With the Tigers floundering into late-summer irrelevance, much of the sports discussion around these parts has turned to the gridiron, and in particular, what is taking place at the quarterback position.
The three main football institutions (Lions, Spartans, Wolverines) all offer plenty of intrigue at the quarterback position.
But which signal-caller is under the most pressure to succeed?
Is it Matthew Stafford, the QB entering his 7th year with a growing reputation as a player unable to come through when the games matter most?
Or is it Connor Cook, the rock-steady Michigan State leader, trying to not only elevate this Spartan team from perennial top-five to this year’s “top-one,” but to also justify his lofty status as a possible first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft?
Or is the most scrutiny found in Ann Arbor, where a pair of upperclassmen, one new and one old, vie for the honor of commanding Jim Harbaugh’s maiden Michigan voyage?
Time to Call a Spade a Spade?
Matt Stafford was the first overall pick in 2009, so at what point do we stop pretending that he’s some burgeoning young quarterback about to take the next step, and just admit that the on-field performances taking place right in front of us speak loudest of all?
There are many in the Lions community, both players and fans alike, that see greatness for this approaching Lions’ season. I ask honestly, “This is based on what?”
Is it sheer, unabashed optimism with no real basis in fact? It appears to be.
If you’re a guy that values wins over losses, the results are anything but pleasant.
Stafford has pitched a 3-31 record against teams that finished the season with a winning record. And of course, there is the ever-present, always-disturbing 0 and 18 mark against plus-.500 teams on the road.
But with a new season comes new opportunity. All the criticisms directed at Stafford can be erased with a standout 2015.
If he can reach the 30 touchdown mark for the second time in his career; if he can finally post consecutive winning seasons; if he can escape a hostile road environment with a victory; if he can emerge from the NFL Playoffs with an actual win, or heaven forbid, maybe even more.
These are all things Matthew Stafford can do to wash away an uninspiring past and start building towards a better future.
The pressure is squarely on his shoulders. There’s a reason that Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady are all still around at the end of every football season. It’s because this is a quarterback’s league, and the best teams are almost always those with the top passers.
The Lions can shout from the rooftops about Teryl Austin and his fierce defense, they can sing the praises of rookie runner Ameer Abdullah, but when push comes to shove in today’s NFL, it’s about the quality of your quarterback. Everything else is white noise.
The 50-Year Wait
Connor Cook has won plenty of big games during his time in East Lansing.
Connor Cook
As a sophomore, he bested the big, bad, Ohio State Buckeyes for the Big Ten championship. He followed that up with a takedown of Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Both performances were of the 300-yard variety.
Last year, Cook won all four of his conference road games, giving him a sparkling 8-0 in Big Ten play away from the comforts of Spartan Stadium. And again, a New Year’s Day bowl victory was had, this time in stunning comeback fashion against Baylor.
But there’s always been a little hiccup, a stubbed toe somewhere along the way knocking the Spartans to the outer borders of the season-ending championship debate.
It’s not as if any of the losses have been to cupcakes. In his two years as quarterback, Cook has lost games to just three schools: Notre Dame, Oregon, and Ohio State. There’s no Appalachian State or Toledo on his resumé. But still, it’s not quite enough.
Mark Dantonio has transformed this program into one not satisfied with a “very good” season. They thirst for the day when they can call themselves the “best.” That means perfection, or something very close to it.
It won’t be easy.
In one month, those same Oregon Fighting Ducks from last year will invade our great state with hopes of dropping another near 50-point performance on the vaunted Spartans’ D.
Then October rolls around and it’s a road date with the revitalized Wolverines under noted whole milk-guzzler Jim Harbaugh.
In November, there are dates with Nebraska and Ohio State, both in enemy territory.
Breaking a 50-year MSU championship drought will be a task marked by extreme difficulty. But to this point, Cook has proven to be a guy that can handle such expectations.
The culture has shifted at Michigan State. Anything less than a national title will be brushed aside with a wave of the hand.
It’s on #18, the senior quarterback destined for NFL stardom, to make his last campaign as a Spartan his most memorable one yet.
The Newcomer or the Holdover?
Shane Morris
Jake Rudock has been a starting quarterback in the Big Ten for two seasons.
Shane Morris is famous for once getting a concussion.
It seems like a lopsided battle in this brewing Ann Arbor QB controversy, but to this point, it doesn’t appear either candidate has broke from the pack.
Playing quarterback under Jim Harbaugh will not be a stress-free assignment.
In San Francisco, he yanked the job from super-steady Alex Smith despite a tremendous win-loss percentage with him under center. Harbaugh is not out to make friends or to go .500. He wants to win lots of games, and he’ll give the ball to whoever he thinks offers him the best opportunity to do so.
It’s difficult for the Michigan fan base to rally around either quarterback, yet.
Rudock is a known commodity in the conference. He’s a tough, rugged, competitor with a decent arm and a little scrambling ability. But it’s worth noting that the nation’s top players generally don’t switch schools at the end of their careers. If Rudock were as good a quarterback as Big Blue Nation is praying he will be, the Hawkeyes never would have let him walk away in the first place
But the alternative is probably less appealing. Shane Morris has had some chances during his time in Ann Arbor, and it’s difficult to recall any highlights. If you were one of those ardent Michigan supporters that labored through all four quarters of the grueling Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl loss against Kansas State two years ago, well, my thoughts and prayers go out to you.
Morris hasn’t had a tremendous amount of field time to show off his goods, but the question remains if there’s anything really there for him to display. He’s tossed 87 passes as a Wolverine -- not time enough to throw a single touchdown, but plenty of opportunity for him to launch five interceptions.
At this point you’d have a hard time convincing me Shane Morris is a better option under center than Shane Falco, and the latter isn’t technically even a real person.
In all likelihood, Rudock will be the choice. It’s difficult to imagine his transferring to Michigan for a senior season, only to spend that season rotting on the bench.
But if he thinks the new guy is going to get some slack from this fan base, he’s got another thing coming. Harbaugh’s arrival has driven expectations through the roof. If Rudock is named the starter and lays an egg in the opener at Utah, fans will be clamoring for the best quarterback on the Michigan sideline to finally get in the game.
And they won’t be talking about Shane Morris.
They’ll be talking about Captain Comeback, Jim Harbaugh. He might be 51 years of age, but I wouldn’t put it past him to rip off the headset and take a few live snaps at some point this season.
Unlike the last guy, at least there will be an actual headset to remove.
