind Cox on the depth chart.
Freshmen Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray both arrived in Athens in January and managed to impress coaches with their quick adjustments to the college game. While nothing is set in stone yet, Richt said there's chance one of the two will earn considerable playing time this year.
"When it comes to the true freshmen, if I feel one is the true second-team quarterback, we will play him, get him as much experience as we can," Richt said.
Of course, for that to happen, either Murray or Mettenberger will need to pass sophomore Logan Gray on the depth chart first. Gray looked sharp this spring, and his athleticism makes him an interesting change-of-pace on offense for Georgia's coaching staff. With that in mind, Richt said he expects Gray to see the field regardless of where he ends up on the depth chart.
"We may still have a kind of package for him separate from our overall package just because he is athletic enough to do those kind of things that people do in the wildcat (offense)," Richt said.
A WIN SOLVES EVERYTHING
After creating a bit of controversy earlier this offseason, Richt seems to have learned his lesson when it comes to discussing the future of the Florida-Georgia game.
This spring, the coach told reporters he felt Florida had an unfair advantage by playing the game in Jacksonville, but when posed the question again Thursday, Richt dodged any potential bulletin-board fodder.
"I want to focus on winning that game," he said. "That's all I want to focus on when it comes to that game. That will be my pat answer from now on."
QB CONTROVERSIES
Cox, Snead and Tebow appear to be among a select group of SEC quarterbacks with a firm grasp on the starting job this season, a trend that has grown during the past two years.
A year ago, only five quarterbacks in the conference started every game for their teams, and three are no longer with those programs. The fluid situations at so many programs may be a function of increasing impatience by SEC fans.
Cox thinks the same pressure to win early and often that cost established coaches like Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer their jobs last year has trickled down to the quarterback position, and potentially productive quarterbacks simply aren't being given the chance to develop.
"That comes with when people start recruiting different types of quarterbacks and two in the same year, and when something goes wrong or someone gets injured, things get shuffled all around," Cox said. "Then you get in a situation where people say they don't have a quarterback. Well, obviously they have one, you just need to find the one who can get it done."
DON'T BLAME RICHT
Day 2 of Media Days found most of the coaches a bit more prepared for the interrogation by reporters wanting to know who left Tebow off their All-SEC ballot. For his part, Richt assured everyone it wasn't him.
"If I had a vote on a national level, I'd have voted for him, too," Richt said. "I think that guy might be the greatest player/leader, maybe the greatest one ever in college football. When you take his ability, his productivity, his leadership, his ability to get everybody to rally around him, I don't know if there's been many like that."
For what it's worth, Nick Saban and Houston Nutt also said they had Tebow on their ballot as well. Urban Meyer, the day's fourth presenter, was barred from voting for players on his own team.
HANDLING THE HYPE
Tebow was the topic du jour Thursday, as he has been most of the week. While the Florida quarterback finally addressed media as the final speaker of the day, virtually every other coach and player in attendance were forced to answer at least one Tebow-related inquiry.
By the time Georgia's Jeff Owens was posed a few questions about the former Heisman winner, the Tebow hype alone had become its own story. But when a reporter asked Owens if he was tired of hearing so much about Tebow, the Georgia defensive tackle said the hype would only make a game-day matchup that much sweeter.
"He's a great football player and will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play college football," Owens said. "He's a great talent, great leadership ability. You don't get tired of hearing about him. You just want to get after him, that's all."
Media Days '09: Richt on Tebow
The hot question of Media Days has been, "Who didn't vote for Tim Tebow?" The Florida quarterback was one vote short of a unanimous selection to the All-SEC team, and Georgia coach Mark Richt says he wasn't the culprit.
Cox's Quotables
I'm transcribing quotes a little at a time, and I'll post them along with some video throughout the day. Here's some words of wisdom from Joe Cox to get you started...
On his relationship with D.J. Shockley...
"I talked to him a lot and, I don't call him and ask him tons of questions, but it's just good to have someone who's been through the same thing that you can talk to. He always asks how things are going, and if I'm struggling with something or something’s been on my mind, I'll tell him, but it's not like we have an hour-long conversation every day."
On people's expectations of Georgia this year...
"I figured a lot of questions would just be about how we're going to come back this year after losing so many guys, about everybody's expectations. Our expectations haven't changed. We know a lot of people are probably overlooking us, and that's probably the best thing for us. It's made us have a good offseason, and we're looking to keep rolling on through into camp and through the season."
On adapting to his new role of starting QB...
"It's just been a little more responsibility, but as far as me feeling any pressure, being in a leadership role, that hasn't bothered me. It really hasn't changed that much. The one thing that has been different is that in the summer we have to do things on our own, and I've had to coordinate everything but that's just a lot of little things."
On whether he ever considered a transfer...
