Here's my thing about the news that Scott Shafer will not announce who the starting quarterback for the Syracuse Orange is before the Penn State game.
Fine.
Just the same way I was fine with Doug Marrone closing practice before last season, I'm totally cool with it. If Coach Shafer thinks that by doing so, he is doing something that will help the SU Football team win football games, I am all for it. The need of fans and media folks to know specifics in August are inconsequential next to the need to win football games.
And if he thinks it gives the team a leg-up against their opponent? All the better.
"Why give anybody an advantage?" Shafer said after Monday's practice. "To me I just wouldn't understand it. If it gives them one more practice play against something they think one kid can do compared to the other, why give them that advantage? I just don't think it makes sense for me."
"I think both Terrel and Drew are doing a real good job," Shafer said. "Feeling good about where we're headed. We want to keep it in house and just kind of do a good job getting the repetitions. We don't have to play until the 31st, so the final decision won't truly be made until we step on that field."
My guess is that that's mostly bunk. Shafer will probably know who he's going to put out there for the first play well before that. He might switch that person out for the other one later in the game. Who knows. All I know is, whether it's Drew Allen or Terrel Hunt, it sounds like that person will have earned it in a very hard-fought (& obviously hard-nosed) battle.
