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Marc pictured above with Jerry Rice. The two
reunited in Oakland during 2002 season and
Rice caught 104 passes. In 1995 in San
Francisco, with Marc serving as offensive
coordinator, Rice had 122 catches, 1848 yards
and NFL Record 15 touchdowns.
return home
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SCHAUB READY FOR HIS SHOT
Matt Schaub looks to write a new chapter in Houston
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Originally published
on Sept. 7
Marc is a writing a
weekly
scouting column for SI.com |
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 I
believe Houston Texans have hit the jackpot with the
acquisition of Matt Schaub.
The are multiple reasons why he will succeed, some are
conveniently due to coincidences that preceded Matt's
arrival to Houston. It has worked like this. Please stay
with me.
After being a backup QB to Steve Young for George
Seifert’s 1994 World Champion 49ers, Bill Musgrave
decided to follow then QB Coach Gary Kubiak and former
49er Offensive Coordinator Mike Shanahan to the Denver
Broncos to be the backup to Hall of Famer John Elway.
During that time Musgrave solidified not only a strong
relationship with the two but grew in his understanding
of the "West Coast Offense", to such a degree that Bill
decided to become a coach and was hired in 1997 to be
the QB coach in Oakland for Mr. Davis's Oakland Raiders.
In 2001 and 2002 after coaching stints for George
Seifert in Carolina with the Panthers , Musgrave became
the Offensive Coordinator at the University of Virginia.
At Virginia, Musgrave mentored a young Matt Schaub and
taught him the West Coast Offense.
I evaluated Matt Schaub coming out of Virginia in 2004.
I sincerely believe he was playing in the best coached
offense in college football and executing the principles
of the West Coast Offense better than any college QB
ever had. It was clear to me by watching the structure
of the offense, his footwork and superior accuracy that
"West Coast" style NFL teams would embrace the
opportunity to draft him.
It did not surprise me that the Atlanta Falcons, running
the "west coast" terminology and passing game drafted
Matt Schaub in the 3rd round. It would be easy for me to
say after the fact that Matt Schaub should have gone
higher, but the fact is that when you can complete 67%
of your passes over 4 years at a Division 1 school, your
chances of NFL success is at least reasonable. I enjoyed
speaking with Matt at the "04 Indianapolis Combine. I
didn't see any flaws, just a quiet somewhat shy young
man with obvious intelligence.
It was clear by the tape that Matt had the size and arm
strength that the scouts look for. He had an entire
inventory of throws, was accurate and made quick
spontaneous decisions in a well designed offense. Matt
had just enough mobility to avoid in the pocket, and
showed toughness and reasonable durabilty playing 40
college games over his career in Charlottesville.
Shaub was reunited with Musgrave in Atlanta when Bill
was hired to coach the QB's. For 8 years, 3 in Atlanta
and 5 in his years at Virginia, Matt Schaub played in an
offense he will essentially run next Sunday against the
Chiefs in Houston. We know who his Head Coach will be,
but it is ironic that his QB coach will be a young Kyle
Shanahan the next generation of West Coast coaches and
his offensive coordinator will be Mike Sherman, a
disciple of Mike Holmgren who preceded Mike Shanahan at
San Francisco. Matt Schaub is 26 years old, and has
spent the last 3 years watching and learning how to
handle the NFL pressures of running this offense against
NFL caliber defenses. He has spent the last 7 years in
principally the same offense and he is More than ready
to lead a Houston Texans team that is more than ready to
have him.
Matt Schaub has single handedly begun to change the
culture of the Texans. He has become a factor by
practicing more efficiently and bringing the locker room
closer together. He has also has alllowed Kubiak and
Sherman to be creative with the offense because of
Matt’s intelligence and fundamental understanding of the
offense.
The NFL is about the QB and it always will be. As Matt
Schaub takes center stage on Sunday, The Texans will be
writing a new chapter in their history. It will be more
than just a coincidence. |
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REMEMBERING BILL
Reflections on my relationship with a coaching legend
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Originally published
on Aug. 21
Marc is a writing a
weekly
scouting column for SI.com |
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 When
I was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings in
1986, the San Francisco 49ers asked permission to
interview me for the quarterbacks coaching position
under Bill Walsh. The Vikings turned them down and my
chance to learn under Coach Walsh was put on hold.
Then, in 1989, I was the offensive coordinator of the
Cleveland Browns and had the good fortune to cross paths
with Coach Walsh in a TV production meeting when he was
an analyst for NBC. I had a number of questions for him
and was amazed at his patience. His responses were
different from any coach I had ever spoken to. His
ability to communicate the science of the game in a
unique and articulate fashion was incredible. After
leaving the meeting I humbly asked him if I could come
out and visit with him when time permitted. He was
extremely gracious in hoping I would look him up.
In 1995, that turned into reality when I became the
49ers offensive coordinator under George Seifert. To
train for the job I watched tapes of Coach Walsh
installing the West Coast offense, followed by Mike
Holmgen's and Mike Shanahan's presentation of the
offense. It was an incredible experience for me to get
into their minds as well as listen and watch Bill teach
this offense with his incredible salesmanship, detail,
and a dry sense of humor.
