Pressure Certain To Follow Palko to Pitt
By Joe Bendel

This is the way things go in the world of sports: A young athlete shows immense promise, then he or she quickly becomes, "The next. . . "

The great jump shooter from the Midwest is "The next Larry Bird."

The great pitcher with the 98-mile-per-hour fastball is "The next Randy Johnson."

The great track star with the supersonic speed is "The next Carl Lewis."

These comparisons are as unavoidable as potholes in Pittsburgh. Face it, we love to turn youthful athletes into stars before they're old enough to cast a vote.

It is the American way.

That's why it should have come as no surprise when West Allegheny High School's all-everything quarterback, Tyler Palko, was labeled, "The next Dan Marino," when he made an oral commitment to Pitt several months ago.

It is a heavy burden to place on a young man – any young man – even if he is mature beyond his years.

Rich Bowen, one of Pitt's top recruits out of Serra Catholic two decades ago, has been there.

He entered the program in 1982 as a Parade All-American and as the heir apparent to Marino. Bowen quickly found out that the comparisons were overwhelming, which contributed to his decision to make a position switch before eventually transferring to Youngstown State after his freshman season.

"It humbles you real quick," Bowen said. "Coming out of high school, I never thought I was anything special, and I don't think Tyler thinks that either. But it's tough, when you go from having articles written on you every day, people telling you that you're the next Marino and hob-knobbing at places like the Dapper Dan banquet, to not let it get to your head.

"You can't come in over-confident, he said. "You have to go in with the attitude that you still have a lot to prove, because, basically, you've done nothing when you step on the college football field for the first time."

Tony Zimmerman of Penn-Trafford found that out when he arrived at Pitt in 1996 under then-coach Johnny Majors. He set the WPIAL on its ear with 5,000 career passing yards and countless 300-yard games.

He, too, was expected to be the "Next Great Passer at Pitt," but he did not live up to the hype that surrounded him, prompting him to transfer to Duquesne after two seasons.

"Let's be honest, it's exciting to come out of high school as a top recruit, with everybody talking about you," Zimmerman said. "But you get knocked down to earth pretty quickly. You go from being the big fish in the small pond to being just another player, a little fish in the big pond. Nobody cares what you did before you got there. They only care what you do once you arrive.

"If you're not strong minded, it can get to you, especially if a year or two goes by – as it did for me – and you're not getting much time out on the field. You start to question yourself, and that's the worst thing that can happen. It's what every young quarterback – or athlete – has to be able to deal with. Otherwise, it can be the hardest thing in the world."

An Opportunity

None of this is to suggest that Palko will follow the paths of Bowen and Zimmerman.

The fact of the matter is, Palko enters his freshman season with an opportunity to take the starting job at Pitt, provided he makes an impression on coach Walt Harris.

He will be given the keys to the Panthers' offense if he can surpass junior Rod Rutherford – a player who is about to enter his fourth year in the program and was David Preistley's backup in 2001 – sophomore Pat Hoderny – a 6-foot, 6-inch redshirt with a powerful arm – and incoming freshman Luke Getsy of Steel Valley High School.

Harris has said that there will be an open competition for Priestley's job, and he will closely evaluate all parties involved.

"Rod's been here for a while and that's good for him," said Harris, whose team is coming off back-to-back 7-5 seasons "But we're going to look at everybody and do this the right way. We'll have to see who comes out on top."

The four candidates for the quarterback job in 2002 have at least one thing in common: All four candidates for the job are confident in their abilities.

"I think it's my time to be the starter," said Rutherford, who was used in short-yardage situations most of last season and finished with 258 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 84 carries. As a passer, Rutherford was 19 of 59 (32.2 percent) for 262 yards. "I don't say that in a cocky way. I say it in a confident way. I've been around and I'd like to think I understand things. But I'm not taking anything for granted."

Neither is Hoderny, who some feel could blow by all the competitors and take over the No. 1 spot.

"If you don't think you have a chance, what are you doing playing here?" Hoderny said. "I know about the recruits. And I know Rod is ahead of me right now. But I feel good about myself and I feel that I keep learning. I'm going to show Coach what I can do and, hopefully, it will be enough to make me the starter."

Added Getsy: "I'm going to get in there, work my butt off, and see where that gets me. If I need a year to learn everything, then fine. But I'm not looking at it that way. I'm going in as if I'll be given a shot to play."

Being given a "shot to play" was part of the appeal for Palko when he selected Pitt over an overwhelming number of suitors. The standout from West Allegheny plans to go into camp focused on the starting job and his mindset geared toward taking hold of the Pitt offense.

"It was explained to me that I should come in and be ready to compete," said Palko, a four-year starter at West Allegheny who led his team to three WPIAL Class AAA titles and to a state crown this past season. "They told me, 'Tyler, prepare yourself as much as you can. Learn the offense as much as you can and as fast as you can.' That's no different than how I approached my freshman, sophomore, junior or senior seasons in high school.

"Now, I just have to go out and win the job. Is that possible as a freshman? I'd like to think so. But what's in my mind and the coach's mind are two different things. You have to have some sort of plan, but with every plan you have to have a backup plan."

Not Seeking Advice (Sub-Head)

Palko isn't considering talking to Bowen or Zimmerman about what to expect.

"I want to try to do this by myself," said Palko, whose father, Bob, coached him at West Allegheny. "I'm not going to call people who have done this. I won't talk to Philip Rivers at North Carolina State and ask him what it was like to start as a true freshman. I've been around football long enough to know how it works. The only thing different is going to be the atmosphere. The speed and all the other stuff will pick up at the college level, but that's to be expected. I'm not going to shy away because I'm going into unknown territory. Just like anything else, I will attack and try to compete and leave the rest of it to the coaches."

In Palko's case, there is much more to this than the scrutiny of the coaching staff. Because he is such a high profile recruit, his every move will be watched, his every success or failure will be documented.

He does not mind.

"I don't know if I'm prepared for all the things people might say about me, but, you know what, I don't care," he said. "The only things that affect me are what my parents, my family, my friends, my teammates and coaches think about me. When Coach Harris starts bashing me in the paper, then I'll start to worry. But if people are (cussing) me out in the stands, I'm OK with it. They paid money for tickets. It's not like I can go in the stands and beat them up. That's midget football stuff.

"I'm going to be a Division I player, and I need to be able to handle what comes with it. If I can't handle people getting on my (back), I don't deserve to be there. Will I meet their expectations? I don't know. But as long as I'm meeting my family's expectations and Coach Harris' expectations, I'll be all right. If the worst thing that happens in my life is getting criticized by unfulfilled fans, I must be living a pretty good life."

That said, those fans have a way of making things miserable, particularly for a player who is expected to bring them so much.

"If they think I can come in and elevate the program, that's a good thing, because it means they care about the program," Palko said. "They just need to understand that one guy can't do it by himself. As good a player as (wide receiver) Antonio Bryant was, he didn't do it all himself. He couldn't carry the team on his back. Look at Eric Crouch (of Nebraska) in the national championship game. He didn't' have enough players around him to win it, as good as he was."

In a perfect world, Palko would be correct. But this is the world of sports, and things are only perfect when a potential star becomes "The next. . ."

"You can say it's fair or unfair, regarding what people expect out of you as a highly-regarded recruit," said Bowen, who is no Yough High School's coach. "None of that matters. People are going to think what they were led to think, and if you don't meet their standards, it can make things difficult for you. The key is to move beyond that and play to the best of your abilities.

"That goes for Tyler and all the others who have had expectations placed on them. You go there, you do your best, and you let everything else fall into place. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. You just need to be prepared for the result."