Tale Of Two Quarterbacks

Both West Virginia quarterback Pat White and Rutgers signal-caller Mike Teel finished their careers with close, hard-fought bowl wins in which they were named MVP. And for White, the surprise was that his award came for what he did with his arm (a career-high 332 yards passing) rather than his legs.

But let's not go crazy here, unlike some other folks I generally consider to be level-headed. The conventional wisdom about Pat White still holds - he is NOT a quarterback at the next level. It's a long way from lighting up North Carolina's 84th-ranked pass defense to making NFL throws, throws which White has not shown a consistent ability to execute. I am aware of White's solid passing efficiency numbers, but like Tim Tebow, those numbers are a mirage based on the system and his ability to run the football - things that won't necessarily hold up at the next level.

Now contrast to Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel, whose name almost never gets mentioned as a legitimate pro prospect. Yet every time I watch Teel - a three-year starter in a pro-style offense - he's shown the ability to make the kinds of throws you'd expect a pro quarterback to make. And he's done it this year without any real semblance of a running attack and with only one consistently productive receiver.

It's highly unlikely that Teel would ever be an NFL starter, but he certainly has to be a better pro prospect than the grossly overhyped Hunter Cantwell. And he's far more likely to be holding a clipboard at the next level than Pat White, if for no other reason than White may be too busy catching passes and returning kicks to be bothered.