You might already know all this stuff or you may be scratching your head right now.
No matter how you feel about it, this will hopefully help you make the best of your individual performance.
Let’s begin.
The rant:
As we are all well aware, the ability to throw the football is one of the most important aspects of the game of football.
However, when the game becomes too physical for our liking and we begin to cringe, there are several players we start to look away from.
We start looking to the defensive players and quarterbacks for relief. When they start to throw it, we hope that it’s “safe”.
In the case that we don’t want to look or can’t, we might look away in anticipation of a big hit that will possibly create a fumble.
It may sound obvious, but learning to be the guy who can throw the ball under duress is critical to being successful in the NFL.
Perfecting timing
As fans, we know how important timing is. It’s tough to gauge how quickly we want the ball, but just being in sync with your receiver is a good starting point.
Timing also comes into play when it comes to the timing of the pass rush. Most fans are familiar with this by now.
Just a split second is all you need to throw a pass and get a big gain.
In the case of the pass rush, the rush does not necessarily have to do its job until the very last second of the play.
The rush can have all the pressure in the world, but if you throw it before the rush gets there, it’s not going to be a big gain.
If you take the time to think about all of this, timing becomes a bit easier to grasp. So how do we improve on this?
Well, one way to improve this is to focus on getting your footwork a little bit better. There are several simple things you can do to get your footwork more athletic and more in sync with your receivers. This will allow you to get rid of the ball a little faster.
Also, and this might be hard to do, but you can also put pressure on yourself to get rid of the ball.
Most QB’s hate to feel the rush. You might have to dig deep.
Let your pass rush do the work
This is probably the one topic that I am the most opinionated on. However, in the case of quarterbacks and pass rushers, this topic is extremely crucial.
If you can get away with “safe” throws, it is time to stop doing that.
Instead, you should be incorporating pressure into your offense. Of course, this does not mean that you have to use your pass rush as a blocker.
You can just use it to set up the play. I’ve never seen a quarterback that couldn’t benefit from the pressure it puts on the defense.
You have to commit to making the play and putting the ball in a position where it can be caught.
The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that it takes a quarterback longer to get the ball out of his hand when he is under pressure.
The bottom line here is that you have to use your pass rush as a weapon. The defensive line has to get home or you are going to get hit.
Know when to take a down
I know I am repeating myself, but this is probably the most important point to take away from this article.
If the offense is going up-tempo or running plays that take up a lot of time, I think that you will notice that the defense is coming after you a little bit harder.
As QB’s, you have to know when it’s time to take a hit. You have to protect yourself.
Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Carson Palmer, and Andy Dalton, all four of these quarterbacks are great quarterbacks, and it’s not because of their pocket movement.
I’m pretty sure that you guys know that.
That doesn’t mean that it’s not important to scramble at times. However, if you know that you are about to take a big hit, that is a great time to step out of bounds.
If you don’t have the time to step out of bounds, then run over the middle.
Take a hit and handle the reaction
Like I said before, I’m not saying you have to be a boxer.
I am saying that if you see your quarterback taking a hit, you should take that hit, and you should be able to handle it.
Take a hit, get up and keep playing. That’s the life of a quarterback.
You might be able to get away with that early in your career, but in the NFL, they don’t stop the play.
Your moment has been “given” to you. Take it.
