Okay Rex, fine, you won. Now do it better!

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By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

GAINESVILLE -- It is a grand misconception. Almost laughable.

After all this time, all of these victories, there are those who believe the job of quarterback at Florida is a week to week adventure. Of course, it is not. It's more like possession to possession. Perhaps play to play.

Do not scoff. Do not chuckle. And do not invest in a Rex Grossman jersey, just yet.

The Gators quarterback was in no danger of being benched in Saturday night's blowout opener against Marshall. But he was being evaluated. And the information was being stored.

This is what a quarterback has to look forward to at Florida. That, and a chance at the Heisman Trophy.

It is not as if Steve Spurrier expects perfection from his quarterbacks, but the Gators coach does seem intrigued by the notion.

"I like it that way," Grossman said. "You never get better if your coach is always telling you how great you are. That's why I came here."

Then, by gosh, he certainly made the right choice.

Spurrier knows criticism. Next to being an offensive genius, criticizing is what he does best. And so it was for Grossman Saturday night.

He had thrown a perfectly good touchdown pass. It seemed to please the fans and the officials insisted it be put on the scoreboard.

Yet Spurrier's head was shaking in disgust. He walked in the opposite direction of the celebration. He waved his arms as if in conversation with himself. And then he tracked down his quarterback.

Grossman may have scrambled from danger and found Robert Gillespie for a 27-yard touchdown, but he should not have been in danger in the first place.

Spurrier had spotted an open receiver before the pocket had collapsed. Grossman had not spotted the receiver soon enough. And so, touchdown be danged, Spurrier was going to let Grossman know.

This is a peculiarity that must be learned and understood by UF quarterbacks. Great numbers do not always mean great reviews from the coach.

"Sometimes he and I don't agree on what playing well is all about," Spurrier said last week. "We're still trying to get together on that."

Grossman is getting better -- with both the performance and the critique.

It was harder last season when he was a redshirt freshman who mistakenly thought having the third-best passing rating in the nation was more than enough. That being a first-team Southeastern Conference pick bought him immunity.

It was Spurrier's job to remind him otherwise. And Spurrier takes his job seriously.

He benched Grossman twice last year and debated until five days before the season opener before naming him as the starting quarterback this season.

"More than anything, coach Spurrier wants his quarterbacks to play smart," Grossman said. "Playing smart and doing what he asks. If you just follow his offense, everything is going to work out."

It is a partnership, only without the collaborative spirit.

This is Spurrier's world and Grossman is literally passing through.

A quarterback may be representing the university and supporting his teammates, but he also is mucking with Spurrier's reputation.

It is Spurrier's team. It is his offense. It his passion.

He is certain that his offense, when run properly, can not be stopped. So whenever it is, someone must be held accountable.

Physical mistakes may annoy Spurrier, but mental blunders drive him crazy. A quarterback who does not see the entire field is of no use to Spurrier.

Which explains how Grossman could throw for 343 yards in the first half Saturday night and still get his share of sideline lectures.

Spurrier decided that Grossman played "pretty doggone well" against Marshall, but he could not resist bringing up the game's one interception.

"Rex threw an interception on first down," Spurrier said. "If it was third-and-20, you can see him lobbing it down the field. Not on first down."

Spurrier was not worried about Marshall. This game was over as soon as the Thundering Herd recognized they were outmatched by Florida's defense. And that moment arrived somewhere in the first quarter.

Spurrier's intensity is directed two weeks down the road. By the idea that a receiver might be open for a milli-second against Tennessee and his quarterback will not recognize it in time.

There were signs of Grossman's progression against Marshall. He changed about 10 plays at the line of scrimmage when he spotted different defensive formations. He dumped passes off underneath and he got rid of the ball quickly in the face of a rush.

A lack of arm strength or foot speed will not cost him a job. Failure to grow almost certainly will.

So did he do enough Saturday night? Can he go to sleep safe in the knowledge that his old job awaits him this morning?

"I think I'll still be around next week," Grossman says with a grin. "And we'll have to see after that."

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