Delaware Picks Flacco for Starting QB

[GannonFan]

This came out yesterday - apparently all the UD posters are either on GoHens or are posting on the playoff expansion thread.

http://www.udel.edu/sportsinfo/football/fb06-flaccostarter.html

[Tribe4SF]

This seemed like a no-brainer. I find it hard to believe that it took KC this long to pick between Flacco and Carty. If he really had a tough choice, then Flacco may not be as good as I thought. If Flacco is clearly better, then why waste reps on a battle that was decided some time ago? If Carty is the back-up, he certainly knows the system well, and wouldn't need alot of reps to be ready. Flacco being new, and not having played for awhile, I'd want him to get all he could.

Since you guys don't open till the 9th, at least Flacco has an extra week to establish his role.

[GannonFan]

Who knows really. Maybe he just didn't want to dash Carty's hopes and wanted it to be a real competition? Plus the first fall scrimmage wasn't until this past weekend and, as you say, UD doesn't play until the 9th so camp opened a week later for them than other teams. On the bright side, Flacco was here all last fall and was able to practice so he should be pretty comfortable in the system now. Guys like Agnone and Patrick weren't on campus until just recently so now he gets time throwing to guys who will be his targets this year.

There's also a rumor on the GoHens board that after the 2007 season, which would be Flacco's last, that UD will petition to have a year of eligibility added for Flacco since last fall he was unable to play because Pitt would not release him from his scholarship (Wannstedt was upset he left and made it be known by not releasing him). I'm not sure if that will be successful but it's interesting nonetheless as he could be a 3-year starter if he gets that year back.

Oh, and word is so far that true-freshman Scanlon looks real good - he'll be 3rd string this year but could be an up and comer for the Hens.

[89Hen]

There's also a rumor on the GoHens board that after the 2007 season, which would be Flacco's last, that UD will petition to have a year of eligibility added for Flacco since last fall he was unable to play because Pitt would not release him from his scholarship
:confused: I'll have to go read that because I don't see how that would be possible. It was my understanding he had two years of eligiblity left. Whether it was last year and this or this year and next.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

:confused: I'll have to go read that because I don't see how that would be possible. It was my understanding he had two years of eligiblity left. Whether it was last year and this or this year and next.

Flacco was a Sophomore last year - a year he, in effect, lost because he was not released from his scholly by Pitt.

[Tribe4SF]

That seems like one the NCAA would have a tough time justifying on a technical basis. Just because Wannstedt is a jerk, doesn't change the letter of the law.

I've read the glowing reports on Scanlon. JMU's been high on the Dudzik kid as well. Good young QBs all over the A-10 South.

[LacesOut]

UD doesn't actually play until September 23rd.

9/9 West Chester

9/16 Albany

The whole roster should be warmed up by then.

[89Hen]

UD doesn't actually play until September 23rd.

9/9 West Chester

9/16 Albany

The whole roster should be warmed up by then.
:nono: Really unnecessary. Pick on WCUPA all you want, but show a little respect for I-AA brother Albany. They are on the right track and will be a very capable team in the very near future. They've scheduled good teams, they've upped their number of schollies... enough picking on them. I for one am looking forward to seeing them in the Tub in a couple weeks. I'm skipping the opener so I can go to that one.

[GannonFan]

:nono: Really unnecessary. Pick on WCUPA all you want, but show a little respect for I-AA brother Albany. They are on the right track and will be a very capable team in the very near future. They've scheduled good teams, they've upped their number of schollies... enough picking on them. I for one am looking forward to seeing them in the Tub in a couple weeks. I'm skipping the opener so I can go to that one.

No offense to Albany, as they are on the right track and in a couple of years could be a very dangerous team to play, but this year Albany is clearly the weakest team on the schedule. People mock West Chester, but Zwann has turned that program around and has made the DII playoffs 2 years running and has an extremely veteran team this year. And with it being the first game out of the gate for the Hens (and second for WCU) this game will be a lot tougher than most realize. Plus, this is always West Chester's big game of the year while for Albany UD will be a second course after playing Lehigh. Two or three years from now would be a different story, but West Chester's a better game this year.

