A-TOWN ON SPARTAN FOOTBALL

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See Part 1 of this interview HERE.

See Part 2 of this interview HERE.

How do you think the quarterback position competition shook out this spring at MSU? How about UM?

I think Cook is MSU's QB and that is about the only position that is on stable ground in either program. For MSU's backup, I think Tyler O'Conner showed a lot. He made a few big throws and showed some ability to move the pocket and create with his legs. He showed some youthful mistakes and was inconsistent at times but with time he will be a solid option under center. Terry showed why he garnered the hype. Quick feet and a quick release looked pretty impressive. He too made some youthful mistakes including the hit he took from Cooper. He stepped up into the pocket nicely to avoid the pressure but he took his eye off where he was stepping. Should have bolted or gone down in that situation to avoid the big hit. In the end, I think O'Conner is the backup but Terry gets more playing time (as long as Cook stays healthy).

As for U of M, I didn't see their Spring Game but I have seen enough of the coverage to know that Gardner was not impressive. I also heard that Shane Morris was not overwhelming either this Spring. And actually the guy that caught most folks eye was true freshman Wilton Speight. In my opinion, Brady Hoke is coaching for his job at this point. If Gardner can't find the level of consistency that is needed to win some big games for U of M this year, I expect to see the QB carousel in full swing. You might even see him try to run with Speight at least to make the argument that he finally found his QB and if he can get one more year with Speight he will return U of M to the top of the B1G.

Is there any reason to believe that Damion Terry might not be patient enough to wait until Connor Cook graduates? How do you think Dantonio will keep him sharp, hungry and ready while he waits?

I think Damion Terry will be more than patient. To begin with when he committed to MSU back in April of 2012, he knew that Maxwell and Cook were on the roster and that Tyler O'Connor would be joining them that coming summer. It is not news to Terry that he isn't going to be the starter this year. That is not how MSU recruits guys and so he knew the score coming in. Second, we have seen some very mature quotes from Terry that he knows his place on the team. While he would love to be playing and wants to contribute, he doesn't strike me as a guy that is going to jump ship because his ego tells him he should be the starter. Finally, from what I have heard, Terry views O'Connor as his competition. I don't think a guy that sets his goal to be the back up this year as a guy that leaves because he isn't the starter.

As for playing time, I think you got to see some interesting things the coaches did with Terry during the Spring Game. Things that confused the defense. I don't know if you will see MSU opening up games with Terry running the ball, but I would not be surprised to see packages where Terry is in the game with and without Cook. Remember how many times we dialed up those stupid Wildcat packages last season. What if you had Terry taking those snaps instead of Langford.

Any word on what went down with Max Bullough? How do you think MSU and Max handled the aftermath of the suspension?

I am not going to speculate on what Max did. I believe whatever it was the punishment he endured was enough. The Bullough family is as close to football royalty as you can get in any program. For Max to miss out on the game that he did had to be ridiculously difficult on him. I am also not in the camp that thinks that Max owes the fans an explanation of what he did. In my opinion it doesn't matter if it was drugs, booze, PED's, a fight, missed a team meeting, violation of an undisclosed team rule, or whatever. Whatever it was, it warranted the suspension and its done. Anyone demanding an explanation has some kind of TMZ obsessed curiosity. Whatever he did should not change your opinion of the guy and what is done is done at this point.

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