Football Notebook
April 23, 2009 09:25 AM | General
April 23, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Bill Stewart doesn’t want to take the gun out of gunslinger Jarrett Brown’s holster. But there are times, though, when Stewart would like for Brown to use common sense when he’s flinging footballs all over the field.
“You saw him going to his left and throwing balls like a circus act out there across the field ...,” Stewart said after Saturday’s Gold-Blue Game. “That scares me to death.”
Without question Brown has one of the strongest arms in college football. There is not a throw that he can’t make. However, possessing a strong arm sometimes makes it tempting to force things that are not there, and that is a recipe for disaster.
“One scrimmage out here I went over to him and told him, ‘You make one more throw like that and you will never quarterback this football team,’” Stewart said. “The one he threw across the body (Saturday) and the official does this (Stewart motions touchdown), as a coach you say, ‘That was a great throw. Just be careful.’”
Stewart wants Brown to harness his God given abilities within the confines of the offense.
“He wants to make every play but sometimes you have to learn to retreat. There is nothing wrong with a punt,” Stewart said. “Whenever I was an offensive coordinator in high school, college and the pros I said, ‘You’ve got to protect this football.’ We can punt the ball, give it back to them, and make them throw a pick or whatever.
“Don’t make every play. Sometimes youngsters have a feeling that they have to make every play and that’s when they get into trouble.”
Stewart is quick to point out that Brown has yet to lose a football game as a Mountaineer starter. He’s won games healthy (Rutgers) and hurt (Syracuse).
“I will never forget that day out there against Syracuse,” Stewart recalled. “He got dinged the week before and he couldn’t pick his arm up. I said, ‘Buddy, just do the best you can and hang in there. If you get a throw every now and then try to stick it into the hole.’ He just couldn’t throw it.
“But I also remember the night against Rutgers during the triple-overtime game when he was healthy and he put us in the (Gator Bowl).”
Brown was far from perfect on Saturday, despite completing a spectacular 21 of 28 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Stewart said there were some subtle things Brown missed that he needs to pick up when the stats starting counting for real this fall.
“Jarrett missed a protection that kind of got me upset before the end of the half,” Stewart noted. “Some of that is coaching on my part. We have to call a certain protection down in the red zone anticipating the blitz. We called a five-man protection and he has to slide it and we probably should have called a six-man protection. But he will get better at that.”
Brown admitted last week that he is beginning to see the finer points of the offense.
“As we’ve gotten deeper into the spring we are seeing more dimensions of the offense,” Brown said. “We are starting to look at it from the coaches’ perspective. I have started picking the mind of Coach (Jeff) Mullen and that’s what he wanted me to do.”
Brown said there may even be times when Mullen will give him the freedom to call plays, much like Pat White did during the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
That time will come when Mullen is confident that Brown fully understands what is going on. Unlike White, Brown has the advantage of having had a full year to study the system.
“Pat went through one of those stages of going through the rough part because this was the first year learning it,” Brown explained. “I was able to sit back and learn and watch and I was able to learn from his mistakes. Coach Mullen is finding better ways to teach it so he’s teaching it to me and Coley (White) a different way than he taught it to Pat.”
Briefly:
Brown raised a few eyebrows last week when he stated that he may be given a hand in some of the play calling next year. With the previous coaching staff, all of the play calls were shared between the head coach and the offensive coordinator communicating from the press box.
Bob Hertzel had a column Monday in the Fairmont Times about the philosophy of play calling.
That reminded me of a funny story Fred Wyant once told me. Back in the 1950s, the quarterbacks handled all play calls.
“I remember jogging over to the sideline to ask Pappy Lewis if there was anything specific he wanted me to run,” Wyant remembered. “Pappy said, ‘No, just go ahead and keep on doing what you’re doing. You’re doing fine.’”
It’s amazing how much the game has changed since then.
Brown was asked after Wednesday’s practice to reveal the one thing the casual fan didn’t know about Pat White.
“He was very intelligent,” said Brown. “First, he was in a running offense and he perfected it. Then he was in a passing offense and he picked up on the little things. He was able to build and everyday he got better.”
Brown was also asked to compare the coaching styles of Bob Huggins, Bill Stewart and Rich Rodriguez. Brown spent a semester last year playing on the Mountaineer basketball team.
“Playing for Huggs made me a better person,” Brown admitted. “I can tell you one thing, there was a lot more running. I just love the way he coaches. He is straightforward with you and I liked that most about him. He’s just a great guy and I loved being around him - and Coach Stew is the same way.
“I am fortunate that I was able to play for both.”
Asked to name one player who will surprise people next season, Brown picked sophomore safety Robert Sands. Brown said they have been sharing tips and studying film together during their spare time.
“He’s making me better,” Brown said. “He can move very well for his size and I’ve really got to put the ball on the money when he’s back there.”
Don’t discount the important of having bigger targets to throw to in the passing game this year. It is far easier having a 6-4 quarterback throw passes downfield to receivers standing 6-8, 6-3 and 6-2 than it is a 6-foot quarterback throwing to 5-8 receivers. Stewart made that point after Saturday’s Gold-Blue game.
“Jarrett is a big, tall man throwing to big, tall men,” he said. “We have not had this kind of size lately out there.”
And that does not include 6-foot-5 tight end Tyler Urban, 6-2 freshman wide receiver Logan Heastie, and 6-2 junior college transfer Terrance Moore, who will be arriving this summer.
Incoming freshman quarterback Gino Smith is not a small man either, standing 6-3.
Speaking of size, have you noticed the number of tall players signed this year by Stewart’s staff. If heights are to be believed, the Mountaineers landed eight players 6-4 or taller in this year’s class of 25 signees. By my count, there are only 15 players standing 6-4 or taller on this year’s entire spring roster.
It appears that West Virginia is making a philosophical shift toward recruiting bigger players - particularly at the skill positions.
