The Quarterback - Articles - Zimbio

Coaching Quarterbacks

Sun, 28 Jan 2008 18:15:00 GMT

posted by Evanb

http://ezinearticles.com/?Coaching-Quarterbacks&id=813082

#1. Coaches never want to second-guess them or make them look bad in front of their teammates. if you do it makes very difficult for them to be the leader in the huddle. It is vital for the qb to have huddle leadership!

#2. Even in bad situations, find things the quarterback does right. Such as made a good throw bad made a bad read.

#3. Encourage your quarterback to take chances and to force throws in practice. This tests there ability to get the ball into tight spaces. If he does not do it in practice he will never know if he can make that throw in a game. It does not matter if he throws an interception in practice, this is how he finds out what he can get away with as far as forcing the ball into tight spaces.

#4. In terms of dealing with the press, take the blame for a bad game as much as you can. You can say such things as " We didn't help our qb out very much. I could have called a better game for him.

#5. If the quarterback senses a lack of confidence by the coach he will play the way he feels! All coaches must show confidence in their qb or he will know it.

#6. You can never do enough quarterback footwork and vision drills.

#7. Always stress speed in setting up on the pass drops and the release of the football. The longer he holds the ball the more the pass rush will come.

#8. Make the quarterbacks write down their 5 favorite pass plays. Don't be afraid to use those plays. If you get in a key situation and your qb is struggling, you can call one of his favorite passes?

#9. It is hard to teach the quarterback to throw the before the receiver is open! Again have your qb try to do this in practice.

#10. The quarterback must think like his coach. If you are calling the passes and the plays, he must think like you. You and your QB must spend time in meetings and in the film room talking about football game situations so he can get a feel of how you call the plays.

What you do in your meetings and what you do on the field all tie in with these 10 points.

Good Luck and if you have any questions you can email me at playqb@cox.net

Todd Krueger is a former 8th round draft pick in 1980 with the Buffalo Bills and also played with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Wranglers in the USFL. He runs a football coaching website at http://www.footballtools.com and offers football coaching products such as NFL Football Playbooks, Youth Football Practice DVDs, Quarterback Training DVDs, Football Scouting Software, Football Playbook Software, Free Quarterback Drills, Football Special Teams DVDs, Football Workout DVDs, Football Practice DVDs, and a free football newsletter at http://www.footballtools.com and http://www.playqb.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Krueger

5-Step Drop

Sun, 16 Jul 2007 21:31:00 GMT

posted by Evanb
The 5-step passing game consists of much longer developing pass plays and traditionally much deeper routes than the quick, 3-step game. The routes that accompany a 5-step drop are skinny/deep posts, comebacks, deep-outs, streaks, digs, curls, out-and-ups, etc.

For the 5-step drop, the quarterback will be adding an additional two-steps (one cross over and one big step) from the 3-step. On the final big step, the QB must plant with the back foot and shuffle forward (to gain momentum and get a hair closer to the line of scrimmage). The QB needs to be at least 7-yards deep, no longer, no shorter. On most 5-step drops, there will be a wait, because the receiver needs a little more time to get into the route. While waiting, the QB must keep the feet moving (as if "crushing pebbles"). This keeps the QB from becoming flat-footed, which kills momentum and technique. It also gives the QB the ability to deliver a quality throw to both sides of the field, simply because his feet are in the proper ready position to step wherever needed (right or left). Avoid getting too close to the line of scrimmage. The lineman will be creating a pocket, which the QB should be delivering from.

Points to focus on:

Proper depth of the 5-step drop (7-yards).
Drop on a STRAIGHT line, do not drift to the right or left (end up in the arms of a DE).
Stare down field at all times.
Big step - crossover - big step - crossover - big step - plant on final step and shuffle forwards.
Shuffle forwards, but still try to keep as much depth as possible.
Keep the feet moving - "crushing pebbles".
Deliver the football.

Throwing on the Run

Sat, 15 Jul 2007 17:48:00 GMT

posted by Evanb
Throwing on the run may be one of toughest things to do as a quarterback. A quarterback's accuracy decreases dramatically while throwing on the run however it is a strategy that can really opens up offensive options and stress a defense.

