As a quarterback your job is to drop back and give it to the open receiver, let them run. Obviously, there are times when you get some pressure and you have to make decisions, step up in the pocket and buy time for your receivers and deliver the ball.
You see receivers getting open, the O-line blocking, and when that's happening, playing quarterback is a lot of fun, man. You get to sit back, and deliver the football, and let your guys make plays.
Your job as a receiver is to get open and catch the ball and block in the run game.
It's one thing as a quarterback to sit there and warm up. And there's one thing to throw routes. And there's another thing when you drop back in the pocket and, when a guy comes open, to really be able to urgently - bam - all of a sudden. That guy's open; your body has to do what your mind's telling you.
It's easy to sit in the press box and say, 'Hey, they should run the ball.' Come down and stand on the sideline with me and make decisions. You should run it here, you should pass it here, let's throw a screen here, let's get the quarterback out of the pocket right here.
I've never had a quarterback run-driven offense. We don't run designed plays where we snap the ball directly to the quarterback and he's just running it. If the defense is cheating and overcompensating for your running back, then the quarterback needs to keep (it) honest.
Any defensive coordinator is worried about two things: a running quarterback and a deep ball. You know, don't get beat deep and don't let the quarterback run, because a big part of your defense can't account for the quarterback as a runner, so he gets a free run.
You need to just understand where the ball is and how to use your body. Timing your jump the right way is crucial. Learn how to use your body to shield the receiver and box him out, again, much like a rebound. Trying to beat a receiver to a ball can be a lot like you're posting him up. Rebounding is great practice because you can employ those skills - body position, leverage, timing - a lot more than you might in a football game or practice if the quarterback doesn't look your way.
I look for a quarterback who can run and not a running back who can throw. I want a quarterback who can beat you with his arm. We are not a Tim Tebow type of quarterback team. I am not going to run my quarterback 20 times on power runs.
The two biggest things to understand when you're tracking the ball as a defensive back is your position on the field and understanding that once the ball is in the air you become the receiver. Too many young defensive backs worry about the receiver catching it or what the receiver is doing instead of focusing on what they should be doing. Just go out and make the play yourself, don't worry about him. Know where the ball is and attack it. Put yourself in position to bat it or catch it and make the play.
There's obviously a push to protect the quarterback, but you have to give the defensive players a chance. All of the quarterback has to do is pull the ball, and he's a runner. How's the defender going to know if the ball is pulled or not?
In football, if you don't have the best O-line or receivers, maybe you're not as good of a quarterback as you can be. And it goes vice versa. If you're an average quarterback and you have a great O-line and great receivers, your play gets lifted.
You add a good receiver and that will take pressure off your quarterback.
As a receiver, you want to run through contact. That's the biggest coaching point that most coaches give them. You're going to get grabbed and you're going to get into adverse situations. But if you run through contact and do not confuse the quarterback, more than likely you're going to get the football.
The pistol isn't going to go away, but the job in the long run is going to be to deliver the ball from the pocket.
Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running back can run; every receiver is fast; but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness.
Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. Of course if the umps are watching me real close I'll rub a little jalapeno up my nose, get it runnin', and if I need to load the ball up I just... (wipes his nose)