UNLV needs to feed Armani Rogers what he can handle to start

They’re going to treat him at first as new parents might a newborn, unsure at which level his appetite might crave in terms of portions.

“We need to give him what he can eat,” UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez said. “If he’s still hungry, keep feeding him.”

The formula Sanchez and his staff will provide Armani Rogers this season isn’t your standard sustenance, but instead a mixture of those attributes they feel will best produce winning play at quarterback.

Yeah, we know.

It has been forever.

The key is not to stuff Rogers with too many details too soon, because the last thing this program needs is more nauseous results on the scoreboard.

A fairly popular prognosis as the Rebels prepare to open against visiting Howard on Sept. 2: That within an offense returning four of five starters on the line, arguably the Mountain West’s best set of receivers and a rushing attack that ranked 15th nationally last year, the redshirt freshman Rogers need be more manager than savior.

More set plays, less checks.

More reacting, less thinking.

“Maybe he shows us immediately that he has a greater grasp than we even thought,” Sanchez said. “At that point, we give him more in the arsenal. You can win with a game manager, but then they still have to produce. Are we expecting him to be a game changer or game maker, or a guy who does a little more managing?

“We need managing. But then we’re going to get into games like San Diego State, and he’s going to have to do more than just manage it for us to win. Those big conference games are where he needs to evolve.”

It’s telling Sanchez would already be talking about Rogers in terms of opponents weeks into the schedule, meaning the chaos and inconsistency and revolving door for UNLV at the game’s most important position has created this truth: Rogers won’t be playing with the fear of being yanked at the first (or 10th) sign of trouble.

He’s probably not coming out for anything other than injury, and if you have seen this program in terms of that position at all recently, you know it’s more than a sensible approach.

Which brings us to this: Rogers’ athletic gifts present coaches a common and yet anxious likelihood that he will at times test the limits of his physicality, that his skill and feet and instincts could put him in harm’s way.

Barney Cotton seems every bit a Midwestern throwback, a former offensive and defensive lineman who was born in Omaha and played for Tom Osborne at Nebraska. As offensive coordinator for UNLV, Cotton not only wants a kid to run through the wall, but probably demands a specific number of bricks fall in the process.

The guy in charge has a little different take on that when it comes to Rogers.

“Barney is as tough as they come and he’s the guy who says, ‘Nobody runs out of bounds,’ ” Sanchez said. “I say, ‘Well, now the quarterback does. We’re doing that now.’ Hey, get the first down. Are there times to drop the pads, yeah, because (Rogers) is a 6-5, 230-pound guy who can drop those numbers and roll. This guy can go.

“But we need to be smart. Great quarterbacks know the situation and what to do. We have to make sure he’s a tough player, but also a smart player. We need stability at quarterback and need to keep him healthy.”

They’re not winning without him, not with a defense that could — will? — again allow boatloads of yards and points, and there’s no certainty they will with him.

But he’s the best chance they’ve had at quarterback in years.

In a really, really long time.

The worst thing coaches could do would be to overload Rogers early, to get all excited about what is drawn on a board in a meeting room, keep drawing and ultimately put him in bad situations on the field.

UNLV has lost enough games with inferior skill; it doesn’t need to do so with overzealous coaches who forget the experience level of those trying to execute.

In other words, don’t overfeed the newborn until you know he can consume more.

“I feel great, especially coming off my redshirt year,” Rogers said. “I feel I’m well prepared being able to recognized defenses. My timing with the receivers is way better. Having all the receivers coming back this year and everybody’s helping me out. I feel like last year, I wasn’t fully prepared to how I am now.”

Go forward, then, promising infant, with this judicious counsel from one who has watched (far too many) UNLV quarterbacks fail to consistently produce: When in doubt, slide or get the heck out of bounds.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.