Spring Football Entry (Updated 1:45pm)

'09 Football43

So many good things keep hitting that we have to keep adding to this entry.

After the misery that was much of basketball season, spring brings renewed hope to NC State fans in the form of the off-season football practices that will lay down much of the foundation of this fall’s squad.

850 The Buzz interviewed Coach O’Brien today and posted an audio link. It’s a good listen.

Similarly, Sports Illustrated has a FANTASTIC article focusing on Russell Wilson that you can read by clicking here.

An article on WRAL Sports talks about how NC State head coach Tom O’Brien plans to use the sessions as a platform for competition:

When asked about Mike Glennon’s status, O’Brien said, “I hope he competes for the job and tries to take it away from Russell (Wilson).”

That will be easier said than done, considering Wilson made first-team all-ACC as a freshman quarterback.

But Wilson is injured – a sprained knee suffered in the PapaJohns.com bowl – and he has yet to be cleared for full contact drills, although that could come as soon as next week.

In other news, Jamelle Eugene has a shoulder injury and will miss spring practice, but Toney Baker is fully cleared for all drills.

Practices start in three days — March 20th. You can view Coach O’Brien’s Organizational/Depth Chart by clicking here.

The Sporting News had a pretty comprehensive article yesterday about Wilson & Glennon.

“I hope (Glennon) competes for the job and tries to take it away from Russell,” O’Brien said. “Nobody better think they’re starters because nobody owns the jersey. North Carolina State owns the jersey. … They have to earn it. If Glennon has that ‘potential’ tag — that dangerous tag, which means you haven’t done anything yet — he’ll certainly have his opportunities.

“It became pretty obvious to us (last season) that our choice was going to be Glennon or Wilson coming into the fall,” he added. “Russell ended up winning that competition then, but he’s the incumbent because it’s his job. But Michael Glennon wants to take it away from him.”

'09 Football

43 Responses to Spring Football Entry (Updated 1:45pm)

  1. Noah 03/17/2009 at 1:28 PM #

    Sorry, I didn’t mean to just leave that sitting out there.

    O’Brien isn’t going to take another job. I’d put large amounts of cash on that. He’ll retire from here. I didn’t mean to imply that he would take a job elsewhere.

    As I understand it, there is someone on the staff who is being groomed as a replacement. I’ve heard that from two places.

  2. Alpha Wolf 03/17/2009 at 1:53 PM #

    ^ But Noah, our Feckless Leader made the pronouncement that NC State does not pre-determine successors, a la Stephanie Glance.

  3. TOBtime 03/17/2009 at 2:02 PM #

    ^Thank heavens Noah! I also meant i’d be in awe, not so much that TOB stays 5 more years, but that our idiot administration does not piss him off so badly he leaves (retires). I too think he is here for a legacy.
    Alpha, I KNOW that was tongue-in-cheek. Wonder how many people would revolt if TOB picked a successor, after an ACC Championship, that foul-up chose not to go with?

  4. Noah 03/17/2009 at 2:15 PM #

    But Noah, our Feckless Leader made the pronouncement that NC State does not pre-determine successors, a la Stephanie Glance.

    Can’t help you on that one. Also, if Fowler wants to go elsewhere, there’s not really anything a retired coach can do.

    I’m also not endorsing or condeming anyone.

  5. packalum44 03/17/2009 at 3:16 PM #

    I think we have a really good chance to win the Atlantic. I hope we have two healthy quarterbacks going into this season because we will likely need both. As if he needs it, Russell has a target on his chest. I hope we don’t have to go past second string next year. Don’t be surprised is Wilson comes off the bench next year in 4th quarter blowouts.

  6. Noah 03/17/2009 at 3:21 PM #

    Do you mean Glennon?

  7. ChuckAllYall 03/17/2009 at 4:23 PM #

    So this is what it feels like to become a football school.

  8. whitefang 03/17/2009 at 4:53 PM #

    I HOPE we can be known as a football school, because we are an ex-basketball school and are likely to remain that for the distant future.

  9. Greywolf 03/17/2009 at 6:22 PM #

    old13
    March 17th, 2009 at 9:03 am
    I just have to wonder how long it will take Foulup and tne NC Legislature and College Athletics Directors to reduce Wolfpack football to the level of an almost-competitive high school program.
    BJD95
    March 17th, 2009 at 9:30 am
    Ah, football. I have a feeling we will enjoy the rest of O’Brien’s coaching run immensely. It’s nice to have a program run by someone that we can all have 100% confidence in.

    old13,
    Have you checked to see if your optic nerve is connected to your rectum? You seem to have an abnormally shitty out look.

    BJD95,
    Have you been reading my mail? 😉 Almost any news about out football program makes me very happy to read it. This guy TOB is the only coach I would have wanted my son to play football for. Bobby Bowden is a super guy but the bums for teammates my son would be exposed to would turn me away.