"I never thought about leaving. When I signed to come to Georgia, it was for good, and I love everything about the school. No matter what happened, even if Matthew would have come back, I wouldn't have regretted anything. I've made too many good friends, had too many good times and having been part of this team to just pack up and go somewhere else."
On beating Tim Tebow and Florida...
"Every team has a star, and you've got to find ways to win. He's going to go down as probably one of the best college quarterbacks ever, but you still have to play them, and we're going to try to find a way to win."
On the Oklahoma State game...
"A lot of people are saying that might be the toughest Georgia opener ever. We're looking forward to it. It's a great test for us, and it's going to be one of our biggest games of the season."
On his relationship with D.J. Shockley...
"I talked to him a lot and, I don't call him and ask him tons of questions, but it's just good to have someone who's been through the same thing that you can talk to. He always asks how things are going, and if I'm struggling with something or something’s been on my mind, I'll tell him, but it's not like we have an hour-long conversation every day."
On people's expectations of Georgia this year...
"I figured a lot of questions would just be about how we're going to come back this year after losing so many guys, about everybody's expectations. Our expectations haven't changed. We know a lot of people are probably overlooking us, and that's probably the best thing for us. It's made us have a good offseason, and we're looking to keep rolling on through into camp and through the season."
On adapting to his new role of starting QB...
"It's just been a little more responsibility, but as far as me feeling any pressure, being in a leadership role, that hasn't bothered me. It really hasn't changed that much. The one thing that has been different is that in the summer we have to do things on our own, and I've had to coordinate everything but that's just a lot of little things."
On whether he ever considered a transfer...
"I never thought about leaving. When I signed to come to Georgia, it was for good, and I love everything about the school. No matter what happened, even if Matthew would have come back, I wouldn't have regretted anything. I've made too many good friends, had too many good times and having been part of this team to just pack up and go somewhere else."
On beating Tim Tebow and Florida...
"Every team has a star, and you've got to find ways to win. He's going to go down as probably one of the best college quarterbacks ever, but you still have to play them, and we're going to try to find a way to win."
On the Oklahoma State game...
"A lot of people are saying that might be the toughest Georgia opener ever. We're looking forward to it. It's a great test for us, and it's going to be one of our biggest games of the season."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Media Days Notes: Slive Calls for 'Renewed Vows'
Commissioner Mike Slive gave SEC coaches a cease and desist order with regards to public mudslinging when they met in Destin, Fla., in June, a necessary step, he felt, with all the coaching turnover since the league adopted a compliance manifesto in 2004. He reiterated that message Wednesday.
"We cannot sustain our successes, which is now our ultimate goal, unless we avoid self inflicted wounds," Slive said, "unless we avoid calling attention to ourselves at the expense of others, and unless we remain committed to the conference, and, finally, unless we realize that we are inexorably tied to each other's athletic and academic successes, and we are tied to each other's athletic and academic failures."
Slive also addressed the spate of secondary recruiting violations that made big news this offseason. While Tennessee drew the most attention, Georgia self-reported several secondary violations, including excessive contact with recruits it attributed to a miscommunication between coaches. Slive claimed such violations were nothing new to intercollegiate athletics but did not brush them off, saying the conference reviews each report to determine its thoroughness and accuracy and reacts accordingly.
"When trends are detected, the penalties and corrective actions become more severe," he said. "As we told our coaches earlier this week in our SEC new coaches orientation program, any time any time they commit a secondary violation, they place themselves, their program, and the institution and the prospect at risk. The risk may be lost recruiting opportunities, lost ability to interact with prospects, and additional scrutiny for themselves and their program."
WHO DUNNIT?
Only three players were unanimous selections by the conference's coaches to the All-SEC team and the conference's most heralded player wasn't one of them. So on Day 1 of SEC Media Days, several reporters set out to find the coach who didn't vote for Tim Tebow.
"I don't know if you all are going to find the culprit," Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson said, "but you can tell him it wasn't me."
Four SEC coaches took to the podium Wednesday and none confessed to leaving the former Heisman winner off their ballot. Tebow received 10 votes, and his coach, Urban Meyer, was not allowed to vote for anyone on his team.
The omission by the one anonymous coach seemed so odd that Arkansas' Bobby Petrino assumed the offending coach wasn't altogether coherent.
"I voted for Tebow," he said. "I'm not crazy."
Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, who was Tebow's offensive coordinator a year ago, was asked the question, too, and not surprisingly he had the Florida quarterback on his ballot as well.
The fourth coach to meet with reporters, Kentucky's Rich Brooks, said Tebow had burned the Wildcats so badly during the past two seasons that he had no choice but to vote for him, too.
So the mystery continues, whether or not anyone will actually admit to the snub.
A SCARY REPUTATION
A reporter asked Kentucky left tackle Zipp Duncan to name the toughest defensive linemen in the SEC to block. He didn't need much time to come up with his answer: Georgia's Geno Atkins.
