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Lucas: 'Two-headed monster' at QB not likely

Mike Lucas  —  3/07/2008 7:23 am

While one 38-year-old Brett was saying farewell Thursday from the televisions mounted to the ceiling in the Camp Randall Stadium media room, the other 38-year-old Bret was saying all's well, for now, from the podium in the front of the room. You couldn't help but think of Brett Favre — whose teary, touching, thought-provoking retirement address could have easily served as his acceptance speech, with a little editing, to the Hall of Fame  — when Bret Bielema, the third-year University of Wisconsin coach, was addressing the spring competition at the most visible position on the field. "Quarterback is a very unique entity," Bielema said.

You won't get an argument from Packers fans who could count on the same guy (Favre) showing up for work behind center for the last 16 seasons and 275 starts in Green Bay. Badgers fans, meanwhile, will be looking at their third different starting quarterback in as many years. To this point — Who's next in line following John Stocco and Tyler Donovan? — Bielema was asked if he was hoping to have a clear-cut No. 1 coming out of the April 19 intrasquad game. "Again, the hope would be yes," he said. "Whether it pans out that way, I don't know."

When spring drills commence Saturday, there will be five candidates: Allan Evridge (who was Donovan's backup), Dustin Sherer (who was Evridge's backup),  Scott Tolzien (a third-year sophomore), James Stallons (a freshman redshirt) and Curt Phillips (a true freshman). "At the beginning, we're trying to get a feel for what all five guys can do," said Bielema, adding the exploratory period will extend through the first three practices. "After we get back from spring break (March 25), we may begin to narrow it down and get specific on the guys we feel that can get it done."

Given the potential diversity in this group, from a skill perspective, would Bielema consider playing multiple quarterbacks? "As always I would prefer not to go down the path of a two-headed monster at quarterback," he said. "On the same account, every situation is different. Last year that would not have been feasible with the combination of Allan and Tyler." Yet he admitted that he's now dealing from a different quarterback pool. "You really have three guys in the same boat who have gotten very limited reps and experience," he said, listing Tolzien, Stallons and Phillips. "We have to see how those three can take these initial two or three weeks of spring football and see where they're at."

Despite his preference to play one quarterback, Bielema conceded, "If it's going to help us win a football game, we'll always look at that first."

In this context, is there any chance that the Badgers might tinker with the spread option offense out of the shotgun formation? Especially since it has become such a popular fixture in college football. "The biggest thing we've been able to establish here at Wisconsin," Bielema said, "is that we've had success off what we know how to do and what we've been able to do throughout time." Or since 1990, when his predecessor and athletic director, Barry Alvarez, installed a tailback-oriented offense.

Today's variable?

Paul Chryst.

"One of Paul's strengths as an offensive coordinator is that he's able to use player's strengths to their fullest better than anybody I've ever been around," Bielema said. "Obviously, the spread was a non-viable option with John Stocco." The Badgers did incorporate more running into their game plan for Donovan,  he pointed out. Whereas Sherer, Tolzien and Stallons are drop-back quarterbacks — according to Bielema — Evridge and Phillips have some of the athleticism needed to operate out of the spread; notably, Phillips, who ran the offense in high school. Still, "it's not something we're going to be converting to," Bielema said.

The Big Ten, by contrast, has been undergoing a steady transition to spread offenses; a trend that will continue with Michigan's hiring of Rich Rodriguez, whose signature attack at West Virginia was the spread. Depending on where uber-recruit Terrelle Pryor winds up, the spread will automatically become an option, if it's not already. That would be the case at Ohio State, which returns Todd Boeckman, a drop-back quarterback. All of this factors into Bielema's thinking. Last season, he counted seven teams using the spread in the conference. And with that number growing, he stated the benefit of the Badgers staying true to themselves from a philosophical and conventional standpoint. "We've now become a unique preparation," he said.

Just the same, there is a drawback. "If we go the entire spring just running against our offense, we don't get any work against the spread," he noted. "We've addressed that as coaches and we've really come up with a good game plan, I believe, to be able to incorporate spread work for our defense every day in practice." That would seemingly assure Phillips of getting his snaps. Getting experience is another key component for the mid-term high school graduate.

"To be quite honest," Bielema said, "the four out of the five (quarterbacks) who have been in our program for at least a semester have an understanding, a base knowledge of what we're trying to get across. Curt is at little bit of a disadvantage because this is the first time he's hearing it. At least he gets to hear it now before going into fall camp."

In general, Bielema has been encouraged by the response that he has received from all five quarterbacks. "We've had these early morning workouts (6 a.m.)," he related, "and Paul (Chryst) has a tendency to get the quarterbacks out there 20 minutes before everybody else. Normally, you would have kids balk at having to be out there at 5:40 in the morning but they're more than eager." Such is the commitment, even in March, helping better understand the burnout from the other 38-year-old Brett, going on 39 and retirement.

Mike Lucas  —  3/07/2008 7:23 am