[89Hen]

I hope that you are correct that the Hens easily beat them, but I just don't see any reason to disrepect them on a forum that has quite a few really good posters from Albany. :twocents:

[Blue Hen Nation]

UD doesn't actually play until September 23rd.

9/9 West Chester

9/16 Albany

The whole roster should be warmed up by then.

Now that's funny! :hurray:

[LacesOut]

Now that's funny! :hurray:

Thank you!

Seems as if 89Hen is a little too uptight about my sense of humor.

[DTSpider]

Good young QBs all over the A-10 South.

I hope that you're right. Today Richmond named Eric Ward the starter for the Spiders. Nothing quite like going into the season starting a freshman (at least he redshirted last year).

[foghorn]

This seemed like a no-brainer. I find it hard to believe that it took KC this long to pick between Flacco and Carty. If he really had a tough choice, then Flacco may not be as good as I thought. If Flacco is clearly better, then why waste reps on a battle that was decided some time ago? If Carty is the back-up, he certainly knows the system well, and wouldn't need alot of reps to be ready. Flacco being new, and not having played for awhile, I'd want him to get all he could.

Since you guys don't open till the 9th, at least Flacco has an extra week to establish his role.

Carty's been in the program for 5 years and has been a real trooper. He is what he is, 5'10" with an average arm, but no doubt, a very intrelligent, determined young man.
IMO, KC's prolonged the inevitable to make sure that Carty's aware that he's been given every opportunity to win the job in his senior year, i.e., a symbol of respect. I laud KC for that. A great outcome would be for Carty to be voted in as captain or co-captain. His 'presence' this year is very valuable to the team.

[henfan]

Given what they're spending on FB, Albany had better be a considerably better opponent than any of the PSAC East schools.

I'm counting on the Danes giving UD a game. Hopefully, Flacco will be settled in by then.

[henfan]

Good young QBs all over the A-10 South.

Agree. And W&M's got a couple of them.:bow:

I just hope the decision not to go hard after Mike Potts doesn't bite UD in the hind quarters.

[Fordham]

I hope that you're right. Today Richmond named Eric Ward the starter for the Spiders. Nothing quite like going into the season starting a freshman (at least he redshirted last year).
wow.

forgive me for not looking this up, but didn't you guys start a frosh over Tutt last year? What happened to that kid? Injury or did he just get beat out?

[DTSpider]

wow.

forgive me for not looking this up, but didn't you guys start a frosh over Tutt last year? What happened to that kid? Injury or did he just get beat out?

Last year Levi Brown won the job in camp as a true freshman from Tutt. After two games Clawson made the switch back to Tutt. This year Eric Ward won the job over Levi Brown in camp. We'll see if it sticks.

[ChickenMan]

This seemed like a no-brainer. I find it hard to believe that it took KC this long to pick between Flacco and Carty. If he really had a tough choice, then Flacco may not be as good as I thought. If Flacco is clearly better, then why waste reps on a battle that was decided some time ago?


Who knows how good Flacco will be... but KC had to give Carty every opportunity to compete for the starting job... as other than the true freshman (Scanlon) Carty was the only other QB on the roster. By handing to job to Flacco... Keeler would have risked the possibility of a PO'ed Carty packing it in and leaving the Hens with a true Fr as the only backup. I think all Hen fans knew that Flacco would be named the starter... but KC certainly didn't want it to appear as if he was handing the job to Flacco... based on his press clippings.

[RadMann]

GannonFan: It might be my imagination but the number of Hens fans on AGS fell a lot after the big problem earlier this year. I know I stopped posting for about 6 months.... Anyway, hopefully Flacco has a great year....

[MR. CHICKEN]

:confused: I'll have to go read that because I don't see how that would be possible. It was my understanding he had two years of eligiblity left. Whether it was last year and this or this year and next.

