Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
UW football: Second fiddle OK with Graham
MADISON — Junior tight end Garrett Graham had a bemused look on his face when a recent quote from University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema was relayed to him.
Bielema told reporters in Chicago at the Big Ten Football Kickoff event — with a straight face — that All-America tight end Travis Beckum might be used as a decoy this season.
“I think the big thing is to use (Beckum) effectively, but also understand he has a certain value as a decoy as well,” Bielema said.
“He’s a guy, because of where he’s lined up, (who) is going to draw certain attention. Hopefully, that’s going to help us with other players in our program.”
Graham paused a bit to digest the words “Beckum” and “decoy,” then flashed a half-grin as if to suggest he’ll believe it when he sees it.
“I don’t know about that,” Graham said. “Maybe (Bielema) is just messing around. I’m sure (Beckum) will be used a lot, just like he always is.”
Rest assured, Beckum, who has 136 receptions the past two seasons, is going to get plenty of passes thrown to him. But it’s nice for the Badgers to know they’ve got another viable weapon in Graham, too.
In his first season of significant playing time, Graham caught 30 passes — second on the team behind Beckum’s 75 — for 328 yards and four touchdowns last year.
Most impressively, Graham did it while playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder, an injury he suffered the previous spring and made it hard at times to lift his arm over his head.
“Last season, it pretty much bothered me every practice,” he said.
The shoulder would “pop out” on an almost-regular basis, followed by 2 or 3 minutes of intense pain.
Graham had shoulder surgery after the season, which revealed the labrum was torn almost all the way around. He missed spring practices, instead spending his time helping the young tight ends, taking “mental reps” and doing extra work in the weight room.
He said after Tuesday’s practice, the second of fall camp, that the shoulder feels good. He weighed in at 242 pounds, about 14 more than he played at last season. While the biggest benefit to the added weight should be to his blocking, he believes his entire game will benefit.
“I don’t think it really slowed me down, because I think most of it was pretty good weight,” he said. “Hopefully, it will benefit me in every way.”
The way offensive coordinator Paul Chryst utilizes Beckum, who is the H-back, and Graham, who is the traditional tight end, it’s nearly impossible for defenses to shut down both of them.
“Coach Chryst does a great job (of) putting us in situations where one of us can make a play,” Graham said. “I’m definitely a complement to him and he’s a complement to me.”
Playing a secondary role to Beckum is no problem for Graham, who saw how Owen Daniels and Jason Pociask thrived in similar roles in 2005. Both players are now in the NFL.
“I think it started with Garrett his freshman year,” Beckum said. “We had Jason Pociask and Owen Daniels. ... Everything he learned was from those guys.
“Garrett would be a starting tight end at a lot of places, but that’s just how some things go. Garrett really doesn’t let it get to him. He just goes out there and plays.”
A bigger, healthier Graham will make defenses pay even more if they focus too much on Beckum.
“Garrett will take advantage of every opportunity he gets,” Beckum said. “If people haven’t watched him, Garrett makes great catches, great plays and also great blocks. He takes advantage of the opportunities that come to him and has fun with it.”
Graham also likes to have fun with Beckum. One of the best things about them is their relationship and the good-natured barbs they trade.
“I’ve been charting his drops the last two days,” Graham said. “He didn’t like that. It’s fun to play around with Travis.”
Yet, each also knows how vital the other is to his success. So, if it comes to Beckum being an extremely talented decoy at times, to help get Graham the ball, that’s OK, too.
“When you become one of the players that people know, a decoy role is just as good as a catch, or just as good as a block,” Beckum said. “It doesn’t really matter, as long as I’m helping the team move the chains.”
Redshirt freshman Mario Goins, who is listed as the No. 1 right cornerback, left practice early Tuesday with what appeared to be an injury to his right foot or ankle.
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