Are Two Quarterbacks Better Than One?
posted by Scott Hood, 4/09/2008 12:02:00 PM
Which brings us, naturally, to the ongoing quarterback battle between Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher. If you listen to Steve Spurrier, it’s a pretty close competition.
He’s even gone so far as to say that if the race remains tight both quarterbacks will play in the fall. He’s told the media that on several occasions and he said it again last night at the Spartanburg County Gamecock Club.
Here’s my question: Is the QB battle between Smelley and Beecher a good thing for South Carolina?
Conventional wisdom in football has always said that it’s preferable to have a clear number one guy when it comes to the quarterback position.
We’ve been told countless times it’s better for team unity and the consistency of the offense if there was no controversy regarding the quarterbacks. Quarterback A plays and quarterback B stands on the sidelines signaling in plays.
Nice and clean. No problem.
Of course, prospects of a two-quarterback system harkens back to the dark days of last season when the USC offense laid an egg against Vanderbilt, a loss that killed the Gamecocks’ momentum.
Spurrier announced before that game that Smelley and Blake Mitchell would share snaps. He regrets the decision now, I can assure you.
So, assuming nothing changes over the final five spring practices, the summer and fall camp, should Spurrier stick with his plan to let both quarterbacks play or should he make it a winner-take-all proposition, no matter how close the race is by the time the 2008 season begins in late August?
At this time, I’m leaning towards the latter.
Over the last several seasons, I believe the USC offense has performed more efficiently when it has one quarterback at the controls.
Of course, it hasn’t always been the same guy. In 2006, as you’ll recall, Syvelle Newton took over the offense starting with the third game and remained there for seven games until Mitchell righted himself.
Last year, Smelley and Mitchell switched back and forth. Smelley started the season opener, gave way to Mitchell, then took over in the second half of the LSU games and performed admirably.
That performance led to Smelley starting the next five games. USC won three of those contests.
It seems to me that over the last two seasons the offense has been better served when Spurrier names an outright starter and than brings in the backup QB if he falters.
Spurrier’s philosophy is based on a simple rule: play the hot quarterback.
In my opinion, Spurrier should do the same thing here. Determine who the best quarterback is, play him for as long as the offense is productive, and then bring in the other QB when he believes it’s necessary.
I must admit the quarterback race is a lot closer than I imagined when spring practice started. Obviously, like a lot of fans, I thought it was going to be an intriguing three-way QB race. But Garcia’s suspension changed that.
Once it became a two-way battle, I figured Smelley would separate himself and become the outright favorite. But it hasn’t happened.
Why? I don’t think it’s because Smelley has played poorly. No, I think Beecher is simply playing the best football of his career at the moment. He understands the offense (this is his third spring practice) and he’s thrown the ball well.
Not bad for a guy majoring in actuary mathematics. Even more impressive, he won the Andrew Sorensen Award for the team’s highest GPA last spring.
How come I wasn’t that smart? I may have to speak with my parents about that one.
Moreover, for possibly the first time in his career, Beecher senses he has a legitimate shot to capture the starting job. If he succeeds, it will be a case of perseverance prevailing.
I’ll still tab Smelley as the favorite, though.
But it’s a long time until Aug. 28.
There’s an old saying in football that if you have two quarterbacks then you don’t have one.
Which brings us, naturally, to the ongoing quarterback battle between Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher. If you listen to Steve Spurrier, it’s a pretty close competition.
He’s even gone so far as to say that if the race remains tight both quarterbacks will play in the fall. He’s told the media that on several occasions and he said it again last night at the Spartanburg County Gamecock Club.
Here’s my question: Is the QB battle between Smelley and Beecher a good thing for South Carolina?
Conventional wisdom in football has always said that it’s preferable to have a clear number one guy when it comes to the quarterback position.
We’ve been told countless times it’s better for team unity and the consistency of the offense if there was no controversy regarding the quarterbacks. Quarterback A plays and quarterback B stands on the sidelines signaling in plays.
Nice and clean. No problem.
Of course, prospects of a two-quarterback system harkens back to the dark days of last season when the USC offense laid an egg against Vanderbilt, a loss that killed the Gamecocks’ momentum.
Spurrier announced before that game that Smelley and Blake Mitchell would share snaps. He regrets the decision now, I can assure you.
So, assuming nothing changes over the final five spring practices, the summer and fall camp, should Spurrier stick with his plan to let both quarterbacks play or should he make it a winner-take-all proposition, no matter how close the race is by the time the 2008 season begins in late August?
At this time, I’m leaning towards the latter.
Over the last several seasons, I believe the USC offense has performed more efficiently when it has one quarterback at the controls.
Of course, it hasn’t always been the same guy. In 2006, as you’ll recall, Syvelle Newton took over the offense starting with the third game and remained there for seven games until Mitchell righted himself.
Last year, Smelley and Mitchell switched back and forth. Smelley started the season opener, gave way to Mitchell, then took over in the second half of the LSU games and performed admirably.
That performance led to Smelley starting the next five games. USC won three of those contests.
It seems to me that over the last two seasons the offense has been better served when Spurrier names an outright starter and than brings in the backup QB if he falters.
Spurrier’s philosophy is based on a simple rule: play the hot quarterback.
In my opinion, Spurrier should do the same thing here. Determine who the best quarterback is, play him for as long as the offense is productive, and then bring in the other QB when he believes it’s necessary.
I must admit the quarterback race is a lot closer than I imagined when spring practice started. Obviously, like a lot of fans, I thought it was going to be an intriguing three-way QB race. But Garcia’s suspension changed that.
Once it became a two-way battle, I figured Smelley would separate himself and become the outright favorite. But it hasn’t happened.
Why? I don’t think it’s because Smelley has played poorly. No, I think Beecher is simply playing the best football of his career at the moment. He understands the offense (this is his third spring practice) and he’s thrown the ball well.
Not bad for a guy majoring in actuary mathematics. Even more impressive, he won the Andrew Sorensen Award for the team’s highest GPA last spring.
How come I wasn’t that smart? I may have to speak with my parents about that one.
Moreover, for possibly the first time in his career, Beecher senses he has a legitimate shot to capture the starting job. If he succeeds, it will be a case of perseverance prevailing.
I’ll still tab Smelley as the favorite, though.
But it’s a long time until Aug. 28.
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