2013 Quarterback Draft Diagnosis

Several months ago, I wrote about the impact a proper game plan can have for quarterback prospects heading into the draft.  I also noted some of the more important things to add to their “to do successfully “checklist.  At this time, I’d like to give my most recent report on how a few of the top QB prospects performed, and how their preparation affected them.

Geno Smith 

I thought Geno did the best overall.  Smith was the top QB heading into the draft and didn’t do anything to drop from his spot.  However, he may not go as early as people thought due to free agency signings, and recent trades to “quarterback hungry teams”.  For the most part, Smith’s workouts were solid, but he did leave many pundits questioning his ability to grasp NFL offenses.  I find this a bit premature, and feel that if given the right situation, Smith has a chance to be a solid NFL Quarterback.

Notes to consider for Geno Smith: (Strong arm, has shown the ability to throw a variety of touch passes, teams must be careful in thinking he is the next Kaepernick….Smith is not nearly the athlete.) 

Matt Barkley

This one is a little closer to home so it’s a bit difficult to say the following.  I think the world of Matt and he’ll go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in school’s history, but clearly not the best (when compared to former Trojan alums such as Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer).  I make this statement based off of what these players brought to USC Football.  Palmer and Leinart will always get higher marks due to their outstanding achievements i.e. Heisman Trophy winners and National Championships, (and of course, ultimately they were 1^st rounders in the NFL Draft).  I wish I could say this about Barkley, but his senior season and his Pro Day workout would make that a “reach” at this point.

Notes to consider for Matt Barkley: (4 years starting quarterback for both programs he played with i.e. Mater Dei HS (first 4 year starter) and USC , despite senior year…he should not be undervalued, Barkley is an intelligent player and has a  ”Manning” like control & feel for the game)

Ryan Nassib

This guy could be a sleeper in this year’s draft class.  Nassib has a very strong arm with Steve Young like athleticism.  While in college, Nassib lead his undermanned Syracuse football team to a bowl game in 2012.  He ended his college career breaking the school total passing yards record (9,060), pass completions (780), and passing yards per game (201.3). Clearly, with this much talent, the early 2^nd round if not late 1^st would be a realistic choice for someone of his skill set and upside.

Notes to Consider for Ryan Nassib: (He may be a steal in the 2^nd round, his old coach from Syracuse, Doug Marrone is now head coach for Bills, Nassib has a gunslinger mentality similar to a famous 2^nd rounder who played for the Packers…Brett Favre ring a name??)

Sounding Off:

Unfortunately and interestingly, the best quarterback in this draft may be a veteran.  If all indicators are correct about the Philadelphia Eagles leaning towards drafting Geno Smith with their 1^st round pick, then Nick Foles will be a hot prospect!  Remember Matt Hasselback’s early career?  Matt started his career in Green Bay before he was traded to Seattle and there his Pro Bowl career began!

On the surface this quarterback draft class appears to be weak, but I’m betting that after all the dust is settled…these guys will be solid productive starting quarterbacks in the NFL……. in the very near future.

The Evolution of A Quarterback: Matt Barkley

By: Steve Clarkson

 When the USC Football season started, quarterback Matt Barkley was regarded as the Top Quarterback in college and possibly the number one pick overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.  At this time, USC was also picked to run the table on the way to a National Championship and Matt Barkley was expected to win the Heisman Trophy for a storybook ending.  That was then and this is now.  USC ended the season on a four game losing streak and finished with a 7-5 record.  To make matters worse Matt Barkley was injured in the UCLA loss and his availability for the Hyundai Sun Bowl game is in doubt.

The Critics have come out, and like always, the starting quarterback becomes the culprit, trying to make us believe that Matt Barkley’s stock may have fallen at such a rate that he may no longer be a first round look. 

The Evolution of A Quarterback is a long process.  Before I dive into it, I would like to mention that this is free advice for Matt, his family, and all who represent him.  This is what I would like to see happen between now and April’s draft….   

 1^st Prediction

When all is said and done, Matt Barkley will not only be in the first round, but a top 20 pick in April’s draft.

The last time the Spirit of Troy witnessed Matt Barkley, he was walking out on the field with arm in sling to the chorus of a standing ovation, in recognition for all he sacrificed for the good of the Cardinal & Gold. 

Matt came back under the mantra of “unfinished business”.  Of course, this season isn’t what he and his teammates had in mind, but I’ll argue that Matt accomplished quite bit given the situation of USC.  I’m sure Matt has the urge to play in USC’s bowl game and be in that uniform one more time, but that would be a mistake!

 1^st Piece of Advice:  Matt should continue to do what he’s always done, which is to keep USC moving forward.  In my opinion, Matt playing in the bowl game is meaningless for his career.  Playing too soon after his injury could do a lot of damage if not 100% healthy.

 2^nd Piece of Advice: The next game Matt should play in is the Senior Bowl, period!  This will give Matt and his agents enough time to survey the landscape and come up with a proper strategy for Matt leading up to April’s draft. 

 I’ve been a part of this process for more than 25 years and what history has shown us is that trends change.  Each quarterback has their own trend and it is ever changing.  Barkley was the “can’t miss kid coming into college.”  Now, there are whispers that Matt’s stock has fallen, and people are questioning his ability and thus his future quarterback success.

3^rd Piece of Advice:  There is no better time than now to take these months and get back to the “can’t miss kid coming into the NFL.”

