How to find a winning CFL QB

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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/n ... a039c854b3
How to find a winning CFL QB

CanWest News Service; Calgary Herald

Sunday, October 07, 2007

CALGARY -- What CFL executives and coaches say about finding a winning quarterback:

Calgary Stampeders general manager Jim Barker:

"How he throws is important, can he move in a pocket and what kind of running ability he might have outside of the pocket. But presence is the most important thing. You can walk on a field and tell whether the guy has it or doesn't have it.

"I felt Jason Gesser had presence and in the right system I still think he can play up here. Dave Dickenson has it. Henry has better presence now than ever before in his career. It comes from a confidence that you can do it. When you have great presence, you make every player around you better.

"The guy I was around that had that the most was Doug Flutie. You could put him on the Toronto Raptors and everybody's going to be a better player around him, just because he's got that presence around him."

Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager Brendan Taman:

"One thing I do is look at the touchdown-to-interception ratio wherever he's been. It's one of the first reference points. If a guy has more interceptions than touchdowns that's strike one against him before you even look at film on the guy. Accuracy is huge.

"Intelligence is important. There's football intelligence and there's just intelligence. If a guy is a stooge away from the field, that's one thing . . . unless he scored less than a 10 in the Wonderlic (NFL cognitive test) or something like that. But if he's a stooge on the field, that's a different story. Our guy, Kevin Glenn, is a smart quarterback. He doesn't make many mistakes.

"You also want a guy who can mesh with your system. We brought Zac Taylor in from Nebraska and people were wondering why. But they run a passing offence that's very varied he's picking up our stuff real fast."

Edmonton Eskimos head coach/GM Danny Maciocia:

"There's a tendency for people to hit the panic button and say, 'This guy isn't going to be able to get it done, so let's move him.' But we've adopted the attitude where we've invested time and money, our scouting department has found these guys, put them on the neg list, so we're going to give them a chance. We're not going to send them out there to play a quarter, they get picked up twice, ship him home and get someone else up here. Because you're starting from zero again. They're here for a reason, so you should work with them and get them ready to play.

"Even in the meeting room, sometimes you discard your third guy. You're hoping your first and second guy are paying attention, but you better make sure he's on the same page as the other two and the quarterback coach or the co-ordinator. Because if you lose him, it's like not having him there."

Edmonton Eskimos offensive co-ordinator Jacques Chapdelaine:

"I'm not sure there's a very specific, magic recipe but there are things that you look for. I'd start by looking at whether the quarterback had the ability to be consistent at the previous level. Whether he came from college or a pro league isn't important. You look back at Darnell Kennedy, who threw for 11,000 yards in college, Dave Dickenson had been very successful and consistent in college. Guys like Ricky Ray and Doug Flutie were the same way.

"Sometimes people get too hung up on the physical measurables but I don't think they're overly important. Dave Dickenson doesn't have the strongest arm. Neither does Ricky Ray. Things like arm strength and size and speed are important at some point but they have to be taken into consideration with whether the player has demonstrated consistency and productivity in the past."

Toronto Argonauts offensive co-ordinator Steve Buratto:

"Athleticism, decision making and accuracy.

"The biggest change for a quarterback coming up here is accuracy. They can't get the ball where it needs to be. The next thing is the decision-making process. Either they can't see it, they can't perceive it or they can't anticipate it. If you have to wait for the answer (open read) to hit you in the face, it's too late unless you have a rifle. Then you can get away with a little bit of that.

"Guys that have come in and made it right away - like Ricky Ray - have an uncanny understanding of where to put the ball and good timing. And he's very accurate. Dave Dickenson is a great example of a guy who isn't terribly athletic but he's athletic enough to stay alive. He understands the defence, understands how to play the game and has great anticipation.

"As for the athleticism, Casey Printers got out of the pocket, ran around and threw the ball down the field. He didn't do a whole lot if he had to drop back, read No. 1, read No. 2 and deliver the ball. He read No. 1 and read No. 2 and if they were wide-open, he got something in there. But the majority of the things he did that allowed the Lions to win games was getting out of the pocket and making plays down the field. His ability to throw the ball on the run and his ability to focus on finding somebody down the field, as opposing to just running with the ball."

Hamilton Tiger-Cats special advisor Ron Lancaster:

"Can he win games? That's so important; if the guy knows how to win game.

"If you get a guy who has the ability to run around, make plays that's great. But he needs to have the ability to lead and field awareness. How does he handle the game? How does he handle himself? All that stuff has to be looked at.

