Who should be the Quakers QB?: Teodecki has never given up on Penn; don't give up on him either

It would be easy to give up on Steve Teodecki now. With the Quakers having made the quick two-year freefall from Ivy League champions to Ancient Eight cellar dwellers, someone has to be blamed. And Teodecki is the most obvious target. The senior quarterback's numbers -- 32-of-77 for 416 yards in five games -- suggest the Quakers should return to football's earliest days and eliminate the forward pass altogether. Only once has he reached double digits in completions this season. He's only tossed two touchdowns, just one of which came in regulation. The fact that he's only thrown two interceptions merely suggests that when he misses his target, he misses by a large margin. The answer that some Penn fans are suggesting -- dump Teodecki in favor of junior Tom MacLeod -- may be the simple solution. But Teodecki has never given up on his teammates, and now is the Quakers' chance to repay that loyalty. Teodecki could have given up three years ago, when he entered preseason camp with a shot to win the starter's position vacated by 1994 graduate Jimmy McGeehan, but lost out to classmate Mark DeRosa. That first year, DeRosa led Penn to a perfect 10-0 record and an Ivy League championship, while Teodecki watched from the sidelines. But DeRosa's second year as a starter failed to build upon his previous success. Talk of DeRosa rewriting the Penn record book was validated -- he set the school mark with five interceptions in one game. By season's end, DeRosa had tossed 19 passes to opposing defenders, a good number of which came in the red zone. Bagnoli could have, with good reason, pulled DeRosa in favor of Teodecki at numerous points during the season. But he waited until the second-to-last game of the season against Harvard to make a move, by which time the Quakers had played themselves out of the title race. After two series against the Crimson, one of which ended with a DeRosa interception, Bagnoli installed Teodecki behind center. Teodecki promptly led Penn on two scoring drives. The two Quakers were platooned the rest of the game. The next contest, Teodecki found himself in a familiar position -- on the bench -- while DeRosa led Penn to a season-finale win over Cornell. By choosing to stick with DeRosa even while he was struggling, Bagnoli told his quarterback that he had confidence in him. Teodecki could have whined about his predicament, but instead he chose to keep working. His performance off the field last season was as much a testament to Teodecki's leadership as his on-field work. When DeRosa gave up his remaining Ivy League eligibility to pursue a professional baseball career, Teodecki was handed the starter's job. But his tenure as the No. 1 was short-lived. Apparently three games and change were all Bagnoli needed to see before deciding that Teodecki's turn was over. When Columbia linebacker Rory Wilfork knocked Teodecki out of commission with a separated left shoulder two Saturdays ago, Bagnoli had the perfect opportunity to make the move he was planning on making anyway. MacLeod saw three quarters of action against the Lions and received positive reviews for his coming-out performance. For the first time all year, a Penn quarterback completed at least half of his passes. MacLeod demonstrated a poise and calmness in his 13-of-26 debut that had not yet been seen from a Quakers quarterback this season. But Bagnoli had a decision to make when Teodecki returned last weekend. He chose to shuffle his quarterbacks in and out of the game for the first three quarters. By the fourth quarter, though, Bagnoli's choice was clear. With his team down by just four points in the final minutes against Lehigh, it was MacLeod on the field. Bagnoli surely didn't base his decision on statistical data; the two quarterbacks combined for a mere 95 passing yards. In fact, Teodecki had completed 55 percent of his passes against Lehigh to MacLeod's 33 percent. Each had tossed one touchdown and one interception. On the season, their completions percentages are nearly identical -- MacLeod's 44 percent to Teodecki's 42. Any physical differences between Teodecki and MacLeod in terms of arm strength, accuracy, mobility, etc., serve only to cancel each other out. By almost any measure, Teodecki and MacLeod are equal. Bagnoli's dilemma is clear. He can go with the four-year veteran who has stuck with the program despite few minutes and little hope of ever getting playing time. Or he can look to next year and begin prepping MacLeod as the 1997 starter. If Bagnoli was playing to win this season, talent being equal, he would go with the veteran. At the quarterback position, experience and leadership are two of the most important attributes. Teodecki clearly has the advantage in both areas. By playing MacLeod, Bagnoli sends a message to his players, the fans and opponents that 1996 is a wash. While an Ivy League championship may have been forfeited with the loss to Columbia, the message that Bagnoli is sending is a dangerous one. Although Bagnoli may spend a decade or perhaps more at Penn, his players only have four shots to win. Sacrificing wins now for later isn't fair to the seniors who have been given their college years to Bagnoli and the Penn program. Most importantly, it's not fair to Teodecki, who, more so than anyone, has earned a chance -- to succeed or fail.

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