THE MAN WITH THE PLAN
In the huddle, everyone is looking to the quarterback to show them the way

Published: August 13, 2007

Oklahoma's quarterback competition drags on, even as the Sept. 1 season opener creeps closer. As of today, that's 19 days and counting.

So what are the OU coaches waiting for?

A leader — in the chase and in the huddle.

For all the tangible attributes winning quarterbacks possess — strong and accurate arm, quick mind, swift feet among them — the Sooners job may ultimately be decided by a single intangible.

Huddle presence.

OU coaches have already seen enough tangibles in each of their three quarterback candidates — Sam Bradford, Joey Halzle and Keith Nichol. They're just waiting for one to command a huddle.

And while often overlooked, players and coaches agree that huddle presence is a vital requirement for the position.

"He's the commander in chief on the field,” Sooner wide receiver Malcolm Kelly says of the quarterback.

And, Kelly says, he better act like it.

"When the quarterback comes in the huddle, it's the way he talks to everybody,” says Kelly. "He's calm. He's not chattering his teeth. He's not scared at all. He can tell everybody, ‘Here's what we're going to do.'

"You can't be out there asking everybody else what to do.”

Kansas coach Mark Mangino, whose Jayhawks are enduring their own heated quarterback competition this preseason, says a quarterback who is sure of himself and the offense dictates the attitude of an offense.

"It's everything,” Mangino said. "If the kids see the quarterback confident, they're confident. They feed off of him.”

Inside the huddle, the quarterback is the man everyone looks to, not just to deliver

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