Tuesday Tailgate with Grobe
We gathered today to eat chicken and talk football with Jim Grobe.
To paraphrase Bobby Bare, a great country singer, ``Chicken Every Tuesday, Mama, and Everything’s All Right.’’ Chicken Every Sunday
Grobe was in fine form, as he usually is. He likes chicken as much as the rest of us. He also doesn’t mind talking about his team to the likes of us media types, so these are some of the best press conferences I’ve never had the privilege of covering. Grobe rarely dodges a question, and when he does it probably says more than any answer he could give. He didn’t dodge anything today, but instead talked about how he arrived at starting Ted Stachitas at quarterback, Tanner Price’s chances of playing, the reasons he expects Presbyterian to be better than a year ago, the concerns he still has about the Deacons kicking game, the need to force turnovers like the Deacons did in 2008 but didn’t in 2009 and how two first-year freshmen. A.J. Marshall and Kevin Johnson ended up second team at cornereback with every expectation that both will play on Thursday.
He was done, or thought he was, when I threw out one last question to go.
“What players are we going to be talking about next week that noboby mentioned today?’’ I asked.“Who is really going to surprise us?
“Well good or bad?’’ he replied. “It could be a good surprise or a not-so-good surprise.’‘
Either one, I wondered.
“I’ll tell you, it’s going to be one of these young kids,’’ Grobe said. “It’s going to be one of these young kids who have been practicing really good. One of them will get out under the lights and eleveate his game and we’ll probably have a couple that will disappoint. With young guys that’s usually the way it is.
“We’ve tried to work hard enough and go against each other enough that if they go out and pin their ears back Thursday night they ought to be fine. I think a guy like (Michael) Campanaro might be doing some good things for us. A kid like Josh Harris might do some good things for us. Nikita Whitlock. Certainly we’re hopeful Daniel Mack will do some good things for us, and Duran Lowe and a couple of those freshmen corners. If you’re just looking at freshmen, all those kids could go out and impress us Thursday night. You could see a few good plays out of (Justin Jackson). Justin could be out there doing some good things.
“There are a whole laundry list of freshmen that have the ability to make plays and do some good stuff. It’ll be fun to watch.
“I think. I hope.’‘