pete2
10-11-2005, 08:55 PM
This story is from the October 11 Copperas Cove Leader-Press (Bill's Dawg Bites). It is written by Bill Thomas who I admire for his writing abilities and his knack for bringing out the facts.
Copperas Cove Leader-Press • P.O. Box 370 • Copperas Cove • TX • 76522 • Phone: 254-547-4207 • Fax: 254-542-3299
************************************************** ******
Unfortunately the truth really does hurt
The Boss Lady and I went to Brownwood last Saturday and saw our UMHB Crusaders lose to Howard Payne University 24-20 in the biggest upset in Division III football this year.
Cove’s Josh Welch gave a good account of himself with 8 completions for 96 yards on 13 attempts. That’s an average of 12 yards per completion. Welch suffered one interception on a poorly-conceived side line pass that was designed to travel 30 yards in the air to a receiver 5 yards down the field. Welch also ran for the only offensive Cru touchdown of the afternoon on a three-yard carry.
UMHB’s junior quarterback Andy Patron managed only 32 yards in the air with 4 completions on 12 attempts and was also intercepted once on a desperation last play in the first half. Neither quarterback could pick up a double-digit running the ball against the fired up Yellow Jackets as Patron netted only 6 yards on 3 carries while Welch could garner only 5 yards on 7 attempts. In a gallant effort, Cru All-American running back senior Justin Bryson recorded 126 yards on 25 tough carries.
At the outset, let me say that I don’t like journalists who criticize coaches. It has been my experience that even the bad coaches know more about the game than good journalists do. To add insult to injury, the majority of criticism I have heard from sports journalists regarding coaches has not been directed at bad coaches. Most of the time when a coach gets bad press, it is the work of a bad journalist aimed at a good coach. I have generally found that in most cases the would-be expert writing the column simply takes off on a tangent without knowing enough about the situation.
The three things in the world of sports that your humble correspondent hates the most are multi-millionaire crybaby professional athletes, know-it-all writers who challenge coaches and quarterback controversies.
I have often blasted player’s unions and their wealthy members. On occasion, I have rendered an opinion regarding a quarterback controversy. However, I have always been very careful to qualify my opinion regarding a quarterback controversy. I have maintained that the choice of whom starts and who gets playing time must be that of the head coach. Only he (certainly not us sports writers) is qualified to make this judgment. My position has not wavered from the belief that whether we agreed or disagreed with the coach’s call, we all must respect and support that decision.
Like all fans, I have had occasion to vehemently disagree with head coaches. I guess if a guy is going to break one of his steadfast rules, he might as well go straight to the top. No sense half-stepping as we used to say in the Army.
Head football coach of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders Pete Fredenburg is not a good coach; Coach Pete is a great coach. He is a man who will justly be revered for decades as the man who built the Cru program. What this amazing man has created in eight years at UMHB is nothing short of remarkable and has never been equaled in the history of the game. Let there be no doubt that Pete is a Hall of Fame caliber coach and an even better man.
Pete Fredenburg has built a champion caliber program the right way. His football program is one of the most respected in the nation. The Cru football team has an amazing record of 59-21 since the program’s inception and is currently enjoying an astounding 52-8 run since the 2000 campaign. A direct reflection on the man himself is that his football team is not only respected as a winning program, it is known to all as one of the classiest programs anywhere in or out of the sports arena. At the foundation of the program built by Fredenburg are corner stones like courage, integrity, honor, and work ethics.
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has a quarterback controversy between sophomore Josh Welch of Copperas Cove and junior Andy Patron of San Antonio. Both these guys are not only very likable young men whose parents raised them right; they are both exceptional athletes as well. Sometimes I believe this indisputable fact adds to the problem.
To pick one of these extraordinary young men means of course that you didn’t pick the other one. How do you not pick an Andy Patron or a Josh Welch to play quarterback for your team? Both of these men can win for you. Both are knowledgeable, gifted athletes as well as proven leaders.
Well if you’re the head coach you’ve got to pick one or ride the fence. Unfortunately, Pete Fredenburg has for some reason decided to ride the fence. I have heard Pete on several occasions now explain that he will use both quarterbacks a lot. He has also suggested on several occasions that Andy fits their offensive scheme better than Josh. There has been a lot of flip-flopping between which QB is actually the starter.
There are two schools of thought regarding quarterbacks in the game of football.
One coaching philosophy feels that the position of quarterback is just that. It is simply a position like any other position. This concept lends credence to a head coach being able to play two guys behind the center just as he might give two running backs equal time to keep a fresh set of legs in the game.
