Sporting News, The: Summer break? Not for these QBs

Squeaky clean Peyton Manning nearly blew it for Tennessee not so long ago. Being the meticulous team leader that he is, he scribbled a few words on a sheet of paper and taped it to the entrance of the Vols' locker room during the summer of his senior season.

Voluntary summer workouts start today: Don't be late.

The NCAA, in its ever-widening plan to rid college football of all evils, heard about the sign and didn't like the involuntary theme. So Tennessee got a spank on the rear, Manning got a pat on the head from the Vols' staff and everyone lived happily ever after once the sign was removed.

But the message was clear: big seasons, championship seasons, are built with summer workouts--or pass scales, as they're commonly called--and the chemistry and cohesion they bring. It's simple, really. Seven players on offense (skill players and the center), seven players on defense (linebackers and defensive backs) and the monotonous routine of dropping back and throwing play after play after play.

It's all about refining timing, mechanics and accuracy--three key factors in the progression of a quarterback. Southern California star quarterback Matt Leinart hadn't thrown a pass in his college career prior to last season and barely won the starting job in spring practice. By the time fall camp rolled around--after nearly three months of pass scales--he was primed to take the next step in his development, even though those same workouts caused a few anxious moments early on. The staff at USC warned Leinart not to overthrow, that working too much could be physically counterproductive.

Sure enough, Leinart had a tired arm after fall camp, and a month into the season the staff was pulling back on his weekday practices to rest his arm. Once the arm was rested, Leinart's productivity took off. In his first five games, he had 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions and completed 57.8 percent of his passes. In the last eight games, he had 28 touchdowns and two interceptions and completed 66.7 percent of his passes.

For every Leinart, there are other high-profile first-year starters who struggle. Vince Young looked lost with nearly every five-step drop he took as Texas' starter. So did Trent Edwards at Stanford and Brock Berlin at Miami. Others, however, made significant progress, including true freshmen Chris Leak at Florida and Kevin Kolb at Houston. This season, there is a new crop of first-time starters who will need a strong summer to make a significant impact.

Joe Dailey, Nebraska. Much like Leinart's situation last year, the Nebraska staff is concerned about Dailey throwing too much while trying to master the offense. The transition from the option to the West Coast offense will be hard enough; Dailey can't complicate things by having his work limited in fall camp because of a tired arm. Dailey says he'll split time in the film room and with pass scales.

Draw Tate, Iowa. He took too many chances in the spring and threw too many passes into tight coverages. That's not Iowa's mentality. The Hawkeyes are among the Big Ten elite because they use a ball-control pass offense. The staff wants Tate to improve his accuracy on short and intermediate passes, a critical factor on play-action calls.

Marcus Randall, LSU. He's beginning to grow more as a thrower but still isn't comfortable as a pocket passer. The goal this summer: develop a pocket presence by placing a time limit for a release once the ball is snapped.

SPEED READS

* The NCAA has announced it will take a firm stand against gambling, something president Myles Brand says harms "the integrity of college sports." Sic 'em, Myles. Don't worry about academic fraud or student-athlete graduation rates. Just gloss over those graduation rates with some cheesy "reform" that has no teeth, and blow up about a $5 NCAA Tournament pool.

* Colorado released its internal report on recruiting practices, and now suspended coach Gary Barnett doesn't look like the evil mentor he was made out to be. He should have had better control of the situation and should have been more clear about recruiting visit rules. But those misdeeds shouldn't cost him his job.

* OK, time to impress your friends. Tell them DeAngelo Williams is the best running back in the nation. Tell them that the NFL is gaga over him. Then tell your friends he plays at Memphis and that he'll be the top non-BCS player in the Heisman Trophy voting since Steve McNair finished third in 1994.

Four times the coverage

Want to know what coaches are saying about players on your favorite teams? Samples of what you'll find in our new college football magazines:

* Frank Gore (Miami) reminds you a little of Emmitt Smith. The big question is if he can come back again from injury.

