Post by WVUfanPHILLY on Aug 15, 2007 0:35:07 GMT -5
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN — Patrick White is pretty vague about what it is he still has to work on as he begins only his second full season as West Virginia’s starting quarterback.
“Everything,’’ he said. “As soon as you stop working to improve you start going backwards.
Rich Rodriguez is a little more specific. Well, a lot more, actually.
“The key for Pat is to get more advanced in his learning of how people are going to defend us and making a quicker decision on his reads,’’ Rodriguez said. “Pat’s a sharp guy. He understands football and situations really well. But we see so many different types of defenses against us and we’re trying to get Pat and [backup] Jarrett [Brown] to try and anticipate what’s coming.’’
Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be much that White is missing. Sure, he can work on being more accurate throwing the ball or deciding which throws to make and when. But that’s the same for every quarterback who has ever played the game.
White might even work on his already top-notch speed and elusiveness running the ball, although he’s already the Big East’s career rushing leader among quarterbacks (2,171 yards) and he’s only started 17 games.
But what he will never completely be able to do, through no fault of his own, is predict what tricks defenses will throw at him and West Virginia’s ever-so-versatile offense. Every year, every game, perhaps even every series, White will see something he’s never seen as opposing defensive coordinators try to come up with something new to slow one of the country’s most productive offenses.
But as the Mountaineers finish the first week of their two-week preseason camp, the coaching emphasis as far as White is concerned is trying to prepare him for the completely unexpected.
“You can never prepare for everything. It’s impossible, especially with some of the defenses we see,’’ Rodriguez said. “But our quarterbacks have to be able to recognize things quickly and have a plan to adapt.’’
Rodriguez compares the preparation to that of a baseball shortstop, who might have multiple options on every ball hit to him depending upon the game situation. And every ball that comes that shortstop’s way is different as far as the speed and the angle. But the basics are still the same.
For instance: One out, runners on first and second.
“If the ball’s hit in the hole, are you going to go to third and get the lead guy? If it’s hit up the middle you can try to turn two,’’ Rodriguez said. “But you have to anticipate all that before the ball’s hit.
“That’s what I want the quarterbacks to do. Anticipate what we’re doing with the ball before the action actually starts. Good quarterbacks all can do that. Pat’s pretty good at it. And I think he should be better this year.’’
In football, the options are generally not as clear as in baseball, nor are the situations. Every time White looks across the line of scrimmage he could see different formations and different personnel and thus expect different things. And that’s the easy part. What happens when a linebacker who has never shown blitz on film suddenly blitzes? Or when a defense he’s seen a hundred times is really just a disguise for something he’s never seen?
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN — Patrick White is pretty vague about what it is he still has to work on as he begins only his second full season as West Virginia’s starting quarterback.
“Everything,’’ he said. “As soon as you stop working to improve you start going backwards.
Rich Rodriguez is a little more specific. Well, a lot more, actually.
“The key for Pat is to get more advanced in his learning of how people are going to defend us and making a quicker decision on his reads,’’ Rodriguez said. “Pat’s a sharp guy. He understands football and situations really well. But we see so many different types of defenses against us and we’re trying to get Pat and [backup] Jarrett [Brown] to try and anticipate what’s coming.’’
Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be much that White is missing. Sure, he can work on being more accurate throwing the ball or deciding which throws to make and when. But that’s the same for every quarterback who has ever played the game.
White might even work on his already top-notch speed and elusiveness running the ball, although he’s already the Big East’s career rushing leader among quarterbacks (2,171 yards) and he’s only started 17 games.
But what he will never completely be able to do, through no fault of his own, is predict what tricks defenses will throw at him and West Virginia’s ever-so-versatile offense. Every year, every game, perhaps even every series, White will see something he’s never seen as opposing defensive coordinators try to come up with something new to slow one of the country’s most productive offenses.
But as the Mountaineers finish the first week of their two-week preseason camp, the coaching emphasis as far as White is concerned is trying to prepare him for the completely unexpected.
“You can never prepare for everything. It’s impossible, especially with some of the defenses we see,’’ Rodriguez said. “But our quarterbacks have to be able to recognize things quickly and have a plan to adapt.’’
Rodriguez compares the preparation to that of a baseball shortstop, who might have multiple options on every ball hit to him depending upon the game situation. And every ball that comes that shortstop’s way is different as far as the speed and the angle. But the basics are still the same.
For instance: One out, runners on first and second.
“If the ball’s hit in the hole, are you going to go to third and get the lead guy? If it’s hit up the middle you can try to turn two,’’ Rodriguez said. “But you have to anticipate all that before the ball’s hit.
“That’s what I want the quarterbacks to do. Anticipate what we’re doing with the ball before the action actually starts. Good quarterbacks all can do that. Pat’s pretty good at it. And I think he should be better this year.’’
In football, the options are generally not as clear as in baseball, nor are the situations. Every time White looks across the line of scrimmage he could see different formations and different personnel and thus expect different things. And that’s the easy part. What happens when a linebacker who has never shown blitz on film suddenly blitzes? Or when a defense he’s seen a hundred times is really just a disguise for something he’s never seen?
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