Matt Barkley’s Check List:

•  9 weeks to prepare for the Senior Bowl-This is a time to work on all your weaknesses while still  maintaining all the things you have done well up to this point.
•  Re-introduce the public to Matt Barkley-Highlight the attributes that have made you so special, i.e. all your charity here in the United States, overseas, your work with the Marines, and of course why you came back to USC in the first place…

• Senior Bowl should be where you shine the most.- Your ability to communicate to your coaches will be noticed.  This is the time where the evaluators will be more than impressed with your ability to make and execute all the plays.
• Next up is the NFL combine.  To work out?  Or not to workout?  That is the question…-This question will be answered based on your performance at the Senior Bowl.  Let’s assume the game went well, very well…Because you played so well at the Senior Bowl, everyone will have just seen the incredible talent you have, with doubters hiding for the shadows.  Your performance you will then be enable you to take the NFL combine as a time to focus on the personal interviews etc.  Make sure to have your agents notify the NFL that you will only be participating in the physicals and the interviews at the combine.
• Moving onto the Pro Day workout.  This is more like a “Performance.”- The key is to write your script that highlights the needs of teams that are most likely to select a quarterback in draft.

NOTE: This process is made easier when your agents send out a request to the      coaches asking for what they would like to see in your Pro Day workout.

• Make sure your “Performance,” leaves the coaches and evaluators wanting to see more. 
• Always leave enough room in your “script” to execute the unexpected, i.e., coaches may request for a specific throw or movement
• If you do well at the Pro Day, you will be invited to perform a private workout with those teams that are very, very interested in you. 

NOTE: These workouts will most likely be with the coaches and the offensive coordinators.

• Finally at the end of the day, everything that you’ve displayed over the last 8 years of your quarterbacking life will come down to this question…

 How will they view Matt Barkley as the LEADER of their franchise?

         -His character

         -Work ethic

         -Ability to reach a higher ceiling

         -Intelligence on and off the field

         -The intangibles

         -Marketability

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, PEOPLE WILL FINALLY COME TO THEIR SENSES…THAT YOUR BODY OF WORK OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS WILL PROVE, ONCE AGAIN THAT YOU ARE WHAT THEY THOUGHT YOU WERE…”THE CAN’T MISS KID COMING INTO THE NFL.”

-By: Steve Clarkson

The Art of A Quarterback

The Art of A Quarterback: By Steve Clarkson
San Francisco Chronicle
Dec 12, 1981

“The quarterback is like an artist. The artist controls what goes where on the canvas. The quarterback controls what goes where on the gridiron. His focus is on his receivers down field, and the on-rushers become a swirl of colors beneath his main vision.”

Do You Smell What The Rock is Cooking?

Let me take this opportunity to calm the American public down.  There are just over a few weeks left in the presidential race, while we hang over every word the candidates spew, allow me to look into my crystal ball. 

 As I look into the crystal ball…Bill Clinton will once again save Barack Obama, thus a 2^nd term.  In years 5-7 Team Obama WILL get this country moving forward, because quite frankly it’s in the cards.  Housing… up.  Stocks… stabilized. Unemployment… down.  Gas prices?  Well… they will be at $6, but hey the oil companies employ people too… right? 

I digress….

Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?  Oops…I mean coach. 

 In his 8^th and final year, the Cubs will still suck, Kyrie Irving will be a Laker, and the Clippers will still be the Lakers b***h, and Los Angeles will still be having pep rallies looking for that NFL team. 

 The unrest will have escalated in the Middle East, which will be challenging enough for the new Republican President elect.  Once in office, some country will be that much closer to a nuclear weapon, which will force the President to send over a couple of drones, a few patriots, and a few scud missiles and he will say, “Take that, would you like another?”

 By this time we will have another round of Americans feeling better about themselves.  They will then take out loans that they cannot afford which will lead them to the next Bernie Madoff   to save their bacon….OMG!  I’m dizzy already. ..

Awww… now back to the debate, this was like watching a tennis match.  Back hand, forehand and unforced errors.  If it sounds like I’m all over the place… EXACTLY!  

If history has proven anything… we have learned nothing from our past, which will lead us to repeat it in the future.  Just as it doesn’t matter who quarterbacks the New York Jets.  The same can be said for The President of these United States! 

In other words…it is what it is.  DEAL WITH IT! 

Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?  Oops…I mean coach. 

This is Steve Clarkson and I approve this message. 

“Lighting Strikes Twice.”

While travelling across the country looking for the next great quarterback one of the most common things I look for an important key attribute:

 Do they command the room?  At one of my most recent football camps I came across a young aspiring quarterback by the name of Tate Martell.  There were over 300 quarterbacks in attendance and he absolutely owned the room. 

Some of the things I immediately noticed:

• He was a fierce competitor, pushing his way through all the quarterback drills
• He never walked anywhere on the field
• His athleticism and accuracy was advanced for his age

First thing I wanted to know about Tate was what grade he was in? I was guessing he was a sophomore in high school.  When I asked him how old he was he said he was in the 6^th grade and he was 12 years old.  I immediately asked myself, “Does lighting strike twice?” 

In trying to make an assessment of young Tate and what quarterback he compared to, I couldn’t come up with anyone.  After some thought the answer was quite clear, no single quarterback can best describe this young man’s talent.  Therefore I came up with two that fit the bill:  a perfect hybrid of Brett Favre and Fran Tarkenton. 

Remember when I referenced “lighting strikes twice?” i.e. David Sills? David was 10 years old when he came to me for quarterback training, three years later in 2010 he was making national news headlines.  It was during Super Bowl XLIV…#44 (Colts vs. Saints) that the young David stole the spotlight from Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.  A small one liner scrolled across the bottom of ESPN, “13 year old David Sills verbally commits to Lane Kiffin and USC Class of 2015.”   Again….this was 2010

Fast forward…two and a half years later and Tate Martell verbally commits to Steve Sarkisian and the University of Washington Class of 2017.

Coincidence?  Or planned?  You be the judge.

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