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Petty combines swagger with stats
By Jim Thomas
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty drops back to throw the ball during practice for the Senior Bowl college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
MOBILE, ALA. • If you like your quarterbacks with a sense of humor and a little swagger, Bryce Petty’s your guy.
As he begins the tricky transition from a spread system in college to the NFL, Petty was asked if he ever made a seven-step drop in college.
“At Baylor, the only seven-step I ever did was to ...” Petty replied.
And then he demonstrated. He backed up a few steps ... into the shotgun position. It was pretty funny. OK, maybe you had to see it.
“No, never did a seven-step drop,” he said, smiling.
With that being the case, has Petty been to one of those quarterback gurus to help with the adjustment to NFL-style offenses?
“No, I’m actually coaching myself,” Petty said.
Petty paused just long enough to sound believable.
Then he added, “No, I’m just kidding.”
It was pretty funny. Again, maybe you had to be there.
Petty wants to be there — in the NFL for sure, but also in the conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL draft.
There seems to be little debate here that Petty, competing for the North squad, is the top prospect competing at the Senior Bowl. Which means he’s under scrutiny by the Rams’ scouting department and coaches in their efforts to address the quarterback position.
Part of the battle for Petty is debunking the stigma that “system” quarterbacks in college can’t make it in the pros.
“For me, it’s all about embracing the opportunity of being here,” Petty said. “Trying to show those guys that hey, I haven’t worked on it a whole, whole lot but that I still wanted to come out here and show you guys that I have worked on it.
“So hopefully that says something. I’m willing to compete in that sense. Even though it’s not perfect, it’s not crisp, I’m still working on things.”
Since shortly after Baylor’s Cotton Bowl loss to Michigan State, Petty has been working with well-known west coast QB guru George Whitfield on all things related to dropbacks, working under center and the footwork necessary to run a pro-style offense. It’s been a little bumpy at times this week in Mobile.
“For me, what I want to get out of each day is just not to get down on myself,” he said. “I’m kind of a perfectionist at heart. When I say ‘kinda,’ I mean extremely. So there’s a lot of things that I take to heart. Missing calls. Missing run steps (on handoffs). Things like that.”
Petty called the difference between what he ran in college to what he’s learning with the Tennessee Titans staff — which is coaching the North — like going from checkers to chess.
“You’ve got to be three steps ahead in the NFL,” Petty said. “And that’s the kind of game that I’m excited for. I’m excited to kind of showcase the football (knowledge) just as much as the athleticism. I think without the combination of the two, you’re not going to be very successful.”
Petty mastered the game of checkers at Baylor once he got a chance to play. Petty, who was born in Georgia but played his high school ball in Midlothian, Texas, threw only 14 passes during his first three seasons on the Baylor roster. (One was a redshirt year.)
But when his time finally came in 2013, he made the most of it. As a two-year starter, he threw for 8,055 yards, 62 touchdowns, and threw just 10 interceptions in 25 games. That averages out to 322 yards per game for the Bears, who won the Big 12 title in 2013 and shared the crown with TCU in ’14.
“He’s a fierce competitor,” said wide receiver Antwan Goodley, Petty’s teammate at Baylor and on the North squad. “We came in here (to Baylor), we had to wait our time, we play with a chip on our shoulder.
“And when we got out there, we knew we had something to prove. We went out there with that mindset, that no one was gonna stop us. I love him to death. He’s a great guy to be around. A great leader. So I looked up to him a lot.”
Petty presents a relaxed, almost carefree manner, but there’s more it. At Baylor he had a reputation as one of those first-to-arrive, last-to-leave guys. He spent a lot of time in the weight room. At Senior Bowl media night, one reporter suggested he was built like a safety, not a quarterback.
“It’s the jacket,” Petty said, laughing.
Petty does have some athleticism, and can move around and out of the pocket.
“I can extend plays if I need to,” he said. “So it’s another dimension that I want to showcase here. And I’m hoping to produce a spark in the sense that, hey, I want to pull for this kid.”
Arm strength isn’t an issue.
“I think Petty is probably the most intriguing guy here,” said one veteran scout. “Because even just watching the first five minutes of practice he clearly has a strong enough arm.
“For those people that saw him in that system at Baylor, and said, ‘I don’t know if he has arm strength,’ he’s clearly shown already the arm’s not the issue.
“Now, he’s gonna have to learn to be in a traditional offense. Make the reads, the protections, all that. But at least just looking here — physically he can do it.”
