I 0 Tuesday December 10, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu PORTSan a 10 46 Grossman & Navarre: A tale of two QBs DAVID HORN By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor One junior quarterback was a Heis- man Trophy favorite coming into the season, fresh off a record-shattering season during which he led the nation in several passing categories. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 miles north, another junior signal caller seemed to be everyone's favorite punch- ing bag. The much-maligned quarter- back faced an endless barrage of criticism from fans and media - and had to survive an "open competition" before he was officially named starter less than a month before the season. On Jan. 1, these two juniors - Flori- da's Rex Grossman and Michigan's John Navarre - will find their paths intersecting at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. And not many would have guessed that it would be the overachieving Navarre coming in with better numbers and a more successful season thus far. "It just goes to show you that any- thing can happen," Michigan captain Bennie Joppru said. "That's the great thing about college football." As odd as it may seem, Navarre's steady and improved play, along with his statistics - 55-percent completion percentage, 2,586 yards, 20 touch- downs and just seven interceptions - overshadow Grossman's so-called aber- ration of a season. Grossman had to adjust to a complete- ly new coach and a more conservative offensive system when Ron Zook took over for Steve Spurrier this offseason. As a result, he has watched his record- breaking numbers dwindle, and his Gators have fallen from national title contenders to an inconsistent 8-4 team. His fans even booed him off the field on his home turf, "The Swamp," after the Gators' 36-7 loss to Louisiana State. Not many of his critics consider the fact he lost his two favorite receiving targets, Jabar Gaffney and Reche Cald- well, who both left Florida early for the NFL after combining for 132 receptions and 23 touchdowns. This was more than the eight returnees at the receiver position had totaled in their college careers. The fact that the Gators lost three starting offensive lineman could have been a factor as well. But the critics just notice the cold, hard facts: Grossman's 58 percent com- pletion percentage, 20 touchdowns, 17 interceptions. Not to mention that the once flashy, "Fun n' Gun" offense that averaged 43 points and 405 yards pass- ing last year is down to a conservative 25 points and 266 yards. "If people label me as a product of his system, then, yeah, I want to break that mold," Grossman said. "But it's my opin- ion that there's no good quarterback in a bad system. So it takes both" Those who've coached Grossman say he's more than good. Just two years in college were enough for Spurrier to label him "the best pure passer of the quarterbacks I have coached" and "one of the most courageous players." Grossman often draws comparisons to former Florida great Danny Wuerffel in terms of his quick release, strong arm, athleticism and agility. "As a passer he has a rare combina- tion: Kurt Warner-like ability to see things before they happen with a little bit better arm strength," Gary Daniel- son, ABC college football analyst, Supporting 'M' hoops hard to do these days AP PHOTO Florida quarterback Rex Grossman avoids the Florida State rush in the Gators' 31- 14 loss to the Seminoles Nov. 30. wrote on ESPN.com. No matter how tough this season has been on him, or how many disagree- ments he had with Zook, Grossman will definitely catch the eyes of the Michigan secondary, which was victim- ized by Tennessee's offense last season for 45 points in the Citrus Bowl. "Rex Grossman may be one of the toughest guys I've ever been around," Zook said. "Does Rex make me mad sometimes? Absolutely. But that's one tough guy, and I'll go to war with him anytime, anywhere." Navarre said he understood partly what Grossman went through this year, as the Wolverines also changed their offense. He said despite Grossman's issues this year, he's still an "explosive passer" and one of the nation's best. "He's got a strong arm, he's very tal- ented and has a real good cast around him," Navarre said. "He is a very dan- gerous quarterback." But Joppru said that with an over- whelming performance by Navarre on Jan. 1, there may be some "Heisman hype" in Ann Arbor. "It'd be great for him," Joppru said. "You never know." fter the self-imposed sanctions on the Michigan basketball team were announced, I consid- ered asking for my money back. Cer- tainly I understood when I bought my season ticket package that this team was not going to be playing the highest cal- iber of NCAA Division I basketball, but I felt cheated out of the opportunity to root for my Michigan team to even make some noise; to begin its rise from the ashes and hustle and fight its way into the N.I.T. I was eventually convinced - by friends and coach Tommy Amaker - that I ought to rally behind this team. It takes real fans to stick with a team like this at a time like this, and if Michigan was going to be rebuilt it needed my support this year. Fine. You're right. I'll root for the Maize and Blue even if there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I've supported this team for four years, and I ought to rough it out like everyone else. No regrets for pur- chase. I'm in. Then they started losing. A trip to the Virgin Islands left Michigan 0-3 before the end of Thanksgiving break. I didn't care. I'll support a losing team (I've been a Mets fan for most of my 21 years). Then Avery Queen got booted for violating team policies. Avery Queen was probably my favorite Michigan basketball player. During my sophomore year my friends made yellow t-shirts that displayed the Superman logo, but with a 'Q' instead of an 'S.' SuperQueen Superfans. He was a hero in miniature; a diminutive point guard in the proud Washtenaw County tradition of Earl Boykins. Queen, I was fond of saying, would be the best point guard in the Big Ten if he were a foot taller. What he lacked in court vision he almost made up for in hustle. Almost. But regardless of his shortcomings (and the fact that he was being replaced by an Amaker-recruited McDonald's All-American) Queen remained my fave - he was a guy for whom I had