Virginia Tech?s new starting quarterback is not a man of many words. Luckily for Tyrod Taylor, his coaches and teammates are more than willing to gush about the true freshman from Hampton High
Speaking with reporters for the first time since being named No. 1, handed the keys to the Hokies? hopes for an ACC title at 18 years old, Taylor responded to questions with short sentences.
His thoughts on being the first true freshman in 25 years to start at quarterback for the Hokies??It?s still football,? said the rookie, often so soft-spoken that coaches have prodded him to pipe up at the line of scrimmage. ?I?m very excited. I just want to make plays. I still have a long way to go.?
Taylor is clearly more comfortable slinging footballs than syllables.
Across the room on Monday, others were fawning over the freshman. Even Eddie Royal ? a senior receiver whose high school teammate and best friend, Sean Glennon, lost the starting job to Taylor ? couldn?t contain himself.
?It?s a business, and you can?t really think about feelings,? Royal said. ?You?ve got to do what?s best for the team, and I think our coaches did that. Tyrod brings a certain type of swagger to the offense. He brings a confidence to the offense. You know that you can win behind this guy.?Royal said Taylor has a stronger arm than Glennon, firing fast passes that the receivers will have to focus on to catch. He said Taylor chucks a nice deep ball, too, one ?you can?t outrun.?
That echoed thoughts earlier in the day from c oach Frank Beamer, who pointed out that while many are excited over Taylor?s blazing speed and playmaking ability as a runner, ?we like the way this kid throws the football, too.?
Talk of his passing produced a pair of sentences from Taylor, who said that even when he?s on the move, he?s looking to throw first. Sure, he ran for 2,546 yards and 56 touchdowns in high school. But he also threw for 5,144 and 44 scores.
?A lot of people think of me as just a runner,? Taylor said. ?But that?s why I have to go out there and prove that I can throw the ball.?
That?s as close as he comes to bragging.
Despite arriving at Tech as a Parade All-American, a five-star recruit, rated the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country, Taylor has surprised teammates with a low-key approach.
?He?s a really mature guy,? left guard Richard Graham said. ?He?s got a really good head on his shoulders. When I first met him, he was asking me about majors that were good to get a good job. It was really shocking. I?d heard how good he was. I was thinking, 'This guy?s going to be the cockiest guy ever.? ?
Instead, Taylor insists that while the NFL is a goal, he understands it?s not a guarantee, that a back-up plan is vital, that we should all remember, ?I?m here to get an education.?
Then, as nonchalantly as he flicks a football down the field, Taylor admits: ?Football, of course, I want to play that, too.?
The Hokies want him to play it. They need him to play it well and breathe some life back into an offense that has suffered from no running game, little passing attack and ranks 110th nationally in total yards.
Based on the breathless evaluations, Taylor can help.
Glennon seemed to sometimes be shaken when Tech?s offensive line, admittedly a weak point , had breakdowns and plays failed to unfold according to plan. He was reluctant to throw the ball up for a receiver to make a play and unable to run to buy time. That doesn?t appear to be a problem for Taylor, who dazzled in summer scrimmages and operated without hesitation when he entered the LSU game.
?Seeing how calm he was, you just realized that this kid is different,? Royal said. ?He doesn?t get rattled at all. In this game, you?ve got to go with what you see. You?ve got to play with your eyes. Tyrod definitely does that. He?s not afraid to put it up there and let us make plays.?
So how?d he get this good? Why does he seem so unaffected by the hype? How will he handle the pressure of leading the team?
Not surprisingly, Taylor?s answer to all those questions Tuesday was brief.
?It?s just the way I?ve been playing since I was young,? Taylor said.
Perhaps keeping it simple may be the secret to his success.
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http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-fbc--t25-virginiatech0911sep11,0,7359773.story
Speaking with reporters for the first time since being named No. 1, handed the keys to the Hokies? hopes for an ACC title at 18 years old, Taylor responded to questions with short sentences.
His thoughts on being the first true freshman in 25 years to start at quarterback for the Hokies??It?s still football,? said the rookie, often so soft-spoken that coaches have prodded him to pipe up at the line of scrimmage. ?I?m very excited. I just want to make plays. I still have a long way to go.?
Taylor is clearly more comfortable slinging footballs than syllables.
Across the room on Monday, others were fawning over the freshman. Even Eddie Royal ? a senior receiver whose high school teammate and best friend, Sean Glennon, lost the starting job to Taylor ? couldn?t contain himself.
?It?s a business, and you can?t really think about feelings,? Royal said. ?You?ve got to do what?s best for the team, and I think our coaches did that. Tyrod brings a certain type of swagger to the offense. He brings a confidence to the offense. You know that you can win behind this guy.?Royal said Taylor has a stronger arm than Glennon, firing fast passes that the receivers will have to focus on to catch. He said Taylor chucks a nice deep ball, too, one ?you can?t outrun.?
That echoed thoughts earlier in the day from c oach Frank Beamer, who pointed out that while many are excited over Taylor?s blazing speed and playmaking ability as a runner, ?we like the way this kid throws the football, too.?
Talk of his passing produced a pair of sentences from Taylor, who said that even when he?s on the move, he?s looking to throw first. Sure, he ran for 2,546 yards and 56 touchdowns in high school. But he also threw for 5,144 and 44 scores.
?A lot of people think of me as just a runner,? Taylor said. ?But that?s why I have to go out there and prove that I can throw the ball.?
That?s as close as he comes to bragging.
Despite arriving at Tech as a Parade All-American, a five-star recruit, rated the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country, Taylor has surprised teammates with a low-key approach.
?He?s a really mature guy,? left guard Richard Graham said. ?He?s got a really good head on his shoulders. When I first met him, he was asking me about majors that were good to get a good job. It was really shocking. I?d heard how good he was. I was thinking, 'This guy?s going to be the cockiest guy ever.? ?
Instead, Taylor insists that while the NFL is a goal, he understands it?s not a guarantee, that a back-up plan is vital, that we should all remember, ?I?m here to get an education.?
Then, as nonchalantly as he flicks a football down the field, Taylor admits: ?Football, of course, I want to play that, too.?
The Hokies want him to play it. They need him to play it well and breathe some life back into an offense that has suffered from no running game, little passing attack and ranks 110th nationally in total yards.
Based on the breathless evaluations, Taylor can help.
Glennon seemed to sometimes be shaken when Tech?s offensive line, admittedly a weak point , had breakdowns and plays failed to unfold according to plan. He was reluctant to throw the ball up for a receiver to make a play and unable to run to buy time. That doesn?t appear to be a problem for Taylor, who dazzled in summer scrimmages and operated without hesitation when he entered the LSU game.
?Seeing how calm he was, you just realized that this kid is different,? Royal said. ?He doesn?t get rattled at all. In this game, you?ve got to go with what you see. You?ve got to play with your eyes. Tyrod definitely does that. He?s not afraid to put it up there and let us make plays.?
So how?d he get this good? Why does he seem so unaffected by the hype? How will he handle the pressure of leading the team?
Not surprisingly, Taylor?s answer to all those questions Tuesday was brief.
?It?s just the way I?ve been playing since I was young,? Taylor said.
Perhaps keeping it simple may be the secret to his success.
-------------------------
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-fbc--t25-virginiatech0911sep11,0,7359773.story