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... 9047e.html
By Jim Thomas
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty drops back to throw the ball during practice for the Senior Bowl college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
MOBILE, ALA. • If you like your quarterbacks with a sense of humor and a little swagger, Bryce Petty’s your guy.
As he begins the tricky transition from a spread system in college to the NFL, Petty was asked if he ever made a seven-step drop in college.
“At Baylor, the only seven-step I ever did was to ...” Petty replied.
And then he demonstrated. He backed up a few steps ... into the shotgun position. It was pretty funny. OK, maybe you had to see it.
“No, never did a seven-step drop,” he said, smiling.
With that being the case, has Petty been to one of those quarterback gurus to help with the adjustment to NFL-style offenses?
“No, I’m actually coaching myself,” Petty said.
Petty paused just long enough to sound believable.
Then he added, “No, I’m just kidding.”
It was pretty funny. Again, maybe you had to be there.
Petty wants to be there — in the NFL for sure, but also in the conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL draft.
There seems to be little debate here that Petty, competing for the North squad, is the top prospect competing at the Senior Bowl. Which means he’s under scrutiny by the Rams’ scouting department and coaches in their efforts to address the quarterback position.
Part of the battle for Petty is debunking the stigma that “system” quarterbacks in college can’t make it in the pros.
“For me, it’s all about embracing the opportunity of being here,” Petty said. “Trying to show those guys that hey, I haven’t worked on it a whole, whole lot but that I still wanted to come out here and show you guys that I have worked on it.
“So hopefully that says something. I’m willing to compete in that sense. Even though it’s not perfect, it’s not crisp, I’m still working on things.”
Since shortly after Baylor’s Cotton Bowl loss to Michigan State, Petty has been working with well-known west coast QB guru George Whitfield on all things related to dropbacks, working under center and the footwork necessary to run a pro-style offense. It’s been a little bumpy at times this week in Mobile.
“For me, what I want to get out of each day is just not to get down on myself,” he said. “I’m kind of a perfectionist at heart. When I say ‘kinda,’ I mean extremely. So there’s a lot of things that I take to heart. Missing calls. Missing run steps (on handoffs). Things like that.”
Petty called the difference between what he ran in college to what he’s learning with the Tennessee Titans staff — which is coaching the North — like going from checkers to chess.
“You’ve got to be three steps ahead in the NFL,” Petty said. “And that’s the kind of game that I’m excited for. I’m excited to kind of showcase the football (knowledge) just as much as the athleticism. I think without the combination of the two, you’re not going to be very successful.”
Petty mastered the game of checkers at Baylor once he got a chance to play. Petty, who was born in Georgia but played his high school ball in Midlothian, Texas, threw only 14 passes during his first three seasons on the Baylor roster. (One was a redshirt year.)
But when his time finally came in 2013, he made the most of it. As a two-year starter, he threw for 8,055 yards, 62 touchdowns, and threw just 10 interceptions in 25 games. That averages out to 322 yards per game for the Bears, who won the Big 12 title in 2013 and shared the crown with TCU in ’14.
“He’s a fierce competitor,” said wide receiver Antwan Goodley, Petty’s teammate at Baylor and on the North squad. “We came in here (to Baylor), we had to wait our time, we play with a chip on our shoulder.
“And when we got out there, we knew we had something to prove. We went out there with that mindset, that no one was gonna stop us. I love him to death. He’s a great guy to be around. A great leader. So I looked up to him a lot.”
Petty presents a relaxed, almost carefree manner, but there’s more it. At Baylor he had a reputation as one of those first-to-arrive, last-to-leave guys. He spent a lot of time in the weight room. At Senior Bowl media night, one reporter suggested he was built like a safety, not a quarterback.
“It’s the jacket,” Petty said, laughing.
Petty does have some athleticism, and can move around and out of the pocket.
“I can extend plays if I need to,” he said. “So it’s another dimension that I want to showcase here. And I’m hoping to produce a spark in the sense that, hey, I want to pull for this kid.”
Arm strength isn’t an issue.
“I think Petty is probably the most intriguing guy here,” said one veteran scout. “Because even just watching the first five minutes of practice he clearly has a strong enough arm.
“For those people that saw him in that system at Baylor, and said, ‘I don’t know if he has arm strength,’ he’s clearly shown already the arm’s not the issue.
“Now, he’s gonna have to learn to be in a traditional offense. Make the reads, the protections, all that. But at least just looking here — physically he can do it.”
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... 9047e.html