"You start evaluating a quarterback the first day he walks into camp, on the field and off the field. You just have to watch him, how does he fit in, what do the players think of him, does he try to become one of the guys, yet he has that little bit of swagger and the feeling, 'I'll get it done for you.'"

Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Doug Berry:

"Probably the biggest thing is vision. A great quarterback needs to see the whole field. That's probably the biggest downfall of guys. You look at all their talents and when you put them on the field they focus on 'this' side and that's all they see.

"Another thing a quarterback needs to be is a willing student of the game. He needs to be willing to do all the extra things and study and know the idiosyncrasies and know that, 'When that halfback is backing out early, I know what coverage I'm getting.'

"The other things are accuracy and escapability. I did a huge study on quarterbacks when I first started coaching quarterbacks ... watched a whole year's worth of film on Jim Kelly, Steve Young and Brett Favre. You come away from there saying it doesn't matter about mechanics. All this BS about high elbow and this and that doesn't matter. What does matter is accuracy. Get the ball on the guy.

"Another thing is: Can you make a guy miss? Brett Favre can make somebody miss. He sees someone coming, steps aside, boom, throws the ball accurately and guys make plays."

B.C. Lions head coach/general manager Wally Buono:

"The quarterback is a unique individual, it has nothing to do with athleticism, arm strength and most of the things people talk about. You meet a lot of people but, for whatever reason, there's only a few who you walk away from and say, 'That guy's got something special.' They have something about them in their line of work, that's special.

"When I see somebody like that, who feel 'has it,' then I have confidence to start working with him. It's me reading them closely. Buck Pierce has it, I felt it with Casey Printers, Jarious Jackson has it, Dave Dickenson, Gino Guidugli . . . I can't tell you what it is. I just feel there's something special."

Calgary Stampeders offensive co-ordinator George Cortez:

"If you can't make plays, you can't play up here. You look at the quarterbacks around the league: For some guys, it's athletic ability to make plays and for some guys it's decision making.

"I remember watching college tape of Mike McCoy (former Stamps QB) after he'd been banging around the NFL for years. He wasn't a fast guy, he had an OK arm, but when you watched his college tape - which was really last tape there was of him playing - things happened. He kept his eyes down the field, he stayed out of trouble and made throws. Ultimately, it's all about making plays.

"People ask if you want to see a player's highlight tape or game film. I want the highlight tape followed by game film because anyone can put together a highlight tape after 10 college games. But on game tape, we'll see what they can do when the play goes bad."

Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Eric Tillman:

"The No. 1 thing is completion percentage with the variable component being the type of system that they're in. You have to factor that in because some teams push the ball vertically and some have mainly short and intermediate routes, so that could skew the percentage. But accuracy is the first thing.

"The next thing is decision making. That's so important - when does he throw the ball away, gamesmanship and decision making on the field. It's hard to put into words but you know when you're watching him play.

"Arm strength is important. Can he make all the required throws on the big field that are necessary to be successful in your system? Factor in his athletic ability to move the chains. Kerry Joseph is not a pure passer but his athleticism impacts the game because his ability to prolong plays lets guys come open, or moves the chains and continues drive. And this level you need mental and phys toughness. Some guys aren't tough enough and can't take the shots at this level for 18 games."
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WestCoastJoe
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Somewhere in there is the answer.

The one who has the best track record of finding and developing quarterbacks would have to be Buono.

Some of the QBs he has worked with:

Doug Flutie

Jeff Garcia

Dave Dickenson

Mike McCoy

Henry Burris

Marcus Crandell

Casey Printers

Buck Pierce

Jarious Jackson
"Buck Pierce has it, I felt it with Casey Printers, Jarious Jackson has it, Dave Dickenson, Gino Guidugli . . . I can't tell you what it is. I just feel there's something special." - Wally Buono
And now, add to the list: Gino Guidugli.

Cool :rockin:

IMHO ... one of the absolute keys in profiling a prospective QB is: he has to have a history of making plays, and leading his team to wins.
Last edited by WestCoastJoe on Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Blue In BC
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Taman would be the last guy I'd ask about how to find a talented QB. He's about 0 - 200 at this point.
Blitz
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B.C. Lions head coach/general manager Wally Buono:

"The quarterback is a unique individual, it has nothing to do with athleticism, arm strength and most of the things people talk about. You meet a lot of people but, for whatever reason, there's only a few who you walk away from and say, 'That guy's got something special.' They have something about them in their line of work, that's special.

