The more things change, the more they stay the same.
That figure of speech encompasses the outlook of the 2005 Badger football team that recently completed their spring practices with a lackluster performance in last Saturday's inter-squad scrimmage.
After losing 12 starters from a team that fell short of an appearance in Pasadena last year, the one position on the roster that avoided a significant blow was the quarterback position. Three months ago, fans were optimistic to see what the hours spent in the weight room and watching film in the off season would produce for this unit.
Yet if this spring was any indication of the future, the optimism turned to disappointment, as John Stocco and company are no closer to finding the answers to their problems than they were after taking three devastating losses to close last season.
While it appears Stocco, the 6'2', 197 lb. junior will emerge as the starting quarterback by default, I have come to realize that we don't need a blue-chip recruit to turn things around. We really just need someone to fill the shoes that Brooks Bollinger left almost four years ago.
The Badgers recruiting staff, which at times seems to believe high school football only exists in Wisconsin and New Jersey, has struggled to find someone to lead the Badger offense. In-state products Tony Romo (Burlington) and John Navarre (Cudahy) enjoyed successful college careers outside of Madison before they entered the NFL, and the Badgers have been more successful at recruiting quarterbacks that turn into tight ends than bringing in the real thing.
Though many are close to closing the book on Stocco before he is set to begin his second campaign as the starter, he still deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Don't be fooled by the co-offensive coordinator title of first year tight ends coach Paul Chryst. He will be calling the bulk of the plays in place of Brain White, and his new playbook he brings with him from Oregon State could provide a chance for Stocco to thrive under a new system.
While Stocco is being pushed by sophomore Tyler Donovan, the intriguing player of the trio is 6'4', 211 lb. redshirt freshman Bryan Savage. A year removed from his own prediction that the starting job would be his for the Big Ten opener against his home-town team Penn State, his combination of size and arm strength make him the most physically talented QB on the roster.
Though he has since acknowledged that those notions were a bit unrealistic and remains No. 3 on the depth chart, many took the comments as a sign of immaturity and lack of respect for the competition at UW.
Yet that fire and drive are elements sorely needed in the Badger huddle. Stocco lacks the confident swagger all great quarterbacks carry with them, while Savage possesses that intangible.
For the time being, Stocco will remain in control. While people joke that the backup quarterback is the most popular player among fans on campus, don't expect Donovan to be the solution. Hope that Stocco learned from the 12 games he started last year and that he can provide at least the threat of an aerial attack.
Your other option is to wait for the resurrection of Bollinger, who sadly will remain the best Badger quarterback in the last ten years.
Jon is a junior majoring in English and journalism. He can be reached at jrmcnamara@wisc.edu.
