George Ferguson Column: Fans, when it comes to QB's, coaches know better than you

Armchair coaches beware. You’re not going to like this. But what happened to the Montana Grizzlies last Saturday in Missoula is a prime example of why you guys and gals are usually always wrong.

You see, there’s an old saying in football that goes a little something like: “the favorite quarterback is always the backup” and that little ditty doesn’t seem to be a rarity.

And it’s been true of a fraction of Griz Nation this season.

Even after Montana beat the University of Washington, and started its season 3-0, there were fans, and plenty of them, clamoring for sixth-year senior starter Cam Humphrey to be replaced by red-shirt freshman Kris Brown.

And while Montana head coach Bobby Hauck will never, ever listen to the fans, and in fact, laughs at that type of stuff, and was never going to replace Cam, Brown indeed did get his chance when Humphrey suffered an ugly leg injury at the end of a narrow loss to Eastern Washington earlier this month.

Since then, the Griz’ offense has struggled, including in a 28-21 loss to Sacramento State last Saturday. The victory was the Hornet’s first-ever win inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and now, Montana, which is averaging just 22 points and 295 yards of offense in its last two games, has to go on the road for three of its next four.

Rumors are swirling that Humphrey may be back sooner than originally thought, but for now, just like Griz fans asked for, the offense belongs to Brown.

And yet, this column isn’t about Montana’s quarterbacks. It’s not about Humphrey, who backed up Dalton Sneed for two years, and has essentially worked his butt off for four years to be Montana’s starter, in which he has an 8-1 record, and it isn’t an indictment on Brown either. Kris is a very talented kid, and no doubt will shine bright.

In fact, this column really has nothing to do with either one of them.

No, the point is, fans are usually wrong in their assessment of quarterbacks. That’s not earth-shattering news, but armchair coaches and quarterbacks get so annoying that once in a while, it is worth pointing out that, in this case, Griz fans, don’t know more than Hauck, or Timm Rosenbach or Brent Pease. I’m sorry folks, but you just don’t.

No matter how much office pool money you've won, or fantasy football experience you have, or how much Madden you've played, and even if you played football in high school, or even if you’re coaching it now, you still can’t know, or have the necessary tools to evaluate Montana’s starting quarterback situation. That’s just a fact.

You aren’t in the huddle, you aren’t at practice, you aren’t in the film room, the position meetings or involved in any other part of the evaluation process. But guess who is privy to the process? The people who matter, the players and coaches.

Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with Kris Brown, but, it would stand to reason that, a guy who has been the head coach at Montana for the better part of 12 years would make the right choice when it comes to the quarterback position, and believe me, Hauck didn’t just hand Humphrey the job either. He made him earn it, with direct competition last spring, and again this summer and fall. Bobby Hauck doesn’t give anybody anything, and so it would make sense that, he made the right call.

And yet, Griz Nation just can’t leave it alone. They've never been able too. Case in point, 2001 and 2002. Last Saturday, UM honored the 2001 national championship team, led by quarterback John Edwards. A year later, fans were clamoring for Edwards to be replaced, long before he suffered an injured throwing shoulder. It just seems to be the nature of the beast I guess.

And, in an ironic twist of fate, it doesn't always end with the backup, either. Last Saturday, when the Griz were falling behind Sac. State, fans booed the Montana offense, and one guy, standing not too far behind me, started demanding that third-strng quarterback Robbie Patterson be put in. So even the backup quarterback isn’t immune from the armchair’s wrath.

Again, none of what I’m pointing out is new. And it isn't a Montana issue, it's a football issue, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need to be freshly called out once in a while.

And in calling it out, there’s also a lesson to be learned here, though I doubt few will take heed. But I’ll say it anyway. Fans need to stay in the stands and cheer, and let the players play, and most of all, let the coaches coach.

Note: The Grizzlies travel to Idaho this Saturday with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. The game will televised on ABC/FOX Montana. The Montana State Bobcats host Idaho State Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium. The game will televised on SWX Montana.