College Football: Is Beamer pushing panic button with Taylor reversal?

Story by Chris Graham
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Frank Beamer last week: “We went by the action on the field, and the action on the field is both quarterbacks did some good things. Both do some things that give you an opportunity to win.” Frank Beamer this week: “You kind of know situations, and I think it became apparent. Sometimes it helps for Ty to be in there. And then you want to make the right decision. And sometimes it just takes time to make the right decision. I’ll say it that way.”

Sean Glennon, thanks for what you’ve done for us here in Blacksburg. And don’t let the door hit you on the seat of your uniform pants on your way out.

What a difference a few days makes, huh? Last week Beamer was insistent that his decision to go with Sean Glennon as his starting quarterback and redshirt Tyrod Taylor was set in stone. At least that’s what he told reporters on his weekly teleconference. “When you do settle on a quarterback, I like to have things move in a direction. You know exactly where you’re going, and not you may do this, you may do that. Having done this, it gives our football team a direction, full steam ahead,” Beamer said on the call last Wednesday.

But yesterday Beamer was a revisionist historian. “I said last week: if we could make it work. I like having direction. I like knowing exactly where we’re going.”

And what changed his perspective – OK, so Beamer’s not admitting that his perspective has changed, but just go with me on this one for a sec. So what was it? Was it Glennon’s middling 14-for-23, 139-yard, two-interception showing against East Carolina? Or was it the blocked punt in the final two minutes that gave ECU a come-from-behind 27-22 win?

Neither reason would make sense to me, given the obvious difficulties that the Hokies are going to have at wide receiver, where basically their entire receiving corps from a year ago is gone, and in the running game, with the early departure of Branden Ore and the issues on the offensive line. The ’08 Hokies are offensively challenged, to say the least, and though I still expect them to contend for another ACC Coastal Division championship, if they aren’t still the outright favorites, it’s by default given how down the rest of the division is this year.

Which is to say, it’s not your typical Virginia Tech football team going out there on Saturdays this fall. So why waste a year of Tyrod Taylor on what could be an 8-4 or even 7-5 team?

Maybe I’m reading things wrong there, because Beamer sure sounded today like he’s pushing the panic button with this switch in time.

“I think the thing that people have missed a little bit in this is I think Tyrod will help us in our running game, but I think he will help us – I think he’s a complete quarterback, and more so now than a year ago. I think he’s a good passer, he can read coverages better, he understands things better in the passing game. He’s not just an athlete there at quarterback. I think he’s a quarterback playing quarterback. A guy that can throw the football, too,” Beamer said.

“I think you have a chance when he’s in the ballgame of having a big play – a big play by the run or a big play by the pass. I think he presents a threat,” Beamer said.

Or maybe, to put it more to the point, a hope.