Weeden out the bad habits: OSU quarterback says he’s a changed man
Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden says he wasn’t stung by Cowboys coach Mike Gundy’s past criticism of his practice approach. In fact, it sounds like Weeden has embraced it.
After coming off the bench to throw two touchdown passes in OSU’s 31-28 win over Colorado last November, Weeden acknowledged
“I’m not a practice player, I’m more a game-type player.”
Now, in a Q&A with Robert Allen of GoPokes.com, the 26-year-old former professional baseball player says all that’s changed. Now that he’s the OSU starter, Weeden says he’s changed “the way I went about practice and the way I went about everything I do.”
“I’ve changed the way I go about my business whether it is on the field and everything, field, weight room, trying to get the guys going,” Weeden told GoPokes.com. “I know I am a little bit older than these guys and I try to use that to my advantage as much as I can.”
The compete Q&A can be found here.
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Comments
Brandon seems to have a “real” gun on him! Maybe he can make some of those passes across the middle that Zac just couldn’t make after his arm was hurt. Zac at best when he was on threw kind of wild at times. Dez Bryant made Zac look good on some of his passes. The main thing is they have to have a number two guy ready to go. Zac playing hurt stifled our offense late last season.
Bench a 9-5 Donovan Woods for a 0 Bobby Reid!?
Bobby Reid to Al Pena to Bobby Reid to Al Pena to Bobby Reid!?
Bobby Reid!
Bobby Reid to Zac Robinson to Bobby Reid to Zac Robinson!?
Zac Robinson!
Alex Cate over Brandon Weeden!?
A wounded winged and beat up Zac Robinson over rocket armed Brandon Weeden!?
One heroic come from behind win in relief isn’t justification enough for a chance at another a week later even when it cost Bedlam and a BCS Bowl invite?
“Loyalty” to a practice favorite more important than a Cotton Bowl Trophy!?
Weeden shouldn’t beat himself too much for his old practice mannerisms. In an environment where smoke blowing is encouraged as the number one criteria for playing time, not only are the best options obscured to the coaches by all the smoke, it’s also difficult for a unwitting player that doesn’t understand the playing time game to see that puffing a thick and plentiful cloud is the key to being recognized through the haze.
No doubt about it. The ability and willingness to blow smoke through the off season and during practice is of much greater importance than actually winning games.
Perhaps Holgorsen will be the breathe of fresh air that disperses the fog enough to add a little much needed clarity to the QB selection process at oSu.
Weeden has a NFL arm and based on Colorado, also has game. A fact that’s easily seen even from afar for those not engulfed in the smoke and haze.
Winning games is what everyone sees. What they do not see is what is in the athlete’s heart day in and day out. What a player shows in practice shows his true character. If you know you are the starter, it is easy to take it seriously. When you are the backup and you still practice hard, that is when true desire and heart is displayed. I coach little league baseball, and I will start a hard worker over a lazy, exceptional athlete every time. I am glad Weeden is making the most of his opportunity now, but I applaud and trust the OSU staff to know who to start. We are building a winning team and that starts at practice (and as Weeden now says, it is in everything) – even if it cost us a game or two. Go Weeden. Go Pokes.
Six Gun,
It’s easy to sit back and think you know what you’re talking about. But when it comes to who performs and how, it’s about more than having a cannon for an arm. Always easy to say “lets go with the second string guy.”
But you don’t what who the leader on the field was. Nor do you know how prepared the 2 and 3rd stringers were. Obviously Weeden admitted he didn’t take practice seriously.
I was always taught you play the way you practice. That holds true for just about every sport…….
Get over it. Yes pulling a Senior who has taken the team to new heights is difficult and players have played hurt and won. Josh Heupel beat Kansas State in 2000 for the Bug 12 Championship with a bum shoulder. Just think if Stoops would have pulled him out? His leadership was far more valuable at the time…..
George,
Your theory sounds great for grade school where everyone gets a gold star, there are no winner’s and losers, winning doesn’t matter, and you have the luxury of pretending its all a PC La-la Land World.
This is big league Division one FBS, BCS, Big XII College Football we’re talking not Pop Warner.
Winning is not what everyone see’s when a coach makes little league personnel decisions to reward bubbles for the coach instead of based upon putting the players that give the team the best chance to win the game on the field against the likes of U of Zero.
BTW, I can’t count the number of time Robinson and others were withheld from practices under the guise of “They don’t need to practice. We already know what they can do.” Just how is that consistent with your, Reward Hard Work In Practice Theory?
In the big leagues, Scoreboard speaks much louder than PC BS.
Eric,
You and I are obviously on completely different levels as far as being oSu fans go if frivolously throwing away our best shot ever at a BCS Bowl for the sake of a fare-haired favorite son’s feelings, foregoing the opportunity for a Bedlam win for that same favorite son, and stubbornly giving up a realistic chance to bring home a Cotton Bowl Trophy for the coaches favorite are such small things to you that you so readily “get over” them.
Fortunately, the powers agree with me and have made a change of QB personnel decision-makers relieving the one that historically struggled so with the task for one of the nations best at the chore.
“even if it cost us a game or two”…
or three or four or five or six or seven or…
AND cost the entire 2005 season, a loss to Baylor, and last place…
AND cost 2-2 OCC starts with a losses to the likes of Troy…
AND cost BCS Bowl invites, Bedlam wins, and Bowl Trophies.
Six Gun Sam, that’s one heck of a crystal ball you must be holdind in your hands. To assume Weeden would have done any better than Robinson did in any of those games is just that–an assumption.
You’re telling everyone to stay out of La La Land and yet turn around and speculate “what would have happened” in this alternate reality you have created. And based on what, exactly? One half of football against one of the worst teams in the league? Wow. Maybe you should change your posting name to “Knee Jerk Reaction Sam.”
By the way, Gundy’s choice of QB or play calling did not cost us the entire 2005 season. It was his first season as a head coach with multiple players kicked off the team and a brand new offensive scheme. The OCC losses, bowl losses, and Bedlam losses prior to this last season had everything to do with a poor defense and nothing to do with OSU’s offense. So how did Gundy remedy that? By hiring Bill Young who instantly turned OSU’s defense around. But I’m sure you’ll find a way to take credit away from Gundy on that decision as well, right? Because heaven knows Gundy couldn’t possibly have made a great decision and thus throw a wrench in your utterly flawless argument, right?
But by all means, don’t let common sense and rational thought get in the way of your dense criticisms. Keep blasting away with all that knowledge you have racked up while sitting in your recliner and eating the Doritos crumbs from your shirt each Saturday afternoon.
Sam, I think everyone was discusted with the way things ended up last year. Maybe Gundy saw the light, i.e. hiring a new OC. Ya think?
@Eric – a coach should put it’s TEAM in the best position to win. Coach Gundy DID NOT do that when ZACH was injured. I was at a luncheon 3 weeks ago that Coach Gundy spoke at and he came right out and said that even though Zach was injured (OU game and Cotton Bowl) that he DESERVED to play for what he did for the program. i agree with that statement to an extent. What amout the other 100+ plus players on the team? have they brought nothing to the program? Is what one player did worth more than what the others did to keep them from having the best opportunity to play in a BCS game (if they had beat OU) or to win the Cotton bowl. NO it is not.
You live and learn