http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15699960.htmIt’s just a bad decision, starting Josh Freeman, Kansas State’s talented freshman quarterback.
It’s high risk and low reward. It’s a decision founded in emotion and instinct rather than logic and football common sense.
It’s the kind of decision a first-time head coach makes because a two-game losing streak feels like the end of the world rather than the taste of humble pie all coaches are served.
Maybe Ron Prince will get lucky today and Freeman will ignite K-State’s offense and the Wildcats will upset Oklahoma State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Prince wouldn’t be the first frustrated, rookie gambler to get rewarded for doubling down when the dealer is showing a face card.
It happens — although I wouldn’t bet on it.
More than likely, Freeman is going to struggle today. He’s a big pocket-passer who played in an unsophisticated high school system. He needs time to develop. He’s not the kind of QB who is going to make plays with his legs, improvisational skills or his ability to decipher complicated college coverage schemes.
This is not a knock on Josh — it’s just the reality of being a lumbering pocket-passer from a mediocre high school program. He needs to be surrounded by high-end playmakers and exposure to complex schemes to experience success.
Josh Freeman is a bright kid with all the tools to be a big-time quarterback. However, he’s not Vince Young, a once-in-a-lifetime athlete with the raw athletic ability to make up for a weak supporting cast. And Freeman isn’t Chase Daniel, a kid groomed since age 15 in a college-style offense competing in football-crazy Texas.
A year ago, Freeman played at Grandview High, which isn’t a hotbed for producing college-ready quarterbacks. I’d say the same thing had Freeman played in Tony Severino’s primitive offense at Rockhurst.
Freeman is K-State’s million-dollar baby, and it strikes me as foolish to stick him out on the field with an inexperienced, nickel-and-dime supporting cast.
He has struggled as a backup, completing 29.8 percent of his passes and throwing four interceptions. Why rush him into the lineup behind an offensive line in obvious transition? Why rush him into the lineup without the support of a running game? Why rush him into the lineup when your receiving corps is loaded with possession receivers who struggle to get separation?
You do it because you’re a young coach filled with insecurity.
K-State fans have spent the early part of this season gossiping about Ron Prince and all the mistakes he’s allegedly made. This week he shook up his depth chart, banned some veterans from practicing and lost a reserve lineman.
Prince is replacing one of the best coaches the game has ever seen. I’m sure he’s doing his best to ignore the chatter, but he’s as human as the rest of us.
The pressure is getting to him. Prince’s first season is beginning to remind me of Mark Mangino’s early years when he was dogged by stories about chasing a high school referee and clashes with his offensive-line coach.
First-time head coaches are going to make a lot of mistakes. You just hope they don’t make any mistakes that hurt the program down the road.
Starting Freeman now is one of those mistakes that could have a long impact. Confidence is the No. 1 ingredient a quarterback must have. If he loses it, it’s difficult to get it back.
No matter the quarterback — Freeman or Dylan Meier — K-State is going to have a difficult time winning games this year. Bill Snyder couldn’t win with this group, and his program and philosophy were established.
Prince should have let Freeman continue to gain experience as a backup and let Meier suffer the losses.
