[SuperJon]

Surprised this wasn't already posted.

Chris Summers' brothers, Larry and John, had already been through the college football recruiting game, so Chris knew what to expect.

The endless phone calls and text messages. The promises of playing time, the prospect of eventually catching the eyes of NFL scouts.

Louisville sold Chris Summers on all of it, at least former Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino did. A Big East team coming off a win in a BCS bowl? What was not to like? Summers gave Louisville a verbal commitment and excitedly waited until February, when he could sign his letter of intent and make it official.

But when Petrino left to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons so, in essence, did Summers' scholarship. New coach Steve Kragthorpe decided to give the scholarship earmarked for Summers to another receiver, leaving Summers without a school.

http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... th=!sports

[PeterParker]

This is a revealing quote from a recruits-eye-view:

Not that Liberty is a total compromise, Summers said. He took one look at the Flames' new football operations center, with its flashy weight room and locker room and said the complex was as impressive as the facilities he had seen at Louisville and Miami, another school he visited.

and Rocco's:

"We're a major college football program, it's just we're operating at the FCS level," Liberty coach Danny Rocco said.

Nice.

[Knucklehead]

I always got tired of hearing previous coaches say how we were at a recruiting disadvantage all the time. It's a breath of fresh air that Rocco actually believes we can compete for recruits and wins on the FBS level.

[PAmedic]

good article. the kid seems to have the right attitude. best of luck to him here

[Knucklehead]

Why is everyone automaticly saying this kid will be redshirted?

[paradox]

I'm not.

I expect him not to redshirt, and be a major offensive weapon for LU, this season.

[SuperJon]

Because Rocco has said he wants to redshirt all of his freshmen every year if possible.

Or because he'd be the #5 receiver this season.

[paradox]

Because Rocco has said he wants to redshirt all of his freshmen every year if possible.

Or because he'd be the #5 receiver this season.

The #5

[SuperJon]

Wynton Jackson
Brandon Turner
Dominic Bolden
Jon Crawford
Zach Terrell
Matt Lambros

Go watch a practice. Chris Summers is practicing with the rookies and third team. Coach Rocco opens his practices so that fans such as yourself can see the team.

Also, Coach Rocco has said on many occasions that he likes to redshirt his players.

Thirdly, Chris Lang wouldn't write in the paper that he was a candidate to get redshirted just because he wanted to.

Fourthly, have you seen the kid? He's very skinny and could use a year of weight training and conditioning under Coach Gillespie.

You're going on the hype surrounding the kid and not the on-the-field performance and other contributing factors.

Chris Summers is going to be a great player for Liberty when his time comes.

[paradox]

This will be a hard decision for Rocco either way. There are risks involved in redshirting a guy like Summers, and that's why it won't be easy for Rocco. Summers may be the exception to the rule, and he certainly has the potential to be a difference maker for LU this season. We'll just have to wait and see what transpires over the next couple of weeks with Rocco's decision.

Regardless of what you think you are observing in practice, I know for a fact that Rocco has thoroughly evaluted Chris Summers and he is very impressed with his skill package. He'll play and start this year if Danny Rocco wants him to. He's that good.

...

[jcmanson]

Dox, listen to the interview with Skalaski on the libertyflames.com. I don't expect to see Summers on the field this fall. If we were scared he might leave if we redshirted him, then I'd say let him leave. We don't want a player here that's not committed to the program. Sure Rocco has evaluated him very much, but Skalaski stated who his top 3 receivers are and that Crawford was #4. I don't think you want to waste a year of eligibility on Summers as a #5 especially if he needs work in the weight room. Give him a year to beef up and get his academics off to a good start, and he can come back next year as a potential starter.

He will not start this year period. We have 3 very experienced receivers, best he could do is #4, and it looks as if someone else already has that spot taken.

[paradox]

Well, what you're probally hearing is an early indication and unoffical announcement that the decision has already been made, and he's going to be redshirted.

I'll have to concede that he's taking the shirt, based on your info, and based on the fact that his name does not appear on LU's active roster.