"When I see somebody like that, who feel 'has it,' then I have confidence to start working with him. It's me reading them closely. Buck Pierce has it, I felt it with Casey Printers, Jarious Jackson has it, Dave Dickenson, Gino Guidugli . . . I can't tell you what it is. I just feel there's something special."
It's always that intangible that separates the best from the rest of the pack and the players around the quarterback feel it or sense it...and therefore believe they can win with that quarterback.

Interesting quotes from Wally regarding quarterbacks from a guy who has worked with a lot of them!!!
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
TheLionKing
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Interesting perspectives from the different coaches.
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DanoT
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Wally's answer made me smile as his evaluation method is the least scientific, least analytical and most fuzzy yet he has had great success at developing quarterbacks. Taiman's response was the most surprising as I consider the touchdown passes/interception ratio to be the most useless stat in football. What if you have a stud named Joe at RB and runs them in at a record setting pace? Sort of skews the numbers. Bret Favre, one of the best of all time, leads the NFL in interceptions mostly because he never gives up on a play and is a risk taker and at times has had talentless team mates. Flutie was the same way.
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WestCoastJoe
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DanoT wrote:Wally's answer made me smile as his evaluation method is the least scientific, least analytical and most fuzzy yet he has had great success at developing quarterbacks.
The most successful coach in developing QBs, that would be Wally Buono, does not give up his secrets easily, or at all.

He basically said nothing in answering the reporter's little survey. :lol:

I expect Wally has a dayum good idea what he looks for in a QB, and is not interested in talking about it with reporters. Amongst other things, Wally is a good poker player. Show 'em nothing. Keep the magic a secret.
" . . . I can't tell you what it is." - Wally Buono
Yup. Exactly.
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Shi Zi Mi
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Finding a talented potential CFL QB isn't that difficult........being patient enough to allow him to develop his abilities and learn the nuances of the Canadian game before throwing him to the wolves is much more difficult.
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Finding a talented potential CFL QB isn't that difficult........being patient enough to allow him to develop his abilities and learn the nuances of the Canadian game before throwing him to the wolves is much more difficult.
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Absolutely Shi Zi Mi!!!!! :thup: :thup: :thup:
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
TheLionKing
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Shi Zi Mi wrote:Finding a talented potential CFL QB isn't that difficult........being patient enough to allow him to develop his abilities and learn the nuances of the Canadian game before throwing him to the wolves is much more difficult.
Right on ! :thup:
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B.C.FAN
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TheLionKing wrote:
Shi Zi Mi wrote:Finding a talented potential CFL QB isn't that difficult........being patient enough to allow him to develop his abilities and learn the nuances of the Canadian game before throwing him to the wolves is much more difficult.
Right on ! :thup:
That's the biggest difference between Wally and other coaches. No rookie QB is likely to see meaningful action in his first year. There's just too much to learn, and Wally wants them to be ready to win when they finally hit the field.
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WestCoastJoe
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Michael Petrie Calgary Herald; CanWest News Service Monday, October 08, 2007

The last two CFL quarterback factories belonged to the Stampeders of the mid-to-late-1990s and the current Lions. Buono was in charge of both operations.

"We have a situation here where we could start (third-stringer) Jarious Jackson and if we lost two or three games we wouldn't have panicked," says Buono, who has been winning with Jackson as his starter for the past five weeks. "With job security, you're able to take a more long-term approach to things. If we felt desperate to win every game because we had to put people in the seats, it might be different."

And because Buono's success has granted him the luxury of patience, he's able to meticulously build a stable of quarterbacks.

While some teams scramble for retreads to fill the gaps, he has a ready-made assembly line.

"I'm not going to go get a vet who I know can't play," says Buono, "because I know I'll never win with him. It might look like a good fit, but it's not.

"When you get a guy with potential and ability and ride him out, more often than not, he'll prove you right. When he does, you have a long-term solution and the ability to win down the road."

There's no question Buono's approach is the most sound in the CFL.
Petrie gets closer to the secret of Buono's success.

He picks talented players who have shown they can make plays and win. He gives them time to develop. And when he gives them their opportunity, he does not panic if they struggle at the start.

I am glad to hear that Buono likes what he sees with Gino Guidugli as well. The QB factory continues on.
stansz
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lol i really enjoyed bout buono pretty much said it was all instinct..compared to the others were all about the stats more or less..
pumped!!!
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