West Virginia's 'Slash'
August 18, 2004 10:12 AM | General
August 18, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It’s a good thing Charles Hales wears a versatile number like 14 because there is a possiblity that you could see him line up just about anywhere on the field this year.
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| Senior Charles Hales says teammates have not taken to calling him 'Slash' just yet
(All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
West Virginia’s backup quarterback has been taking plenty of reps at wide receiver this fall and Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez is not the least bit apprehensive about putting him into the game at slot receiver.
“No. 1 he’s good enough to help us there and, No. 2, we’re short at wide receiver,” Rodriguez said.
Hales is clearly the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind established starter Rasheed Marshall, but his athletic ability and knowledge of the offense would be wasted just charting plays on the sidelines.
So Rodriguez figured why not work him in at slot receiver like the Pittsburgh Steelers used to do with quarterback Kordell Stewart? At the very least defenses will have to take into account where Hales is each time West Virginia lines up to run a play, regardless of whether or not he catches a pass or runs a reverse.
“This is only going to make our attack better because if you’ve got a quarterback out there everybody’s got to remember that he’s a quarterback,” said wide receivers coach Steve Bird.
That fact hasn’t escaped Hales’ train of thought either: “This gives me an opportunity to make plays and who knows, maybe we’ll add a little something on to it later?” he mentioned. “That just adds more complications for the defense.”
Ah, the little twists.
Rodriguez has made a living coming up with new twists coordinating Tommy Bowden’s offenses at both Tulane and Clemson and devising the scheme West Virginia now uses. In fact, his no-huddle, spread system is twist in itself.
Rodriguez estimated earlier this week that Hales could be in the game as much as “25 to 30 snaps a game.”
It is even conceivable that while the team is grouped at the line of scrimmage waiting for the next play, Hales could slide in under center and Marshall could sprint out to receiver. After all Marshall is one of the team’s fastest players. However, Coach Rod says that won’t happen for now.
“Not that he couldn’t because he’s fast enough, but as much as we’ve got planned for Rasheed I think he’ll get plenty of reps at quarterback,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is also quick to point out that Hales will get plenty of reps in practice at quarterback, too.
“There are some things (Charles) does better than the rest of the quarterbacks,” said the coach. “Obviously Rasheed is the starter and they’re all chasing him. But if his performance dips or Charles elevates to the point where both can contribute at certain areas at quarterback then they’ll both play quarterback.”
In a lot of ways it’s a nice problem having two QBs good enough to run your team. Last year Hales stepped in for an injured Marshall and led West Virginia to an important road win at Boston College. He passed for 167 yards and three TDs and earned Offensive Champion honors by the coaching staff for his efforts.
Speaking of effort, it is the extra work Hales puts forth each day in practice that is most appreciated by the coaching staff.
“The things he brings to the table right now … he’s got great work ethic, he’s got a great working knowledge of the passing game, he knows how to get open in a zone and the thing is, he steps in there and he’s eager to play,” said Bird.
Hales says he goes to the quarterback meeting room but is with the receivers a lot because the two often join together halfway through video tape study.
“I get a little bit of time with them,” Hales said.
Because he is such a student of the game, Hales has picked up the wide receiver position pretty easily. Remarkably, Hales says this is the first time he’s ever played wide receiver going all the way back to pee-wee football.
He believes his rapid advancement can be primarily attributed to the fact that he pays attention during practice: “I learn a lot by just watching the guys in one on ones and I kind of mimic different things from different receivers,” Hales said.
“He makes sure he understands everything from both the quarterback standpoint and the wide receiver standpoint,” Bird added.
Hales can also help the receivers because of his total knowledge of the offense playing quarterback. “Being a quarterback helps me understand the coverages and where the defenders are going to be,” he said. “It makes the routes easier but you have to be there on time.”
And while Hales may not yet be entirely in sync with Marshall, he at least knows the repercussions if he’s not where he’s supposed to be.
“I understand what goes on when you’re not where you’re supposed to be. I try to do my best to get there,” Hales said.
Random Camp Notes:
“You all jinxed him,” Rodriguez added (motioning to the media). “Somebody did an article about him never missing practice. Then the next day he gets a staph infection.”
“We need a number three and Bryan’s been hurt a good bit,” Rodriguez said. “We probably need four so right now those two are three and four and they don’t even know which way to line up yet. The last thing I’m going to do is redshirt them and save them for the next coach.”
On the other hand, Rodriguez believes both running backs have a lot of promise: “I’ve seen some good things out of both of them. They’re probably not running as quick as they can because they’re thinking but once we eliminate that part and simplify it I think both of them are going to be good players for us,” he said.
“It’s a concern for us because your middle linebacker is got to be in there a good bit,” he said. “I don’t know what his status is going to be day to day.”