He is not being forced to take a shirt because he'd be our 5th receiver. No one on the coaching staff has even remotely suggested that. If four guys were mentioned without Summers, then that would mean that he's getting redshirted, not that he is ranked near the bottom. If he would have played, he would have seen significant playing time. We have a decent group of recievers coming back, but let's be careful to not overstate that.

...

[jcmanson]

I'm not overstating it, but there's no way he'd be higher than #4. We have 3 very experienced and good recievers. He could possibly work his way to 4, but I think it's best for the program for him to redshirt.

[paradox]

There are certain advantages to starting two seniors and we can just leave it at that. Chris is good enough to have seen some serious time, if he were active. Personally, I would have liked to have seen him on the field this year, but I'm sure that Rocco has his reasons. There could be many factors behind the scenes that we don't know about that played a part in this decision.

[flameshaw]

Pair-a-sox,

How's the volleyball team doin?

[paradox]

Sure thing, chizzle-chest.



Flameshaw from HEEEE HAW

[paradox]

...this is fun

[Knucklehead]

Wow great banter gentlemen. I personally Hate the redshirt for non medical reasons. I say play the best players NOW and win.
I do think there are quite a few on this board who must be friends with the receivers as much as they overstate the talent. They are definately very good, but don't kid yourself that Summers is really the 6.

[paradox]

I see it the same way. And I hate to second guess Rocco. Perhaps, Rocco's not sold on the QB situation this season and would rather hold Summers out until he brings a new guy in. I'm not giving up on Brock.... I'm just throwing a little conjecture out there. It's possible.


...

[RagingTireFire]

Perhaps, Rocco's not sold on the QB situation this season and would rather hold Summers out until he brings a new guy in. I'm not giving up on Brock.... I'm just throwing a little conjecture out there. It's possible.
..

That may be the dumbest thing I've ever read. And I was once in a cult.

Besides, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Smith only a junior this year? I doubt the NCAA will let us redshirt Summers a second year on the basis that the coach is waiting patiently for the QB to graduate.

I do think there are quite a few on this board who must be friends with the receivers as much as they overstate the talent. They are definately very good, but don't kid yourself that Summers is really the 6.

Based on everything I've read and the interviews I've heard, I think you guys are the ones overstating the talent on the Summers end. It's outstanding that this kid fell into our laps but a true freshman that weighs slightly more than your standard garden gnome? Don't kid yourself that he should be rated any higher than what he is.

[jcmanson]

I'm with RTF. If Summers is good enough to help us win this year, he will play, this year. End of story. But I don't see any point in him playing if he's only the 4th best receiver. As much talent as he has, he can't overcome the experience our top 3 have. They are talented as well, or they wouldn't be here. Yes, he will hopefully turn into a great receiver for us, but this year is for Turner, Jackson, and Bolden. Summers would not leap frog them this year.

Dox, you are really understating Brock. He has proved in games that he is good enough to win games for us. He just needs to be consistent. If Rocco would be redshirting a guy just to wait til he got HIS qb in here, that would be a stab in the back to all the seniors here this year. That's not the case. Rocco (and I) believes Brock can take us from good 2 great this year.

[SuperJon]

Dox, you're the biggest idiot this board has ever seen, and that's coming from one of the board's biggest idiots.

Chris Summers has great potential. Jon Crawford has the best hands on the team, right now, as we speak. Nobody in this league not named Jerome Simpson would start over BT and Wynton.

Let's go down the list of receivers of who he'd have to beat out to get playing time:

1) Wynton Jackson - it's not happening. Move on.

2) Brandon Turner - not happening. Moving on.

3) Dominic Bolden - not happening. Not this year at least.

4) Jon Crawford - unless Summers somehow learns to catch anything within 5 yards of him overnight, he's not beating Crawford.

5) Matt Lambros - much stronger, much more physical than Summers. Give Summers a year under college coaching teaching him to be a better player and under Coach Gillespie and he'll beat him out.

6) Zach Terrell - best offensive player that we have.

7) Danny Broggin - basically cut from the same mold as ZT. He's had a year to redshirt, learn the system, and he's so far ahead of Summers it's not funny.

