It's Time to Pick, and Roll With It
College Coaches Face Difficult Choices At Quarterback, as the Season Approaches

By Steve Yanda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 29, 2008

From Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen's position -- seated in a red leather armchair inside his office at the football team's compound -- he could look out a broad horizontal window and see the sun fading over the west end of Byrd Stadium. He raised his glance frequently, over the heads of the half-dozen reporters situated around him, as if the answer to their most pertinent question was left on the field during the scrimmage the Terrapins had just concluded.

Who will be the starting quarterback?

The reporters did not get their answer that mid-August Saturday night. Instead, Friedgen offered a brief glimpse into the complex process of naming a starting quarterback and the key issues that factor into the decision.

Across the country this month, numerous coaching staffs tussled with their quarterback options. As the competitions continued weeks into training camp, coaches were left to analyze who would be the best fit to lead their teams. Each coach has his own formula, but common themes persist.

Ultimately, the choice is crucial; it sets the tone for the offense and for the season. Many coaches waited until days before their team's season opener, insisting their offenses were comfortable with either option. A prolonged wait, though, can prove just as detrimental as picking the wrong guy.

"There is a risk sometimes, yes, particularly when it's a tough battle going on, and it's back and forth and nobody's been able to step up," Virginia Tech quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain said. "And if it's been made public that at some point you're going to make a call, it could hurt the football team if you don't go and make a decision."

A handful of ACC coaches indicated dates on which they would name a starting quarterback, only to continue their deliberations. North Carolina State Coach Tom O'Brien said he would announce his decision Aug. 20 and then named redshirt freshman Russell Wilson the starter two days later.

Friedgen said he wanted to decide between Jordan Steffy and Chris Turner after the team's final scrimmage Aug. 16. Two days later, Steffy got the call.

Virginia Coach Al Groh also said he would make his choice Aug. 20. Though his team takes on No. 3 Southern California tomorrow, Groh has yet to name a starter from a three-deep candidate pool.

"You try to keep it from becoming a sideshow," Groh said Wednesday during his weekly ACC conference call. "It's something that's of interest to people outside the program but not nearly as much of an interest to people on the team."

That sentiment contrasts with the considerable amount of time, effort and angst a number of coaches said they put into the starting quarterback decision. Each coach differed in his approach, but a consensus was drawn on three factors that weigh heavily in the final decision: good decision-making, ball security and game management.

Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said that while ball movement is important it does not necessarily make completion percentage a vital statistic. The Ducks named sophomore Justin Roper their starter Monday after a three-week battle with sophomore Nate Costa, who re-injured his surgically repaired left knee Aug. 22 and will miss the season.

"Statistics can handcuff you," Kelly said. "If Quarterback A is completing 75 percent of his passes and Quarterback B is completing 50 percent of his passes, but whenever Quarterback B is in the game your team is scoring points, who are you going to go with?"

In some cases, an injury makes such a decision easier, but unplanned developments also can complicate the choice. No. 7 Louisiana State dismissed expected starter Ryan Perrilloux from the team in May after repeated rules violations, which meant Tigers coaches had to choose among three quarterbacks with little or no collegiate playing experience.

For LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, the decision comes down to how each quarterback handles his on-field responsibilities.

"Some guys are big-play guys, but they don't manage games well," Crowton said. "You're looking to see how they lead the four-minute offense, the two-minute offense, getting signals [from the sideline] -- all the things that make an offense click."

Many coaches said performance in previous seasons had little influence on a quarterback competition.

"The guy that's best in [fall] practice gets into the game first," Crowton said. "How they do in practice, that's all you can go on."

As season openers approach, pressure increases for coaches to make decisions. Over the 36 hours after Maryland's Aug. 16 scrimmage, Friedgen and his staff reviewed videotape, consulted a handful of offensive players, discussed their options and then made what Friedgen called "a very difficult decision."

"Yeah, I think we gotta do something," Friedgen said after the scrimmage, bags beginning to form under his eyes. "Even if it's wrong, we gotta do something. We gotta start getting ready."