By Darren Sands

Bobby Seck has all the quiet-eyed assuredness of the Marlboro man. So it’s only natural that with a gazillion routes, seams and angles running through his head that in the huddle during the season opener, the Pride football team’s starting quarterback managed to throw in a Billy Bob Thornton line from the movie Bad Santa.

“You got some lip on you, midget,” Seck imitated.

There were laughs all around, and seconds later the scene was Seck to Isaac Irby: touchdown Pride.

Now, oddly enough, comes the hard part. With each throw seemingly easier than the last, Seck breezed through an afternoon practice this week as the Pride prepared for the University of Rhode Island. If you were hiding in the library these past three weeks – and if you weren’t – you should know Seck has solidified himself as the leader of this young Pride squad, much to the pleasure of his teammates and the coaching staff. Just watch him. You’ll quickly see why.

An outstanding athlete in high school, the junior quarterback was a baseball football hybrid: the type of student-athlete that coaches mysteriously prefer, yet drive them crazy.

Seck downplays the conflict, but Head Coach Joe Gardi had already lost 2002’s starter Ryan Cosentino to baseball and wasn’t about to lose another quarterback.

So is it the art of keeping talented baseball players on the football field, or vice versa? If you ask Gardi, it’s both.

“Coach said that if it was something that I wanted to do, that we’d talk about it then,” Seck said.

Gardi tells quite a different story.

“I told him I didn’t want him playing baseball,” he said, sure that Seck would eventually contribute at quarterback for the Pride. Because of Cosentino’s decision to play baseball, Gardi was obliged to give Seck his shot, sophomore class standing and all.

Seck wasn’t offered a scholarship out of high school. He is one of several Pride starters who walked on the team as freshmen. As a walk on, Seck impressed coaches with his playmaking ability and strong arm.

“We were surprised when he wasn’t offered a scholarship,” Gardi said. “He was a local kid that we thought we were lucky to get because he was an outstanding high school quarterback.”

Through two contests, Seck leads the Atlantic 10 conference in passing offense with 357 yards per game. He spends most of his time on the field throwing to his roommate, receiver Irby. The duo has spent the better part of this year together and the synergy between the two shows.

“He’s calm, cool and collected,” said Irby, who played at West Virginia with Big East Player of the Week Rasheed Marshall beofre transferring to the Pride. “Bobby’s probably one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever played with.”

Seck’s name rests in the Nassau County record books alongside current Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler, who had a brief stint on the Pride Football coaching staff.

When asked how it felt to be in the top-five in Nassau County history for total yards and for most yards in a season among quarterbacks, Seck was taken aback.

“I had good receivers,” he said.”I’m flattered to be somewhat at the same level as a guy like that. He’s an excellent quarterback so thats really an honor to be in the same realm of someone of that stature.”

Humility aside, Seck seems to be coming into his own, a reality that he has looked forward to. Although injuries sidelined him for most of 2003, Seck’s performance and ability carry on the traditional mold of quarterback that fit Gardi’s high-powered, run-and-shoot offense.

Like Giovanni Carmazzi and Rocky Butler before him, Seck is the focal point of an offensive juggernaut that is fourth in the A-10 in scoring offense and first in total passing. Don’t try and convince Gardi, though, who usually waits five or six games before he starts giving “rave reports on a quarterback.”

“I do think he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Gardi said. “I think mos important now is the coaches and the players have a lot of confidence in him.”

Rhode Island poses a unique challenge for the Pride this week. The Rams boast the third ranked pass defense in the A-10 and an offense that leads the league in rushing behind running back Jason Ham and quarterback Jayson Davis. If you flash back to last year, the duo ran for a combined 285 yards in a 24-0 rout of the Pride. You can expect a high scoring affair on Saturday.

“We have an idea of some of the things they like to do with their blitz packages and coverages, so we’ll be ready,” said Irby, the Pride’s leading receiver.

Irby and Seck are hoping that the hours of tape they have watched in the room pay off. Game tape, that is. No Bad Santa this week. Promise.

Bobby Seck´s relaxed demeanor at the helm for the Pride football team has restoredpotency to a traditionally explosive offense. (Photo Courtesy Joe Ryan)