Regardless of what you think you are observing in practice, I know for a fact that Rocco has thoroughly evaluted Chris Summers and he is very impressed with his skill package.

This statement is so dumb it's not even funny. Of course Coach Rocco is very impressed with his skill package, that's why we offered the scholarship. You can't say, "Regardless of what you think you are observing in practice" as a reason for your case. I see Chris Summers drop balls that Lambros, Crawford, Broggin, and Terrell don't drop. I see him get pushed around by DBs. I also see the potential in him and how great of a receiver he has the chance to become. The kid's footwork on the sideline is some of the best on the team. He's young. He's raw. He's the only person on the team to never have taken a college class yet. Let's give the kid a chance to learn get settled. He didn't have the advantage of summer school like many of the freshmen did. Give him time to practice with our coaches who are phenomenal teachers, and give him time with two of the best strength coaches in the country, on any level, and then watch how much better he is next year and watch how much more he'll contribute next year.

[paradox]

I'm with RTF. If Summers is good enough to help us win this year, he will play, this year. End of story. But I don't see any point in him playing if he's only the 4th best receiver. As much talent as he has, he can't overcome the experience our top 3 have. They are talented as well, or they wouldn't be here. Yes, he will hopefully turn into a great receiver for us, but this year is for Turner, Jackson, and Bolden. Summers would not leap frog them this year.

Dox, you are really understating Brock. He has proved in games that he is good enough to win games for us. He just needs to be consistent. If Rocco would be redshirting a guy just to wait til he got HIS qb in here, that would be a stab in the back to all the seniors here this year. That's not the case. Rocco (and I) believes Brock can take us from good 2 great this year.

If Summers is only the #5 guy in that bunch, then you have to question if the guy has any talent at all. Furthermore, there is no reason why we should assume that he will improve enough to actually make a contribrution next year. Personally, I don't believe any of that, and as I stated previously Rocco has his reasons. There are advantages to having two seniors starting, and like it or not, there are some serious question marks regarding the play of Brock Smith as well. I like the guy and I'm pulling for him, but he's absolutely got to go out there and get it done this year. I gotta think that Rocco's gonna pull the guy this year, if he doesn't deliver in the clutch. Again, I'm hoping that he gets it done, but until he does, it remains to be seen. Moreover, we are not even in the conversation as far as being competitive in the 1AA ranks, until he steps up in the clutch, and actually wins a big game for us.

[paradox]

"Super" jon

wow, man

You really take this stuff and yourself quite seriously.

...sorry to step on your ... eh .. chubby little toes.

[SuperJon]

Saying Rocco doesn't want to play Summers because of Brock is completely idiotic. Brock will be here next year too.

If Summers is only the #5 guy in that bunch, then you have to question if the guy has any talent at all. Furthermore, there is no reason why we should assume that he will improve enough to actually make a contribrution next year.

You get dumber as you post. Let's see, on my list of top 7 there are 2 seniors, 4 juniors, and a redshirt freshman. They are all light years ahead of Summers simply because of one man: Bill Gillespie. A kid could have all the talent in the world, and not be ready to contribute. That's why seniors are generally better than freshmen. Summers has to mature physically. For example, going into the 2006 season, there were 6-7 guys that made it through "Basic Training" (the conditioning test done before spring practice). This year there were 63. That shows the difference a strength coach makes.

The thing that makes this so hysterical to me is that you've never seen Summers play in a Liberty uniform. Chances are, you've never seen Broggin or Crawford either. You can read all the reports you want. You can be told by people things all you want (funny thing is, your people have yet to be right, on anything). Until you see an athlete in person, you never grasp how good they are. Chris Summers has the potential to be Jerome Simpson. He's just got to develop like Simpson has and get better everyday. He has the potential to be better than Simpson because he's taller. Let him put some meat on his bones so that Kent Hicks-type DBs don't beat him up every play, and then watch him shine. Let him learn for a year under Wynton and BT. Let them teach him what it is to be a Division I receiver and how to practice and prepare for games. Let him learn, then watch him shine.