September 23, 2009
Parker playing quarterback in 2008
There’s a fact about football that the Ohio States of the world haven’t been able to figure out, despite ridiculous amounts of financial, experiential and personnel resources. And it’s biting them in the butt.
That fact is that there is a difference between an athlete and a quarterback. One is not superior to the other, but they are indisputably different, and must be treated as such. It may not be a huge difference, but it is absolutely an important one.
A common practice at the high school level — but also practiced in the NCAA and the NFL — has been to simply stick your most athletic, dynamic player behind center. The logic perhaps being that the ball will be in his hands on every play, which will therefore give his team the best chance to win. But that is not always the best idea, as evidenced by Muskegon Heights quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Van Parker.
From Steve Herzig of MichiganPreps.com:
Van Parker mugs for a MichiganPreps.com combine
Parker lost his starting quarterback job to (Coach Willie) Snead’s son, Willie Snead IV. But Parker has adjusted well to his new position, wide receiver mainly because of the connection the duo has formed. In their second game of the year, Parker and Snead IV connected for three touchdown passes while Parker returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as well.
As a wide receiver, Parker has caught five touchdown passes this season while returning two kicks for touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Parker has been a lockdown cornerback – emphasis on lockdown. “I haven’t allowed one pass to be caught this year,” said Parker. “I take pride in the fact that no one has caught a pass on me, hopefully I can keep the streak going all year long.” To go with his zero receptions against, Parker also has two interceptions.
Last week Muskegon Heights dismantled Gaylord 40-0, which was their fourth impressive offensive output in a row. The Tigers have put up scores of 46-28, 75-0, 34-31 and 40-0 in their first four games which can be credited to Coach Snead III and his spread offense.
Last year, with arguably their best athlete, Parker, behind center, the Tigers went a lousy 2-7 overall, failing to even sniff the playoffs. This year, with Snead IV at quarterback and Parker playing his more natural WR/CB combo position, the Tigers are an undefeated 4-0.
While much of the credit for the Tigers’ dynamic offensive production goes to the pair of Sneads (who bring a winning mentality from their Maroon days, during which they won a state title at 14-0), a good chunk of the credit for that record goes to Parker, who has been simply dominant. The statistic from the second game of the year, although true, may have been slightly misleading as in that game the Tigers beat a drastically overmatched Grand Rapids Union team, 75-0. To be realistic, Parker may have only put up two or three scores that night against a more evenly matched opponent (there’s some irony there, if you’re paying attention).
But really, 0-receptions against through four games? Plus two kick return TD’s and two interceptions? That takes a whole different level of athlete, no matter who you’re playing. And that’s something that never would have been possible had Parker been playing quarterback.
Coaches, take note of what Willie Snead III has done over at Muskegon Heights. He knows the sometimes small, but always significant, difference between an all-star athlete and an all-star quarterback. He knows that one is not better than the other, but that they are undoubtedly different. And they can, and should, compliment one another.
Ultimately, coaches will have to determine who makes the best quarterback on a case by case basis (consider that Snead IV is also a converted WR). But simply sticking your best athlete behind center and hoping to ride your stud to the playoffs is not always the best answer. In fact it can be counterproductive.
Plus you may be missing out on some truly special talent elsewhere on the field.
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