woodbuck27
07-03-2006, 12:36 PM
It's a partnership
By Lisa Zimmerman
Special to NFL.com
(Oct. 5, 2005) -- John Milton, the 17th century author, once wrote, "They also serve who only stand and wait." Almost 400 years later, this line is no more applicable than when describing the role of an NFL backup quarterback.
Recent events around the league have shown that the backup quarterback role is enormously important because they must be ready to go at a moment's notice and also because the quarterbacks are truly partners in both preparation and execution. Take the case of the New York Jets, where Chad Pennington went down with a re-injured shoulder and Jay Fiedler stepped in, and then Fiedler was subsequently hurt and Brooks Bollinger was suddenly catapulted into the starting role.
While the perception may be that backups are standing around, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for something to happen, that's not the case.
Brooks Bollinger took some hits as a backup-turned-starter, and now he will be a backup again to Vinny Testaverde.
Prior to the advent of the wireless headset, backups were generally responsible for signaling in the plays to the starter on the field. While that job has been rendered almost unnecessary, there is still a lot to do. On game day, the backup quarterbacks are literally another set of eyes to assess some of the details of the defense that the starter may not have an opportunity to absorb during an offensive series.
"I know when I was starting I'd always ask the backup guys to look for certain things that, when you're out on the field, you don't necessarily see," said Fiedler, who prior to joining the Jets was the Miami Dolphins starter, and was a backup with Minnesota and Jacksonville before that. "Maybe a backside corner, certain blitzes, how defensive ends are dropping off the blitzes -- certain little things like that that you don't necessarily see. Your eyes are in different places."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, now in his second season, was thrust into the starting role in Game 3 of his rookie year after veteran Tommy Maddox was injured, and has since retained the job. He has found the input and assistance from Maddox to be invaluable.
"Tommy has helped me out more than anybody else," Roethlisberger said, "and the reason is: Who better to get advice and input from than the person who's been out there, who's been through it, who's seen the looks, who's getting the blitzes you're getting?
"The second I get off the field, he's the first person I go to. I take the pictures to him, I talk to him, ask what he saw, tell him what I saw, and ask him if I was right, if I was wrong. Without his help and his influence, it would make my job a lot tougher. Our styles are so different, but we still work together and use each other's skills to help the team."
The backup must also be seen as a team leader as much as the starter, so he has the responsibility of translating his comfort level and proficiency to his teammates just as the starter does.
"The backup has to earn his respect from the rest of the players too," said Fiedler. "With most teams, eventually he's going to get in there and he's going to be in the huddle. And when he gets there, the 10 other guys out there have to say, 'We can trust this guy.' It takes all the work through the offseason, training camp, the preseason games and everything else to earn that respect that you get from those guys."
Bill Musgrave, the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins, who in addition to working with his current roster of quarterbacks -- Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey and Jason Campbell -- has also contributed to the development and success of other signal-callers such as Jeff George, Peyton Manning and Steve Beuerlein, after serving six years as an NFL backup. Originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1991, Musgrave worked behind several Hall of Famers, including Joe Montana and Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers, and John Elway of the Denver Broncos. He embraced the role as a way to help his team and used it as a training ground as he looked ahead to a coaching career.
In addition to learning their own offense, the backups are responsible for running the scout team for the defense during practice. It's a crucial part of every team's preparation, and Musgrave took it as such.
"I always enjoyed the backup part," he said. "I'd always come in the mornings and find (defensive coordinators) Ray Rhodes or Greg Robinson or Ed Donatell and find out what they needed from the scout team that week and what plays the other team excelled at and tried to serve my role as best I could.
"I'd like to believe it helped me become more well rounded in football knowledge. When you play offense, you really just deal with offensive terminology and how an offense attacks a defense, but it's good to get another perspective and get a little bit of insight into how defenses are structured and coached as well."
The title might be backup, but when it comes to helping a team do what it needs to do, the job is hardly inconsequential.
