The value of a strong work ethic is essential to the quarterback position. There is an old saying in sports: “It is not what you do when the coach or teammates are watching but what you do when you are by yourself and no one is watching.” A quarterback does not need teammates or a coach at his workout sessions to afford him the opportunity to develop and refine his skills.

During my three years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at University of California-Berkeley, I had the fortune to coach Troy Taylor, who started every year at quarterback for the Golden Bears and later went on to play in the NFL for the New York Jets. Troy brought a hunger to the quarterback position to get better every day, a quick mind for learning the offense and an endless work ethic.

During our initial season together, it was common for coaches to arrive at the football office at 6:30 a.m. One Tuesday morning during game week against UCLA, I opened my office door and heard the film projector running. The office lights were out, and on the floor was Troy studying film from the previous day’s practice. Troy jumped up and said, “Coach, I don’t have class until 8:30 a.m.”

The next morning, I adjusted my routine and arrived a half hour earlier – 6 a.m. Opening the office door, I heard the click, click, click sound of the projector welcoming me again. There is our quarterback scrambling to his feet proclaiming, “I know we can move the ball on the Bruins. And, Coach, I don’t have class until 9:30 a.m.”

That night before leaving my office, I placed a pillow and blanket on the floor with a note, “Troy, in case you need a place to sleep – this may make it more comfortable.” Upon arriving early again on Thursday morning, I swung open my office door but heard no sounds of the projector clicking. I switched on the lights, and there was a note on my desk, “Hey, Coach, thanks for the bedding but disappointed you forgot my late night snack.” This quarterback truly had an appetite for football and a very quick mind.

What feeds this kind of appetite is a temperament to learn the finer points of the game and a passion to develop the skills and techniques it takes to play the position at a consistently high level. Every time a young, ascending quarterback takes the practice field, there are two options that awaits him. One is that a quarterback gets better with practice, or two is the quarterback descends in his development. No player stays the same. Making a conscious effort every time a quarterback steps onto the practice field, he must improve the specific skills and techniques it takes to play the position. A player must grow every day with the team’s offensive system and understand how his skills and mechanics dovetail with the other positions, creating a cohesive and functional offensive unit. Identify individual skills in every phase of practice – from the warm-up to agility drills through isolated position drills and into group/team periods.

A worthwhile exercise for a quarterback is to reflect back upon a typical practice session then identify and list all the skills that were exposed to him during practice. The checklist may alert the quarterback in terms of its volume. Now, multiply that listing by the number of practice days in the week, and the player now has a “QB tool box” of skills he will need to carry into the upcoming game. 

Troy started every game for four seasons and set a number of Cal passing records. His ability to make big plays with his quick mind and multiple QB skills led to many Golden Bear victories. Playing in 44 games during his college career, just imagine how many tools and skills he carried in his QB tool box.

Practice winning every day by bringing that “Golden” work ethic to the quarterback position.

Terry Shea is a longtime football coach at the NFL and college levels, serving as the Rutgers head coach and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator among his stops. He currently is the head coach of the Boston Brawlers of the Fall Experimental Football League and has helped train many NFL quarterbacks, including Robert Griffin III, Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, Aaron Murray, Blaine Gabbert and Trent Green. Click here to view his book, “Eyes Up,”which instructs and energizes quarterbacks and their coaches to improve on the field.