Highway65
08-06-2006, 09:03 AM
Transfer not out of his element with Bears
Congdon one of three likely to fight for QB job.
Kyle Neddenriep
News-Leader
A California boy, born and bred, Garrett Congdon had all the Midwest stereotypes floating through his head when he made his way from Sacramento to the Missouri State campus.
"I was thinking 'cornfields everywhere,' " he said. "It was a first-time experience for me. But actually I've enjoyed it a lot. Springfield is a nice little town."
Truth is, the cornfields wouldn't have bothered Congdon. Football is what brought him here, and more specifically, the opportunity to play right away.
First-year Bears' coach Terry Allen is guaranteeing Congdon nothing, just the chance to win the job before the season opener at Oklahoma State on Sept. 2.
"It's too early to tell what might happen," Allen said. "But having (Congdon) here just adds to the competition at that position and makes us a better team."
Allen is honest about his concerns at quarterback, made an issue by incumbent starter Scott Carroll's decision in June to pursue a career in professional baseball before his senior year.
Redshirt freshmen Tyler Horner and Matt Krapfl split time in the spring, though neither asserted himself as a clear No. 1.
In the spring game, Horner completed 11 of 15 passes for 81 yards and Krapfl 10 of 11 for 41 yards. But those high completion percentages were driven by short patterns and swing passes.
"The spring was a good learning experience for us," said Horner, a native of Dayton, Ohio. "The key was getting reps and getting a better feel for things this fall."
During his eight-year stay at Northern Iowa from 1989-96, Allen's teams liked to extend defenses with the deep ball. He had the quarterbacks to do it there, including future NFL star Kurt Warner in '93.
Of the top eight passing yardage seasons in Northern Iowa's tradition-rich history, five are Allen-coached teams. And even without an experienced signal-caller, Allen said he's not going to drastically alter his philosophy at Missouri State, pounding home a need to "stretch the defense."
That's where Congdon should help, though even Allen admits he doesn't have a strong handle on his strengths and weaknesses after just a couple of practices.
"He's not Michael Vick, but he has a little mobility and can make people miss," Allen said. "It looks like he has the ability to stand in the pocket and avoid the rush and that's really what we ask from our quarterbacks."
An indirect tie to first-year assistant Jamar Cain brought Congdon to Missouri State. Also a native of Sacramento, Cain had played at the same junior college as Congdon. When Carroll made his baseball intentions known, Cain had the Bears' coaches watch tape of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Congdon, who was planning on walking on at Washington State.
"They liked what they saw, I guess," said Congdon, who is fully recovered after an injury to his right throwing shoulder shut him down at the end of last season. "They brought me in and I really liked the campus right away. It felt like a good place for me."
Congdon wasn't highly recruited out of high school, but that had more to do with the run-oriented wing-T offense he engineered than any physical deficiencies.
In his one season at Sacramento City College, he threw for 1,252 yards and eight touchdowns in six games. Allen likes the fact that Congdon has a few games of leading a college offense under his belt.
"Matt and Tyler really didn't get any snaps last year, whereas Garrett played several junior college games, got to play in a college setting and run a team," Allen said. "Advantage: Garrett. But they are all three just one year removed from high school."
As important as strong and accurate arm are to winning the starting job, Allen said he'll also be keeping a close eye on the intangibles in the next few weeks of practice.
"We're looking for a quarterback that isn't going to lose the game for us," he said. "Now, that's probably a 'duh' for most people, but the reality of the situation is that we're looking for a quarterback that doesn't make critical mistakes."
Though it's yet to be decided which quarterback that might be, Congdon's high school coach called him a bona fide Pac-10 Conference prospect. He had a chance to walk on at a few other Division I-A schools, including Oregon State.
For now, he doesn't sound like a guy who regrets where he's landed — cornfields or not.
"Once I get over the first day jitters and everything I think I'll be fine," Congdon said. "There is a great group of guys here and they've taken me in really well. Once I get the mental stuff and the playbook figured out, everything else will fall in line."