By Lisa Zimmerman
Special to NFL.com
(Oct. 5, 2005) -- John Milton, the 17th century author, once wrote, "They also serve who only stand and wait." Almost 400 years later, this line is no more applicable than when describing the role of an NFL backup quarterback.
Recent events around the league have shown that the backup quarterback role is enormously important because they must be ready to go at a moment's notice and also because the quarterbacks are truly partners in both preparation and execution. Take the case of the New York Jets, where Chad Pennington went down with a re-injured shoulder and Jay Fiedler stepped in, and then Fiedler was subsequently hurt and Brooks Bollinger was suddenly catapulted into the starting role.
While the perception may be that backups are standing around, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for something to happen, that's not the case.
Brooks Bollinger took some hits as a backup-turned-starter, and now he will be a backup again to Vinny Testaverde.
Prior to the advent of the wireless headset, backups were generally responsible for signaling in the plays to the starter on the field. While that job has been rendered almost unnecessary, there is still a lot to do. On game day, the backup quarterbacks are literally another set of eyes to assess some of the details of the defense that the starter may not have an opportunity to absorb during an offensive series.
"I know when I was starting I'd always ask the backup guys to look for certain things that, when you're out on the field, you don't necessarily see," said Fiedler, who prior to joining the Jets was the Miami Dolphins starter, and was a backup with Minnesota and Jacksonville before that. "Maybe a backside corner, certain blitzes, how defensive ends are dropping off the blitzes -- certain little things like that that you don't necessarily see. Your eyes are in different places."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, now in his second season, was thrust into the starting role in Game 3 of his rookie year after veteran Tommy Maddox was injured, and has since retained the job. He has found the input and assistance from Maddox to be invaluable.
"Tommy has helped me out more than anybody else," Roethlisberger said, "and the reason is: Who better to get advice and input from than the person who's been out there, who's been through it, who's seen the looks, who's getting the blitzes you're getting?
"The second I get off the field, he's the first person I go to. I take the pictures to him, I talk to him, ask what he saw, tell him what I saw, and ask him if I was right, if I was wrong. Without his help and his influence, it would make my job a lot tougher. Our styles are so different, but we still work together and use each other's skills to help the team."
The backup must also be seen as a team leader as much as the starter, so he has the responsibility of translating his comfort level and proficiency to his teammates just as the starter does.
"The backup has to earn his respect from the rest of the players too," said Fiedler. "With most teams, eventually he's going to get in there and he's going to be in the huddle. And when he gets there, the 10 other guys out there have to say, 'We can trust this guy.' It takes all the work through the offseason, training camp, the preseason games and everything else to earn that respect that you get from those guys."
Bill Musgrave, the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins, who in addition to working with his current roster of quarterbacks -- Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey and Jason Campbell -- has also contributed to the development and success of other signal-callers such as Jeff George, Peyton Manning and Steve Beuerlein, after serving six years as an NFL backup. Originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1991, Musgrave worked behind several Hall of Famers, including Joe Montana and Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers, and John Elway of the Denver Broncos. He embraced the role as a way to help his team and used it as a training ground as he looked ahead to a coaching career.
In addition to learning their own offense, the backups are responsible for running the scout team for the defense during practice. It's a crucial part of every team's preparation, and Musgrave took it as such.
"I always enjoyed the backup part," he said. "I'd always come in the mornings and find (defensive coordinators) Ray Rhodes or Greg Robinson or Ed Donatell and find out what they needed from the scout team that week and what plays the other team excelled at and tried to serve my role as best I could.
"I'd like to believe it helped me become more well rounded in football knowledge. When you play offense, you really just deal with offensive terminology and how an offense attacks a defense, but it's good to get another perspective and get a little bit of insight into how defenses are structured and coached as well."
The title might be backup, but when it comes to helping a team do what it needs to do, the job is hardly inconsequential.