Weinke Makes Right Moves to Help Himself, Seminoles

Chris Weinke didn’t have time to help plan his high school’s 10-year reunion. No time to reminisce about the fall of communism in Russia, Milli Vanilli having its Grammy revoked or the debut of “Seinfeld.” He’s busy lifting weights, throwing footballs, running in the sand and occasionally playing golf.

But does Weinke, Florida State’s quarterback who soon turns 28 and whose bank statement is a college senior’s dream--make that a college professor’s dream because of a previous stint in pro baseball--need to give it the old college try for another year?

The answer is yes.

But forget the senior cords for Weinke. Sans-a-belt slacks may be more appropriate for the OMOC (old man on campus). Given Weinke’s age, many were surprised when he announced he would return for his senior season shortly after he led Florida State to the program’s second national title with a 46-29 victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

What was left to prove with his gridological clock ticking?

And just how fast are those hands ticking? Consider this: Depending on who wins quarterback battles in Denver and Miami, Weinke could be older than 18 of the 31 quarterbacks who are projected to start in the NFL this fall. He can feel Father Time’s breath on his back.

“I’d like to come back and try and win another national championship,” Weinke said shortly after dispatching the Hokies. “I don’t want to sit on the bench making the minimum (in the NFL) watching Florida State playing on Saturdays.”

The NFL team that gets Weinke in 2001 figures to have a ready-made product. He was correct in thinking his game and resume, which includes completing 232-of-377 passes for 3,103 yards and 25 touchdowns last year to help the Seminoles finish 12-0 in the regular season, needed work.

He would have been drafted last spring, but NFL-types thought it probably wouldn’t have been until the middle rounds. That’s not saying much in a quarterback-poor draft in which just three passers were taken in the first three rounds (Chad Pennington in the first round and Giovanni Carmazzi and Chris Redman in the third.)

The problem for Weinke, who originally signed with FSU in 1990 but didn’t arrive until 1997 after playing in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, is a lack of mobility. Being elusive is critical in the NFL, which consumes cigar-store Indian quarterbacks. He’s working on that this summer, running and watching his diet.

At 6-5, Weinke isn’t built for speed, but he is streamlining himself. A neck injury suffered late in the 1998 season caused him to miss the final three games and prevented him from working out as extensively and aggressively as he would have liked in preparation for 1999. Consequently, he played at an overstuffed 245 pounds. Now, he weighs 232 and plans to open the season at 229 pounds Aug. 26 against BYU in the Pigskin Classic.

“I feel a lot better this year,” says Weinke, who is 21-1 as the Seminoles’ starter. “I couldn’t run as much as I wanted last summer because of the injury. My weight went up. Now, my workouts are going good. I think I’ll be more mobile this year.”

That’s a good thing because Florida State likes to spread the field. With the offense stretched horizontally, Weinke will have a lot of room to work with. At a lighter weight, he’ll be better equipped to work in open spaces and may be able to roll out and throw on the run more often and effectively. That would make FSU’s offense even more potent.

In addition to slimming down, Weinke has worked on making quicker and better decisions. His dirty little secret last season was the fact he led the ACC with 14 interceptions. (In 1998, he had a string of 218 passes in a row without an interception.) Only 12 Division I-A quarterbacks threw more interceptions last season. But five of them attempted more passes than Weinke.

“I’ve been watching some film, working on some drills and throwing to my receivers,” says Weinke, whose Seminoles are No. 2 in TSN’s preseason poll. “It’s important I don’t force the action. We’ll be pretty good. People may make a big deal about us losing Peter Warrick, but they should keep an eye on some of our new wideouts.”

The receiver who figures to be the biggest surprise is Anquan Boldin. Coaches got a taste of his talent last season, when he was a true freshman. Boldin (6-2, 205) is built similarly to Warrick. Also like Warrick, Boldin was a quarterback in high school. That means you can expect FSU coaches to line Boldin up all over the field. He’ll be put in motion so it’s difficult to match up with him. He’ll take handoffs on end-arounds. And he may even throw a pass.

Another wideout to watch is Javon Walker (6-3, 190), a junior college transfer who turned heads in the spring with his hands and speed.

“And don’t forget about Talman Gardner,” says Weinke. “He’s a speedster. Marvin Minnis is a veteran who will help the youngsters adapt. I’ll have lots of weapons. Our receivers aren’t only fast, but they’re big.”

Further bolstering Weinke’s cause is a line that figures to rank among the school’s best in recent seasons. And Travis Minor heads a stable of good tailbacks to offer balance to the pass and to take advantage of the gaps created by the spread offense. Still, it’s unlikely many would think FSU is poised to repeat as national champ had Weinke elected not to return. (Backups Marcus Outzen and Jared Jones would have battled for starting duties.) The value of a senior quarterback is measurable.

Since 1993, seniors directed five of the eight teams that won or shared the national title. The champions that weren’t led by seniors: Nebraska in 1994, led by junior Tommie Frazier; Tennessee in 1998, led by junior Tee Martin, and Weinke’s Seminoles last season. Nebraska, TSN’s pick as preseason No. 1, will be led this season by junior Eric Crouch.