The quarterback needs to place great emphasis on depth while rolling out, especially to the side opposite of his throwing arm. Depth will help the quarterback to achieve proper shoulder rotation, left shoulder facing downfield (right handed QB) or right shoulder facing downfield (left handed QB). Pull the opposite shoulder out of the way while throwing so you get the proper throwing rotation and release the football out in front. Quarterback's need to OVER emphasize the follow through after throwing, and continue to run AT the target. This will make the throw much, much more accurate and pretty.

Note: If a defensive end or linebacker shoots downfield in a contain position, try to set up and throw rather than try and get around him. Eyes should be downfield recognizing where the defensive backs are in relation to receiver routes.

Focus On:

Proper depth, always looking downfield.
Opposite shoulder facing UP field.
Pull the opposite shoulder out of the way while throwing, so you get the proper throwing rotation, releasing the football out in front.
Emphasis on follow through.
Continue to run AT target for accuracy.
Run FULL SPEED, slowing down will cause your body to be out in front of your arm.

Throwing to Both Sides of the Football Field

Fri, 21 Jul 2007 16:29:00 GMT

posted by Evanb

Throwing the football to both sides of the field is extremely difficult to do without proper footwork. Many quarterbacks have the tendency to open up their front/lead foot and front shoulder to quickly when throwing to the arm side of the field. This can cause the body to be too far out ahead of the arm and throwing motion causing the QB to sail the football and lose accuracy. Quarterbacks also have the tendency to stay too closed while throwing to the opposite side of the field (not stepping at the target), causing them to throw the football across their body.

Proper footwork the end of each drop (3, 5, or 7) is the key to preventing these two common errors from happening at. On the final step of the drop, the Quarterback should angle his foot and body towards the side of the field he's intending on throwing to. This will prevent the QB from having to take an additional gather step to re-direct the body. This also gives the QB the opportunity to deliver the football quicker if need be, since he's already in a "ready" position to throw.

Points to focus on:

On the final "plant" step of the drop, angle the feet and body towards the side of the field you intend on throwing too.
Do NOT open your shoulder to quickly, QB's should be able to look on a straight line over the front shoulder at the target receiver.
The front/lead foot should be facing the side of the field you intend on throwing to.
Do not lose momentum; keep a forward lean on the final step and keep the feet moving (“crushing pebbles”) until you are ready to throw.
Do NOT throw across the body.

Developing A Championship Quarterback

Sun, 28 Jan 2008 18:29:00 GMT

posted by Evanb
By John Bond Offensive Coordinator/QB’s Coach
Northern Illinois University

http://www.americanfootballmonthly.com/Arena/sections/staffrep/04oct/quarterback.html

I have been a collegiate football coach since 1986 and have been coaching quarterbacks since 1991. During that entire period of time, I have never been at a place where we had our pick of the “blue chip” or top quarterbacks. Whether you are in the NFL, college, or high school, I feel that there are certain processes you must put your quarterback through daily in order to bring him to a point where he can help you compete for your conference championship. We all know that from Pop Warner to the pros, you must have a quarterback in order to have a chance to win championships.

Developing a quarterback starts during the evaluation process. There are two musts that we look for when trying to find our difference maker. There is one thing that some people overlook when recruiting a quarterback, but I feel is the most important factor when evaluating one. That factor is toughness. I want our quarterback to be the toughest guy on the field, both physically and mentally. When you start talking about the greatest quarterbacks ever, you think of Unitas, Marino, Montana, Staubach, etc. Every single one of those guys are tough. They are men who can “rally the troops.” They are guys who can will their teammates to victory just by their sheer presence. The second factor that is of paramount importance is that we want a guy who is competitive. I want a guy who wants to win at cards, pick-up basketball, or tiddly-winks. Get a guy who has to win and can't accept anything else.