"He's just a dynamic athlete," Duncan said. "He gets off the ball quick. He's got the speed to beat you and the strength to beat you, so he presents a really tough matchup."
PLENTY OF SEC ON ESPN
A new twist to the kickoff of SEC Media Days this year involved a special presentation by ESPN's John Wildhack, the network's executive vice president for programming acquisition.
ESPN and the SEC agreed to a new 15-year deal this year that will dramatically increase coverage of the league's sports, including football. Wildhack said 23 more SEC games would be televised this season than last year, including a regional game of the week, which will air on a newly launched platform called The SEC Network. Wildhack also said he expects SEC games to be featured more prominently on ESPN's regular Thursday night packages.
"Our goal is to serve the SEC football fan better than ever before," Wildhack said. "Last year, 77 million people watched SEC football on ESPN or ESPN2. We expect that number to increase significantly this season."
Each of Georgia's first three games will be carried on one of the network's platforms. The Bulldogs' opener against Oklahoma State kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, with the SEC opener against South Carolina a week later airing on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Georgia's road date with Arkansas in Week 3 will be carried by either ESPN or ESPN2 and is set to kick off at 7:45 p.m.
RETURN ENGAGEMENT
New Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen knows that selling his team on a new system is no easy task, which is why he's so happy to have senior linebacker Jamar Chaney back in the fold has been such a blessing.
Chaney, who was originally a Georgia signee, figured to be the anchor of the Mississippi State defense a year ago, but a leg injury suffered in the first game cost him the entire season. He accepted a medical redshirt and decided to return to the Bulldogs for a second shot at his senior season – this time with a new head coach and a new role as salesman.
"From Day 1, he walked into my office and said, 'Coach, I'm going to believe in everything you're doing,'" Mullen said of Chaney. "Having a personality back like that, especially when you take over a new program, to help build that foundation of what we wanted the message we're trying to get across to our team … it's just fantastic."
PREPS AREN'T PREPARED
Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino thinks some changes need to be made in the way high school coaches are preparing quarterbacks for the next level. With more programs employing spread offenses, Petrino said many young quarterbacks aren't getting the necessary experience playing under center, and it's making the job of recruiting pocket passers a tough one for college coaches.
Petrino pointed to one of his own quarterbacks, Tyler Wilson, as a prime example of the problems of playing too much out of the shotgun. Wilson took every snap of his high school career in a no-huddle shotgun formation, and he has struggled since arriving at Arkansas with things as simple as the quarterback-center exchange or handoff placement on running plays.
The solution, Petrino said, might be mandating how high school coaches use their quarterbacks.
"I'm really happy that high schools are throwing the ball," Petrino said. "I just wish they would maybe put a rule in that they have to have at least 25, 40 percent from underneath center."
SLIM AND TRIM
Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has always been described as having an NFL body. It's just a little slimmer now.
Mallett, the strong-armed, 6-foot-7 quarterback who emerged from the spring as the Razorbacks' projected starter, weighed 265 pounds when he transferred from Michigan last year. Since then, he's slimmed down to 238 pounds, something head coach Bobby Petrino hopes will help him be more elusive in the pocket against the SEC's quick defensive fronts.
"In him losing the weight, being more mobile, we're not going to lose our movement game, our ability to run sprint outs, run the bootleg game, be able to move the pocket," Petrino said. "In this league, with the defensive ends we face, the speed and athleticism of the defensive fronts, it's important that you change the launch point, and you can set your quarterback at different spots, take some pressure off the offensive line and running backs at times."
* The Ledger-Enquirer's Andy Bitter contributed to these notes.
"We cannot sustain our successes, which is now our ultimate goal, unless we avoid self inflicted wounds," Slive said, "unless we avoid calling attention to ourselves at the expense of others, and unless we remain committed to the conference, and, finally, unless we realize that we are inexorably tied to each other's athletic and academic successes, and we are tied to each other's athletic and academic failures."
Slive also addressed the spate of secondary recruiting violations that made big news this offseason. While Tennessee drew the most attention, Georgia self-reported several secondary violations, including excessive contact with recruits it attributed to a miscommunication between coaches. Slive claimed such violations were nothing new to intercollegiate athletics but did not brush them off, saying the conference reviews each report to determine its thoroughness and accuracy and reacts accordingly.
"When trends are detected, the penalties and corrective actions become more severe," he said. "As we told our coaches earlier this week in our SEC new coaches orientation program, any time any time they commit a secondary violation, they place themselves, their program, and the institution and the prospect at risk. The risk may be lost recruiting opportunities, lost ability to interact with prospects, and additional scrutiny for themselves and their program."
WHO DUNNIT?
Only three players were unanimous selections by the conference's coaches to the All-SEC team and the conference's most heralded player wasn't one of them. So on Day 1 of SEC Media Days, several reporters set out to find the coach who didn't vote for Tim Tebow.
"I don't know if you all are going to find the culprit," Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson said, "but you can tell him it wasn't me."
Four SEC coaches took to the podium Wednesday and none confessed to leaving the former Heisman winner off their ballot. Tebow received 10 votes, and his coach, Urban Meyer, was not allowed to vote for anyone on his team.
The omission by the one anonymous coach seemed so odd that Arkansas' Bobby Petrino assumed the offending coach wasn't altogether coherent.
"I voted for Tebow," he said. "I'm not crazy."
Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, who was Tebow's offensive coordinator a year ago, was asked the question, too, and not surprisingly he had the Florida quarterback on his ballot as well.
The fourth coach to meet with reporters, Kentucky's Rich Brooks, said Tebow had burned the Wildcats so badly during the past two seasons that he had no choice but to vote for him, too.
So the mystery continues, whether or not anyone will actually admit to the snub.
A SCARY REPUTATION
A reporter asked Kentucky left tackle Zipp Duncan to name the toughest defensive linemen in the SEC to block. He didn't need much time to come up with his answer: Georgia's Geno Atkins.
"He's just a dynamic athlete," Duncan said. "He gets off the ball quick. He's got the speed to beat you and the strength to beat you, so he presents a really tough matchup."
PLENTY OF SEC ON ESPN
A new twist to the kickoff of SEC Media Days this year involved a special presentation by ESPN's John Wildhack, the network's executive vice president for programming acquisition.
ESPN and the SEC agreed to a new 15-year deal this year that will dramatically increase coverage of the league's sports, including football. Wildhack said 23 more SEC games would be televised this season than last year, including a regional game of the week, which will air on a newly launched platform called The SEC Network. Wildhack also said he expects SEC games to be featured more prominently on ESPN's regular Thursday night packages.
"Our goal is to serve the SEC football fan better than ever before," Wildhack said. "Last year, 77 million people watched SEC football on ESPN or ESPN2. We expect that number to increase significantly this season."
Each of Georgia's first three games will be carried on one of the network's platforms. The Bulldogs' opener against Oklahoma State kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, with the SEC opener against South Carolina a week later airing on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Georgia's road date with Arkansas in Week 3 will be carried by either ESPN or ESPN2 and is set to kick off at 7:45 p.m.
RETURN ENGAGEMENT
New Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen knows that selling his team on a new system is no easy task, which is why he's so happy to have senior linebacker Jamar Chaney back in the fold has been such a blessing.
Chaney, who was originally a Georgia signee, figured to be the anchor of the Mississippi State defense a year ago, but a leg injury suffered in the first game cost him the entire season. He accepted a medical redshirt and decided to return to the Bulldogs for a second shot at his senior season – this time with a new head coach and a new role as salesman.
"From Day 1, he walked into my office and said, 'Coach, I'm going to believe in everything you're doing,'" Mullen said of Chaney. "Having a personality back like that, especially when you take over a new program, to help build that foundation of what we wanted the message we're trying to get across to our team … it's just fantastic."
PREPS AREN'T PREPARED
Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino thinks some changes need to be made in the way high school coaches are preparing quarterbacks for the next level. With more programs employing spread offenses, Petrino said many young quarterbacks aren't getting the necessary experience playing under center, and it's making the job of recruiting pocket passers a tough one for college coaches.
Petrino pointed to one of his own quarterbacks, Tyler Wilson, as a prime example of the problems of playing too much out of the shotgun. Wilson took every snap of his high school career in a no-huddle shotgun formation, and he has struggled since arriving at Arkansas with things as simple as the quarterback-center exchange or handoff placement on running plays.
The solution, Petrino said, might be mandating how high school coaches use their quarterbacks.
"I'm really happy that high schools are throwing the ball," Petrino said. "I just wish they would maybe put a rule in that they have to have at least 25, 40 percent from underneath center."
SLIM AND TRIM
Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has always been described as having an NFL body. It's just a little slimmer now.
Mallett, the strong-armed, 6-foot-7 quarterback who emerged from the spring as the Razorbacks' projected starter, weighed 265 pounds when he transferred from Michigan last year. Since then, he's slimmed down to 238 pounds, something head coach Bobby Petrino hopes will help him be more elusive in the pocket against the SEC's quick defensive fronts.
"In him losing the weight, being more mobile, we're not going to lose our movement game, our ability to run sprint outs, run the bootleg game, be able to move the pocket," Petrino said. "In this league, with the defensive ends we face, the speed and athleticism of the defensive fronts, it's important that you change the launch point, and you can set your quarterback at different spots, take some pressure off the offensive line and running backs at times."
* The Ledger-Enquirer's Andy Bitter contributed to these notes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
