My Two Cents: Picking A New Quarterback For MCPS

February 4, 2015 2:30 p.m.

My Two Cents is a weekly opinion column from Bethesda resident Joseph Hawkins. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BethesdaNow.com.
Let’s demand a televised NFL-like combine for the next MCPS superintendent.
“We’re going to be changing quarterbacks” is what Board of Education President Patricia O’Neill I like sports analogies. Let’s play this quarterback thing out.
Essentially, quarterback Starr was released by MCPS. Or maybe he was waived?
Regardless, MCPS owner O’Neill and her partners refused to answer any press questions about Starr’s quarterback play and play-calling. Although she was clear about one thing — quarterback Starr was a very good quarterback on a very good MCPS team.
I’m assuming, however, that owners (Board of Education members) simply lost faith in Starr’s ability to take MCPS to the Super Bowl. And given that all we MCPS fans can do is read between the lines, I’m thinking that quarterback Starr was an inadequate play-caller when compared to the school system’s previous quarterback, All-Pro Jerry “The Beast” Weast.

Back when Weast was taking MCPS to back-to-back Super Bowls, he’d take over with the game on the line and the team badly in need of a first down. And he’d take over even if it meant scambling out of the pocket, ignoring coaches’ plays called in from the booth.
With quarterback Starr, it seemed it was never in his DNA to take over and lead, even though when MCPS owners drafted Starr they led fans to believe he’d become an instant All-Pro.
So, it’s back to the draft board for MCPS. And frankly, as an MCPS fan, I think owners need to tell us, with great clarity, exactly what type of quarterback they are going to draft next.
Traditional pocket passer (a Tom Brady type)? Speedy scrambler with the ability to also throw the downfield bomb (like Russell Wilson)? Or some combination of both (maybe Aaron Rodgers)?
After the owners lay out exactly what they are looking for, I think fans deserve a public televised combine. No more secret workouts. We need to see the next potential quarterbacks in action, including how these draft choices interact with fans.
I sure hope O’Neill and the rest of the Board members are listening.
Joseph Hawkins is a longtime Bethesda resident who remembers when there was no Capital Crescent Trail. He works full-time for an employee-owned social science research firm located Montgomery County. He is a D.C. native and for nearly 10 years, he wrote a regular column for the Montgomery Journal. He also has essays and editorials published in Education Week, the Washington Post, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He is a serious live music fan and is committed to checking out some live act at least once a month.

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