Another bit of logical reasoning for the two-quarterback concept is that a team can have their cake and eat it too. If there are two quarterbacks with different strong suits, they can be played at opportune times in a game. This will allow the team to take advantage of each signal caller’s strengths. Coach Fredenburg has stated that the Welch and Patron are simply different and have “different dynamics”. He believes one is better at some things and the other is better at other things.
The other coaching school of thought demands a clear and decisive choice dictating a number one and a number two quarterback. Those coaches who aspire to this belief stand flatfooted as the man in charge and put their hand on their quarterback’s shoulder pad. They look at their team and say, “Gentlemen, this is my guy. If you have a problem with that the door behind you ain’t locked.”
This belief is based on the concept that a quarterback is more than just another position. The “make a choice” philosophy believes that the quarterback is the leader on the field and must be a constant for any degree of consistency to exist on a team. The back up quarterback may get a good deal of playing time if the team enjoys a season where a lot of games are under control early. Nonetheless, he is a back up.
The reasons for not following the two-quarterback philosophy are too many to be listed in this column, much less explained. However, I’ll attempt to address a couple of the problems.
Saying the team will lack consistency with two guys leading them is what my grandpa used to call an extraordinary grasp of the obvious. There is an old Army cliché, “You can’t command by committee.”
Along with problems on the field, there is an astronomical amount of extra pressure put on both young men who take the snaps. Frankly, I believe there is plenty of pressure for a young man to handle playing the position of quarterback without wondering if he is playing the position of quarterback.
The fact that both these young men possess an exceptional degree of personal and spiritual strength means that they are capable of taking a great deal of pressure. It does not mean they should have to. Common sense dictates that either man, if given the backing of the coaching staff, would do a better job.
I believe Andy Patron is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation playing Division III football. I believe Josh Welch is the best quarterback in the nation playing Division III football.
The stats on these two fine athletes are both impressive. However, they give an indisputable edge to the man from Cove. Josh’s total passing yards only edged out Andy’s last year by a little over a hundred yards for the season. Sounds pretty close right? Wrong.
Patron had almost twice the playing time and against much weaker opponents than Welch was asked to face. Half of Andy’s playing time was at home. Overwhelming majorities of Josh’s numbers were created on the road.
UMHB’s one loss to Hardin Simmons last year was perhaps the clearest picture of these two young men’s abilities. Josh entered the game midway in the third quarter.
At that point, the Cru had not crossed the Cowboy goal line. During his time in the game, Josh would throw a touchdown pass and engineer another touchdown drive.
The Crusaders would lose the game 49-22 but during Welch’s time behind center would out score the nationally ranked Cowboys 14-7. Patron hit 5 completions for 9 attempts for a total of 42 yards in the first two and a half quarters. Welch hit 13 completions on 23 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Some of you folks are saying, “Sure but didn’t HSU have their second string in against Welch since the game was already out of control?” The short answer is no.
Come on gang this is Hardin Simmons we’re talking about. Ain’t no love lost between them Baptists. So obviously Welch started the next game after HSU, right? Wrong!
Welch is the only freshman quarterback in history to win on the road against four nationally ranked teams in a row. He threw the last minute pass that handed number one ranked Mount Union their first loss in five years at home to send his Cru to the Stagg Bowl.
In half the games and against much tougher competition, he beat Andy by a single touchdown pass to hold the current school record for TD passes in one season.
In my mind the quarterback is a man with a single mission: Get the offense across the goal line. I could care less if you run it, somebody else runs it, if you pass it or if you mail it in. Doesn’t matter your job is simple, if not easy. Get me a touchdown.
The most telling stat of all in comparing these two guys is that in roughly six quarters of actual playing time against ranked opponents Andy Patron has seen his Cru cross the goal line once. Mr. Welch has averaged 1.37 touchdowns a quarter against the best in the country.
Often when I quote a lot of stats folks will say, “Now Bill, stats don’t always tell the story”. These are always people whose opinion differs from the black and white stats. As much as we may hate the answer, I have found that generally stats do tell the story.
Andy Patron is a good quarterback. Josh Welch is a better quarterback. Fact, not opinion.
I will of course be accused of being partial to Josh because he is from Cove. My personal admiration for young Mr. Welch and his family is a matter of public record. I plead guilty to all of the above.
However, Pete Fredenburg is also a man I have a great deal of respect for, as is young Andy Patron.
I’d rather take a beating than write anything that cast a negative light on either. Both Andy and Pete are more than deserving of our admiration and support.
I simply can’t give it to Pete on this one. I have seen UMHB win 16 games and lose 3 in the short time I have been covering them. I have never seen Josh Welch lose a game he has started and been allowed to finish.
