Thursday June 21, 2007

Quarterback Notes

Notes Conclude Quarterback Week
Today we conclude quarterbacks week with a look at a few items concerning the position. Tomorrow we will have the e-mail bag and Monday we should have an interesting preview of the Clemson running backs as we enter running backs week on the blog and radio show.

College Football Quarterback Rankings
1. Pat White-West Virginia
2. Brian Brohm Louisville
3. Chad Henne-Michigan
4. Colt Brennan-Hawaii
5. John David Booty-Southern Cal
6. Matthew Stafford-Georgia
7. Colt McCoy-Texas
8. Erik Ainge-Tennessee
9. Josh Freeman-Kansas State
10. Dan LeFevour-Central Michigan

I know I may be the only one in the country that thinks this much of Pat White. He is not an NFL guy but I think he is the best in the college game. For anyone to give Steve Slaton equal billing is just missing it. When Slaton went put last year White was the only thing West Virginia had and he still could not be stopped. White is not a polished passer but he still completed 66% of his passes and he ran for over 1,200 yards and totaled 31 touchdowns. I think he is one of the toughest competitors in college football.

Clemson QB Recruiting
The Tigers are finished recruiting quarterbacks with the addition of two new signal callers.

The gem of the QB class on paper is Kyle Parker. The Jacksonville, Fl native passed for over 1,600 yards and rushed for 600 more as a junior. Parker is only about 6-0 but he is athletic enough to make plays with his feet. One college coach told me he will remind you of Willy Korn in terms of his style of play. Parker impressed Clemson coaches in camp and was offered after his sophomore season.

Clemson reached into its family ties and will sign Jon Richt. The Athens, GA native is the son of Georgia head coach mark Richt. Tommy Bowden and Brad Scott have known the Richt family for many years. Clemson coaches liked Richt’s fundamentals and think he has a good upside. He is not as highly rated as some Clemson quarterbacks at this stage but like Parker, he was offered after his sophomore season in camp.

Scoreboard
On our radio show the other morning we had a topic that asked, “What would you do to improve Death Valley?”

Obviously I answered finish the West Zone with phase II and III. Phase II will be the coaches’ offices and weight room among other items. Phase III would be the museum. I think those things will happen.

I also answered that I would take a page from Florida and Florida State and even add a new wrinkle. In both Gainesville and Tallahassee they have a running total of each team’s rushing yards, passing yards, total yards and first downs. I am a stat guy and think that would enhance the game day experience at Clemson.

I am not sure if this will ever happen but I also suggested a running total of James Davis and C.J. Spiller’s stats. I would be interested in knowing how each star is progressing as the game goes on.

Dabo
Also earlier this week on the radio show we had Clemson wide receiver Dabo Swinney on for about 20 minutes. When asked how close Clemson is to winning a title Swinney answered, “I did not come back here because I thought we were not close.” He also added, “We were not that close when I first got here but we are definitely getting closer.”

I find it fascinating to see how perception changes among certain programs. The Tigers were terribly disappointing in the way they finished the 2006 season and it has affected fans’ expectations heading into 2007.

If I would have asked you about the 2007 season on the Sunday after the Georgia Tech game you might have had a different answer than the one you have today.

I can understand that and have more doubts about the 2007 season myself. But is it possible that this team can play more like the one that opened the 2006 season or are we doomed to seeing the team that ended the 2006 campaign?

I do like the idea of playing FSU on national TV on the opening game of the season because of the low expectations. Not much is expected of this team in terms of the national scene but that could change with a win on Labor Day. Clemson could enter the picture on the national scene and ACC title picture with a win at home that night. In my opinion that is the perfect scenario in that the expectations in the pre-season are low but that could change very early into the campaign.

Quarterback Importance
I asked Swinney the importance of quarterbacks considering that some teams have won championships lately despite not getting great quarterback play. For example, Florida State won the ACC two years ago despite an average year from freshman Drew Weatherford. In fact the last two ACC titles have been won by two red-shirt freshmen quarterbacks.

Swinney responded by saying that some teams ask more out of their quarterbacks than others. I agreed and we both mentioned Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner last season.

In the end, great defenses win titles. Teams with solid kicking games can also have better chances at conference titles. Quarterback play is very important but sound teams like Virginia Tech can still win despite being average at the quarterback position.

Shoeless is My Hero
I know we still have two and a half months to football season but it sure is nice to have Shoeless to help get me through the downtime. I am embarrassed to admit how much time I spend each day watching his videos that continue to amaze me. Thanks again Shoeless. I think I can make it to Labor Day now.

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency