Maryland Football: Quarterback Controversy in College Park?

Being the default of anything is never desirable. No one aspires to attain a certain acknowledgement or benefit just because there was no better alternative. No one’s getting “The Default” tattooed on their biceps anytime soon.

Unfortunately for the Maryland football team however, there is evidence of exactly that at the most important position on the field. With Chris Turner having graduated and Danny O’Brien and the other reserves still (perhaps) too green for the full-time gig, Jamarr Robinson seemed to become starting quarterback by process of elimination.

No one (that I know of) believed Robinson was the next Dan Marino, but at the same time, no alarm bells rang at the news of his appointment. But after Monday’s win over Navy, I think I might hear some gongs in the distance.

To be sure, the Midshipmen tend to provide a slightly crooked measuring stick. Their smallish front line made the running game an unusually enticing option for Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin, and they were right to exploit it.

But it’s a little unsettling that Maryland ran 11 plays from scrimmage before attempting a pass. Compare this with the unabashedly run-happy Navy offense, which kept things on the ground much of the time but still ran fewer plays before throwing their first pass—nine—than Maryland did.

Robinson had some moments. He got in on Run Fest 2010 with 92 yards of his own. And let’s not forget his team won the game. But as the season goes on, chances are some of those massive holes will close. Robinson is a decent runner for a quarterback but not a great one. And even if he was, Maryland doesn’t really run the option or the wildcat. Friedgen cut his coaching teeth as a quarterbacks instructor, and his offensive calling card has always been a balanced air-ground attack. So it’s uncharacteristic—very much so—that Friedgen would call 34 rushing plays versus only five passing plays. That is not balanced. And there has to be some reason behind this.

Could it be that the Fridge simply took what the defense gave him?  That the Terps were “playing Navy’s game?” Yes, it’s possible, even understandable (Robinson, for his part, has indicated the latter).

But then you have to look at Robinson’s stats. He went 2-for-5 passing for 11 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. That is not an efficient day. That is not game management. This is a guy for whom arm strength has never been the issue. The issue for Robinson has always lied between the ears.

Robinson’s first non-penalized pass play, which came in the second quarter, was an interception. In the third quarter, the coaches seemed to try and rebuild Robinson's confidence with consecutive short, easily completed pass plays to Torrey Smith and Adrian Cannon. He dropped back again later in the drive, but was sacked after a long moment of indecision. He tried only one more pass the rest of the day.

Then, of course, in the fourth quarter, tie game, Maryland in Navy’s red zone, Friedgen puts in Danny O’Brien. Er, okay. But the gamble didn’t work; O’Brien fumbled away a handoff. End of experiment.

Which brings us back to the beginning. Friedgen has already stated that Robinson is the starter for Morgan State. Fair enough. Danny O’Brien seems like a fine Irish boy, but losing a fumble in crunch time doesn’t exactly put the squeeze on the incumbent. It’s Robinson by default.

Still, Friedgen said here that he believes the two will split time moving forward. The quarterback-related postgame quotes all have a nothing-to-see-here quality to them, but at the same time, changes at quarterback are never dismissed. This quote is pretty representative:

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“We wanted to get Danny in the game. And it’s nothing against Jamarr, it’s just that we wanted to get Danny in the game, and we had talked about that pregame.”

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No one’s going to confuse Morgan State with Ohio State, but nevertheless this Bears team likes to hunt quarterbacks. What happens if Robinson, against a very beatable but potentially frisky defense, can’t get the ball to Torrey Smith, his team’s best player? What if he freezes or comes down with the happy feet? What if he simply cannot put the Navy performance behind him? Does the staff give O’Brien another shot, or maybe check out C.J. Brown or Devin Burns? With five QBs on the roster, Maryland has some pieces to play with.

Neither Robinson, Friedgen, nor anyone else has given any verbal hint that a permanent switch is imminent. But they haven’t denied it, either. If Robinson can’t get it going in a winnable game at home, a change could be a-comin.

(This post, and a lot more Terps news and commentary and fun stuff, can be found at www.shell-games.com)