* Steve Breaston (Michigan) is the fastest new comer I remember seeing in the conference. You just shudder when you see him in there running a reverse.

* Derrick Johnson (Texas) is one heck of an athlete. Notice I said athlete and not linebacker.

* David Greene (Georgia) can take a package and run it at the line of scrimmage as good as anybody who has been around.

For the first time, SPORTNEWS has four college football preview magazines that take you deep inside individual conferences--ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC--and they're at newsstands now. Order your copies online at www.sportingnews.com/books, or call 800-825-8508.

INSIDE DISH By MATT HAYES

The idea of playing five BCS games using the four current BCS bowls is gaining momentum and could be approved as soon as June. In the year that a bowl is the site of the national championship game, it also would be the host for the fifth BCS bowl a week earlier. The non-BCS bowls that were contemplating bids to enter the BCS structure didn't want the game--and the guaranteed team from a non-BCS league that goes with it--if it weren't part of the championship rotation.... Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick and RB Mike Imoh, both potential starters, could miss the season opener against Southern California after being convicted on misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The school's Comprehensive Action Plan, instituted in 1997 after 22 arrests involving 19 players in a 15-month span, likely leaves athletic director Jim Weaver with little choice--especially considering ACC officials are said to be watching closely to see how their new member responds. Had Vick or Imoh been convicted of a felony, the CAP would have called for permanent dismissal. Because the convictions were misdemeanors, the plan allows Weaver to punish at his discretion.... Wisconsin's 10-year streak with a 1,000-yard back ended last season amid injuries and off-field turmoil. The Badgers could get a boost for 2005--and maybe this season--if former Colorado RB Brian Calhoun transfers to Madison. Calhoun, a native of Oak Creek, Wis., who led the Buffs in rushing last season, likely would petition the NCAA to play this season, arguing that the atmosphere on the CU campus and a sexual assault investigation within the program led to his decision to transfer.... Look for Tennessee WR James Banks to be reinstated to the team this summer. One of the SEC's top receivers last season, Banks was suspended indefinitely during spring practice after repeated discipline problems. The Vols need Banks to take pressure off young receivers Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain.... Just how important is South Florida in the new Big East? Less than four months from the start of the season, Pittsburgh agreed to move its September 4 game at South Florida to Monday, September 6, to accommodate an ESPN national broadcast. Pitt could be paid nearly $450,000 for the switch, but that's not the key point. League officials already are pushing south Florida--and the Tampa television market--as the new Big East's marquee draw. The Bulls join the league in 2005.... An interesting addendum lost in the ACC's record-breaking seven-year $260 million television deal: ABC guaranteed the league a nationally televised game on Labor Day weekend for all seven years. Florida State and Miami will play on that weekend the first two years and potentially beyond. The ACC wants its marquee game to kick off the season but also wants FSU and Miami to have the chance to play their way back into the conference championship game in their respective divisions.... Recruits already have been drawn to coach Bill Callahan's West Coast offense at Nebraska. The Huskers are on the short list for two of the nation's top quarterbacks--Ryan Perrilloux of Louisiana and Harrison Beck of Florida--and could land both. If Callahan gets either, the program will turn the corner in its recruiting transition.

RELATED ARTICLE: When a title game isn't worth it.

When Conference USA decided to expand to 12 teams beginning in 2005, the league put itself in position to stage a championship game between two six-team division winners. But don't think Britton Banowsky, the league's trend-setting commissioner, will jump on that potential cash cow just yet. The decision likely will depend on the future of the BCS.

A league championship game leads to more money and exposure, but it also introduces the possibility of a top-ranked team losing and failing to gain a BCS bowl bid. The BCS commissioners still haven't ironed out the specifics of the fifth BCS game, but the per-team payout probably will be within the $6 million to $10 million range. A C-USA championship game, on the other hand, likely would net no more than $2 million to $3 million. That's a significant drop in revenue for a conference searching for financial stability. The league conceivably could make up for three or four years without a championship game by landing one BCS game.--M.H.

mhayes@sportingnews.com