cheered, and for whom I happily paid to see play. Queen dismissed. Then last Tuesday, a day before I would finally use the first of my season tickets (to see Central Michigan take on my Wolverines), the word came down No fun in the sun for M' tankers in Hawaii that another crowd pleaser was leaving the team. Dommanic Ingerson - Dom Bomb - announced his intention to transfer from Michigan. Ingerson's game was inconsistent, but when he got hot he was as good a shooter as anyone in the conference. He had the raw talent to be something spectacular, and was the only Wolverine with a style and attitude com- parable to the Fab Five. But like C-Webb and the boys, Dom is destined to become yet another ghost of Crisler Arena. My two favorite players were gone and I had yet to see a game live. Still, I could deal. I mean, those were Ellerbe's guys, and the reality is that they weren't winning us any Big Ten titles. Amaker's got his own troops, and he is giving them playing time, and he thinks that by doing so he is truly building for the future of this program. Fine. I trust him. Then I watched the game. Freshmen Graham Brown and Chris Hunter -Amaker's two big men - were non-existent. I would say that they got pushed around and bullied, but I hardly even noticed that they were out there at all. They had a difficult time posting up and were nothing if not always out of position. Central Michigan center Chris Kaman connected on 11- of-13 field goal attempts on his way to 30 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks. Meanwhile, my friends and I won- dered how freshman point guard Daniel Horton could be a McDonald's All- American. The kid who was supposed to be one of the best guards coming out of high school last year committed three times as many turnovers as he was given credit for, picked up his dribble at half court, couldn't efficiently or consis- tently beat the press and still managed to lead Michigan in scoring. That last fact speaks to the Wolverines' lack of true on-court leadership or offensive imagination. Beyond that, Amaker's squad looked confused while trying to execute its half- court trap when it trailed late in the game, and shot 57 percent from the free- throw line in the second half. To me, those are signs of a poorly coached team. Yet I was still ready to excuse. They're young. They lost a crucial piece of the puzzle last year (departed center Chris Young) and are still finding and See HORN, Page 11 Freshmen forwards playing together By Kyle O'Neill and Courtney Lewis Daily Sports Writers 0 p. By Steven Shears Daily Sports Writer Hawaii, for many tourists, is a place to take in the sun and have some fun. But for the Michigan women's swimming and diving team, it will be a place to train. That's right, the Wolverines will spend this winter break in warm Pacific islands, only to complete one of their most rigorous training schedules of the season. On Dec. 26, the team will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii to train for the rest of winter break. The trip will culmi- nate in a dual meet with an undetermined opponent. Workouts for the Wolverines have increased in both length and intensity these past few weeks, and they hope to maximize their workload by the end of this trip. "The nature of the work is becoming more specific and rigorous as the season progresses," Michigan coach Jim Richardson said. "Training times have been increasing, and we are gradually increasing the practice time spent in the water." Richardson has arranged quite an itinerary for this "vacation." The team will start its day at 6 a.m. with a 45-minute run. This warm-up will be followed by a one-hour stint in the ocean with surfboards to work on the lower back and deltoids. "'We will paddle out, catch a wave, and then paddle back out, over and over again," Richardson said. "The paddling is a really good workout." From 9 to 10 a.m., the team will start its strength and conditioning dry-land workout, followed immediately by in-water endurance swimming. "We want to touch base on the two areas of the ener- gy continuum -Oendurance and speed," he said. The team will then have a chance to enjoy the island surroundings that Honolulu provides. But Richardson also expects that the team will be indirectly involved in some sort of training during its free time. "One of the pleasures of being in Hawaii is the 'hid- den' training," Richardson explained. "The team will be outdoors and able to do other activities that they wouldn't be able to do in Ann Arbor. This a very good place to train from a climate standpoint." But the day is not complete just yet for the Wolver- ines. At 6:30 p.m., the team will regroup and build abdominal strength until 7 p.m. At that time, the Wolverines head back to the pool for another two-hour session. This time, the team will work on specific races, consisting mostly of middle distance lengths. To comply with NCAA rules, Michigan must end its trip with formal competition of some sort. The Wolver- ines were scheduled for the Jan. 2 Rainbow Invitation- al. But due to travel conflicts, they decided to withdraw and arrange a single-day dual meet with another visit- ing team, possibly Purdue, Iowa or Stanford. --~ ~~-- I I Ul&ck h Bookstore v Sell v Your Books Now!! Get Top Dollar & the Wheel for Extra Cash! Spin a z Shop Ulrich's for all your Holiday Gifts!! or visit us online at www.ulrichs.com 4.~.~ *~4 It was only a matter of time before all three put one on the scoreboard together. Entering Saturday night's game against Northern Michigan, Michigan's three freshmen forwards - Jeff Tam- bellini, Brandon Kaleniecki and HOCKEY Andrew Ebbett - had played rela- Notebook tively equal min- utes this season, but had rarely been on the ice together at the same time. The weekend's second contest against the Wildcats changed all that when the three were skated on the same powerplay unit. The first time that the trio played together came on a checking-from-behind penalty by the Wildcats' Mike Stutzel in the first period. At the 13:05 mark of the opening stanza, Ebbett passed to Michigan defenseman Nick Martens, who shot from the blueline. The powerplay shot deflected off the chest of Northern 'Michigan goalie Craig Kowalski right to Kaleniecki, who put the puck over the left shoulder of Kowalski for the early 1-0 lead. Kaleniecki, nicknamed "the Pit Ah