Cal Football: Mike Pawlawski Breaks Down Chase Garbers' Game

Back in 1991, Mike Pawlawski led Cal to its first 10-win seasons in 42 years. Since then, he has played professionally and build a career as a broadcaster. Through all of it, Pawlawski has never strayed far from his role as a quarterback.

On his website, Elite Athletes TV, Pawlawski invites sport-specific experts to provide training techniques for aspiring athletes, their parents and coaches. But Pawlawski, drawing on his role as radio analyst for Cal football, also share his thoughts on the Pac-12's best quarterbacks.

"Everybody is always looking to nitpick every quarterback, down to the most minute little things. NFL (scouts) are looking for reasons to disqualify guys," Pawlawski says. "I look for guys that can play the game, that can play the position"

Pawlawski stresses that while basic fundamentals are critical, there is more than one way to productively play quarterback.

"If just fast feet, like Peyton Manning, were an absolute must, then Tom Brady couldn't play the game. If having a high ball position was important, then guys like John Elway and Dan Marino couldn't have played the game. . . . There's no perfect way to play the position.

He starts with the quarterback he knows better than any other in the conference: Cal's Chase Garbers.

"I've watched Chase evolve in his game over the last two years. For a while there, it was touch and go with Chase to see if he was going to pull through," Pawlawski says. "But in 2019, Chase turned the corner. I call it a matrix moment. . . . The game slowed down and he improved."

Here is Pawlawski's detailed analysis of Garbers, including video breakdowns of specific plays. It's pretty lengthy, but for the serious Cal fan who is thirsting for football, it's worth your time.

Garbers, entering his redshirt junior season, talked in an interview with me this week about where he wants to take his game.

“What I’m working on this offseason is just to take that next step to be an elite quarterback," he said, citing his focus on developing a quicker release, more core stability to make off-platform throws, greater arm strength, along with improved agility and escapability.