THE BATTa
Sports
The Battalion
Page 3 * Wednesday, August 7, 2002
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The Great REGGIE Debate
“Real Deal” should
get a chance to play
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At this point r
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here is a buzz stirring on the streets of
Aggieland that has not been heard in quite
some time. For once, it has nothing to do with
A^ggie Bonfire, Ray Bowen or new Texas A&M
President Bob Gates. So
what’s the deal?
I Reggie “The Real
peal" McNeal.
I Beginning last sum-
Bier, before McNeal had DALLAS SHIPP
||yen taken a snap for
lufkin High School his senior year, the discussion
began. Will Reggie replace Farris next year? As the
wason draws closer, the one thing on everyone’s
'tniiid is “When will we see Reggie?”
I McNeal recently stated publicly that he could
start by the fifth game of the season. Many ques-
■oned this statement, but why? McNeal has some-
■ling no quarterback has had at A&M since the days
of Bucky Richardson — determination.
I Should McNeal have been so candid when speak
ing publicly? At least it isn’t the same old “We are
going to try our best and hope it is enough” attitude
that current starting quarterback Mark Farris has
shown the past two seasons,
nl M c N ea * has heart and talent, a combination that
about t,ieu P 11 : hasn’t been seen behind center in quite some time.
. §|rl len N°- 16 is on the field, he knows he is going to
a leputation. c. w j n ^ teammates know he is going to win and the
xxted by the •|| ans know he will do whatever it takes.
In the state championship game last December
gainst Austin Westlake, McNeal went down early
with a sprained ankle that would have sidelined
most quarterbacks. Instead, he led his team back
from an 18-point deficit to claim the state title.
1 While McNeal has excelled in big game situa
tions, senior quarterback Mark Farris has struggled
j since Januan’ Mly* In the final two regular season games last
d to have people' f ear ’ Farris went 26-for-57 and threw for 182 yards
f caliber |]ere,"f F om bined against Oklahoma and Texas. Against
I brine great att 1 defenses in big games, Farris has shown time
ailment and ' ® nc * hme again that he will not produce,
rgraduate andg This year’s schedule is full of big home games
to the departffi' with Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Nebraska and
stitute will also pklahoma all coming to Kyle Field,
zxcited and ins' The 2003 schedule includes these same four
, biggest thins teams, only this time the Aggies have to play on the
has experienced roa d at four of the most hostile environments in col-
” Bege football.
I Every young quarterback will struggle in the
beginning. Why not suffer those struggles with the
|upport of 87,000-plus friendly fans.
K McNeal knows he can win and is willing to
Irove it on the field. Two-a-days could prove to be
some of the most competitive in recent memory at
display until!- the quarterback position when the veterans arrive
f next week to begin fall practice and he will show
&M and Blinn^veryone exactly why he is called “The Real Deal.”
in the field aero'
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from the 13 J
endence will«
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TRUE BROWN
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- 693-5731
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Dallas Shipp is a senior
journalism major.
FILE PHOTO • THE BATTALION
Incoming freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal has set off a debate among Aggie fans about his fate in
2002. McNeal led the Lufkin Panthers to a state championship last season.
McNeal can learn
a lot by redshirting
L ong before Reggie McNeal reported to cam
pus Monday with the rest of Texas A&M’s
2002 recruiting class, he had already become
the centerpiece of debate among the Aggie faithful.
The debate has raged:
should head coach R.C.
Slocum redshirt McNeal
or should McNeal be
given a shot at directing
A&M’s offense on
Saturdays this season?
It is no secret that he possesses a tremendous
amount of talent, as evidenced by his performances
with the Lufkin Panthers in the Class 5A state play
offs last season. McNeal’s 223 passing yards and
159 rushing yards in the state championship game
had A&M fans drooling with excitement.
McNeal himself has made public his view on
what he should do this season, claiming he thought
he could start by the middle of the season.
But, Reggie, red isn’t a bad color.
It’s the same color Michael Vick - the player
McNeal is most often compared to — wore for
Virginia Tech before being the No. 1 pick in the
2001 NFL draft. Eric Crouch, the Heisman Trophy
winner last season at Nebraska, did not start his
freshman year either.
An extra year would give McNeal the chance to
add some more weight and learn the A&M play-
book. The 6-foot-3-inch, 190 pound McNeal will
need both if he wants to go mano-a-mano with the
defenses in the Big 12, some of the biggest and
fastest in the country.
