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talastan · 11-19-2007, 01:44 PM

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7464316

Quarterback play comes down to coaching
Jimmy Johnson
FOXSports.com, Updated 14 hours ago

What separates the very best teams from the worst teams in the NFL is quarterback play. Consequently, everybody says that if coaching the quarterback is so important, why don't most teams go out and hire the best coach possible. The problem with that is a lot of today's offensive coordinators don't want to give up that control and responsibility. A lot of head coaches feel the same way about that.

It is so difficult to find the perfect guy who is going to have the personality to coach your quarterback. You need a guy who has played quarterback at a high level, hopefully played at a high level in the NFL. But one big issue there is if the guy did play in the NFL, he'll have so much money in the bank that he wouldn't want to be just a quarterbacks coach. That's why it is hard.
Also, I don't know that many former players who are accustomed to the long hours necessary to be a successful coach. So it is very difficult to find someone who will fill that role.

I was fortunate with the Cowboys to have that guy in Jerry Rhome my first year. Rhome did a really great job of coaching Troy Aikman. He had worked with the Redskins, too. After Rhome, I had Norv Turner. Now, Turner played quarterback, although he didn't play at a high level in the NFL. But at least he did play the position. He related well with quarterbacks early in his career as an assistant coach. Look in San Francisco right now. They are saying that Alex Smith misses Turner being there.

That's why it's interesting that Norv Turner is struggling in San Diego with Philip Rivers. That is a head-scratcher to me and probably a lot of other NFL people. But think about it — Norv also has a lot of responsibilities as the head coach of the Chargers. He's not only the quarterbacks coach, but also the offensive coordinator and calling the plays. He's trying to coach the entire football team in San Diego, and that's very hard to do. It's very difficult for a head coach to give that young quarterback the individual attention that he needs if you're still going to handle all the duties as a head coach.

It is like Turner is trying to be three different coaches. As the head coach, he's going to want to be responsible for special teams and defense — and San Diego's defense has really struggled this season. Adrian Peterson ran them over and so did the Jaguars on Sunday.

Turner is also probably a little involved in personnel with GM A.J. Smith. He also has to take care of all the media demands. And there is no way in the world that he can sit down one-on-one with Rivers and deal with him exclusively as just the quarterbacks coach. Now, Turner is definitely the best guy for it, but he doesn't have the time. I think that's what happens on just about every NFL team.

I mean, you look at the Cowboys and they have a luxury. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett played quarterback in the NFL and he still has Wade Wilson as the quarterback coach, and Wade played at a high level for a long time in the NFL. I bet that is one reason why Tony Romo is playing so well. I'm sure the young quarterbacks in Chicago, like Rex Grossman, miss Wilson (he coached there last year).

The thing is, you simply can't find solid quarterback coaches in this league, which probably sounds pretty strange to the fans out there. You can't find those guys. Garrett has done a wonderful job, but he won't be in that role that much longer in Dallas because someone will offer him a head coaching job.

I never knew the position that well. We took Aikman with the first pick in what was a great 1989 draft with Deion Sanders and Barry Sanders, and people were telling me I should take Tony Mandarich. You say Aikman was an easy choice for me, but he didn't make the All-Pac-10 team. USC's Rodney Peete was the star in that league.

But I benefited from having Rhome as a coach, and he really helped Aikman that first year. Aikman benefited from having two outstanding coaches. To this day, if I had not had Rhome and Turner, I think we would have won games, but I'm not sure we would have won the Super Bowls that we did. That's how important that position is and how crucial it is to find the right fit to coach the kid and put the best personnel around him. If you only do one of those things, you will never win big in the NFL.

Makes me wonder how important they think Dick Curl really is to Brodie's development? I really hope we get a decent QB coach and OC this next offseason.

11-19-2007, 01:44 PM
talastan Manning, we're coming for you! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Springfield, Mo Casino cash: $10004950	Interesting article on QB coaches..... http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7464316 Quarterback play comes down to coaching Jimmy Johnson FOXSports.com, Updated 14 hours ago What separates the very best teams from the worst teams in the NFL is quarterback play. Consequently, everybody says that if coaching the quarterback is so important, why don't most teams go out and hire the best coach possible. The problem with that is a lot of today's offensive coordinators don't want to give up that control and responsibility. A lot of head coaches feel the same way about that. It is so difficult to find the perfect guy who is going to have the personality to coach your quarterback. You need a guy who has played quarterback at a high level, hopefully played at a high level in the NFL. But one big issue there is if the guy did play in the NFL, he'll have so much money in the bank that he wouldn't want to be just a quarterbacks coach. That's why it is hard. Also, I don't know that many former players who are accustomed to the long hours necessary to be a successful coach. So it is very difficult to find someone who will fill that role. I was fortunate with the Cowboys to have that guy in Jerry Rhome my first year. Rhome did a really great job of coaching Troy Aikman. He had worked with the Redskins, too. After Rhome, I had Norv Turner. Now, Turner played quarterback, although he didn't play at a high level in the NFL. But at least he did play the position. He related well with quarterbacks early in his career as an assistant coach. Look in San Francisco right now. They are saying that Alex Smith misses Turner being there. That's why it's interesting that Norv Turner is struggling in San Diego with Philip Rivers. That is a head-scratcher to me and probably a lot of other NFL people. But think about it — Norv also has a lot of responsibilities as the head coach of the Chargers. He's not only the quarterbacks coach, but also the offensive coordinator and calling the plays. He's trying to coach the entire football team in San Diego, and that's very hard to do. It's very difficult for a head coach to give that young quarterback the individual attention that he needs if you're still going to handle all the duties as a head coach. It is like Turner is trying to be three different coaches. As the head coach, he's going to want to be responsible for special teams and defense — and San Diego's defense has really struggled this season. Adrian Peterson ran them over and so did the Jaguars on Sunday. Turner is also probably a little involved in personnel with GM A.J. Smith. He also has to take care of all the media demands. And there is no way in the world that he can sit down one-on-one with Rivers and deal with him exclusively as just the quarterbacks coach. Now, Turner is definitely the best guy for it, but he doesn't have the time. I think that's what happens on just about every NFL team. I mean, you look at the Cowboys and they have a luxury. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett played quarterback in the NFL and he still has Wade Wilson as the quarterback coach, and Wade played at a high level for a long time in the NFL. I bet that is one reason why Tony Romo is playing so well. I'm sure the young quarterbacks in Chicago, like Rex Grossman, miss Wilson (he coached there last year). The thing is, you simply can't find solid quarterback coaches in this league, which probably sounds pretty strange to the fans out there. You can't find those guys. Garrett has done a wonderful job, but he won't be in that role that much longer in Dallas because someone will offer him a head coaching job. I never knew the position that well. We took Aikman with the first pick in what was a great 1989 draft with Deion Sanders and Barry Sanders, and people were telling me I should take Tony Mandarich. You say Aikman was an easy choice for me, but he didn't make the All-Pac-10 team. USC's Rodney Peete was the star in that league. But I benefited from having Rhome as a coach, and he really helped Aikman that first year. Aikman benefited from having two outstanding coaches. To this day, if I had not had Rhome and Turner, I think we would have won games, but I'm not sure we would have won the Super Bowls that we did. That's how important that position is and how crucial it is to find the right fit to coach the kid and put the best personnel around him. If you only do one of those things, you will never win big in the NFL. Makes me wonder how important they think Dick Curl really is to Brodie's development? I really hope we get a decent QB coach and OC this next offseason.
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