    Our annual Spring Game looks like it will be a permanent fundraiser for cancer research in honor of Kay Yow. What’s not to like about this man. And we will win and win big. I hope some of our conference teams enjoyed themselves while they could.

  10. Greywolf 03/17/2009 at 6:32 PM #

    SFN,
    Some of us are in rehab recovering from Wolfpack basketball and could use a piss free zone to get over the suffering of the winter. Wolfpack football is just what the doctor ordered but occassionally some people mistake this for another opportunity to piss down NCSU’s leg while we are talking about TOB and the football program. Is there anyway way to create a thread for those who are addicted to pain and suffering? Maybe you could move their posts to that thread when they are overwhelmed by a desire to piss on our joyous celebration of Spring Practice. 😉

  11. CStanley 03/17/2009 at 7:14 PM #

    “It became pretty obvious to us (last season) that our choice was going to be Glennon or Wilson coming into the fall,” he added. “Russell ended up winning that competition then, but he’s the incumbent because it’s his job. But Michael Glennon wants to take it away from him.”

    I”m glad we redshirted Glennon, but it obviously sounds like we weren’t counting on having to rely on Evans or Beck very much if at all. Unfortunately, that risk didn’t work out as Wilson got hurt and it cost us several games. With Glennon now available, maybe now if the worst does happen with Wilson, we won’t have to do that again.

  12. RagingWolf 03/17/2009 at 8:01 PM #

    I am trying so hard not to get too excited about our football team.

  13. transylvania 03/17/2009 at 8:05 PM #

    Football! Hope springs eternal. It’s hard not to be optimistic, especially considering the guys we redshirted last year — Glennon, Barnes, Mario Carter (from my high school — the bIg), among others…

  14. packalum44 03/18/2009 at 11:05 AM #

    “Do you mean Glennon?”

    Yes. My bad. I hope to see him on September 12th and 19th against Murray State and Gardner Webb respectively. I know even Beck looked good against D-II teams but talent is talent, you will be able to see it.

    I watched him in the High School All-Star game in Florida. He was easily the best of all the quarterbacks there, significantly better than 5-star EJ Manuel from VA Beach who is now a Seminole. He dominated in the skill challenge which included throwing to moving targets.

  15. Greywolf 03/18/2009 at 2:16 PM #

    packalum44
    March 17th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
    “I think we have a really good chance to win the Atlantic. I hope we have two healthy quarterbacks going into this season because we will likely need both. As if he needs it, Russell has a target on his chest. I hope we don’t have to go past second string next year. Don’t be surprised is Wilson (corrected: Glennon) comes off the bench next year in 4th quarter blowouts.”
    `
    One way a coach has good morale on a team is to have every player know and understand his contribution to winning, which is the point of “Scout Team player of the week”, “most improved”, etc. awards. While I don’t advocate quarterback by committee, I think TOB will find meaningful minutes for Glennon instead of scrub-like mop up time in blowouts.

  16. packalum44 03/18/2009 at 9:27 PM #

    “I think TOB will find meaningful minutes for Glennon instead of scrub-like mop up time in blowouts.”

    What is your definition of meaningful minutes? You mean like when Wilson gets injured?

    I’ve never seen “scrubs” come off the bench in blow-out f-ball games. I don’t see how playing Glennon in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season could not be meaningful. Get the kid some experience before he inevitably comes off the bench when Wilson gets injured.

  17. Greywolf 03/18/2009 at 11:52 PM #

    packalum44
    March 18th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
    You quote me as saying “I think TOB will find meaningful minutes for Glennon instead of scrub-like mop up time in blowouts.” which is contextually exactly what I mean.