In my first year the Niners we lead the NFL in passing
and were second in total offense. Then the organization
brought Bill back as a consultant to the team. Some
members of the media seemed to think Bill was brought
back to run the offense and oversee George Seifert's
coaching staff. I refused to believe that was the case,
but there were many in the business who advised me to
resign the day I heard Bill was coming back.
I viewed Coach Walsh's arrival differently. I enjoyed
working for George Seifert and my wife and I loved the
Bay Area. I believed owner Eddie DeBartolo simply
thought Bill could be a tremendous resource to the
organization. I looked at it as the opportunity of a
lifetime and now there would be daily access to his
knowledge.
My experience with Bill during the 1996 season was an
amazing journey into the mind of a football legend. He
gave me daily notes of what he saw in practice, which
was a unique insight into his original vision of the
offense and the training of the quarterback. I asked him
to coach a QB workout during the offseason. What I got
was a first-hand clinic of training that has helped me
dramatically over the last decade, reinforcing my
knowledge and passion for the game's most important
position. Once again, in 1996 we had one of the better
teams and top offenses in the league.
Bill always spoke to me as an equal with the utmost
professional respect. When I first referred to him as
Coach Walsh he would politely ask me to call him "Bill."
As accomplished, knowledgeable and frankly brilliant as
Coach Walsh was, he was never arrogant or demeaning. I
knew he missed addressing the team, so with Coach
Seifert's approval, I asked him to speak with the
offense early in the 1996 season. His insights and
presentation was amazing. The meeting was blown
completely out of proportion, interpreted by some as him
taking over the offense. What he gave the players,
especially those who had never heard him speak was well
worth the negative fallout.
Our discussions went way beyond play development and QB
reads. Bill opened up to me about his growth in the
profession, how Paul Brown helped develop his coaching
philosophy and his disappointment in not being named
Coach Brown's successor in Cincinnati.
When we got on the bus to travel to the airport, hotel,
or stadium, I always tried to ride with Bill. I had
pre-planned questions to pick his incredible mind on a
variety of subjects from QB play to managing the
organization, drafting and scouting philosophy and much
more. Bill always gave incredibly articulate responses
and was unselfish with the information. I really
believed he loved spending time with young coaches. I
know there were many coaches like myself and many more
that were closer to him than I was who owe so much to
Bill. I have talked to coaches over the years that were
amazed when they called Coach Walsh or dropped him a
note, they would receive a personal response in a
reasonable amount of time. I am not just talking pro or
college coaches, but high school coaches as well.
As the offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2002,
just two days after our offense finished at the top of
the NFL, I received a beautiful note from Bill in his
large, unique printing style with a warm note of
congratulations.
I had a chance to start my NFL coaching career working
for Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant. He is my mentor and
his leadership qualities, game management and
observational skills were off the charts, and he would
always take time to educate me on many important aspects
of life and the game. Coach Grant's long-time offensive
coordinator was Jerry Burns, who coach Walsh admitted to
me on a number of occasions was a major influence on the
principles of the West Coast offense. But Coach Walsh
put it together from top to bottom, implementing an
organizational style, meeting and practice format, as
well as player development and evaluation process that
is implemented by so many NFL teams today.
I spoke to Bill just weeks before his death. He was
spending whatever time he could with his wife Geri and
helping Jim Harbaugh evaluate his program at Stanford.
Jim was excited about having Bill around, and Coach
Walsh was happy for the opportunity to be of assistance
to a program he loved.
Like so many others, I had dropped Bill notes over the
last year encouraging a speedy and complete recovery
from Leukemia. I could sense he was weak and battling
through his illness as best he could. During the years I
coached on the West Coast, we had an annual lunch date
at a small restaurant near his home. I was always amazed
that he would take the time out of a very busy schedule
to spend a few hours with me. I had made plans to get
out to the West Coast in the next couple of months, as
much to renew that tradition. I couldn't wait to sit
down with him again and catch up on family, world events
and, of course, football. I am sure there are many
coaches out there who had hoped to cross paths with him
as well, wanting to pick his brain on subjects related
to football and beyond.
I am not here professing that I had a close friendship
with Coach Walsh. I did not, but I had a tremendous
opportunity to get to know him. Bill Walsh was tagged
with the term, "genius." I am here to tell you Bill was
just that, but he was also a gentleman and a class act.
Without question, the game and those lives he touched
will forever be better. |
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HOW
TO WATCH TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE
Ten tips for seeing the game through eyes of a coach
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Originally published
on July 27
Marc is a writing a
weekly
scouting column for SI.com |
One of my great thrills growing up in Minnesota was
taking the 90-minute drive with my dad to watch Coach
Bud Grant's Vikings train in Mankato, a small college
town in the southeastern part of the state.
