“This is called E-Coaching. It has all the plays loaded. At the bottom, there are four numbers which correspond to your four progressions. When the play starts, you select the correct button.”
It was like a video game for quarterbacks. I could see some value to it. If you didn’t have anyone to practice with, it could be very helpful.
Then Coach Trent stormed in. Doyle followed and sat in the back.
“I’m trying to treat you like adults. It’s a little hard when you can’t even seem to be here on time. Let me tell you some hard truths. The first is, for something to be the most important thing in your life, it has to last a lifetime. Football will get you into college, help you meet new friends, and allow you have fun playing the sport you love. You’re not here to just learn about football, you’re here to learn about life. Football is a small part of what we hope to teach you this week.
“What I’m going to talk about right now is responsibility. You were all invited to camp at no cost. We are providing you with world-class coaching, we have given you a platform to make a name for yourself through ESPNU, and we have invited 108 of the best skill players in the nation to assist you this week. And some of you already have an attitude problem. Some of you can’t be bothered to show up on time!” Coach Trent yelled.
“I have 108 other guys I need to keep track of. They will take their cues from you all. If you don’t feel the need to show up, why should they? If you think you’re something special, why shouldn’t they? This is some kind of record. The first day, and I have to go drag one of your sorry butts out of bed. I’ll make you all an offer. If you can’t show up, don’t! Don’t waste the other seventeen guys’ time. That goes for all of you.
“I want you to think for a moment. Every quarterback here thinks he’s the dude. You think you’re going to win the Heisman, and you think you’re going to play forever. You think you’ll make it to the Hall of Fame. What you’ve never done is face true, true adversity in this type of environment. Last night was designed to see how you handle yourself when your body betrays you. Quite frankly, some of you failed miserably. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Yesterday was designed for you to fail at some point.
“We spent thousands of hours watching video, talking to your coaches. We have developed a camp which will change your life if you embrace it. What I won’t tolerate is you half-ass doing things or not showing up. The next time someone skips out, they are done. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” we all answered.
“Even with the best 18 quarterbacks in the nation, only a handful of you faced adversity and shined. Our goal is that by the end of camp, you all will shine,” Coach Trent said.
He looked all of us in the eye. I let a small smile creep onto my face. I recognized what he was doing. He had to get our full attention before we would listen to him. This was something Uncle John had done to me during my summer with him. I think Doyle did him a favor so he could get us listening.
I particularly liked his comment about football not being the most important thing in your life. If I was honest, football wasn’t on the list of my life goals. What I could learn from it and the doors it could open for me was on my list. My goals didn’t have me as a football star, model or movie star. I wasn’t sure where all this would lead, but I knew those three things would help me get there. I just needed to figure out what my overall goal was.
“Get them outside and on the field. I want them warmed-up and ready to go,” Coach Trent said, and then left the room.
We all got up and made our way to the field.
WE STRETCHED AND RAN some sprints to get our heartbeats up. When we were done, Coach Allen brought us together.
“I want to see high energy out of all of you. Hustle! Use every minute wisely. Remember, every throw counts! Compete with yourself!”
We were then assigned our personal coach. I was paired with Coach Allen. I was a little surprised because it was my impression that he was Coach Trent’s second-in-command. I figured he’d be working with Wes. When we got to our first training station, I saw Bo there. He and Coach Allen talked for a moment and then I began the drill.
There are times when everything feels right. The good news was those times were becoming more frequent since Bo and I had been working together. I felt it on the first throw. I glided back into the pocket on a five-step drop. I had my hands up and back where they needed to be. The moment I made the decision to throw that ball, it was out of my hands.
Bo had been working on my quick release. I started out hurrying the ball and not getting enough on it. Bo showed me that I didn’t need a big windup to get power behind my passes. It was all about technique. If you used your core muscles around your midsection, and your legs, you could generate the power needed. The key was starting with a good base. That was why Bo had been on me about my footwork.
A quick release had many benefits. After watching the defensive end from Buffalo, I knew I needed to be able to get the ball out of my hand in a hurry. It also gave me an advantage over defensive backs. A quick release would help minimize interceptions since the defense didn’t have as much time to react.
Something else Bo had worked with me on was my release point. That was the point where the ball leaves your hand. Mine needed to be about three inches in front of my lead foot. There were two important aspects to this: having a consistent throwing motion and striding correctly. I was still working on this and would probably always work on it. It was just one of those things you had to do over and over again until it became second nature.
The final piece of the puzzle was the release of the ball. The difference between a good release and a bad one could be seen in how the ball traveled through the air. What you were shooting for was a nice tight spiral.
When I threw my first ball, I knew it was good. I glanced over at Bo and he had a smile on his face. He knew I was ready, and his little smile was his way of telling to go have fun and be the best quarterback I could be.
That first ball set the tone for the rest of the morning.
I KNEW THINGS WERE going well because an ESPNU crew began to follow me around. Wes, being the number 1 quarterback in the nation, naturally had a crew follow him. Doyle, being involved in drama, also merited a video crew. They had several other groups filming the action. It was a little unnerving being one of only three who had their own personal videographers.
It was interesting to see how differently Wes and Doyle handled the attention. Wes just ignored them, while Doyle seemed irritated. I, being naturally shy, embraced it. I told them if they had any questions, or wanted me to redo something, to just tell me. I knew if I worked with them, they would work with me. I also didn’t want to have my conversations with Bo overheard. I was pleased that they respected that request.
AFTER LUNCH, I WAS paired with Roland. His coach was Coach Simon. When Bo, Coach Allen and I walked up, we saw Roland and Coach Simon deep in conversation.
“The playbook is designed for the mind of an NFL quarterback. Guys struggle. To succeed, one has to adapt quickly. The playbook wasn’t intended to be the best playbook. What they wanted to see is if you can learn the terminology and buy into the system,” Coach Simon explained.
Roland wasn’t buying it, but he stopped the conversations when we walked up. I think he also saw my ESPNU guys following me.
The two coaches got us organized. We had a group of skill players to play both offense and defense for us. Today was about running through the plays. Again, thanks to Bo, my preparation was evident from the beginning.
Roland was not a fan of the playbook. It was obvious Coach Simon was frustrated. Coach Trent came over to watch. The play we were running was one of the ones where the read progression jumped back and forth. I had had trouble with this one last week until Bo explained how it helped get my receivers open by not just going from left to right or vice versa.