QB Success Starts with Footwork

West Virginia will have a fresh look on the sidelines and under center this season. West Virginia currently has a three-way competition at quarterback and is working with newly hired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.

Head coach Neal Brown and Harrell stated it will take three days to install the base of the air raid offense Harrell is bringing to Morgantown. However, for there to be success, fundamentals must become second nature for the quarterback, and the two most important fundamentals for that position, according to Harrell, are footwork and their reads.

“I think with quarterbacks, throwing starts with your feet. If the quarterback’s feet are good, the ball usually comes out right – a lot of that is just timing,” said Harrel. “We got a long ways to go from that standpoint. We can be a lot better. I think they’re getting a lot better in drills, but it’s got to become habit. It’s got to show up in live periods. It's something we’ll always work on no matter what. That’s going to be something we work on a ton is footwork.”

“I think quarterbacks are really an overcoached position. Not necessarily schematically but mechanically, continued Harrell. “There’s so much stuff and there’s so many people that work with quarterbacks nowadays. I think it's really an overcoached position. I think you can put too much into their head, but I think it’s really important to have a plan with their feet, and the other thing I think is important is that they know their reads. No matter what’s going on, that's what we want them to always know is have a plan with their feet and know where their reads are. If I can do those two things really, really, really well, it gives us a chance to be successful.”

The end goal is the perfect play. The quarterback drops back with his feet under him, the receiver’s footwork enables him to run the perfect route and as a result, the timing is there, opening the door for a big play and possibly six.

You got to work on it because things aren’t always going to go right. And so, when things don’t go right, you still got to be able to make a play.

“Those drops have to time up with those routes, and that’s why we do them so much and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Harrell. “If you take the proper drop the ball will come out on time. If the receiver runs the proper route and you take the proper drop – we’re designing this play for this to work. We’re designing this play for your feet to time up with that route. That’s why you have to be consistent with your feet.”

However, a perfectly executed offensive play 60-80 times a game is a dream scenario. There will be instances where the play breaks down, and the correct footwork will get them out of a dire situation.

"You got to work on it because things aren’t always going to go right. And so, when things don’t go right, you still got to be able to make a play, said Harrell. “If you’re moving in the pocket you got to have your feet in the position because when you see something, you have to be able to throw it now, and if your feet are out of position, you can’t do it."

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