It was a thrill to cross paths at camp with my boyhood
idols, Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Bill Brown and Carl
Eller. Part of the fun was getting autographs, and a
large majority of the athletes were cordial and took the
time to shake hands and spend a minute with fans. The
same can be said of most of today's players.
The tradition of visiting training camps has changed
over the years. There are fewer players in camp than
years ago, and teams might already have met three or
four times with OTAs and minicamps. But it's still a big
thrill to see your favorite players up close.
That said, what else should you really be looking for
during these trips. Here are 10 tips for watching
training camp like a coach and looking for the things
they consider important:
1. Protect the QB
Most head coaches will tell you that as much as they
want tough, physical practices their most important job
during practice is player safety. The Collective
Bargaining Agreement and salary cap makes an injury to a
starter a catastrophic event. The staff tries to instill
a "common respect" in players and demands they make a
conscious attempt to avoid a situation that could lead
to a teammate's injury.
READ MORE |
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2007
DRAFT OBSERVATIONS:
During my 17 years in the National Football League the
drafting of the quarterback has never been nor will it
ever be an exact science. That is because the most
important quality of the quarterback, the “it” factor,
the intangible that enables the quarterback to handle
the extreme mental and emotional aspects that go into
being successful in the NFL cannot accurately be
measured.
The most recent of these great players is of course Tom
Brady who was bypassed until the New England Patriots
drafted him in the 6th round (#199) of the 2000 NFL
draft. A great many of the League’s highly paid and
experienced talent evaluators passed on one of the
game’s all time best players.
During the month of March I had the good fortune of
spending three days at one of the NFL’s great shrines.
The NFL Films facility just outside of downtown
Philadelphia with Greg Cossell (the longtime producer of
the highly acclaimed “NFL Matchup Show”) and Ron
Jaworski looking at a select group of this year’s top
college quarterback prospects. Over three days I focused
on the following 7 QB’s:
1) Jamarcus
Russell
2) Brady Quinn
3) John Beck
4) Kevin Kolb
5) Trent Edwards
6) Drew Stanton
7) Jordan Palmer |
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EVALUATING A QB’S
ABILITY TO PLAY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL:
I have been very lucky to have worked with some of
the game’s best coaches and with many outstanding
pro personnel and scouting experts. They have been
incredibly helpful in establishing a philosophy as
it relates to evaluating talent. My passion has
always been the QB position. A position so
inherently vital to an organizations success, yet so
difficult and arguably more subjective than any
position in all of sports.
In evaluating a QB I believe there are 4 MUSTS that
give the QB a chance to play successfully at the
highest level: |
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A) The NFL QB
MUST have a complete assortment (inventory) of
passes that enable an offense to pressure the
opposing defense to defend the entire field
vertically deep down the middle and
horizontally from sideline to sideline. This
means he must drop in the deep ball from long
range, throw the 20 yard comeback from the
opposite hash, fire the ball over the middle
in tight spaces, and take some “juice” off the
check down or screen pass so his receivers are
able to make the catch at close range.
B) The NFL QB MUST make quick and spontaneous
decisions amidst the chaos of a pass rush,
complex coverage, and incredible speed of the
game on a play by play basis. There is an
instinctive prerequisite here, but also unique
neurological development that enables the QB
to diagnose coverage and make a split second
decision that runs from his eyes (for
location) to feet (for throwing position) back
up the body to the arm where the brain
measures the velocity necessary, depth
perception, and location. This is the
definition of a “quick decision maker”.
C) The NFL QB MUST be “MOBILE”. There are 3
important types of mobility necessary to
effectively play the position in the NFL: |
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1) The mobility
to inherently feel pressure while looking up
the field. To be “nifty” enough to calmly
slide to the right or left, or “climb” to find
what I call the “quiet area” of the pocket,
then to step and deliver with a complete
throwing motion.
2) The mobility that if “flushed” from the
pocket by pressure, that he can accurately
deliver the ball on the run at a reasonable
distance without having to stop, set, and
throw.
3) The mobility to run and gain yards beyond
the line of scrimmage is not necessarily a
prerequisite like 1) and 2), but once the QB
has exhausted his progressions in the pocket
or has been flushed out early, there is
nothing more demoralizing to the defense and
their coordinator than with viable receivers
covered, or a free rusher in his face to have
the QB escape for positive yardage and/or a
first down. |
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NOTE: What you
don’t want to see is a QB who leaves the
pocket before he has exhausted his
progressions and viable receivers. This will
lead to a complete breakdown of the best
coached passing offenses. |
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4) The NFL QB
MUST be able to take defenseless shots from
the opposition and have the physical and
mental toughness to get back on his feet, get
in the huddle, call the next play, and go to
the line and execute it at the highest level.
All within 40 seconds or less! |
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SUMMARY: In
conclusion, the 4 “MUSTS” of the QB to effectively
compete in the NFL only give him a chance to succeed
at the game’s toughest and most highly technical
position. The quarterbacks at every level have this
relative ability, but it is the “IT FACTOR” that
sets them apart. |
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