AH BELIEVE KC....MENTIONED ON DUH RADIO SHOW ONCE......DAT FLACCO WAS RECRUITED....BY WALT HARRIS...WHO LEFT FO' DUH STANFORD JOB.....WANNSTEDT WAS HIRED WHIFF UH NEW OFFENSEIVE PHILOSOPHY........AN' DAT WOULD BE DUH GROUNDS FO' UH PETITION.....TA GET FLACCO'S......LOST YEAR RE-INSTATED...BUT HEY...AH'M JES' UH CHICKEN.....WHO CAN BARELY CROSS DUH STREET.......;)......BRAWK!

[blukeys]

Wannstendt demonstrated that he is a petty, vindictive, small minded, mean spirited, ignorant, obnoxious excuse of a human being in his dealings with Flacco. My nephew from Miami says I'm too kind to the man who ruined the Dolphins. All that being said, it appears his deliberate screwing of Flacco was within his rights although I never saw anything like this before in way too many years of watching college football.

I hope that they can get the old/coach new/coach angle to work but I'm not optimistic.

[Mr. C]

Wannstendt demonstrated that he is a petty, vindictive, small minded, mean spirited, ignorant, obnoxious excuse of a human being in his dealings with Flacco. My nephew from Miami says I'm too kind to the man who ruined the Dolphins. All that being said, it appears his deliberate screwing of Flacco was within his rights although I never saw anything like this before in way too many years of watching college football.

I hope that they can get the old/coach new/coach angle to work but I'm not optimistic.
Some coaches and ADs are like that. I remember Marshall claiming to the NCAA that Georgia had done them dirty when three Herd players (two of them future NFL standouts, RB Olandis Gary being one) wanted to follow Jim Donnan to Georgia. Of course, this was the same Marshall program that was convicted more than once for cheating when Bob Pruett took over for Donnan. The Marshall AD at the time, Lee Moon, was always pulling stuff like that (he tried to stop a basketball coach from leaving Wyoming for Clemson a few years later when Moon became the AD at Wyoming).

On the Flacco-Carty front, those of us who have followed the Delaware QB soap opera remember that K.C. said that Carty was competing for the No. 1 job when Sonny Riccio transfered in, even though all of (maybe other than Carty) knew that Riccio was going to be the starter.
:cool:

[RadMann]

Was Riccio going to be the starter ahead of time, or was it that Riccio (and Flacco for that matter) are better QBs? My take is that both probably are better as they were very highly rated out of HS. That to me is not the question as much as the effect of transfers on recruiting and the like.

[Tribe4SF]

Agree. And W&M's got a couple of them.:bow:

I just hope the decision not to go hard after Mike Potts doesn't bite UD in the hind quarters.

You never know how a coach looks at recruits, but it's always surprised me that Delaware let us get Potts and the McLaurin twins. The McLaurin's have told me that UD never gave them much of a look. They are outstanding young men who now have both served as Captains.

The other guy we have in the wings at QB is red-shirt RJ Archer, who I think is very close to Phillips and Potts. RJ has been moved to WR for now, and he will play this year. We have a freshman walk-on this year from PA named Mike Callahan who looks good, although he's only 5'11".

[Tribe4SF]

...BUT HEY...AH'M JES' UH CHICKEN.....WHO CAN BARELY CROSS DUH STREET.......;)......BRAWK!

You may be just a chicken, but you navigate traffic pretty well!:thumbsup:

[GannonFan]

You never know how a coach looks at recruits, but it's always surprised me that Delaware let us get Potts and the McLaurin twins. The McLaurin's have told me that UD never gave them much of a look. They are outstanding young men who now have both served as Captains.


Well, the McLaurin twins came out during Tubby's last recruiting class before he retired. He signed a class and then retired later that month - based on who was left from that class it was clearly not one of his better efforts, and he had left quite a few schollies unused (hence why KC was able to bring in so many transfers after taking over the job in late February). I'm sure he didn't put as much time into it as normal and the McLaurin guys were just missed or weren't projected to be where they are now.

