Mentality

“First and ten-can’t wait to throw the deep ball in the fade hole and show that I can sling it further than the other freshman QBs we recruited.” Quickly I realized that most of our deep concepts would not be installed until halfway through camp. Much of the beginning was very vanilla-width hitches at 6 yards to the boundary with spot routes and OTBs to the field. RPOs reading the middle linebacker and recognizing safety depth to determine if the OLB is coming off of the back edge. A majority of the focus on the quarterback position in high school revolved around throwing a perfect spiral as deep and far as you could, now the focus quickly shifted to progressions, defenses, blitz “tip offs”, and practice on the white board. A lot of what I thought I knew about how to be a quarterback and play the position, I didn’t. And what I had yet to learn turned out to be the biggest key to success for myself and close friends of mine that excelled at the position.

What I want to focus on here is the mentality of the quarterback position. Undoubtedly there are intangibles that make great q’s. The best q’s are the hardest workers on the field, and in the classroom (both the academic and athletic classroom). Picking up a college playbook for the first time can be a daunting experience for some, especially if they relied on talent to showcase their ability prior to collegiate football. What I would recommend for quarterbacks in high school is to learn defenses; basic coverages, and how to dissect your every move to manipulate the secondary. Put yourself in the mind of the strong safety trying to bluff a Cover 1 look by creeping down, and then bailing at the last second of your cadence. If you know where the safety is supposed to be, you can manipulate his every move before the ball is snapped. If you suspect a Cover 1 look and Coach calls a verticals concept, you’d better be showing lower body torque and eyeing down the opposite side of the field the second the ball touches your hands. Dealing with a more experienced safety? Let his reaction drive your decision while knowing exactly the amount of time you have to deliver the ball before a backside blitz meets you right in your backplate, the route timing is off, or it is time to take off and run.

Often times when a quarterback makes an error the first question out of the Coach’s mouth is “What was your thought process?” or “What did you see pre-snap?” not “Your throw wasn’t a perfect spiral” or “The throw was a ball or two outside”. Of course the latter definitely plays a factor into molding a complete q, but a vital ingredient to excel at our position doesn’t even involve a football. Know your offensive schemes in and out so that you’re able to answer a question from a wide out or left tackle when they are confused at the line of scrimmage. A quarterback should be able to handle the responsibility of his 10 teammates without even thinking twice about his own responsibility.

I recommend the white board- if you don’t have one get one. Use your playbook as a guide until you can draw each concept for memory including O-line assignments. At the collegiate and professional level, drawing defensive schemes is just as important as the offensive side of the ball. Be able to prep for a d-tackle shifting from a 5 tech to 3 tech and know how that relates to the zone read play called in the huddle.

Takeaway: mastering the mental game for a quarterback makes the physical component much easier. Knowing where your wide out will be on a 14 back to 12 yd comeback will allow you to further anticipate your throw and rely less on arm strength and more on timing. Unlike other positions, knowing your playbook can help get you onto the field and physical preparation and drill-work can help you stay there.