When you start talking about the physical skills we look for, I think we must all understand and appreciate that there are many ways to “skin a cat.” I feel that as fast and as athletic as today's brand of football has become, athleticism is the first and most crucial factor when recruiting a quarterback. Michael Vick has and will continue to revolutionize the game. In my mind, this trend to a more athletic quarterback has been going on now for the last several years. We want a guy who can create. Defensive linemen are so fast and athletic that when the pocket collapses, we need a guy who can pull it down and go. I know that defensive coordinators lay awake at night when they face a guy who can beat them with both his arm and his legs.

Another factor in a championship quarterback is vision. The ability to see the field is so under appreciated and yet so critical. A guy with great vision can see a vertical route out of the corner of his eye and turn an incompletion or short gain into a touchdown. The ability to see is innate, in my opinion. I don't think you can coach a guy to be able to see. It is the same thing with great runners. The superstars can see the next cut before it happens. In the same sense, a great quarterback can see and visualize the play and defensive structure and be able to turn the routine play into the spectacular.

The last thing I look for is a quick release. I like a player who can get it out of there. There are drills one can do to enhance a quick delivery and I use them all. If you have a guy who can flat get rid of the football, you have just reduced the number of sacks and negative yardage plays, gaining hidden field position yards.

The things that I have just mentioned are things that in my mind are easily detected during the evaluation and recruiting process. If you watch enough tape of a guy, you will be able to tell if he is tough and competitive. You will also be able to see if he is spreading the ball around and finding people in seams making you say “Holy Cow, how did he see that?” Lastly, you can tell if a guy has one of those long, slow releases or one that just explodes out of his hand.

Now, for you guys who are not in the NFL or a top 10 program in college, you might have noticed that I did not mention a 40 time. I did not mention a strong arm. I did not say anything about being 6'4.” High school stats are not important, either, and you certainly do not need a recruiting guru to tell you he is the next Joe Namath. The best quarterback I have ever coached or seen in person was 5'9” on a good day. He ran a 4.8 forty, but boy he sure could create. If anybody was open, he would find them and he could get that ball out of there in a hurry. He made play after play after play.

After we get our quarterback to campus, there are certain things we teach that are of critical importance to the development of your championship quarterback. I will list them point-by-point:

1. We tell them to never take a sack.
2. Never say: “Don’t throw an interception.”
3. Scramble to throw.
4. Throw against the blitz every day.
5. Protect your quarterback inside out.
6. Know who to throw to on the blitz.
7. Teach the quarterback to deceive with his eyes and actions.
8. Demand that your quarterback coach the wide receivers.
9. Put him in adverse situations in practice.
10. Force him to make throws in practice.

One thing that we do that I feel is somewhat unique, is script one scramble situation a day in our pass skel or 7-on-7 drills. We force our players to understand the importance of this situation daily, as you can gain huge chunks of yards. When this occurs, I think it is the best play in college football.

Another thing that has helped me tremendously over the years is the fact that my head coach does not make me coach special teams. When it is time to work that group, I get an extra 10 or 20 minutes a day with the quarterbacks to work on things like off-balance throws or looking defenders off. It allows me the time to make him completely aware of his progress. I feel this extra time really helps me prepare our quarterbacks to the maximum of their abilities.

Lastly, I do not think I can overstate the importance of a great relationship with your quarterback. If he knows that you really care about him off the field as well as on, that will go a long way toward building the trust that is necessary for you both to succeed. You must be able to be 100% honest with each other. When I ask him: “What did you see?” I need an honest answer. He also has to know that you will always have his best interests at heart, no matter what the situation or circumstances. To sum up a great quarterback-coach relationship, he has to know that 1) you really care about him, 2) you must have a mutual trust with each other, 3) you both have to know that you are always going to be honest with each other, and 4) he has to believe that you always have his best interest at heart.

Developing a championship quarterback is an on-going process. You must “believe what you see” when recruiting. Then you have to not only work the physical skills that are necessary, but you have to make sure that your relationship with your quarterback is rock solid. Make no mistake about it: if there is not a mutual affection at that critical position, it is tough to make your player as good as he can be over the long haul.

Best of luck in your quest to develop your championship quarterback.