Football teams talk a lot about the quarterback being the face of the franchise, but as a team sport, the signal caller is only as good as the pieces he has around him.

If there is no chemistry with wide receivers, positive results on the field are hard to come by.

Adam Neugebauer – current wide receiver coach at Georgetown University – has worked numerous National Team events (Regional Development Camps, National Development Games and the International Bowl), and he knows first-hand how quarterbacks and wide receivers are a package deal.

“The best duos in the game practice hours and hours together just to get one simple route down,” Neugebauer said. “In a practice, QBs and WRs must work together in order for the team reps to be successful. This means individual periods become QB and WR periods.

“These two positions will need to understand exactly where each of them will be at and they must also think alike as well.”

A perfect example, Neugebauer explains, is a slant route.

If the wide receiver gets a press coverage look the quarterback might give the wideout a simple signal to tell him to run a vertical route. As the receiver is running a go-route, the quarterback could possibly throw a back-shoulder throw based off the corner’s technique and coverage.

“All of this thinking and ability is not just pure luck, but hours and hours of practice,” the former QB coach at Tiffin University said. “The QBs and WRs should be the last ones to leave the field at all times. Due to time restraints, coaches sometimes are not allowed to be out on the field, so we call these extra throws plus-ones.”

Neugebauer said this is normally the standard for his quarterbacks and wide receivers at Georgetown.

The players know they will stay out on the field and work their craft no matter what the outcome of practice may be – there is always something to work on – whether it’s a throw on 4th down or a touchdown to win the game, players must dream it and rep it every day.

The connection between QB and WR also expands to the meeting room as well because it’s important for wideouts to hear the quarterbacks being coached up and what they look for.

“You would be surprised what questions we get from WRs hearing how QBs are being coached in meetings,” Neugebauer said.

Those questions turn into answers on the football field the more quarterbacks and wide recievers are on the same page because of extra practice time together.