How Sam Keller's departure makes Arizona State Better
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by user The Beast
Arizona State University Head Coach Dirk Koetter has named his starting quarterback for the 2006 season. That man is sophomore Rudy Carpenter. Not too much of a surprise, as both he and senior Sam Keller were competing for the starting job. So, Sam Keller is now, contemplating a transfer to the University of Nebraska. Will he go, probably so. Lets just assume for the point of this article that he actually is. Okay, you’re probably wondering now, how Sam Keller leaving the team actually makes the Sun Devils a better football team.
With Sam supposedly leaving, Rudy Carpenter is the true starter. There will be no quarterback controversy. When was the last team that won a national championship with a two quarterback system? If memory serves me correct, it has never happened. If Ohio State had stayed with Troy Smith as the starter over Justin Zwick early last year, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Bucks would have lost to Texas at home. They had momentum with Smith and looked lifeless with Zwick. Consistency is the key issue here. Quarterbacks have a different style. Do they prefer the lob pass? Does the quarterback prefer to hit his man quickly or to wait to hit him farther down the field? Each guy is different and the receivers, backs, and lineman, have to adjust to each guy instead of getting into a solid rhythm. Sam’s departure leaves the option of running a two quarterback in the dust.
Rudy Carpenter is now clearly their guy. If he throws a duck for an interception, he won’t be looking toward the sideline, to see if he’s coming out. That gives the young guy confidence to make plays. If he isn’t afraid to leave the game, than Carpenter should be able to play worry free, making a better quarterback. So, without the option of a two quarterback system and a quarterback playing worry free football, Arizona State is poised for a consecutive appearance in the AP Top 25
Date
Thu 08/24/06, 1:47 pm EST
