The development of a quarterback

Tyler Bray’s potential is limitless. Blessed with a cannon arm and uncanny ability to make plays, he’s exactly the pocket passing quarterback you want for your program. Not only that, he handles himself with confidence, does well with the media, and seems to be able to handle the pressure of being the man at an SEC school. That isn’t something you get everyday. Jim Chaney (and more importantly, head man Derek Dooley) has something special. However, the work is not done…by any means. Bray has a lot to work on and a lot to prove. People should be excited about his future. I am pumped about the kind of quarterback he can be. But that does not mean he’s a superstar yet. There is still some work to be done.

What is the first thing when grooming a sophomore quarterback? Making sure that he can lead the team. It’s different to take over a team and be the leader when you are 2-6. The team has nothing to lose, and the upperclassmen are willing to buy in because they want a bowl. Now is where Bray has to step up and become the leader of the team. He needs to lead activities, have a positive attitude at all times, and never question the coaches publicly. He needs to lead by example AND by words. This is the most important step to get everybody to buy that this is Tyler Bray’s team. You do that this spring, and we can get the ball rolling back to a championship program.

Now, let’s get to the on field stuff. Tyler didn’t know much from the playbook last year. This is the year where he needs the book thrown at him to see how much he can soak in. Against teams like Vandy and Memphis, you don’t need a full playbook. Against Florida and Alabama? You’ll need everything you can get. Most freshman aren’t 100% committed to studying the playbook. There are very few Peyton Manning’s in the world, and none are freshman. This is where Tyler has to take the responsibility and study his playbook from cover to cover, and learn as much as he possibly can. Ask as many questions, study as much film as possible, and learn the ins and outs of every play.

Now, let’s get to Tyler’s game. Tyler did a lot of things well, but there were a couple things that stood out to me that he needs to improve on. The first thing is to take the checkdown. Too many times he went for the big play. I love the big pass play. There’s nothing better than a huge pass play, yet it’s not always there. I watched a little bit of film (mostly the Vandy and UNC games) and there were seven or eight plays where just hitting the back in the flat, going to the slot guy on a drag, or finding the TE in the middle of the field would have produced a first down. While I’m not overly concerned about it, since this is something most young players need to improve on. However, I think it’s something to look for. Watching Tyler play and his mannerisms, he’s a risk taker. That’s good in a sense, but you can’t throw the ball up for grabs against Florida, Alabama, etc. The results just won’t be good.

The second most important skill (after being able to throw under pressure) for a quarterback to have talent wise is accuracy. Tyler completed about 57% of his passes. That’s not bad for a freshman. Ainge threw 56% his freshman season. However, while watching some film, I noticed that he missed some open receivers. There was probably about five passes in each game he should have completed in the two full games I saw him play. About 80% of those passes were missed because of footwork. This is where the good news starts. That’s the easy part to fix. Chaney knows how to work with quarterbacks and mechanics, and I think this will gradually improve throughout the year. I don’t expect Tyler to throw 70% and become Steve Young, but a 60% completion percentage is a good goal for this year. Tyler needs to be committed to listening to his coaches, and also be willing to change a little bit if the coaches feel it would be best for him.

So what are we looking for April 16th during the Orange and White game? We are going to look for command of the huddle. This is something you can identify during the spring game. See how he leads his team, and how the guys to respond to him. Watch to see if he is hitting his checkdowns and shorter routes. Tyler has a very good ability to check other receivers, but he needs to look for the safety valve and I think that will be very important in his development. Then, watch for his footwork. See if he is staying on balance when he throws, resets his feet when scrambling the pocket, and most importantly, directing his feet to where he throws. But most importantly? It’s a spring game. Sadly, we can’t watch practices which are more important to see how he is developing. If his stats don’t look great, do not be concerned at all. Watch with your own eyes to see how he does, and see what the coaches say. Dooley will be honest with the fan base. If he felt Tyler was doing a good job, Tyler was doing a good job. I’m very excited to see Tyler Bray’s improvement in the next few days.