Sports
Email
Print
Grobe says Deacons need to look over their shoulders
Few players' jobs safe after abysmal performance against Clemson
AP Photo
Coach Jim Grobe says his Deacons have to earn their positions.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: October 21, 2009
Pretty much every player on the Wake Forest football team -- with the obvious exception of quarterback Riley Skinner -- is either on notice or on the injured list.
Or both.
Coach Jim Grobe said in yesterday's media conference that he and his staff will be scrutinizing practices especially closely this week to make sure they used the right players in last week's sobering 38-3 loss at Clemson. He suggested that some changes might be in order for Saturday's trip to Navy.
"I told the players (Monday) night after practice, we've always been a program where you earn your job every day," Grobe said. "We're looking for the next guy all the time.
"If you're a starter who didn't play well this last Saturday, you need to keep your head on a swivel because the guy behind you may be getting more snaps. It may not be a deal where we demote a starter, but it may be a situation where a guy behind a starter gets more playing time."
Excluded from consideration will be tight end Andrew Parker, linebacker Hunter Haynes, defensive end Kyle Wilber, running back Kevin Harris and offensive tackle Dennis Godfrey. All are sidelined with injuries -- Parker with a sprained ankle, Hayes and Godfrey with sprained knees and Harris with a pulled groin.
Wilber was actually cleared to return to practice Monday for the first time since he broke his fibula against Stanford on Sept. 12. Grobe said he doesn't expect him to be ready to play at Navy.
"He's going to have to probably work his way back into shape, honestly," Grobe said. "The trainers had him out running (Monday).
"I think he's got a thumbs up on the injury. I think the bone's healed fine. But he hasn't done anything in forever. He looked like Chester on Gunsmoke (Monday) night running around, and I don't think this would be a good week to throw him in the middle of that.
"As physical as Navy is, it probably wouldn't be the right time to throw him in."
The Deacons are fortunate that sophomore tight end Cameron Ford returned to play against Clemson, because Parker limped off with a sprained ankle. Grobe said that Ford will be backed up by senior Ted Randolph and possibly at times by fullback Mike Rinfrette.
Grobe didn't discount the possibility of playing a freshman for the first time, something most coaches are hesitant to do in the seventh week of the season.
"It would still depend on whether we were ready to make a wholesale change," Grobe said. "We're not looking for any freshman now to play a bit part.
"You'd have to be the star to do that right now, and that means you'd basically have to be the starter and getting 30 or 40 snaps a game."
Grobe said that a film review of the loss to Clemson was not a pretty sight. He said that the Tigers, who had two weeks to prepare, looked fresh and energetic and that his team looked tired and worn down.
Grobe also said that it would be a great time for an open date, which Wake Forest won't have until Nov. 21 -- between the 11th game against Florida State and the regular-season finale at Duke.
"I don't think we had one player offensively we felt good about, and that's unusual," Grobe said. "There was nobody on the offensive side of the ball that we were happy with their performance.
"I think defensively we actually had some guys we felt played some pretty good football. Defensively we felt Brandon Ghee played pretty well. He's been playing well now for a few weeks. I thought both of the inside tackles, Russell and Robinson, both played OK. Boo, I wasn't happy with him earlier, but I think he's starting to play better. John Russell has played well for several weeks now.
"And I thought Dominique Midgett played well. That's fun to see because he's just having fun being a senior and playing. But I don't know that there's anybody else that played really well."
dcollins@wsjournal.com.
727-7323
Email
Print