Let there be no mistake about it, this was the most difficult column I’ve ever written.
http://www.coveleaderpress.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=87&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1244&hn=coveleaderpress&he=.com
Copperas Cove Leader-Press • P.O. Box 370 • Copperas Cove • TX • 76522 • Phone: 254-547-4207 • Fax: 254-542-3299
************************************************** ******
Unfortunately the truth really does hurt
The Boss Lady and I went to Brownwood last Saturday and saw our UMHB Crusaders lose to Howard Payne University 24-20 in the biggest upset in Division III football this year.
Cove’s Josh Welch gave a good account of himself with 8 completions for 96 yards on 13 attempts. That’s an average of 12 yards per completion. Welch suffered one interception on a poorly-conceived side line pass that was designed to travel 30 yards in the air to a receiver 5 yards down the field. Welch also ran for the only offensive Cru touchdown of the afternoon on a three-yard carry.
UMHB’s junior quarterback Andy Patron managed only 32 yards in the air with 4 completions on 12 attempts and was also intercepted once on a desperation last play in the first half. Neither quarterback could pick up a double-digit running the ball against the fired up Yellow Jackets as Patron netted only 6 yards on 3 carries while Welch could garner only 5 yards on 7 attempts. In a gallant effort, Cru All-American running back senior Justin Bryson recorded 126 yards on 25 tough carries.
At the outset, let me say that I don’t like journalists who criticize coaches. It has been my experience that even the bad coaches know more about the game than good journalists do. To add insult to injury, the majority of criticism I have heard from sports journalists regarding coaches has not been directed at bad coaches. Most of the time when a coach gets bad press, it is the work of a bad journalist aimed at a good coach. I have generally found that in most cases the would-be expert writing the column simply takes off on a tangent without knowing enough about the situation.
The three things in the world of sports that your humble correspondent hates the most are multi-millionaire crybaby professional athletes, know-it-all writers who challenge coaches and quarterback controversies.
I have often blasted player’s unions and their wealthy members. On occasion, I have rendered an opinion regarding a quarterback controversy. However, I have always been very careful to qualify my opinion regarding a quarterback controversy. I have maintained that the choice of whom starts and who gets playing time must be that of the head coach. Only he (certainly not us sports writers) is qualified to make this judgment. My position has not wavered from the belief that whether we agreed or disagreed with the coach’s call, we all must respect and support that decision.
Like all fans, I have had occasion to vehemently disagree with head coaches. I guess if a guy is going to break one of his steadfast rules, he might as well go straight to the top. No sense half-stepping as we used to say in the Army.
Head football coach of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders Pete Fredenburg is not a good coach; Coach Pete is a great coach. He is a man who will justly be revered for decades as the man who built the Cru program. What this amazing man has created in eight years at UMHB is nothing short of remarkable and has never been equaled in the history of the game. Let there be no doubt that Pete is a Hall of Fame caliber coach and an even better man.
Pete Fredenburg has built a champion caliber program the right way. His football program is one of the most respected in the nation. The Cru football team has an amazing record of 59-21 since the program’s inception and is currently enjoying an astounding 52-8 run since the 2000 campaign. A direct reflection on the man himself is that his football team is not only respected as a winning program, it is known to all as one of the classiest programs anywhere in or out of the sports arena. At the foundation of the program built by Fredenburg are corner stones like courage, integrity, honor, and work ethics.
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has a quarterback controversy between sophomore Josh Welch of Copperas Cove and junior Andy Patron of San Antonio. Both these guys are not only very likable young men whose parents raised them right; they are both exceptional athletes as well. Sometimes I believe this indisputable fact adds to the problem.
To pick one of these extraordinary young men means of course that you didn’t pick the other one. How do you not pick an Andy Patron or a Josh Welch to play quarterback for your team? Both of these men can win for you. Both are knowledgeable, gifted athletes as well as proven leaders.
Well if you’re the head coach you’ve got to pick one or ride the fence. Unfortunately, Pete Fredenburg has for some reason decided to ride the fence. I have heard Pete on several occasions now explain that he will use both quarterbacks a lot. He has also suggested on several occasions that Andy fits their offensive scheme better than Josh. There has been a lot of flip-flopping between which QB is actually the starter.
There are two schools of thought regarding quarterbacks in the game of football.
One coaching philosophy feels that the position of quarterback is just that. It is simply a position like any other position. This concept lends credence to a head coach being able to play two guys behind the center just as he might give two running backs equal time to keep a fresh set of legs in the game.
Another bit of logical reasoning for the two-quarterback concept is that a team can have their cake and eat it too. If there are two quarterbacks with different strong suits, they can be played at opportune times in a game. This will allow the team to take advantage of each signal caller’s strengths. Coach Fredenburg has stated that the Welch and Patron are simply different and have “different dynamics”. He believes one is better at some things and the other is better at other things.
