Brian Matthews
WeAreSC Editorial Director
Matt Barkley, Aaron Corp, Garrett Green and Mitch Mustain have all flashed the tools necessary to run this offensive machine, newly hired offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates will have his hands full as he sifts through countless hours of practice and game films.
With little to no experience working with each of the quarterbacks, Bates has had to rely on film to witness the strengths and weaknesses of each of the candidates involved.
“I went back and looked at all the spring practices,” said Bates of the quarterback situation. “I watched the game clips that they were in, but mainly studied spring because that’s when they got the most reps. I think this spring is very important for all four guys, and it’s wide open for all of them.
“I need to be with them. I need to be in the room communicating with them on what they’re thinking and what they’re seeing on the field, communicating play by play what they’re reads are and how they’re going through it.”
The problem with viewing film is the fact that no definitive answers are produced without firsthand experience working with each individual player.
As spring football approaches, Bates understands the importance of the fifteen days of practice, including the one-on-one time he feels necessary to deem a quarterback worthy of starting at USC.
“I can only know so much on tape,” he said of his knowledge of the quarterbacks and their abilities. “This spring is going to be big. Everybody is going to get a lot of reps, and we’re going to change who is getting the first and second reps and see how everyone handles the pressure.
“This spring is going to give us a lot of answers, but all four are great players. They did great things in high school and they’ve done great things since they’ve been here, so it’s exciting.”
When asked what he is searching for in each player, Bates immediately fired back with the concept of leadership.
While the leadership qualities of each of the quarterbacks has been questioned, the spring should reveal a great deal with so much at stake.
“Number one I first want to see who’s going to be the leader,” said Bates of what he will search for in his quarterbacks. “I want to see who is going to take charge. You are the leader of this offense, you command in the huddle and the audibles and play-calling.”
This intangible aspect to the position is not only important to the quarterback, but even more instrumental in the development of the team according to Bates.
“Before we even get to the practices you have to be a leader,” he went on to say of the quarterback position and what it will take to earn the starting position. “The team is going to follow you, when you’re fired up, they’re going to follow you.
“You can’t ever get down, and leadership is the most important thing as a start. Just execution, who’s making mistakes and who’s throwing the ball away when no one is open.”
Leadership will not be the only criteria required to earn the starting job, the ability to control the game and move the team will be equally as important.
“Game management is huge,” said Bates. “We have a great defense here, and we don’t want to put them in a bad situation at any time. It’s just understanding the game and execution, at the end of the day who is moving the team.”
The competition seems to feature two frontrunners in Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain, although incoming freshman Matt Barkley is slowly building his confidence as he looks to earn the job as a true freshman.
The question is, can a freshman realistically take the reigns of the quarterback position?
“Anything is possible,” said Bates when asked if Matt Barkley could possibly be the starting quarterback under center come time for San Jose St. “All the quarterbacks get the same shot, no one is ahead and no one is behind.
“I don’t know them on the field until we get to spring practice. I don’t want to sit here and talk about one guy specifically, but I think they’re all ready to be the next starting quarterback. We’ll just have to see who takes control during spring practices.”
As been the trend in past years, the coaching staff normally prefers to announce a starting quarterback following spring practice, providing adequate time for the time rally around that particular player and build confidence.
After speaking with Bates, that philosophy is something he certainly agrees with.
“I don’t have a timeline, but I would like to come out of spring with some kind of depth chart,” said Bates. “So everyone knows during the summer what they’re working for and what their goals should be. It could be during two-a-days, I don’t want to put a timeline on it.
“With fifteen practices I think someone is bound to take the lead.”
What makes Bates seem so calm and collected with a first year quarterback as a first year offensive coordinator?
Is it the expectations and recruiting rankings lumped on the shoulders of each of the candidates?
No. His quiet confidence seems to stem from the return of nine-of-eleven starts on the offensive side of the ball, most importantly, the offensive linemen up-front.
“More importantly having the offensive line coming back makes life a lot easier,” he said of the quarterbacks and their effectiveness during their first year with extended repetitions. “I don’t care what level you’re in, you can always establish the run to help get it (the passing game) going.
“We have all the running backs back. With that being said, it makes it easier for a young quarterback without placing the whole thing on your shoulders.”
After being presented with the question of just how much these teenagers could learn, Bates was more than impressed with the work ethic and hours of studying the game at USC.
A little surprised at first with the amount of knowledge these players can take in, he sees no limitations in what he can teach each individual player.
“I’ve studied the last month the passing game and the running game,” said Bates of just how much information he can cram into the minds of the USC football players. “I’m very impressed with how much they can handle. I’m going to find out in spring just how much they can, but right now looking at it, these kids are studying the game and they like the game.
“They’re putting the work into it to handle everything. What I’m witnessing upstairs, these guys are smart kids. They’re shifting, they’re motioning and they’re doing a lot of football. So right now I’m going to throw it all at them.
“Right now there doesn’t seem to be any limitations as to how much you can give them.”
The age difference from college to the NFL is substantial, although Bates firmly believes that everything can be traced back to a love of the game and a desire to always improve.
He cited the vast differences in age amongst the quarterbacks he had coached in his career, falling on polar opposite ends of the spectrum.
“We had (Jay) Cutler as a rookie,” said Bates of dealing with a teenager as opposed to a professional. “You’re going to get a free agent or draft a kid that’s 21-22. I don’t think there’s a big difference, these kids love football.
“I don’t care if you’re 10 or 25 or even Brad Johnson was 35 when we coached him at Tampa. It’s just football, they love the game and want to study football. The more information you can give them to get better, they’re going to take it and run with it. I don’t think there’s a difference from college to the NFL, you’re still coaching football.”
With this USC program remaining firm as one of the last pro-style offensive systems in college football, Bates cited that simple fact as one of the determining factors in his decision to coach at USC.
In the age of the “Wildcat” and spread-option offenses, the former Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator admired the execution at the college level.
“There’s no question,” answered Bates in regards to the USC pro-style offense making his decision any easier. “There’s some teams out there that do some great things offensively, but if you’re not from that family, it’d be a challenge.”
While no one is really sure what to expect from the offense next year, the tools are in place to improve upon last season’s numbers.
Only time will tell.
0 comments:
Post a Comment