Here's what I'm really curious about - how are the QB's actually graded? I would think it would be in 4 areas: pre-snap reads, footwork/execution, post-snap reads, passing.
Pre-snap: It frustrates me that it seems like the pre-snap reads is something most of our QB's have struggled with and continue to struggle with even after they've been the starter. CPJ calls this "getting us into the right play". Why is this more complicated than just plain old flash cards? Give the QB a call from the AB, and he calls the play, show him a picture of a defensive alignment, and then he has to go with the play or swap into 1 of 2 checks. Even with all of Johnson's myriad blocking schemes this shouldn't be that hard. But we routinely take stupid timeouts because we can't get into the right play. I'm convinced that's a coaching issue and not a player issue. CPJ needs better rules of play selection so that no matter what a defense is showing the QB, he can walk up and see it, and say bam we're running this, or checking into that. If the read is unclear, there should be a rule for going with the "safe" play or something like that. But it should be straightforward enough that 1 year in the program and you have this part of the offense on lockdown. It's ridiculous to me that we burn on average 2 time outs a game because we can't get the pre-snap read right.
Footwork/execution: this is more than just actual footwork when taking snap, what would fall into this category is just general "knowing where to go". But certainly included is actual footwork. All of our QBs should have pictures, video, heck a big tarp with actual numbered steps on it, something so that they can practice this part on their own without help. Having played golf I know that doing a lot of this stuff it really helps to have instant feedback with either a mirror or a video camera. So you can go through the motions and then go look and see if you did what you thought you were telling your body to do. There's only so many steps our QBs have to take, this shouldn't be unreasonable to learn in the first year you're in the system. Whether it's opening up to read the mesh, twirling on counter plays, proper angle for attacking the second read on the triple, or dropping back to pass. The footwork and knowing where to go shouldn't be hard, just a matter of repetition. Also in here would be things like proper mesh technique, hand placement, how to hold the ball for the pitch, etc.
Post-snap reads: this to me, is probably the hardest thing to teach, just because it's often a weird blur between some decision tree rules, but also there's just a certain "feel" aspect to it. But again, there's only so many of these actual reads. This should really be the only place where our QBs start to separate themselves from one another. The first two parts SHOULD be dead nuts even across all of the QBs. If I was LJ or JJ or Tobias I'd be begging team mates to let me work on practicing the mesh and pitch reads. The biggest thing that helps here is repetition. Just doing it over and over and over again. I'm sure the coaches have ways to simulate this and make the read harder so that it's easier in the actual game. I don't know what the QBs are thinking but man I'd have to have coach jump down my throat more than once to keep me from standing right next to him throughout every single game trying to devour as much information as possible. "Coach, after every play call tell me what we are running and why, what are we hoping to leverage with each play call?" Granted, that's probably not quite what coach wants to do, but rather than him just pacing and watching, I'd be hoping he'd be feeding me the intel. THEN, if QB1 has to come out for a play, bam I'm right there ready to go in. Not only that, but I'm involved in the flow of the offense and have a darn good idea about what we are doing and why. Even if coach chases you off, stand by Tevin and ask him all of the same stuff. The goal being to work oneself into an extension of PJ onto the field. The QB should know what PJ is going to call next and only very rarely be surprised.
Passing: I think we over-complicate the crap out of our passing game for our QBs. Something. I don't know. How many times over the last decade have we watched our QB drop back and then NOT throw to the guy who is WIDE FREAKING OPEN??? Way too many times. That's how many. I don't know if we just aren't looking, or it's something about the way they're being coached, or what. But it's happened so much across multiple QBs. IF, they did nothing but just see the open guy, our passing stats would be way better. Granted, if you've put in the work to be QB1 from those first three phases, you've done a LOT. But this area right here is what separates the men from the boys. We only run a handful of routes though. Surely our guys can watch tape and know hey, it's either here or here on any given play, other than that tuck and run and get what you can. The only other area they can really improve is throwing guys open. JT had a knack for this.