The other coaching school of thought demands a clear and decisive choice dictating a number one and a number two quarterback. Those coaches who aspire to this belief stand flatfooted as the man in charge and put their hand on their quarterback’s shoulder pad. They look at their team and say, “Gentlemen, this is my guy. If you have a problem with that the door behind you ain’t locked.”
This belief is based on the concept that a quarterback is more than just another position. The “make a choice” philosophy believes that the quarterback is the leader on the field and must be a constant for any degree of consistency to exist on a team. The back up quarterback may get a good deal of playing time if the team enjoys a season where a lot of games are under control early. Nonetheless, he is a back up.
The reasons for not following the two-quarterback philosophy are too many to be listed in this column, much less explained. However, I’ll attempt to address a couple of the problems.
Saying the team will lack consistency with two guys leading them is what my grandpa used to call an extraordinary grasp of the obvious. There is an old Army cliché, “You can’t command by committee.”
Along with problems on the field, there is an astronomical amount of extra pressure put on both young men who take the snaps. Frankly, I believe there is plenty of pressure for a young man to handle playing the position of quarterback without wondering if he is playing the position of quarterback.
The fact that both these young men possess an exceptional degree of personal and spiritual strength means that they are capable of taking a great deal of pressure. It does not mean they should have to. Common sense dictates that either man, if given the backing of the coaching staff, would do a better job.
I believe Andy Patron is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation playing Division III football. I believe Josh Welch is the best quarterback in the nation playing Division III football.
The stats on these two fine athletes are both impressive. However, they give an indisputable edge to the man from Cove. Josh’s total passing yards only edged out Andy’s last year by a little over a hundred yards for the season. Sounds pretty close right? Wrong.
Patron had almost twice the playing time and against much weaker opponents than Welch was asked to face. Half of Andy’s playing time was at home. Overwhelming majorities of Josh’s numbers were created on the road.
UMHB’s one loss to Hardin Simmons last year was perhaps the clearest picture of these two young men’s abilities. Josh entered the game midway in the third quarter.
At that point, the Cru had not crossed the Cowboy goal line. During his time in the game, Josh would throw a touchdown pass and engineer another touchdown drive.
The Crusaders would lose the game 49-22 but during Welch’s time behind center would out score the nationally ranked Cowboys 14-7. Patron hit 5 completions for 9 attempts for a total of 42 yards in the first two and a half quarters. Welch hit 13 completions on 23 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Some of you folks are saying, “Sure but didn’t HSU have their second string in against Welch since the game was already out of control?” The short answer is no.
Come on gang this is Hardin Simmons we’re talking about. Ain’t no love lost between them Baptists. So obviously Welch started the next game after HSU, right? Wrong!
Welch is the only freshman quarterback in history to win on the road against four nationally ranked teams in a row. He threw the last minute pass that handed number one ranked Mount Union their first loss in five years at home to send his Cru to the Stagg Bowl.
In half the games and against much tougher competition, he beat Andy by a single touchdown pass to hold the current school record for TD passes in one season.
In my mind the quarterback is a man with a single mission: Get the offense across the goal line. I could care less if you run it, somebody else runs it, if you pass it or if you mail it in. Doesn’t matter your job is simple, if not easy. Get me a touchdown.
The most telling stat of all in comparing these two guys is that in roughly six quarters of actual playing time against ranked opponents Andy Patron has seen his Cru cross the goal line once. Mr. Welch has averaged 1.37 touchdowns a quarter against the best in the country.
Often when I quote a lot of stats folks will say, “Now Bill, stats don’t always tell the story”. These are always people whose opinion differs from the black and white stats. As much as we may hate the answer, I have found that generally stats do tell the story.
Andy Patron is a good quarterback. Josh Welch is a better quarterback. Fact, not opinion.
I will of course be accused of being partial to Josh because he is from Cove. My personal admiration for young Mr. Welch and his family is a matter of public record. I plead guilty to all of the above.
However, Pete Fredenburg is also a man I have a great deal of respect for, as is young Andy Patron.
I’d rather take a beating than write anything that cast a negative light on either. Both Andy and Pete are more than deserving of our admiration and support.
I simply can’t give it to Pete on this one. I have seen UMHB win 16 games and lose 3 in the short time I have been covering them. I have never seen Josh Welch lose a game he has started and been allowed to finish.
Let there be no mistake about it, this was the most difficult column I’ve ever written.
http://www.coveleaderpress.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=87&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1244&hn=coveleaderpress&he=.com