THREE TYPES OF QUARTERBACKS
There are basically three types of quarterbacks. There is the quarterback who makes positive mistakes, due to his total disregard for the basic principles of generalship. He does not know his offense, and has little understanding and knowledge why his plays are not effective. He is unaware of what the defense is doing. Generally he calls plays quickly—any play to get the team out of the huddle. He destroys team morale and spirit. His team generally loses badly. He is not coachable. I cannot build a winner with this type of quarterback, and I consider him highly undesirable.
The quarterback who works to avoid mistakes is a second type of individual. He does what he is told and taught, but from a tactical and mechanical standpoint only. Generally he lacks initiative. He tends to be conservative in his quarterbacking. His errors and mistakes are not the glaring, positive type, as in the first case cited. Although he is not brilliant in his quarterbacking, he is dependable.
The third type of quarterback is the one every coach is seeking. He directs his team to maximum results. He is a student of the game. He is logical in his thinking, and bold in his action when necessary to win the football game. He is confident, which in turn gives his team confidence in him and the offense. He is a winner through preparation, and he will give you winners through his action and leadership. Unfortunately there are few such quarterbacks of this particular type. Consequently you must take what you have and develop what you’ve got. Regardless, however, a good quarterback must be a natural leader, be smart, have initiative and resourcefulness, be unselfish, have a good voice, and good mechanical ability. If your quarterback either lacks the ability to select the proper plays, or does not have the natural ability to inspire your team to do its best on every play, it is not likely you will have a winner.
From time to time I have been blessed with smart quarterbacks—and we have had winners then. I attribute much of this success to my backfield coaches who have spent considerable time with the quarterbacks teaching them the what, when, why and how of offensive football, and a knowledge of defensive football so they can do an intelligent job of field generalship. As I indicated previously, without proper play selection it is almost impossible to win the tough football games.
FIELD POSITION
Of the many factors that go into selecting a play, probably the most important single factor is field position. To aid our quarterback in his play selection, we divide the field into different areas and zones, as illustrated in [Figure 116]. Each zone is given a name, and there are some very important “musts” concerning each area.
Figure 116
We divide the field into the following areas and zones, with the most important coaching points listed as follows: