THE THREAD [06.23.08] :: Opportunities
by cocknfire on Jun 23, 2008 1:18 AM EDT
in South Carolina Gamecocks News
Email
Print
Prodigal son returning? Stephen Garcia is apparently doing well on his second third fourth chance, Person reports.
The USC quarterback, banished to Florida following three arrests during his first 15 months on campus, has complied with several university-imposed stipulations, according to Garcia’s father, his lawyer and a university source. ...Garcia, a redshirt freshman who has yet to take a snap for the Gamecocks, was required to submit to weekly drug and alcohol tests, undergo counseling and find full-time employment, according to the university source.
The source said Garcia has passed the first eight of 10 scheduled drug and alcohol checks, completed his counseling program and is working near his family’s home in Lutz, a suburb of Tampa.
C&F has said before that South Carolina should cut ties with Garcia but is willing to admit now that perhaps he was too hasty. If THE SAVIOR OF THE PROGRAM can fulfill all these obligations, it would show that his judgment has improved markedly. So, that's what has seemed to be missing with Garcia: the wisdom and judgment necessary to be an SEC quarterback.
The early lack of that wisdom and judgment, though, means Garcia's road will be much longer than it should have been.
Not far from home. C.C. Whitlock is also spending some time at home, which might be more cause for concern than is the case with Garcia. THE SAVIOR OF THE PROGRAM seems to get in trouble more when he's away from home. Not so for Whitlock.
“Coach Floyd talked me into it. I was around a bad environment and he didn’t want me to get caught up in none of that. So he was like, the best thing for me is to get on out of here in January.” ...
But I’m guessing the sooner Whitlock returns to Columbia, the better Steve Spurrier and his staff will feel about the situation.
The QBs, after all, need all the help they can get. And Kenny McKinley can't line up at three or four WR positions.
Summers, Boyd in the running. Both Demetris Summers and Cory Boyd are trying to land pro football roster spots, one in country where football actually belongs and the other in Canada. Injuries are hampering both.
Blake Mitchell is also looking for a spot on the Bills' depth chart. Wouldn't hold my breath.
Flag bearer. A nice (if puffy) piece about Dawn Staley carrying the flag for the Olympics team in 2004. This just contributes to C&F's odd, platonic crush on Staley.
2 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Blake...
You’re too hard on Blake. It wouldn’t surprise me if he surfaced somewhere in the NFL as a reliable backup. He has the skills. His problem at Carolina is that he couldn’t handle the pressure of playing behind a putrid o-line. But there are lots of good QBs that make bad decisions when they’re staring down a hulking SEC defensive end. When our o-line played well (end of 2006, for instance), Blake put up pretty numbers, you have to admit.
Not necessarily being hard on Blake
As Person points out, the team Mitchell is looking for a roster spot on - the Bills - is already chock full of quarterbacks. And if it’s hard to make an NFL team as an undrafted free agent, it’s incredibly hard to do so as a quarterback. You get behind the other quarterbacks in learning the offense, working with the first- and second-team, etc.
But I’m also just not sure Blake has it. Maybe he does, and I don’t wish him any ill; in fact, I’d love to see him do well. But pro quarterbacks tend to face more pressure, not less, have to throw to smaller windows, not larger ones, and must exhibit extremely good judgment—let’s face it, not one of Blake’s strong suits.
That said, Jared Lorenzen is an NFL backup, so who knows?
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
