Surely he will stick with the team since he’s already done the transfer portal.
I was at the game and he was a true cheerleader. He went to the special teams, defense and offense while they were on the sidelines, giving them high fives and showed leadership. I didn’t see anything negative about him from where I was sitting.
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I don’t think he can transfer again. Not sure, but I believe he doesn’t have a redshirt to burn. Injury maybe the only way he can return, and I hope he doesn’t get injured.
I think it’s the TV channel (possibly a ratings spike, trying to create a story?). Every time they show him on TV he seems disgruntled or disinterested. Not saying he is, it’s just when the cameras are catching him.
Bikehog is correct. Hicks was cheering the team on. He was having a good time.
Such a situation is very hard on an athlete in a team sport. You have to be in those shoes to truly understand.
Most athletes will put on a brave face and cheer for the team, high five or whatever that makes it look good. But inwardly, you have a hard time cheering and you are hoping that the guy who took your job fails so you can get back in there. Every practice and every game, you hope the other guy does not do well.
And if it is a guy who transferred to a school that had his ex-coach as the head coach for his final year, it is harder knowing he may have made a bad choice and there is no more football to be played after this year.
I feel for Ben. I am sure he did not expect Nick Starkel to transfer here. From that day on, I am sure he was dreading this possibility,
Maybe it’s a situation where he needs to figure out how to improve and be the better option. If he has done all he knows to do and he’s not better then he needs to accept that and deal with it emotionally. I haven’t succeeded at everything in life. The key is doing what you’ve got to do to move on from it. Things can’t just be given to you.
My question would be how is he supposed to look? Also to me he doesn’t look any different from anyone else standing on the sidelines.
I disagree with you. A lot of guys when shown are smiling, happy, he looks like he’s just there. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it (I think that’s just the way he looks naturally).
I did see him speak to Boyd after the fumble, he had the same look and was demonstrating something to Boyd. Boyd looked at him the same way he was looking at Boyd and both cracked up. 1st time I’ve seen on TV anything other than that “I’m just here” look. That’s why I said it maybe his natural look, but usually when they show him on TV he doesn’t look happy.
Very thoughtful post, PJ.
I’m not sure most players hope a teammate will fail, but they do hope for an opportunity to show they can play better. But in general, I agree with your assessment. I’d also point out that it is unwise and unfair to make judgments about a player whose shown on the sidelines for 10 seconds a few times in a 3-hour broadcast. Those are snapshot moments and don’t necessarily reflect everything going on with that particular player.
Yup…after a fumble, injury, whatever, just trying to create drama. And no Hicks is a graduate transfer, he will only play if Starkel goes down, pretty sure you are correct about that. I don’t know what people expect, he is doing the best he can, if he was not upset about losing his starter position something would be wrong with him. I’ll cut him some slack there, just like I cut Whaley some slack when he is upset after a fumble. Things can get heated…
I’m not against Hicks, if I came across that way I apologize.
My comments are more of: I understand why people are asking the questions. As you quoted, I believe the tv is looking at it from a ratings standpoint. Unfortunately, those of us who can’t attend the game are only seeing what appears to be a disgruntled kid, when those that are at the game are seeing the other 58 mins of him on the sideline.
Hicks has to be ready at a moment’s notice. As simple a thing as Starkel’s helmet being knocked off at a key play and he would have to go in and execute effectively. Also, injuries happen, some minor, some severe. Hicks knows what’s at stake and if he ever seems to be unaware of that, the coaches will remind him. We probably shouldn’t be too concerned about a short on-screen view.
I checked on him several times. I saw him congratulate running backs. I saw him pat Starkel on the shoulder pad once, too. I did not see any issues. Now, did I watch him every second? No. But I wonder how I would act in this situation. Probably no different than what Ben Hicks has done. He seems like a good guy to me. I have talked to him two or three times. He was helpful to Starkful this summer, just as he has been helpful to the other QBs as he helped them learn the offense. Would everyone here do that? I hope so, but I don’t know. He’s done well.
Original poster here. My post was definitely based on what I saw on TV. I can see someone in the truck saying “go to camera three, get that shot of Hicks”. You guys are right about him needing to be ready at a moments notice, who knows, he may learn some things from watching Starkel from the sidelines, especially getting the ball out quicker.
Chin up Benup. QB’s are dropping like Marty McFlys across the sport. Your number will probably be called again. Meanwhile there appears to be no story book ending for Ty Storey’s football career either. Cole Kelley is not the man in Hammond Louisiana. Pittsburg did not turn out to be Ricky Town anymore than LA or Fayetteville did.
I just watched the replay. I saw several instances of the camera in Hicks face. He looked supportive to me and not dour.