As for Potts, you do have to be careful with going with Delaware HS QB's - it's not a very deep pool of talent so it's not the best predictor of future success. And Potts, barring injury to Phillips, looks destined to spend the majority of his W&M career signaling in from the sidelines so it's hard to say that UD let one get away there. That was KC's first HS recruiting class and he took a gamble on a highly rated QB in Shinskie, who was also a primo baseball recruit. The gamble didn't work and Shinskie signed with the Twins after going in the 4th round that year. Sometimes you roll the dice and you win or lose.

[89Hen]

Wannstendt demonstrated that he is a petty, vindictive, small minded, mean spirited, ignorant, obnoxious excuse of a human being in his dealings with Flacco.
It doesn't make it better, but Walt Harris was known for not letting players out of their scholarships either.

[89Hen]

Was Riccio going to be the starter ahead of time, or was it that Riccio (and Flacco for that matter) are better QBs?
It was obvious from the start that Hall, Riccio and Flacco would all be the starting QB from the day they transferred. They would not have come to UD if they didn't feel so. I'm not saying that Keeler promised them anything, but it was very easy to read between the lines IMO.

[GannonFan]

It was obvious from the start that Hall, Riccio and Flacco would all be the starting QB from the day they transferred. They would not have come to UD if they didn't feel so. I'm not saying that Keeler promised them anything, but it was very easy to read between the lines IMO.

Not to knock Carty, because he seems like a great competitor and a true team guy, but he is short, not very fast, and his arm isn't the strongest out there. He was only a true freshman when Hall came in (Hall beat out Connors, who went on to not play for Lehigh) so he only has lost out to Riccio and Flacco. Riccio was much maligned, unfairly IMO - he wasn't Hall, but Hall in 2003 had a storybook year so there was bound to be a letdown. And then Riccio was set back hugely in 2005 by having the top 2 receivers, Boler and Long, both all-conference guys, miss the season before it even started. And the other two of the starting 4 WR's were lost during the year. Trying to throw to freshmen forced into service would not put any QB in a good spot. But Riccio still looked better than Carty when Carty did get his few small chances. And Flacco is a 6'6" guy with a rocket arm and apparently pretty good mobility. It isn't shocking that he beat out Carty, but it may have to do more with physical attributes than how and when they entered the program (heck, the real battle was probably going to be between Flacco and Moyer, until Moyer's career ended with a back injury).

[blukeys]

You never know how a coach looks at recruits, but it's always surprised me that Delaware let us get Potts and the McLaurin twins. The McLaurin's have told me that UD never gave them much of a look. They are outstanding young men who now have both served as Captains.

The other guy we have in the wings at QB is red-shirt RJ Archer, who I think is very close to Phillips and Potts. RJ has been moved to WR for now, and he will play this year. We have a freshman walk-on this year from PA named Mike Callahan who looks good, although he's only 5'11".

I don't know about the McLaurins but Potts' senior football season was 2002 which was Tubby's last year. Potts was being heavily recruited by Rutgers and Maryland but in the end Rutgers only offered him a partial.

Tubby had a reputation among Delaware high school coaches of taking little interest in local kids. This was an annoyance to these coaches and they periodically griped about it. Keeler's agressive pursuit of Delaware kids has been noticed and I think if a Mike Potts were available today, he would be in KC's cross hairs.

[89Hen]

Not to knock Carty, because he seems like a great competitor and a true team guy, but he is short, not very fast, and his arm isn't the strongest out there.
And that's why they brought in transfers to be the starters. If Carty were 6'4" with a rifle arm and great wheels we probably wouldn't have taken Flacco. I was just saying that we all knew right away that when these guys transferred, they'd be the starters.

[jmuroller]

Potts was being heavily recruited by Rutgers and Maryland but in the end Rutgers only offered him a partial.




Rutgers didn't offer him a partial. In 1A it's either a full or nothing at all...there are no partials.