Ineligible QB

lochness
Senior Member

Posts: 444

Ineligible QB Jul 22, 2003 9:27:25 GMT

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Post by lochness on Jul 22, 2003 9:27:25 GMT

Coaches,

We have recently gotten the sad news that our senior QB and captain will most likely be ineligible due to academic problems during the 4th quarter. This QB is probably one of the best players to come through the school in a while. The problem is, all of our off-season planning was geared around this QB, and our next-best back up is a Sophomore who has only seen Frosh trigger time (in other words, we were expecting at least another year to get the younger guy ready).

Now we must put our faith in the young QB's hands. Our offense is traditionally a 2-back multiple "West Coast" concept. We run the ball very effectively, and throw the short and medium pass game extreemly well (set school records for passing and receiving last season). My problem is in how to best modify the offense to accomodate for the skills of our QB without taking away from the rest of the team. We are VERY loaded at all of our other positions. Our projected OL has 4 seniors and 1 junior, all athletes, and averaging almost 250lbs per man (which for our area and division is massive). We have 3 senior WR's, 2 of whom are track and field speed burners and excellent athletes. Our starting FB and HB from last year both return as seniors this season, and both are very effective runners. We also return a very gifted HB who missed last season due to injury, but had enough talent to start for us as a Freshman and Sophomore. We run a "TE by committee" system with two 200lb+ seniors and a 6'3 Junior.

I guess my delima is: on the one hand I know we must limit our offense based upon the QB's learning curve and abilities. On the other hand, though, we have a team that is basically capable of executing anythin we can ask of them. How do I continue to maximize my talent while not overburdening a young QB?

Please don't respond saying "coach, you should run the wing-T" or, "coach, the Markham double wing is where it's at"!! I'm really not interested in buying into a new system. I'd like to hear general approaches from people who may have some appropriate insight.

Thank you very much for your feedback!

tarnold
Junior Member

Posts: 4

Ineligible QB Jul 23, 2003 22:14:25 GMT

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Post by tarnold on Jul 23, 2003 22:14:25 GMT

Coach if you have that much beef up front and an inexperienced QB, you're going to have to run more than usual. If you're going to run more, your going to have to become much better at play action--boot, flood, waggle, and sprint out type plays. I find that young QB's are better at playaction than drop back passing. There is less reading and thinking. Bubble screens may also be a very effective way to get the ball into your athletes hands. Younger kids tend to try to think through a situation rather than respond and instictually make quick decisions.

If you are going to do a lot of drop back passing, the decision making process has to be simple. There can't be too many reads. Simple can be using a quick passing game were you are exploiting the flat coverage, throw the fade/fade stop, or you can use two recievers to either vertically or horizontally stretch a defender--if he can't hit either-or, throw it away or run.

There are two other things that I find are very important. The younger guys want to make something happen. They have to learn to either tuck it or throw it away. They must also learn to never run away from the outside rush. The QB must step up.

In practice make sure the QB is getting rid of the ball early. I am talking real early. Another tool is let him drop back and see how the D is responding to the routes without throwing. Be patient with your play calling. If he isn't ready and the D is giving up ass on a specific combination, don't call it in the game. It's hard not to do.

Never let him stand around in practice. Make sure he is throwing the ball--when you're working on the run game. Have a coach hand him a ball and throw it. Make him be the QB for the scout team. He has to be a priority. Make sure in the practice plan he is accounted for and not just handing the ball off. When you start double days, get him throwing, and start coaching. The learning curve is much more important than jumping over bags, running win sprints, or participating in a pursuit drill.

They say that if you learn one thing at a clinic it was worth your money. I hope my response was helpful. Good luck, be patient, and build his confidence.

wazzer
Junior Member

Posts: 10

Ineligible QB Aug 27, 2003 9:43:17 GMT

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Post by wazzer on Aug 27, 2003 9:43:17 GMT

Coach

T Arnold makes excellent points. Here's another thought. If you are so stacked up with senior linemen this year might be the year to get your QB to sit in the pocket and for you to take some risks. Looking forward to next year you are going to be relying on him to lead guys who have not had as much game time, expecially on the line.

In the past I have had a season with an enforced rookie at QB. The situation was similar in that my line were all very experienced seniors. We built a game plan in which we developed the running game but built passes that were confidence winners. Boasts and quick hits were our favourite and hot routes for TE's (who we kept in to block on many occasion in an 80 scheme). Out TE was our leading receiver and kept drives alive when we needed them.

Two things helped and Coach Arnold touches on it eloquently enough. Keep your guy busy, don't let him think about the pressure of his own inexperience. If he gets reps in all the time he'll learn, secondly let him get rid of the ball early and work on the next play/drive.

Two points added to it. 1. We made sure he got extra time with positional coaches and myself just to talk stuff through. We encouraged these to be experiential too, talking about stories from games/seasons past. By the end of the year he was telling thesestories as if he had been there. I didn't ridicule him about it as it was his way of owning experience and showing leadership. 2. Although we didn't change our style of play we did really take along hard look at our game planning.

In the end we went 6-4 which was respectful. In gameplanning we concentrated on field position as our No. 1 priority. Even kicking on third down. That way when we got the ball we had a short field to attack. That meant that our possession to score ratio went up. We had a strong defence and adopted a deferring position if we won the toss or even letting a team take the ball to start with. The last experience resulted in our biggest win of the year because our opponents never got into our half all game and only made 2 x 1st downs.

The experience has added to my coaching skills too. I now always think more clearly about field position. I am more comfortable taking risks with rookies and inexperienced players but am also more prepared for the experience.

Anyway I hope this adds to your planning.

Let us know how you get on.

Good luck

Coach Smart
Head Coach
Sussex Thunder
Sussex, England

LedgerSko
Senior Member

Posts: 316

Ineligible QB Aug 27, 2003 11:07:02 GMT

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Post by LedgerSko on Aug 27, 2003 11:07:02 GMT

All good points. My best advice is to rely on the run game a little more and give his easy throws especially early in the game to build his confidence. Tell the vets on the line that it is their responsibility that the young QB is protected and the success of the offense is on their shoulders not on the QB. This will hopefully give them a little added fire and desire.

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender" - V. Lombardi

Tradition Never Graduates

DC29
Senior Member

Posts: 453

Ineligible QB Aug 29, 2003 21:04:57 GMT

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Post by DC29 on Aug 29, 2003 21:04:57 GMT

I got this from nate kaczor, who is the offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska @ Kearney. He said when dealing with his qb's during practice, he often emphasizes the importance of each of the other 10 positions on the field. never rips into his qb in front of the other offensive players. will get in the face of the line, the wr's, the backs, but never the qb.

why?

if you as a coach start to show little frustration, or lack of confidence in your offensive leader, how can you expect the other 10 players to have confidence in him? he said he pumps up all his qb's to the rest of the team all the time. even his 6th string scout team qb has the confidence that he's an awesome qb.

of course, in position meetings, he is very picky and hard on his qb's. gets in their faces then, and hollers there, but not in front of the rest of the team. although, that is college with scholarship players, but it really made a lot of sense to me.

just a little to add

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Post by lochness on Jul 22, 2003 9:27:25 GMT

Post by tarnold on Jul 23, 2003 22:14:25 GMT

Post by wazzer on Aug 27, 2003 9:43:17 GMT

Post by LedgerSko on Aug 27, 2003 11:07:02 GMT

Post by DC29 on Aug 29, 2003 21:04:57 GMT

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