Brown, UT wants to ease Horns' new QBs in

[NT80]

Brown will ease Horns' new QBs in

Coach wants McCoy, Snead to 'settle in before they're critiqued'

10:09 PM CST on Thursday, February 23, 2006

By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – The ability of Mack Brown and his Texas Longhorns to defend the national championship will depend on just how quickly redshirt freshman Colt McCoy, whom Brown named the first-team quarterback Thursday, and true freshman Jevan Snead of Stephenville progress.

Snead enrolled at Texas in January and will participate in spring football, which begins Monday.

"Both are accurate passers with good feet," Brown said. "Both will run a lot better than people think. They won't run like Vince Young. No one will. But both have taken every snap in high school out of the shotgun, so we'll stay with our shotgun offense."

Brown said to help take heat off his young quarterbacks, he's closing all the practices in the spring except for the final scrimmage on April 1.

"We'd like for those guys to settle in and learn the offense before they're critiqued," Brown said.

He's also not allowing the media to talk to his quarterbacks through the first half of spring practice. At that point, Brown will gauge the progress of McCoy and Snead before allowing them to be interviewed.

Once Brown decides that his quarterbacks are ready to face reporters, he'll allow Snead to take questions. Traditionally, Brown has not allowed true freshmen to talk to the media.

"We just want their teammates to get to know them and for the quarterbacks to get to know their teammates before they have to start answering questions about them," Brown said.

Brown said if the competition between McCoy and Snead becomes a dead heat going into the season, he added that he might be forced to play both quarterbacks.

Then he smiled, recalling some of the quarterback controversies he has had at Texas, namely Major Applewhite and Chris Simms.

"People love playing two quarterbacks around here," Brown joked.

In other developments, Brown said running back Henry Melton would start working at defensive end; senior offensive tackle Justin Blalock will play some guard; redshirt freshman Roddrick Muckleroy should contend for the middle linebacker job; running back Chris Ogbannaya will play some at fullback; receiver Tyrell Gatewood has moved to linebacker; and receiver Jordan Shipley (knee surgery) will participate in spring drills.

Cornerback Tarell Brown (broken arm) will miss the early part of spring practice; TE Neale Tweedie is the leader to take over the team's long snapping; junior Erick Jackson should emerge as a contributor at cornerback and safety as well as Marcus Griffin.

Texas opens with North Texas on Sept. 2 before national power Ohio State comes to Austin on Sept. 9.