Finally, A Friendly Firing Squad Cougar Quarterbacks Enjoy Competition, Camaraderie
Football in hand, freshman Steve Birnbaum takes two quick steps up the sloped concrete at the base of the Martin Stadium grandstand, then leaps back onto the artificial turf as he delivers a playful pass.
“I wanna see you break your ankle coming off that,” jokes sophomore Ryan Leaf, prompting an immediate retort: “Anything I can do to help you out, Ryan.”
By all accounts, the quarterback competition at Washington State is an amicable one. Leaf is the starter, Birnbaum the backup, WSU the beneficiary.
“It’s an excellent position to be in,” coach Mike Price said Wednesday, as the Cougars prepared for Saturday afternoon’s final spring scrimmage. “Two quarterbacks that you can win with in the Pac-10. If things aren’t going well, or Ryan is injured, I have all the faith and confidence in the world that Steve Birnbaum can come in and lead us.”
Birnbaum has excelled through 2-1/2 weeks of spring practices, exceeding Price’s expectations and keeping the pressure on Leaf, who has struggled after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery. A rangy left-hander from Chino Hills, Calif., Birnbaum completed 16 of 26 passes in last weekend’s scrimmage, gaining respect from his mostly older teammates.
“Personally, I like him just because he’s a lefty gunslinger,” senior offensive tackle Scott Sanderson said. “We haven’t had the pleasure of having a left-handed quarterback since I’ve been here. During this spring ball, he’s stepped up to the challenge and done a real good job.”
And while the 6-foot-4, 188-pound Birnbaum doesn’t have the arm strength that allows Leaf (6-6, 228) to overpower defenses downfield, he also may be less likely to force passes into coverage. “He’s a quarterback that takes what’s given to him,” junior receiver Kevin McKenzie said. “He’s not one to try to throw the deep ball if it’s not there.”
As an 18-year-old with no college playing experience, he’s also not one to lose perspective.
“My goal going into spring was to gain the confidence of my teammates and people here,” Birnbaum said. “And over these weeks, I think I’ve reached my goal. But I don’t think my role is to come down here and, every play, battle it out and be happy if he made a mistake. Me and Ryan help each other out. He helped me out, even though we are competing in a sense. It’s a good situation.”
It appears to be a far healthier situation than the QB quagmire of last season, when Leaf and incumbent starter Chad Davis feuded in a rift that threatened to divide the team. Davis has since vacated WSU, leaving Leaf and Birnbaum as the only quarterbacks on scholarship.
“It was just me and Ryan, and that’s when we became a little closer,” Birnbaum said. “In the off-season, I got a chance to know him off the field more - you know, we went and hung out at parties, played golf on weekends and stuff like that together - it was more a friendship kind of thing. And no, he doesn’t make me caddy.
“We just have a good time, helping each other out. We figure, if he doesn’t leave early, he’s going to be here for another three years and I’m going to be here for another four years, and why be enemies when you can just help each other out? And helping each other out, we can help the team out.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COMING UP WSU’s final scrimmage will be Saturday at 4 p.m. at Martin Stadium