First off, let me say that I feel bad for Willy Korn. He's always been gracious and nice when I've spoken with him, and by all accounts he's a good guy.
And you have to feel bad for good people who have gone through the stuff Willy Korn has gone through.
With that out of the way, we'll quickly and awkwardly transition to the startlingly clear reality of the present situation:
Willy Korn needs to stop blaming everyone else for his current lot in football life.
Less than two weeks ago, our friends at the Marshall Rivals site conducted an interview with the Thundering Herd's new quarterback.
Korn painted a rosy outlook of his situation in Huntington, while managing to get in a few thinly-veiled shots at Clemson's coaching staff.
"I wanted to go to a place where the coaching staff actually believed in me."
"I don't think I've ever been around a guy that coaches the fundamentals and the little things as much as he does."
"Alot of people say that they do, but coach Peterson actually does."
Eleven days later, Korn is ripping Marshall's coaches to shreds for having the gall to think he's not a viable option in the Herd's crowded quarterback race.
“I went (Friday morning) and talked to the coaches. They spun it one way,” Korn said. “The truth is I felt like I wasn't getting as many reps as Brian (Anderson) and Eddie (Sullivan). I went in there and wanted to know what was going on because I felt like I was performing well. I only threw one pick through 10 practices, no matter what the drill was, one-on-one or seven-on-seven or whatever. I was taking care of the ball and making plays. They told me, ‘Well, we're going with Brian and Eddie because they have stronger arms than you. I just thought that was amazing. I was completely shocked. They told me I was playing safety and I could help them on special teams. I was ready to pack my bags as soon as they told me that.”
And then:
“It's been a tough road. It's been difficult,” Korn said. “I still feel like I'm capable of playing at that level. I still feel like I should be the starting quarterback at Marshall. That's just how I feel about it. (The coaches) didn't agree. They based it on arm strength. I'm not comparing myself to Joe Montana or Tim Tebow, but thank God they didn't coach them. They didn't have strong arms, either, and they got the job done. …I'll leave it up to other people to decide if I'm the same player who got recruited by Clemson.”
I'm not certain what Dabo Swinney thinks of all this. But I'd assume he's shaking his head privately.
Korn was beaten out by Cullen Harper for the starting job at Clemson in 2007. Then again in 2008. Decisively in both cases.
Korn suffered what ended up being a torn labrum against Georgia Tech in mid-2008, an injury that ended up killing mechanics that were shaky to begin with.
Nevertheless, Korn was given a fair shot at winning the starting job in the spring and summer of 2009. More than fair.
When the coaches finally named Kyle Parker the starter two weeks into August camp, Korn said he was OK with it because Swinney "guaranteed" he'd play in every game last season.
Swinney and Billy Napier got Korn onto the field several times early in the season. With the exception of a drive for a field goal in a loss at Maryland, Korn was turnover-prone. And that's putting it nicely.
By the time the Tigers were 2-3, Swinney's priority became saving a season that appeared close to spiraling out of control. Later, Korn was clearly miffed that Swinney didn't stick to his "guarantee."
I don't know if Swinney explicitly guaranteed Korn would play in every game. But even if he did, surely Korn should've been able to understand that all bets were off if he looked awful when he did get into games.
As Swinney said at the time: "No one is guaranteed anything. You still have to produce."
It could be reasonably argued that Korn's transfer from Clemson was the best option for both Korn and Clemson. But the transfer to Marshall was highly questionable given the abundance of quarterbacks already on the Herd's roster.
So now it's two Division I-A coaching staffs who have some serious misgivings about Korn's ability as a Division I-A quarterback.
Maybe the staffs at Clemson and, now, Marshall are completely off their rockers. That's what Korn would have you believe.
But maybe Korn, as he moves forward with his career at North Greenville, should take this as a cue to stop blaming everyone else for is inadequacies as a quarterback. Maybe he should realize none of these coaches have anything against him, that these coaches are merely trying to give themselves the best opportunity to win.
On to a few links...
Apparently Derrick Brooks wasn't a fan of the coach-in-waiting arrangement at Florida State.
“That decision (to oust Bowden) was made in 2007,” Brooks said a few days ago when I asked him how he felt about Bowden being gone. “That’s when they started the time bomb ticking. It wasn’t going to be pretty for Coach Bowden. If he was winning, you’re not going to ask him to leave. If he was losing, another guy is going to want his turn. I stated very adamantly – literally standing on top of a table — that I disagreed with what they were doing.
“It wasn’t about Coach Fisher, it wasn’t about Jeff Bowden, it was about the (awkward) situation that was being created. The vote was made and it spoke for itself. As long as I had chance to vent my displeasure, I can’t complain about it.”
Also in Tallahassee, an in-depth interview with new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.
Some of the notables:
Q: How good can this defense be? Do you have a feel for their potential?
"I think it has an opportunity to be a great defense. That is what we are going to strive for. There is definitely enough talent here to be successful. It's our job as a coaching staff to get them in a position to be successful and that's what we are doing. That's a fun process right now. We're attacking practice and just getting better."
Q: Will your defense be more aggressive? Will it lead to more big hits and big plays?
"We all want to attack and we all want big hits and no yards and punts. But it has to come within the system. In each defensive call there are strengths and weakness and you have to understand that. To think we're going to against Florida State everyday and they are going to get no yards doesn't make any sense. The big thing is that when we are in the right call and the right fit we can't give up big plays. We can't let small plays become big plays."
Q:Can you talk about what you've seen about Lamarcus Joyner so far?
"I'm very excited about Joyner. He has a long way to go. I'm not ready to put him in the Hall of Fame. But I really like his competitiveness and his athletic ability. He made a couple plays in practice - and I've coached some pretty good defensive backs - and I haven't seen too many plays like that in their first day or two."
Lamarcus Joyner. Remember the name (if you already haven't).
Looks like Auburn's defense is having some issues. Might we see a 35-31-type game on Sept. 18?
Here's a video interview with Gus Malzahn.
He had this to say about Cam Newton:
"We're going to play to the quarterback's strengths. We will look different in some ways, but the core part of the offense will be the same. He can make plays when things break down. Everybody knows he's a good runner, but he's got a strong arm. He can get the ball into windows a lot of people can't."
In Boston, a look at the Eagles' depth at tight end.
In Atlanta, Paul Johnson is looking for a receiver to step up.
Uh-oh ... more injury woes for N.C. State -- this time at tailback.
Speaking of injuries, sounds like Miami is hurting at receiver. But Randy Shannon isn't talking about it.
Good gosh, you'd think national security were at stake here.
Here's a photo of Miami athletics department personnel keeping watch for media outside a recent Hurricanes scrimmage.
LW
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