Mark Farris, A&M’s No. 1 quarterback, has
plenty of what McNeal needs — experience —
after starting 22 games for the Aggies.
While there are many in the Aggie circle that
have been calling for Farris’ head after a subpar
2001 campaign, Farris’ game-day experience with
receivers like Bethel Johnson, Terrence Murphy,*
Greg Porter and Jamaar Taylor is the type of experi
ence not found in two-a-days.
Granted, Farris did struggle last season, but
expect a big senior year in 2002 out of the 27-year-
old Farris, especially if A&M’s deep receiving
corps stays healthy. Despite his struggles in 2001,
Farris is a proven player. In his sophomore season,
he completed 60 percent of his passes, good for
2,551 yards and a spot in school history as one of
the best seasons by an A&M quarterback.
And if McNeal is as good right now as the
Aggie fans hope, just think about how great he
could be after an entire year on the sidelines learn
ing A&M’s system. Then, imagine him with four
full seasons still ahead of him.
That will really give Aggie fans something to
drool about.
True Brown is a junior
agricultural journalism major.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Football workouts
open to public
A&M head coach R.C.
Slocum announced that foot
ball two-a-days will be open
to the public until the week
before the Aggies' first game.
Practices are at the grass
practice fields. A&M's next
practices will be Thursday at
8:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Gillom adds recruit
to hoops squad
Rhianna Reed signed with
the A&M women's basketball
team, head coach Peggie
Gillom announced Tuesday.
Reed was a TAPPS All-State
players for four seasons at
Austin's St. Michaels Academy.
Houston’s No. 1 pick makes impressive debut
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston
Texans had faith and now they have
hard evidence that quarterback David
Carr was the right choice as the first
pick in the expansion franchise’s histo
ry. In a game turned somber by the neck
injury to safety Leomont Evans, Can-
made an impressive debut in a 34-17
loss to the New York Giants Monday
night.
It was only the first preseason game
but the Texans got what they wanted to
see.
“David Carr proved that all of our
faith in him was well-founded,” general
manager Charley Casserly said. “That
touchdown pass to Billy Miller was a big
time throw.”
The Texans were eager to make a
good start in their first game as the NFL’s
32nd franchise. That quickly changed
early in the second quarter when Evans,
a backup safety, collapsed face-down in
the second quarter trying to rush a
Giants’ punt.
He was taken to a hospital without
feeling in his arms or legs. Tests revealed
he had a spinal contu
sion but no fractures
to his spine. Evans
started getting feeling
back after reaching the
hospital.
Team physician
Dr. Walter Lowe said
Tuesday that Evans
continued to improve
and had walked sev
eral times. Lowe said Evans would
remain in Canton, Ohio, overnight and
return to begin rehabilitation work on
Wednesday.
“He’s doing great but a little scared
about the seriousness of it,” Lowe said.
Carr completed his first three passes
but missed the next four in a row that
CARR
included his first career interception.
After Evans’ injury, Carr responded by
leading the Texans to a field goal and
then hit tight end Billy Miller with a
24-yard touchdown pass, his first as a
pro.
He even impressed the Giants, includ
ing defensive end Michael Strahan, who
missed a chance to sack the rookie.
“I like him, he got around me so that
shows he can move,” Strahan said. “He
showed composure in the pocket and
he’ll get better with time. He can throw
the ball. Once their offense jells, they
will be an exciting team to watch because
of him.”
Carr completed 9-of-17 passes for 96
yards, playing the first two quarters in
the Texans’ debut.
“He’s a nice kid,” Carr said of
Strahan, a Houston native who played
high school football at Houston
Westbury.
“Yeah, we got together out there,”
Carr said. “I told him I was glad he
missed me.”
Giants linebacker Micheal Barrow
joined Strahan in praising Carr’s debut.
“I can see him going through the
process that all the good quarterbacks go
through, from Peyton Mannings to
Marino to Montana,” Barrow said.
“They just have go play to get the
tempo down, read the coverages right
and not hold on to the ball too long.”
Carr remained calm, even when Hall
of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, inducted
on Saturday, talked to him before the
game.
“Yeah, he gave me a pep talk, he told
me to relax and be yourself,” Carr said.
“That’s kind of hard to do when you’ve
got a Hall of Famer telling you that. But
when you’ve got a guy with a gold jack
et giving you a pep talk, you should pay
attention.”
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