First off – tell us about your coaching experience and how you got started at QBMotion Midwest?
I come from a background of coaches. My uncle was a coach and my brother is a high school coach. I’ve always loved quarterback development.
After I decided that my NFL football career was over – I knew I didn’t want to play in the UFL or CFL. I worked at the University of Minnesota as an offensive analyst for a year, but knew I didn’t want to get into coaching at that point and the coaching lifestyle. I had worked with QBMotion and Robb Williams when I was a player and knew how much it had helped me. So I called Robb really just asking for his blessing and advice as a coach, and he said that we should build a coaching program together and that’s what we’ve done.
It’s fun now seeing the differences and solutions we can provide on the private side to help young quarterbacks develop.
As a coach now and a guy who has just stopped playing, how do you see the position having changed from, say, 10 years ago?
That’s a great question. Football is cyclical and at the collegiate level we’re seeing teams going back to the pro-style stuff -probably for the better. You have to be able to process more and faster and today’s quarterbacks need to be more athletic.
It’s also harder for guys today to get noticed. With the NIL and transfer portal, players need to be in charge of their own development more. There’s less time to develop quarterbacks in college so you have to take charge of your own development.
Also, with the money quarterbacks are making in college, they are becoming the face of their programs more and that adds more pressure.
How do you approach that quarterback development – what makes it a different process?
We’re really focused on proximal movement – inside-out movement and rotational throwing. How to get the most potential power in throws while being as effortless as possible to maximize power. We do that through game-type situations and teach fundamentals that way.
It’s wildly different from what I was taught – and if you ask Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Skylar Thompson – I’m sure different from what they were taught as well. It used to be what they called “Point your toe and break the windshield.” Now its about throwing level. The game has changed as the science has developed.
What made you decide to sign with the Steelers in 2023 – I know you were drafted eighth overall by the USFL but turned it down?
I wanted to play in the NFL – that was my goal. I thought signing with the Steelers gave me the best chance to do so. PJ Fleck was my college head coach and he was Mike Sullivan’s wide receivers coach then so I had that connection. Interestingly Matt Canada also coached with PJ at NIU.
Beyond that, I was a Bengals fan growing up so I knew about the culture of the Steelers as well and how deep that ran.
I had some brief conversations with the Steelers pre-draft and those were awesome. Dan Colbert was great – I enjoyed the interviews with him. He reached out after the draft and said he thought I’d be a great fit – that he loved the way I led the team in college.
From your time in Pittsburgh, what did you notice about what the team was looking for most in their quarterbacks?
A couple of things. Tomlin expected quarterbacks to manage the game – to make great decisions – and wanted them to be aggressive as well. There was a legacy at that position in Pittsburgh and you could feel it in the room. Tomlin is such a smart coach and so good at working with quarterbacks on leadership and game situations. In those quarterback meetings he’d work on those things a lot. His leadership skills were just insane – the way he carries himself.
Did any of the guys there take you under their wings at all and help you? How so?
Mitch, Kenny and Mason were all phenomenal to me. The way they approached the game together – when they saw something differently they’d share with all of us what they were seeing and why they saw things the way they did. That was a big help to me.
How difficult was it to get your reps and how do you navigate that as a young player trying to make a team?
That was the year after they had drafted Chris Oladokun. I think the way I approached practices earned their trust enough to allow me to earn some reps. You had to earn those.
You have to max out on the opportunities you get and not press. You do what’s asked of you in the play. You don’t deserve reps – you have to be a good steward of the reps you do get.
One way I earned their trust and got more reps was the way I approached practices. During practice I’d stand in the back of the play and act like I was going through the play myself. That would give me those mental reps. I’d point in the direction I thought the play should go and then watch the film later to see if I was correct.
Any fun moments stand out to you over your time there?
I thought I would have some pop in the Home Run Derby – I thought I would hit some dingers! But I didn’t have any big hits. Tomlin told me I was a singles hitter after that!
What are your thoughts about Mason Rudolph, having played with him in Pittsburgh?
People are drawn to Mason – he’s a natural leader. He has a very quick delivery and has a big arm – and he throws people open. I think a big factor for him is that he understands how Tomlin thinks and wants things done, having played there for a while now.
From your perspective, what are the attributes you need to have most to be a good quarterback?
You have to be able to process plays quickly and be accurate. Those are the main things. You have to be able to show confidence too – that intangible matters. The best quarterbacks can lead teams and take over games – that’s something the best guys do well.
How do you see quarterback development changing in the upcoming years?
I think the science-based approach will continue to be more important as we learn more about how the body functions. Things like keeping your arm loose instead of staying tense to help kith arm strength.
We’ll see technology continue to be on the forefront. We’ve seen how technology has helped players like Jayden Daniels in Washington who has used VR to help his development – mentally and mechanically.
Are there any guys you’ve worked with that you’re most excited about to see develop?
Sean Clifford – he had a Sophomore slump but I think he looks good and is ready to put his best foot forward and prove himself in Green Bay.
And Drake Lindsey in Minnesota. I think he’ll be phenomenal in Minnesota. He has that Big Ben build – he’s a big guy with a big arm and a natural leader. I’m excited to see what he will do this year.