    You ask, “What is your definition of meaningful minutes? You mean like when Wilson gets injured?”
    `
    No, packalum44, I mean like a series or two in the second quarter. Meaningful minutes occur before an already inferior defense is dog-tired and losing badly, and certainly not 4th quarter blow out duty when TOB is likely to be mercifully running the clock out by running the ball on every down. TOB will not be running the score up on the Murray States and Gardner Webbs and if you think TOB will have Glennon out there throwing the ball all over the place in the 4th quarter running the score up on a D-II team, you don’t know TOB. You say “talent is talent, you will be able to see it.” We won’t see it with Glennon handing the ball off every down.
    `
    You say, “I’ve never seen “scrubs” come off the bench in blow-out f-ball games.” Let me tell you how you will know the players beyond the 2-deep, “scrubs” as you call them, in the game. Fans around you will be thumbing through their programs trying to figure out who the hell is playing. BTW I regret using the phrase “scrub-like mop-up duty” as it is disrespectful to the reserves who are not on the 2-deep.)
    `
    You say, “I don’t see how playing Glennon in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season could not be meaningful.” I hate to belabor the point but playing Glennon in the 4th quarter of a blow-out, handing off to Underwood, would not be meaningful minutes. Shifting the context of your point to “2nd and 3rd games” from “4th quarter blow-outs” is a good idea and may be what you were trying to say, but failed miserably in your first post.
    `
    You say, “Get the kid some experience before he inevitably comes off the bench when Wilson gets injured.” What makes you think Wilson getting injured is inevitable? I absolutely agree that getting Glennon experience is wise but not in the 4th quarter exposing Glennon to some D-II 3rd stringer trying to make a name for himself with a late hit. All of which is why neither TOB nor Dana Bible will wait until the 4th quarter of a blow-out to get him in the football game as you advocated in your March 17th, 2009 at 3:16 pm post. When TOB says our football team will be winners in the classroom, winners in the community and winners on the football field I don’t think running up the score in a blow-out against Murray State and Gardner Wegg is what he had in mind.
    `
    packalum44, before you try to turn this around like you did asking if I meant “like when Wilson gets injured?” please remember that you are the one who advocated getting Glennon in the game in the 4th quarter of blow-outs. I think if you will think about what I am saying instead of reacting and digging a deeper hole for yourself, you will see that I don’t mean waiting until Wilson gets hurt to play Glennon.

  18. Greywolf 03/19/2009 at 12:16 AM #

    SFN,
    What’s with the edit thingy? I can’t make sense of my own writing sometimes in the box provided for comments — too small and type is too small. So I Submit Comment and read what I wrote in a format that I can read and see greater text. After editing and trying to save, I get a notice that I “do not have permission to edit this post.” (or words to that effect.)
    `
    Frequently I want to tone down some of my remarks as it is not my intent to insult. Sometimes I find redundancies in the posts that can be seen in the “published” edition but hard to see in the “comment” or “edit” edition.
    ‘
    I copied and pasted the “edited” version of the above comments below to give you an idea of what I mean.
    `
    packalum44
    March 18th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
    You quote me as saying “I think TOB will find meaningful minutes for Glennon instead of scrub-like mop up time in blowouts.” which is exactly what I mean.

    You ask, “What is your definition of meaningful minutes? You mean like when Wilson gets injured?”
    `
    No, packalum44, I mean like a series or two in the second quarter. Meaningful minutes occur before an already inferior defense is dog-tired and losing badly, and certainly not 4th quarter blow out duty when TOB is likely to be mercifully running the clock out by running the ball on every down. If you think TOB will have Glennon out there throwing the ball all over the place in the 4th quarter running the score up on a D-II team, you don’t know TOB. You say “talent is talent, you will be able to see it.” We won’t see it with Glennon handing the ball off every down.
    `
    You say, “I’ve never seen “scrubs” come off the bench in blow-out f-ball games.” I have and let me tell you how you will know what’s happening when you see it. Fans around you will be thumbing through their programs trying to figure out who the hell is playing. BTW I regret using the phrase “scrub-like mop-up duty” as it is disrespectful to the reserves who are not on the 2-deep.)
    `
    You say, “I don’t see how playing Glennon in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season could not be meaningful.” I hate to belabor the point but playing Glennon in the 2nd quarter Would be meaningful. Handing off to Underwood every down, would not be meaningful minutes. Shifting the context of your point to “2nd and 3rd games” from “4th quarter blow-outs” is a good idea and may be what you were trying to say. If it is, say so and stop trying to make me wrong for advocating those kinds of minutes.
    `
    You say, “Get the kid some experience before he inevitably comes off the bench when Wilson gets injured.” What makes you think Wilson getting injured is inevitable? TOB and Bible are working with Wilson and coaching him to avoid dangerous and/or reckless plays by being more patient. QBs, according to TOB, want to run the ball “60 yards for a 20 yard gain” instead of holding up and finding a “receiver for a 20 yard gain.”

    I absolutely agree that getting Glennon experience is wise but not in the 4th quarter exposing Glennon to some D-II 3rd stringer trying to make a name for himself with a late hit. All of which is why neither TOB nor Dana Bible will wait until the 4th quarter of a blow-out to get him in the football game. When TOB says our football team will be winners in the classroom, winners in the community and winners on the football field I don’t think running up the score in a blow-out against Murray State and Gardner Wegg is what he had in mind.
    `
    packalum44, before you try to turn this around like you did asking if I meant “like when Wilson gets injured?” please remember that you are the one who advocated getting Glennon in the game in the 4th quarter of blow-outs. I think if you will think about what I am saying instead of reacting and digging a deeper hole for yourself, you will see that I don’t mean waiting until Wilson gets hurt to play Glennon.

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