Steven M. Sipple: Coaches show wisdom in handling of QBs
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
Sam Keller is California cool.
Except when someone beats him to a parking stall. Then he gets hot.
Sorry Sammy, couldn’t resist.
However, I will resist anointing Keller as Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2007, although it is awfully tempting if you saw what I saw.
If you went searching Saturday for reasons why Keller won’t be named starter, you had to fuss to find them. In his public unveiling, he showed a strong arm, presence at the line of scrimmage and poise in the pocket — not to mention his usual smoothness in media interviews.
Keller managed the offense well and managed to take your breath away when he pump-faked right and delivered a 47-yard strike to a streaking Todd Peterson running a seam route.
Sam Keller is California confident.
“I mean, I’m very confident it’s my job,” Keller said after completing 10 of 13 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown in the annual Red-White Spring Game.
The thing is, “Joe (Ganz) feels the same way.”
And therein lies the wisdom of Nebraska coaches’ handling of this intriguing quarterback competition. They would rather chew tinfoil than let on which quarterback has an edge, assuming such an edge exists. Perfect. Let the young men compete. Let them push each other. Let them improve each other. Let them sweat the small stuff so, come fall, they can do some big stuff — like beat a top-10 team.
The plan is evidently working magnificently.
You saw the wisdom of the plan Saturday. Keller leads a touchdown drive. Ganz answers. And so on. Both guided three scoring drives in the first half. Both threw a TD pass. Neither was intercepted. Let the debate begin.
“I think you saw it today — it’s pretty even,” Ganz said after completing 11 of 18 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. “We’ll have to wait until preseason camp (in August) to separate.”
Nebraska coaches couldn’t have played this hand any better. Play it slow. Keep the poker face. Don’t tip your hand. That’s the plan.
You get the feeling each quarterback believes at the very core of his being that he should be the starter — which is precisely what you want.
You get the feeling Nebraska coaches would rather take a crowbar to the kneecap than provide even the tiniest hint as to who leads the race.
Nebraska coaches are playing a slow hand because they want to see which quarterback best manages the offense over a period of time. Fifteen practices in the spring aren’t enough to make a determination, they say. So, those 29 practices in August before the Sept 1 opener against Nevada will tell the tale.
What’s more, it would have been unfair to Keller to name the starter in the spring because he has had to play catch-up in learning a complex offense. Ganz, to his credit, has used the head start to his advantage.
Ganz is Chicago tough. He possesses a firm grasp of the system. He makes good decisions. Perhaps most important, he makes plays with his feet. That’s his biggest edge.
You saw it on second-and-6 at the White team’s 10-yard line. Ganz rolls to his left and sees nobody open. He keeps rolling. Buys more time. Keeps his composure. Then he sprints for the corner of the end zone and dives to pay dirt.
Ganz surprised me some with a couple downfield lasers. He also has a strong presence at the line and an air of confidence.
But there’s just something about this Keller kid, an intangible quality that makes you believe in him just a tad bit more than the next guy. It makes you believe he has the edge.
“I didn’t have any doubt in my mind we were going to march down the field and score,” Keller said of his first touchdown drive.
He made it look awfully easy at times.
He clearly feels comfortable running the offense.
“There wasn’t a moment when we were in duress,” he said.
Ah, duress will occur. Southern California’s defense, for instance, tends to cause duress.
Meanwhile, Nebraska rarely, if ever, blitzed Saturday.
You get the feeling Ganz might hold up well under duress.
Keller proved at Arizona State he holds up well.
My guess is, Keller will hold up just fine in 2007.
My guess is Keller eventually will be handed the keys to Bill Callahan’s West Coast offense.
Perhaps then the kid will get his own parking spot.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news