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Oklahoma Looks to Fill Void at Quarterback, Offensive Line
Star running back Adrian Peterson will likely have to shoulder much of the Sooners' offensive load as quarterback Paul Thompson eases into the starting role.
(Jerry Laizure - AP)
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Like any situation, there are facts and there are interpretations. When Wilson points out that Thompson is best for the team because he is a fifth-year player, because he knows the offense and because he has been the backup, all of this may be true. But what also can be derived is that Thompson, in his senior season, was supposed to be a wide receiver and the backup quarterback only in an emergency long-term situation. His quarterback experience consists of one start and mop-up duty.
In installing the offense, Wilson has been allotting Thompson extra repetitions. The two, he said, will have to spend time together in order to be "in sync" and "on the same page."
With much of the attention afforded to the quarterback situation, it's easy to forget that the offensive line was also damaged. Quinn was expected to be a starter, and Wilson called the offensive line a little thin and expressed some concern about the overall offense.
"Our depth is not as good, and when we play against our defense, who has a lot more depth than we do, we just kind of, with our second team, get a little shaky," Wilson said.
All of that will put the pressure, and the spotlight, squarely on tailback Adrian Peterson and an improved Sooner defense.
Peterson has astonishing speed and, despite an injured ankle, rushed for 1,108 yards last season after being a Heisman Trophy finalist as a freshman in 2004.
On defense, last year's growing pains are expected to yield a steely unit that will make better decisions.
The ability to make proper choices is a lesson that Bomar and Quinn leave for their remaining teammates.
Said defensive coordinator Brent Venables during Oklahoma's media day, "For us to be any good as a team pre-Rhett Bomar, post-Rhett Bomar or with Rhett Bomar -- all of that is irrelevant."
It's all in the past, but it's repercussions are sure to be felt in the future.
