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Friday, December 13, 2002
Both Grossman and Palmer will play
Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The two-headed monster is back at Florida.
Just when Jesse Palmer seemed like the sure starting quarterback for Saturday's game
against No. 3 Florida State, Gators coach Steve Spurrier
decided to go in another direction.
Both Palmer and redshirt freshman Rex Grossman will play, and Spurrier hasn't yet
decided who will start, or how much playing time either will see.
"I just feel like both of them deserve to play, and really neither one of them has done
enough through the course of 10 games to say, 'Hey it's your game,' " Spurrier said
Tuesday. "I think we have to bring both of them to the ballpark and go from there."
Of course, anyone who has watched a minute of Florida football over the last decade
knows this is nothing new. Spurrier has always had a quick trigger finger when it comes
to quarterbacks. And he has never shied away from taking the unconventional route.
It was considered shocking in 1997 when he rotated Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise
on virtually every play in a 32-29 victory over Florida State. Last year, Spurrier tried it
again. The fourth-ranked Gators lost 30-23.
He didn't commit to rotating this time, but didn't rule it out, either.
He has four days to decide, and trying to figure his intentions has never been easy.
"I don't know about rotating," he said. "Let's just say they are both going to be ready.
Maybe the guy who seems to be playing the best will play most of it."
After Spurrier pulled Grossman from last week's victory over South Carolina, he said the
young quarterback might be better off if he could "coach him up" before every play.
Spurrier also said Palmer's senior experience was key in Florida's comeback from a
21-3 deficit. A day later, the coach said he had "a good feeling that Jessie's probably the
best guy right now."
Palmer came into the weekly session with media Tuesday looking and sounding very
much like a starter. He says four years on Spurrier's quarterback carousel hasn't
affected him in a negative way.
"I've just kept very upbeat, very positive each and every week," he said. "I've really tried
to stay close to the game plan and what was going on. I've just bided my time and made
the most of my opportunities."
Grossman, meanwhile, sounded more like the second-string guy, freshly demoted after
getting pulled for the second time in three weeks. Of course, he's been around enough to
know there are always second, third and fourth chances with Spurrier.
"I'm a little disappointed, but I'm not down," Grossman said. "I'm excited for this big
game and there's a chance that I might get to play."
Indeed, it sounds like a good chance, although nobody yet knows when that chance
could come -- not even the coach.
"I may let the Gator fans vote on which one will go out for the first play," Spurrier said.
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