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8/30/00- Thoughts on the UM QB Position With the foot injury of Wolverine QB Drew Henson, thoughts turn to what might have been and what will happen until he returns... Kapsner- I don't rarely second guess the choices that people make but in this case I have to. Now, I'm not advocating that former Wolverine QB Jason Kapsner return to the team now that Drew Henson has been injured. In my opinion, he made his decision last January when he decided to forego his final year of eligibility. But I think he made a mistake. He said that he wanted to start his business career. When he was contacted by a reporter last week, he said that he had no regrets. Well, maybe not now but what about in ten years? He had the rest of his life to work and one more chance to play football. Starting his career a year earlier really isn't going to make that much of a difference ten years from now. Now, what could have one more year of football meant? While Drew Henson was the designated starter, Kapsner would have been the only other QB on the roster with real game experience. He probably would have been the starter now with Henson out. And it didn't need to be because of an injury. Any number of things could have happened to Drew Henson before this fall. What if George Steinbrenner had offered him a check with a few more zeros on the end and he decided to stay in baseball. What if a rash of injuries had created a situation where Drew had been called up to the major leagues? Would Drew choose the play against Bowling Green or compete for a pennant if given the chance? How would starting these three games change Kapsner's career prospects? Well, the average football fan doesn't know who Jason Kapsner is right now. That would change if he came in and lit up the scoreboard in Henson's absence. What additional opportunities could have presented themselves for him with experience as a starter? More name recognition would only help him in landing a good job. And what about pro football? Look at the number of former UM QB's in the NFL. Does the name Scott Dreisbach ring any bells? Despite losing the starting job his last three years at Michigan he continues to stick in the NFL even if it is just on the practice squad. His practice squad pay isn't too bad compared the starting pay of most entry level positions. Now what if Drew hadn't been injured? Kapsner could have been a great mentor for the younger quarterbacks. An enduring image for me is Scott Dreisbach signaling in plays at the 1998 Citrus Bowl. He was a positive influence on the team even if he wasn't the starting QB. I also remember the story told by Brian Griese about when he decided to return. He was discussing whether or not to return for his last year of eligibility or go to work. His brother told him that he was crazy to even think about going to work when he had the opportunity to play college football. And the rest is history. Griese led the Wolverines to the National Championship and is now the starting QB for the Denver Broncos. Navarre- Now on to the Wolverine QB of the moment, John Navarre. To hear the nay sayers talk about him you might believe that he was last kid picked at recess. People seem to forget that he was a top ranked QB when he was recruited. In the spring game he held his own against Drew Henson and led his squad to victory. He'll do just fine. Michigan will struggle in their first two games but it will be by design. The Wolverine rarely go out to run up the score on lesser opponents. The first priority will be to get the running game on track. Lloyd will be much more interested in seeing how RB Justin Fargas and the rebuilt defensive line looks. As long as the offensive line blocks well Navarre will have plenty of time to make his passes to his talented receiving corps. I'm going out on limb here but I could probably QB the Wolverines to victory against Bowling Green and Rice. Henson- 1999 Statistics
This might be sacrilegious but what in the above statistics gives people faith that Drew Henson was going to come in and set the world on fire? He is an incredible talent and I have confidence that he will be a great QB but in the short term, considering the opposition, John Navarre should be more than enough to get us by. The larger question will be in a few weeks when Lloyd will need to decide if 3 game starter John Navarre is better than a dinged up Drew Henson who hasn't seen live game action since the Orange Bowl... Go Blue! |