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Congdon one of three likely to fight for QB job.
Kyle Neddenriep
News-Leader
A California boy, born and bred, Garrett Congdon had all the Midwest stereotypes floating through his head when he made his way from Sacramento to the Missouri State campus.
"I was thinking 'cornfields everywhere,' " he said. "It was a first-time experience for me. But actually I've enjoyed it a lot. Springfield is a nice little town."
Truth is, the cornfields wouldn't have bothered Congdon. Football is what brought him here, and more specifically, the opportunity to play right away.
First-year Bears' coach Terry Allen is guaranteeing Congdon nothing, just the chance to win the job before the season opener at Oklahoma State on Sept. 2.
"It's too early to tell what might happen," Allen said. "But having (Congdon) here just adds to the competition at that position and makes us a better team."
Allen is honest about his concerns at quarterback, made an issue by incumbent starter Scott Carroll's decision in June to pursue a career in professional baseball before his senior year.
Redshirt freshmen Tyler Horner and Matt Krapfl split time in the spring, though neither asserted himself as a clear No. 1.
In the spring game, Horner completed 11 of 15 passes for 81 yards and Krapfl 10 of 11 for 41 yards. But those high completion percentages were driven by short patterns and swing passes.
"The spring was a good learning experience for us," said Horner, a native of Dayton, Ohio. "The key was getting reps and getting a better feel for things this fall."
During his eight-year stay at Northern Iowa from 1989-96, Allen's teams liked to extend defenses with the deep ball. He had the quarterbacks to do it there, including future NFL star Kurt Warner in '93.
Of the top eight passing yardage seasons in Northern Iowa's tradition-rich history, five are Allen-coached teams. And even without an experienced signal-caller, Allen said he's not going to drastically alter his philosophy at Missouri State, pounding home a need to "stretch the defense."
That's where Congdon should help, though even Allen admits he doesn't have a strong handle on his strengths and weaknesses after just a couple of practices.
"He's not Michael Vick, but he has a little mobility and can make people miss," Allen said. "It looks like he has the ability to stand in the pocket and avoid the rush and that's really what we ask from our quarterbacks."
An indirect tie to first-year assistant Jamar Cain brought Congdon to Missouri State. Also a native of Sacramento, Cain had played at the same junior college as Congdon. When Carroll made his baseball intentions known, Cain had the Bears' coaches watch tape of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Congdon, who was planning on walking on at Washington State.
"They liked what they saw, I guess," said Congdon, who is fully recovered after an injury to his right throwing shoulder shut him down at the end of last season. "They brought me in and I really liked the campus right away. It felt like a good place for me."
Congdon wasn't highly recruited out of high school, but that had more to do with the run-oriented wing-T offense he engineered than any physical deficiencies.
In his one season at Sacramento City College, he threw for 1,252 yards and eight touchdowns in six games. Allen likes the fact that Congdon has a few games of leading a college offense under his belt.
"Matt and Tyler really didn't get any snaps last year, whereas Garrett played several junior college games, got to play in a college setting and run a team," Allen said. "Advantage: Garrett. But they are all three just one year removed from high school."
As important as strong and accurate arm are to winning the starting job, Allen said he'll also be keeping a close eye on the intangibles in the next few weeks of practice.
"We're looking for a quarterback that isn't going to lose the game for us," he said. "Now, that's probably a 'duh' for most people, but the reality of the situation is that we're looking for a quarterback that doesn't make critical mistakes."
Though it's yet to be decided which quarterback that might be, Congdon's high school coach called him a bona fide Pac-10 Conference prospect. He had a chance to walk on at a few other Division I-A schools, including Oregon State.
For now, he doesn't sound like a guy who regrets where he's landed — cornfields or not.
"Once I get over the first day jitters and everything I think I'll be fine," Congdon said. "There is a great group of guys here and they've taken me in really well. Once I get the mental stuff and the playbook figured out, everything else will fall in line."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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