Pat White won’t give up dream

Yes, sir, it’s a time for Steelers fans to smile. But White, who calls Rod Woodson his all-time favorite player, lost his smile when the name Antwaan Randle El was mentioned.

Randle El, of course, gave up his quarterback dream when he came to the Senior Bowl as a wide receiver. He still is one – a rich one. So, will White, who’s very similar to Randle El coming into the draft, follow in his footsteps and try to play wide receiver this week?

“No,” he said. “In my mind I’m a quarterback until they tell me I’m not.”

White, of course, was a terrific quarterback at WVU. He quarterbacked the school to bowl wins over Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and North Carolina, and was MVP of the last three. He threw for 6,049 yards and rushed for 4,480 – similar to Randle El, who threw for 7,469 yards and rushed for 3,895 yards at Indiana. But Randle El went to the Senior Bowl to play for the Steelers’ staff as a wide receiver, and he was drafted in the second round to play that position. Randle El returned kicks and threw several passes for the Steelers, the most famous of which was a touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL. But the key to the equation is that he volunteered to show coaches he could play another position. Pat White has not, nor does he intend to.

“He’s made it known that he’d like to be given a shot to play quarterback,” said South coach Jack DelRio. “I think we acknowledge and recognize he’s got some skill with the ball in his hand, but people are going to want to see him as a slot receiver or some other position.”

Comments

Leave a Reply