http://www.tampabay.com/hometeam/blog/hometeam-huddle-familiarity-under-center-plant/22742/
HomeTeam Huddle: Familiarity under center for Plant
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Mon. May 25, 2015 |
Kelly Parsons
TAMPA — Plant may be known for its line of successful quarterbacks, but lately those quarterbacks have been one and done, starting for one year as a senior before graduating.
Rex Culpepper breaks that streak. For the first time since Toledo quarterback Phillip Ely returned as the starter in 2010, the Panthers will have a familiar face under center.
That’s a fact that made spring a whole lot easier, coach Robert Weiner said.
Culpepper, who threw for 2,016 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, has made improvements in the weight room and added 10 pounds in the offseason to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame.
Weiner looks forward to Culpepper, who ran for 279 yards in 2014, being a greater force this fall in the run game. And though the offensive line returns just one starter, offensive tackle Cameron Calderon said Culpepper’s experience has helped the new line adapt.
“He knows what’s going on. He knows it like the back of his hand,” he said. “For us, four out of five of us not having the experience of playing last year, we’ve got a quarterback that can help us if we need it.”
But just because Culpepper isn’t tasked with learning a new offense doesn’t mean the work has stopped. Weiner said he’s seen the biggest change in the quarterback’s mental game from last season. And that increased focus, he said, will only help Culpepper continue to get better.
“The reason you climb a mountain is not to get to the top, the reason you climb a mountain is because now you can see bigger mountains on the other side that you couldn’t see from the valley before,” Weiner said. “And that’s where we are with him.”
Culpepper’s new target
Even with a first-year starting quarterback in Culpepper, Plant still lit up the field through the air last season, averaging 168 yards receiving per game. This year, the Panthers could have been in trouble, as they said goodbye to their top five receivers — a group that accounted for 84 percent of the team’s receiving yards.
Then, Juwan Burgess walked through the door.
The 6-foot, 175-pound wide receiver and safety spent his first two seasons at Blake before transferring to Plant this offseason because of “family issues.”
And though the rising junior came from a program that has won just four games in the past two years to one that owns four state championships, Culpepper said his new teammate has fit right in.
“The best thing about Juwan is his attitude. He’s always excited, he’s always positive. He always wants to know more and more and more,” Culpepper said. “He came right in the middle of workouts and one workout in he was already the guy in the middle of the weight room hooting and hollering.”
Burgess has 12 offers, including ones from Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Ohio State. Last season with the Yellow Jackets, Burgess had just one reception for 42 yards, making a bigger impact on the defensive side.
But this year, in a new environment surrounded by other Division I-caliber athletes, Burgess knows the sky is the limit.
“I want to set the record for most yards, most catches, most touchdowns,” he said. “I just want to be on top of the books.”
Weiner said the new Panther has adapted well and has really shined in the weight room. And though he plans to use his talents on both sides of the ball, Weiner is particularly excited to see what Culpepper and Burgess can accomplish when they join forces.
“I sit up at night and scheme up new things,” said Weiner, laughing. “As long as our guys can learn them, physically it’s going to be good.”
