Super Dan

Sporting News, The, March 2, 1998 by Alan Schmadtke

For three seasons, Dan Kendra lurked in the background at Florida State, flexing his formidable biceps and stretching his meaty quadriceps while Danny Kanell and Thad Busby played quarterback.

When the Seminoles begin spring practice March 2, Kendra will cease being merely the most hyped and most intriguing quarterback Bobby Bowden has signed. No more waiting. No more addressing rumors about transferring or moving to linebacker or fullback. He'll be the man.

"Danny's the guy right now. It's firmly his," says Bowden, who for the past two seasons seemed to dot every post-practice media session with a comment about Kendra's progression. "I'm excited."

He's not alone. Florida State fans have wondered, often times very openly, whether Kendra should have been the starter in seasons past. Their minds dreamed wonderful things two years ago, when they saw a newspaper photo of Kendra -- painted Incredible Hulk green -- clad in a shredded Seminoles jersey. And when fans caught glimpses of Kendra in action, he rarely failed to deliver something worth watching, good or bad. He is 1-0 as a starter, thanks to his pinch-hit 44-7 win over Wake Forest in 1996 when Busby was injured, and is 66-of-126 for 1,006 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career.

Like FSU fans, Kendra (6-2, 245) frequently wondered if his chance would come. But, mostly, Kendra -- a redshirt junior from Bethlehem, Pa. -- has been it model of patience and diligence. Still, while Kendra may begin spring ball as FSU's starter, he'll have to play well to keep it. Just as Kendra breathed down Busby's neck for the starting job in 1996. Chris Weinke is closing ground on Kendra.

"I'm anxious to get on the field and show what I can do," Kendra says. "Hopefully, I can take this FSU team to greater levels of achievement. Right now, all I need is game time. You can't substitute for game time. Staying in the pocket, knowing a guy's coming to kill you but having enough guts to stand there and throw the ball -- that comes with games."

Perhaps his greatest challenge in spring practice will be understanding the fine line between knowing when to scramble -- which he has tended to do at the slightest hint of pressure -- and when to throw the bag away. It's up to Kendra to turn his self-confidence, a trait Bowden loves in his quarterbacks, into less of a liability. Likewise, Seminoles offensive coordinator Mark Richt would like to see less machismo, less quarterback taking on linebacker, and more poise from Kendra.

"You want to see how these guys handle the adversity, too, and be able to battle from that," Richt says. "It's always a matter of making good decisions and being accurate. That's No. 1. Athletic ability is a bonus."

There's no doubt Kendra comes with bonuses. He bench-presses 435 pounds and leg-presses a school-record 1,300 pounds. That's not a school record for quarterbacks -- that's a school record, period. And his quarterbacking style is as unique as his diet, which starts daily at 6 a.m. with fresh egg whites -- "Kendra food," he says -- and requires him to constantly carry a gallon jug of water. Kendra, who has a big-time arm and great speed, doesn't so much direct an offense as much as he attacks the defense.

Weinke is as unique a commodity. He first signed with Florida State in 1990, but he gave up football four days into August workouts to sign for $375,000 with the Blue Jays. After a couple cups of coffee in the majors and plenty of time in the minors, Weinke recruited himself back to Florida State in January 1997. That gives Weinke the distinction of being college football's only 25-year-old sophomore quarterback/landlord.

"Real estate is always a good investment," says Weinke, who owns a small apartment complex in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., and admits he has more than doubled his baseball signing bonus with investments.

While Weinke lacks Kendra's strength, he has the mobility, arm strength and build (6-5, 225) to challenge for the starting job. But he's still working off rust after tossing just 13 passes last season.

"Danny realizes there's going to be a challenge," says Weinke, one of the nation's top prospects coming out of high school. "He knows he's the No. 1 guy, but he also knows I'm preparing myself to win the job. That's only going to make him better. Make us both better."

Gator debate

The quarterback situation at Florida also bears watching. Doug Johnson started five games last season as a sophomore, but a number of observers think sophomore-to-be Jesse Palmer will emerge from spring practice as the starter.

Palmer started one game in '97 as a true freshman, against Auburn. He was benched early in the second half of that game and saw only sporadic action the rest of the season. His season highlights? Guiding Florida to a touchdown on the initial drive against Auburn and a pretty touchdown pass to Jacquez Green on Palmer's only play against Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.

Palmer isn't as physically gifted as Johnson, but what Palmer has is consistency. For all of Johnson's physical attributes, he often makes poor decisions and tries to strong-arm passes into tight coverage. If there's one thing Florida coach Steve Spurrier wants from his quarterbacks, it's strong decision-making.