ShareThisBy GREG WALLACE
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Will Proctor knew this was coming.
Clemson's quarterback knew last year, when Internet sites and newspapers criticized four-year starting QB Charlie Whitehurst for uneven play.
At that point, Proctor had never started a college game at quarterback. If Whitehurst, one of Clemson's most decorated quarterbacks ever, wasn't immune from criticism, how could he be?
Now, he's learning first-hand. Proctor's poor performance (11-of-28, 86 yards, two turnovers) at Virginia Tech, coupled with less-than-stellar efforts against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, have sparked criticism of his play, and even questions about if he can hold off sophomore Cullen Harper for the starting role.
How is he responding? By applying blinders. Proctor said Tuesday he's blocking out criticism while trying to improve, starting with Saturday's noon game with Maryland.
"I got to see it with Charlie and I, when people were saying Charlie wasn't doing a good job," Proctor said Tuesday during a tenser-than-usual interview session with Clemson beat reporters. "I've learned from it and turned my computer off. I just completely ignore it all. If you can't ignore it, then you're not going to be able to get through it."
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden reiterated on Tuesday that Proctor's job is not in immediate jeopardy, but it could be if he has "back to back to back poor performances."
Reese is 14-of-20 for 155 yards and two touchdowns in limited backup duty this season, all in a mop-up role.
"The other guys, Cullen and (third-teamer) Tribble (Reese), have made tremendous progress," Bowden said. "Will's performance has not been poor enough to warrant a change but both of those guys have shown they have what it takes to be successful against this level of competition."
Proctor has been friendly and amiable with reporters this season, but he was guarded Tuesday during a 15-minute interview session. Some of his answers were clipped and short, and Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret stood at a safe distance, observing the back-and-forth.
"Obviously I didn't do what I should have done last week," Proctor said. "So, obviously, criticism is welcome, because I feel like I deserve a little bit of it, obviously. But it was a tough game and I want to forget."
Proctor even levied a bit of his own criticism against reporters, claiming that his comments discussing "miscommunication" when asked if he was rattled by the Hokies' defense and a loud Lane Stadium environment were misquoted and taken out of context.
"When I said there was miscommunication, I did not mean between me and a particular position, between me and a particular person, between me and a particular group," he said. "I was speaking in general terms of our offense (which called three timeouts in the first seven minutes). Obviously, with our communication procedurally, we kind of had some problems."
In Proctor's last three ACC games, he's completed just 52 percent of his passes, thrown two touchdowns against five interceptions and lost two fumbles.
Bowden defended his quarterback Tuesday, noting three of those interceptions came off tipped or deflected passes. But Proctor seems to know he's on a shorter leash than he was when the season began.
"He hasn't (talked to me about a change), but obviously, I understand it's going to be like any other position," Proctor said. "If he feels that my play is not up to par, then obviously he'll probably make a change if need be. But I feel we're going to go out and have a great performance this week."
One of Proctor's biggest problems has been a lack of touch on his passes. At Virginia Tech, several passes floated in the air, making it easy for cornerbacks to defend them. Safety Michael Hamlin said this week that touch had been a problem for Proctor dating back to preseason practice, but that he felt Proctor had corrected the problem, just "making a few bad decisions" over the last few weeks.
"A few passes I floated may have been throwaways," Proctor said. "But there were a few passes that did come out poorly, and obviously, those need to be corrected, as well. And I'm working every day to get better at that."
Offensive coordinator Rob Spence maintained Tuesday that he still has full confidence in Proctor's ability.
"My own deep belief is in his ability and talent as a player, and that's really something I haven't wavered on and won't waver on," Spence said. "That's not coach-speak, and I'm not trying to create a false confidence. I really think he's a good player, and the overall passing efficiency stats (Proctor is the ACC's second-most efficient quarterback) bear that out already."
Proctor isn't paying much attention to those stats _ or any other outside influences _ this week.
"I wasn't getting too excited when we were winning all those games, I was just trying to stay the course. And obviously I'm not trying to get too down on myself right now."
