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| Photo Credit: Getty Images |
Today is April 22nd, 2020. As I write this, the 2020 NFL Draft looms. This is an exciting time for a lot of people, myself included. I wanted to take the opportunity to share my unique perspective on one of the most discussed prospects in this years draft class: Justin Herbert. In May of 2019, I joined the Oregon Football program as their Senior Offensive Analyst. My position group? QBs. So from May 8th of 2019 through January 1st of 2020 I spent as much time as anyone interacting with Justin and watching him work. Why am I sharing my insight? Because I believe in Justin. Spend enough time around him and you'll believe in him too. How many college coaches are willing to sit down and write 1000 words about their former player? Well, at least one.
"It's the guys with the greatest combination of grit, will, and brains..."
The above quote is from current Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians. It comes from his book
The Quarterback Whisperer. In this book Coach Arians outlines his "ingredients" for what makes individuals successful at what has been called the most challenging position in all of sports, playing QB in the National Football League. To no one's surprise, the main traits noted by Arians are not of the physical type, they are of the mental and emotional type.
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| Grit By Angela Duckworth |
First up is
grit. When I think about the concept of grit I think about Angela Duckworth (she did write a book on the term after all). She defines grit as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals." Grit (or gritty) would be the perfect term to describe Justin Herbert's tenure as an Oregon Duck. We all know the story: 4-8 his Freshman season, coaching staff gets let go, broken collarbone during his Sophomore season, head coach leaves for a different job, ups and downs during his Junior season, more adversity his Senior season. You know the rest... he finishes the year as a champion and Rose Bowl MVP. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story and it will occupy a couple chapters in his biography one day, but what the story overlooks is all the sweat equity put in by Justin himself to make it all possible. It is not the adversity itself that defines Justin. It is not the triumph either. It is all the work
he put in to overcome that adversity to reach that triumph that defines his level of grit.
Will. Will directly translates to competitiveness and Justin has it in bunches. He wants to win. He wants to succeed. He wants to be the best. I'm not surprised, being that he's the middle child of a hyper-athletic family. Being someone that was a three-sport athlete throughout his high school career. Being someone that played banged-up (including on a broken femur in high school), but never wanted to come out of the game. But Coach, will doesn't mean as much if you don't actually win? I agree, fortunately Justin is a winner. Bill Parcells set a bar at 23 college wins when he was scouting future franchise QBs. Justin surpassed that mark during his time as a Duck. But Coach, where are the signature wins? I was hoping you would ask that question. My favorites: 2019 Washington State at Oregon (2 Minute Drill to win it). 2019 Pac-12 Championship game against Utah. 2020 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. In both of those games he did whatever it took, including displaying his skills as a runner. If you're really thorough, take a look at my personal favorite... 2016 Oregon at Utah, where as an unheralded Freshman he
willed his team to victory (see what I did there?) against the #11 Utes.
Now we finish with
brains. It is widely accepted that Justin has a high intellect. The William V. Campbell trophy selection committee agrees. You're right, academic success does not predict on-field performance. Either does traditional aptitude testing (
he scored a 39 on the Wonderlic by the way, not the score of 25 that was initially reported).
When Arians highlighted brains in his book his intent was "football brains." The question is, does Justin have smarts that extend beyond the classroom? Is he football smart? Emphatically yes. When people ask for evidence I point to his weekly opponent preparation process. I emphasize
his, because the ownership he takes over his weekly preparation is uncommon and 100% self-motivated. I got to witness it every day of every week, because my desk happens to be located in the QB meeting room at the facility. I would personally see him come in and diligently study his opponent every day. And the guy isn't just arbitrarily watching games, he is following his clearly defined process based on that specific day (Normal Downs, 3rd Downs, Red Zone, etc.). As a college player he has already formed the study habits that are an absolute requirement to give yourself a shot at being a successful professional Quarterback. Side Note: You have got to see his notebook! Organized, detailed, impressive. I actually snapped a few photos so I could show my present and future QBs an example of how a pro takes notes.
The Finish
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| Trevor Moawad addresses the 2019 Oregon Football team |
Leading up to the 2019 season the Oregon Football team had Trevor Moawad in as a guest speaker. It was an excellent talk worth a full page of notes (worthy of it's own blog post). For one of his finishing thoughts Trevor shared an anecdote he picked up while he was helping Russell Wilson prepare for the NFL Draft. Russell was training alongside a more hyped QB prospect who fit the physical mold that we all think NFL QBs should look like. When Trevor asked their mutual QB coach who would be the better pro, the QB coach quickly said, "Russell." When pressed for the reason why the coach shared, "because Russell is willing to do the things required to become a successful NFL Quarterback." These are the same things I was fortunate enough to witness from Justin on a daily basis.
If I'm an NFL Head Coach or General Manager, my choice is clear. I use my 1st Round pick to select: Justin Herbert, Quarterback from the University of Oregon. I coach him hard. I challenge him on a daily basis. I highlight his attributes and I let Justin be Justin. Do that and as Bill Walsh coined, "The score takes care of itself."
P.S. Thank you for the great times #10. I am going to miss you. I believe in you. Go get 'em!
