Just left the practice field as the team drills began (we’re not allowed to watch that portion of practice), but before I go back out to talk with Sylvester Croom and the quarterbacks, I wanted to give you a quick update.
Wearing Red Cross jerseys were LaMarcus Williams (foot), Cortez McCraney (ankle) and Tim Bailey (groin).
As for the quarterback situation, Wesley Carroll was the first to take snaps with the first unit, but Josh Riddell got his reps too.
Here’s what Croom had to say following practice . . .
“I thought they both had a good practice. Both of them have strenghts, both of them have weaknesses. It’s obvious Josh throws the ball better and has a better arm than Wes. But Wes probably manages the game and runs the team better than Josh. Two of his best passes were thrown into the wrong coverage. I know it looks good in the stats and it’s a big play and everyone loves it, but those plays get you beat. What happens in game like that, when you play Gardner-Webb, you get lucky. You’re not going to luck your way through the SEC.
“We’ve got a decision to make and it will be made on who performs better (in practice). That doesn’t mean who completes the most passes. That means who quarterbacks the game better. And I’ll make that decision, along with our coaching staff, regardless of what public opinion might be.”
September 24, 2007 at 7:09 pm
i.e. Carroll starts because I’d rather teach Sunday School than win ballgames. Dammit Crooms, nut up and play Riddell. He’s clearly the better QB. You’re stubborn refusal to play him is transparent. We all realize you don’t like him for some unknown reason and don’t won’t to cause controversy so Money Mike can come back and throw 6 picks in a game aGAIN and be praised. You’re a stubborn, foolish man, and can’t be fired soon enough. Like Bill Parcells just said a few minutes ago on Monday Night Countdown: “…the question for your QB is ‘Do you get your team in the endzone enough to win?’” That’s about as simple as you can put it.
September 24, 2007 at 8:54 pm
What on Earth is Croom’s problem? Why does he have the “me versus the world” complex? Does he not understand that we as fans are not trying to under mind him, we just want to win? I believe after the 3rd straight losing season he would actually try to make the fans at least a little happy and stop trying to alienate his fan base. We were dogs long before Croom!
September 25, 2007 at 8:19 am
Based on the “dont care that the public opinion is” comment, sounds like Croom is geting even lower in the trenches, wih a mevs the world approach. Obviously, he forgets that it is the public that pays his overly generous paycheck, and that when he loses what little support he has, that it doesnt matter what the contract says or who the AD is, he’s gone. I know you can’t let the fans vote on quarterback, or what plays to call, but you don’t have to “diss” them either.
September 25, 2007 at 8:39 am
What I don’t get is how sports fans, not just you guys, but fans in general, think they know more about the game and the players than the coaches themselves. Give me a break. For a computer tech or accountant or whoever to sit at their desk and say something like “Coach X doesn’t know what he’s doing, he needs to play so-and-so.” Or “Coach Y is stupid for running on that play rather than throwing.” Is about the most arrogant thing I can think of. There are just over 100 D-I head football coaches in the world. That’s an elite group. They aren’t’ perfect and often make mistakes but for some guy who’s football expertise consists of making all the way to JuCo (like me) to think they know more about it than the head coach is ridiculous.
Easy guys. Croom just might have more information about these two guys than us and maybe just a little more insight to the game of football than us. Hard to believe I know, but it’s true.
September 25, 2007 at 9:29 am
Gregg,
I liked your article today. Road victories are a definite must for post season play. A victory Saturday could really be a defining moment for Croom and this program. I am anxious to see the predicitions this week. Looking at the stats, it would appear to be a defensive game in the making with SC having the upper hand in 7 of 10 key statistics (Total yds, FG%, etc.). It will take a flawless Bulldog game with good QB play and the defense has to rush Smelley into mistakes. All points which Croom made in the article in the Starkville Daily today.
September 25, 2007 at 9:47 am
On the road our intensity has to be way up on defense and we can rattle a QB like Smelley in long yardage situations with pressure. He will mostly be trying to release quickly on short drops which is what Spurrier likes about him. I’m going to say we get yet another early pick in the game until Spurrier gets a feel for our defensive pressure. They will probably get some big plays but I think we will hang close with Dixon and Ducre later in the game. The stars are aligning over StarkVegas…we are due a little more good fortune.
September 25, 2007 at 11:04 am
Hey Greg. You can import your posts from your old LiveJournal blog. Here is an article about how to do it.
http://wordpress.com/blog/2006/06/01/livejournal-import/
September 25, 2007 at 11:12 am
Thanks for the update on the QB situation at practice everyday. Who knows how this thing works with the one who gets the “starting” role…but i do echo the above comment on Croom’s choice of words for Riddell… My question is, why degrade the guy who is showing the best all around skills?