21 into can go

Sporting News, The, August 9, 1999 by Kyle Veltrop

Two multiskilled quarterbacks-Smith specializing in precision and Jenkins in flair-for defenses to contend with. Not using both would be akin to the San Antonio Spurs not playing Tim Duncan because they already had a big man.

"The only way we'd go with one is if one was dearly, dearly better and the other not productive," Tomey says. "That hasn't happened yet."

Cooper says, "I know Dick likes both of them a lot. He's winning. Why change?"

But what's that ticking sound that comes with every quarterback platoon? A me-first attitude by one quarterback. Teammates divided on who should play the most important position. An unwise decision as to who plays a crucial series.

Ohio State went 11-1 in 1996 and won the Rose Bowl while alternating Jackson and Germaine; still, Cooper is not a proponent of platooning. Ohio State may use sophomores Steve Bellisari and Austin Moherman early this season, but Cooper's plan is to go with one quarterback after the first few games to avoid the distractions. "By playing two," Cooper says, "you open yourself up to criticism for all of the talk shows and Monday-morning quarterbacks."

Spurrier has decided to go with one regular, Johnson, this season. It's not so much picking Johnson over Palmer as it is opting for one quarterback back over two. "We think it has just run its course," Spurrier says. We decided that we just needed to get one guy in there and give him a shot."

Florida had much success when it rotated quarterbacks in 1993, '94, '97 and '98, but the program's only national championship came in '96, when the Gators had just one regular, Wuerffel.

Herbstreit, who played quarterback for Ohio State in the early '9Os, says the position is special and can't be handled the same way as a wide receiver or running back spot.

"The offense relies on the quarterback to maintain a certain tempo," Herbstreit says. "I'm not a fan (of rotating quarterbacks). I know it works for them, and I'm not one to tell Dick Tomey what to do. I just think any quarterback, they are the coach on the field. And to be taken out, just when you think you're doing good things, well, that takes a unique personality."

Cooper says Germaine was one of those personalities, a guy who would never grumble to the coaches, the media or his teammates. But Cooper knows each two-quarterback package comes with a red "FLAMMABLE" label. "There is the chance it could divide your football team," Cooper says.

Even if a two-quarterback system doesn't turn a team into a bad chemistry experiment off the field, it can have an adverse affect on it. Quarterbacks get better the more they play. Studying film can help, but it's like reading someone else's notes. Being in the game, that's more like being in the front row of a lecture.

"Nothing helps more than seeing it firsthand," Herbstreit says. "You look at what the safeties are doing. You say to yourself, `They are in cover 3. Uh-oh, now they are in man.' You can't put a value on that experience. The quarterback becomes wiser the more he plays; he becomes more educated on what he can and can't do. Consequently, he becomes more effective."