The best response to being asked how you will replace a two-time-national-champion, Heisman-trophy-winning quarterback whose likeness is being constructed into a statue in the very location you are asked to replace him:
“First of all, I want everyone to know I could just as soon ignore this question. Or worse, I could pretend like I’ve never thought about replacing him. Anything negative I say about the guy — or even anything that can be PERCEIVED as negative (see: Thompson, Deonte) — will be blown out of proportion.
But this isn’t a new question. Everyone asks me this. Or at least everyone who recognizes me on the street, which is still a pretty small population, thank God.
The answer is simple: I’m going to be as different from the other guy as I can be. And we will win a lot. Not despite our differences, but because of them.
I know he was good, trust me. I watched him from the sidelines for three years. And I know you loved him. I’ve seen all those “15” jerseys in the stands, seen the “Marry Me!” signs held by 6-year-old daughters, even seen that wood carving of him on Newberry Road.
And seriously, boosters? You’re building a statue? As soon as he leaves? It’s like I’m replacing a cross between Herschel Walker and Paul Bunyan.
It’s not the man himself I have to live up to. It’s the man’s legacy. The mystique. The Focus-on-the-Family endorsing, Jockey-wearing, bronze-statue legend.
That’s not to discredit the actual player. He was an All-American. He scored about 700 touchdowns. He could rally a team at the half just by yelling uninteresting things like “Let’s go!” and getting red in the face.
I’m not going to do that. Not because it doesn’t sound fun. Not because it doesn’t work. But because he did it. I’m not him, and I’m sure you guys will remind me of that the moment I mess up, so I might as well distance myself right now.
If I don’t see a wide-open receiver, check the stadium’s lighting. Chances are his shadow has made it too dark for me to see clearly. To be fair, he didn’t put this pressure on me. You guys did.
You guys fell in love with him. Fell in love with the way he lowered his shoulder, injuries be damned. Fell in love with the way he visibly appeared to hate losing more than anyone else. Fell in love with the way he stood for something and, in a society of camera phones with Internet access, never got caught doing anything worse than pose next to a girl with huge boobs.
But what does any of that have to do with his play? Remember that national championship game in 2007, when he was just a backup and the starting quarterback completed like 70 percent of his passes? All most people wanted to talk about was the backup who went 1 for 1 with a 1-yard touchdown.
So now he’s gone, and you guys still want to talk about him. I expect it. Understand it, even. But you know our offense can be good without him. You are the same people who picked us third in the preseason poll.
Don’t ask me anything else about him, because if we succeed, it won’t be because of him. But if we lose, it could be because of him. And, in a way, you.”
