Sunday, April 20, 2008
Taylor redshirt should be option
Aaron McFarling
Recent columns
BLACKSBURG -- In a perfect world, Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor will not play a single down of football in 2008.
And it won't be because of injury or academics or anything he failed to do in practice. It won't be because he can't produce, because we've already seen that he can.
No. In a perfect world, Taylor will take a redshirt year because it's what's best for the Hokies -- now and in the future.
First, the necessary qualifiers to this argument. If fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Glennon gets so much as a ankle sprain between now and the Aug. 30 opener against East Carolina, the deal's off. There's no reason to play an injured Glennon over a healthy Taylor. And if Glennon slips considerably in his performance during preseason practice, Taylor should and will have the opportunity to be the starting quarterback.
But if the coaches consider Taylor and Glennon even -- as they did most of last year and throughout this spring -- then the redshirt move makes perfect sense. Particularly if Glennon continues to perform in fall practice at the level he showed in Saturday's Maroon-White scrimmage, when he completed 9 of 15 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns to an all new receiving corps, leading the White team to a 24-3 victory over Taylor's Maroon squad.
Before we start worrying about giving too much weight to a spring game, let's remember a few things. Glennon is the defending MVP of the ACC championship game. He completed 60.9 percent of his passes last year with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's shown what he can do. Saturday merely confirmed that he hasn't lost it.
Last year's dual-quarterback system worked, and the coaches haven't ruled out using it again, but the novelty is gone. Quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain repeatedly said last year that he'd rather use one signal-caller, even as the duo pieced together a four-game winning streak. Head coach Frank Beamer has always preferred using one.
And the QBs themselves?
"I think any quarterback would be lying to you if he said he's fine sharing snaps," Glennon said Saturday. "At the same time, I wouldn't be disappointed" if the coaches wanted to try it again.
Said Taylor: "I would rather one quarterback play."
And the one that makes the most sense is Glennon. He's experienced. He's accomplished. He's fought through tough times and emerged as a better player.
Most of all, he doesn't have an option to redshirt.
Taylor does. The true sophomore can continue to develop his reads and footwork in practice while saving a year of eligibility. And while he wouldn't get mop-up time in games -- whatever that's worth -- he would serve as the backup quarterback in the event Glennon got hurt.
Such an arrangement can work, just as it did for Glennon. Glennon played his true freshman year as Bryan Randall's backup, then took his redshirt year the following season while serving as the emergency No. 2 behind Marcus Vick.
"Obviously, it worked out well," Glennon said. "I wouldn't be sitting here if it didn't work out well for me."
The coaches have not approached Taylor with the idea yet, probably because there is no reason to do so. A lot can change between now and late August, and there's no reason to take Taylor out of the competition or risk insulting him.
"I wouldn't be insulted," Taylor said. "I know that comes with the game.
"But that hasn't come up to me yet," he added. "If the question comes around, I'd have to think about it. It wouldn't be a right-away answer. My goal going into spring was to come out the starting quarterback. I think they'll probably name one in the fall. I can just compete every day."
Using Taylor part time is tempting, but the Hokies should take the long view on this one. Barring injury, Taylor would get three full seasons as the offensive leader in exchange for one year of waiting -- and learning.
In a perfect world, that's a trade worth making.
