What Steffy's injury means for Portis
We all know coach Ralph Friedgen hadn’t committed to starting Jordan Steffy at quarterback this Saturday even if he was healthy enough to play.
Now, the choice has been made for him.
Steffy's thumb injury will sideline him for a "minimum" of three weeks, but it's looking like it'll be a little longer.
Some fans may be pleased to see Chris Turner back on the field. No matter which quarterback you preferred, there's no question Maryland's depth has been diminished.
Now Friedgen has to worry about whether he should continue plans to use Josh Portis occasionally as a dual threat at quarterback. Portis ran four plays against Delaware.
Suddenly, Portis is closer to being a starter. Friedgen said it crossed his mind to be more careful with Portis, keeping him on the bench where he can't get hurt. But the coach said he decided to continue his plans to use Portis in certain situations.
Comments
Tony Logan may get some snaps again? FREDTERP
Posted by: FREDTERP | September 3, 2008 9:01 PM
"Friedgen said it crossed his mind to be more careful with Portis, keeping him on the bench where he can't get hurt.".....I sure hope not. Get Portis ready too. Let Chris open up the offense this week. Balance it by running and throwing about evenly. Let Josh get more experience. We will need it with the likes of Cal and Clemson at the end of the month.
Posted by: UMDFAN | September 3, 2008 9:32 PM
You can't keep Portis on the bench so he won't get hurt, as long as he is healthy to begin with. That would be like buying a new truck and not using it so it won't get dinged up. If you save him in case Turner gets injured, then Portis could get hurt on the next play. I don't believe Portis is fragile. Use him as you would have previously. Let's see what happens.
Personally, I don't believe Turner is the second coming of Unitas. But the fan base seems to generally prefer him. Maybe now he can be improved from his experience last year as a starter and this year as a backup. It would be nice for him to take command and eliminate any uncertainty through his performance on the field, both during games and practices.
Posted by: Jack | September 4, 2008 6:55 AM
I heard Keith Cavanaugh say that on Portis' four running plays, he missed the read on two of them and was supposed to throw the ball. Might help explain why Josh was #3 on the depth chart.
Posted by: Shas | September 4, 2008 12:43 PM
UMDfan, that was a wise comment!
Of course it makes sense to use these next couple games to get them both ready so that you know what you have before Cal and the ACC games roll in. I sure hope Fridge knows he can't just pick "the man" and stay with him at QB for every play just for ego-building reasons.
Even if Turner stays as the #1 guy for Cal, Portis' experience in these next couple games will be helpful, simply because the Fridge will need to throw Portis in as the X factor in some big games this season. Maybe a few surprise TDs will result. Let's get Josh ready too!
Posted by: EdDC | September 4, 2008 5:24 PM