Sooners' QB possibility: Go with 2
Stoops admits it could happen early in season
Sooners' QB possibility: Go with 2

By Berry Tramel

Published: August 4, 2007

NORMAN — Bob Stoops platooned quarterbacks. Once.

On Sept. 3, 2005, Paul Thompson and Rhett Bomar shared duties. Tall Paul took 56 snaps, Master Bomar 11 and Texas Christian went home a 17-10 winner at Owen Field.

That kind of verdict would make a coach scrap every shred of remembrance to that bewildering day, from quarterback strategy to the color crimson.

But now comes another uncertain Oklahoma August, and might Stoops again be tempted to use two QBs, particularly in the season opener against North Texas?

"There's always that chance,” Stoops said. "I'm not saying we will. But it's too early to say we wouldn't.”

Here's why. You don't automatically have a quarterback just because you pick one. If the Sooner coaches get 10 days out from Sept. 1, or even game week, and don't know who to pick, they would be far better served to play two quarterbacks than crown an undeserved king.

As offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said: "I don't think we'll know until we know. We might know and still not know.”

Ideally, Sam Bradford or Kid Nichol or even Joey Halzle will win the job before September. My money's still on Bradford.

But if no quarterback emerges in August, Stoops really has no other choice. Let the games decide. Play the top two, and if that means several games, so be it.

The cultural reluctance to use two quarterbacks slowly has subsided, thanks in large part to Florida. The Gators won the national title a year ago by spotting in freshman quarterback Tim Tebow for veteran Chris Leak. Nothing will jolt coaches like success.

"They did it as well as you could do it,” Stoops said. "They did a good job with Tim, how they brought him along, got him experience. Developed him in the game plan each week.”

The NFL once suffered quarterback platoons gladly. No more. No self-respecting pro coach would use two quarterbacks.

For good reason. NFL offenses are virtually all timing. The talent is so close, the game so refined, that it truly is a game of millimeters and milliseconds.

Not so in college. Timing remains big, but not as big as the pros. On campus, receivers get more separation, bigger holes open, quarterbacks get more time to throw.

A quarterback's particular timing is not as paramount to the success of the show. Thus a new voice in the huddle and new feet in the pocket don't totally change the flow of an offense.

"I don't know strategy-wise where it would help,” Stoops said. "We're going to do the same things with each of 'em. So that wouldn't be the reason.

"The reason would be, is if it isn't decided, or we feel it's too close, you've got to give 'em their opportunities.”

Stoops and Co. needed September Saturdays to discover a Bomar-Thompson victor, and even then it wasn't clear.

It might not be any easier this season, especially since this trio has such little track record. Get this: Paul Thompson in August 2005 had more practice experience in his career (three years) than this trio has combined (2 1/2 years practice). And the trio's game experience is summed up in Halzle's two passes against Middle Tennessee.

The more you think about this, the more you realize that games almost certainly will decide this job, whether it starts out that way or not.

"We've not discussed that, but to myself, sometimes I think, would it be better for a guy to come over and take a deep breath and relax and look?” Wilson said.

"I've not ruled that out. Even if we have a starter, maybe another guy shouldn't play a little bit. Get his feet wet early. Even if we have a starter, maybe there's a merit, as (in)experienced as they are, to maybe getting two guys plays.”

And best yet, platooning quarterbacks is not a death sentence. Using two quarterbacks does not mean you have to sacrifice a game, TCU notwithstanding.

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