Patrick Witt - Perfect Storm at Quarterback?
10 comments so far
April 19, 2007 by
The phrase "perfect storm" has entered the lexicon to describe any time a series of events coincide to create exceptional results. I'm going way out on a limb to speculate that NU has a "perfect storm" brewing at quarterback in the form of Patrick Witt. Why him and why now? Lots of reasons. Some have to do with the player himself - both his physical tools and intelligence. But, a lot of it has to do with the conditions of his entry in to NU, and the players he has surrounding him. And the comparisons to Harrison Beck -who also left high school early for Spring practice - are inevitable.
The Prospect
Let's start with the "measurables" that the recruiting guru's and Mel-Kiper-wannabe's all love. Witt stands 6'4 and 220 lbs as an 18-year old kid. Assuming a certain amount of growth, development and conditioning, that alone helps him play the price of admission in to the quarterback club. In what will be the first of many Harrison Beck comparisons - Beck only went 6'1'', 205 pounds. That is a major difference.
Witt's mental makeup is where I think he has the chance to really stand out. This young man is very, very bright. His brother is in the Ivy League. And Witt could be on academic scholarship at nearly any school in the country, without his big arm. This means a lot, considering the complexity of NU's current offense. Hey, let's not overstate things. Football is checkers, not chess. It's more physical that cerebral. That's for sure. But, we have heard time and time again that for quarterbacks the first step is about "getting the team in and out of the huddle", and "getting all of the words spit out of his mouth". That basically means - VOCABULARY words. Witts ability to master this new vocabulary, and understand its implications helps him navigate the learning curve.
And, that the top end of his career, he could potentially have the mental capacity to develop and see the "game within the game" and see the nuances and extrapolations coaches are so fond of. Zach Taylor mastered it, and you saw the enormous change from the first 4 games of 2005 to the Player-of-the-year season he had in 2006. Now imagine if Taylor had a bigger arm. That just might be Witt's potential.
Early Returns
Another reason to be optimistic - they have thrown him in to the fire, and he has responded. You don't have to surf Husker news sites very hard to hear coaches praising Witt's ability to take on the "whole" offense and try to manage it. And people who were able to watch practice during the coaching clinics tell me that Witt accounted for himself pretty darn well.
The staff isn't holding back. So far, he appears to be dealing with it very well, not just for a freshman. Back to the Beck comparison - look up reports from his first Spring ball in nearly identical conditions. Not everyone was so full of praise.
And, have you heard this kid do interviews? Wow. He's saying a lot of the right things. He doesn't dwell on the weight or complexity of the playbook, just that he must keep working to get better. He sounds very mature. Beck's teammates describe him as anything but mature when he was here. "Team clown" is a phrase I heard and read more than once.
Of Hype and Expectations
Beyond the player's characteristics and early results, Witt benefits in two ways that Beck did not. First, Witt arrives with much less fanfare than Beck did. Beck was Callahan's first big catch as a recruit. He was from Florida and coveted by the Florida schools. Fans and local media hyped the hell out of this kid. He had his own blog on KETV Channel 7's site, for Pete's sake. It was too much, too soon. Witt suffers from none of that. Because he played his junior year at a school that ran the ball almost exclusively, transfered to a school in Texas playing their first year in the state's largest classification (5A) the kid was a bit off the recruiting radar, and taking some lumps in a tough league. That's perfect in the long run, really. It lowered expectations considerably, and proved the kid can take some lumps.
Witt also won't suffer from the same expectations for immediate contribution that Beck did. Beck had to burn a redshirt against KSU because he was the #2 guy at the spot. Whether he wanted to or not is beside the point. Again, it was probably too much too soon. For Witt, again we see the opposite. Sam Keller, Joe Ganz and Zach Lee being on the roster assure that Witt will be protected from high stakes. He gets the chance to learn in practice and be on the field with the scout team.
Always Competing
Finally, Witt will likely have to compete hard for nearly his entire career. The presence of Zach Lee assures that. Don't kid yourself. Lee is a real talent, and comes out of junior college with three years of eligibility and four years to use it. He could absolutely be NU's future at quarterback. So, Witt will be entitled to nothing. He'll have to earn it. Again, I don't think everyone - including Harrison and his mother - believed that was the case for Beck.
So, for many reasons - physical, mental, and conditional - Patrick Witt has the chance to be the guy Bill Callahan has really wanted from the start. A guy he can grow in to a star. Or, at least, Witt has a great probability not to be another Harrison Beck.
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AustinHusker Apr 19 07
I will add another point that could add to the perfect storm, offensive line of 2008. Don't kid yourself, it helps to have great talent around you and it will be much better for Witt than it was for Beck.
On the other hand if I where a highly talented QB in the class of 2008 I would be dieing to get to NU behind that line, so there maybe even more competition than Lee for that starting position.
Nice article and lets hope it comes to fruition.
Later
Darren Apr 19 07
Austin - true that. I tried to just focus on the QB spot, but surrounding talent really does make the job tougher or easier. That's one reason I'm so optimistic for what Keller or Ganz can do in 2007 - linemen, WRs, RBs...talent, baby. Talent.
Husker Mike Apr 19 07
Harrison Beck didn't leave high school early for spring practice; you are thinking of Curt Dukes and/or Josh Freeman. But I agree on Witt, his maturity level was obvious even as a high school junior. I remember hearing an interview with Harrison Beck when he committed, and was immediately turned off by his immaturity and ego. I really hope we can redshirt Witt this fall, because I really think he could shine in this system once he develops.
darren Apr 19 07
Reading it now, I suppose the post could have been titled - "Witt, the Anti-Beck". I typically prefer not to dig up the past. You are right, Husker Mike. Beck didn't arrive until fall camp. My bad on that error, folks. Got carried away in my comparison.
One other quick aside. I'm not trying to break my arm patting myself on the back or anything. But, I wrote this post more than a week ago. Since that time, the OWH published this.
More than anything, it is gratifying to hear coaches confirm my suspicions with quotes like this: "I love that kid," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "He has all the intangibles. Most importantly, he's a very smart guy. He understands that he has 'it.' 'It' is something a lot of guys don't have. The game goes slow for him."
Tyler Apr 19 07
I thought Witt looked better than Beau Davis last Saturday, playing with the same personnel. I'm excited about this kid. I wonder what Zac Lee thought watching him on the field at the Spring Game.
At this and other spots, I think the level of competition has risen. You gotta think Zac is going to buckle down over the Summer to try to compete with Witt for the future.
Darren Apr 19 07
Tyler - I agree 100% about Witt being better than Davis right now. Witt made a *great* throw to Chris Brooks in that scrimmage where he beat NU's starting safety with a throw on a rope.
That and other post-spring game thoughts here.
'sa blang thang Apr 19 07
With his size, I think he compares with and replaces Josh Freeman very well. I would have liked to have read an article more in that direction. But Beck actually was here, so I guess the comparisons with him are probably more pertinent.
Beck? Whatever--ancient history. I never got a good vibe from him from the start. Glad he's gone. Prima Dona, whiner, etc.; all apply.
Am excited about Witt, but am concerned with the competition w Zac Lee. I think having a surplus of well qualified QBs at NE will be an ongoing dilema. NE will be recognized as the CFB midwest QB pipeline in a few short years.
Tyler Apr 19 07
'sa bland thang:
And that's a bad thing? It beats the alternative (Joe Dailey as a starter). Competition breeds success. Sure, always run the risk of somebody leaving the program, but then that's the same dilemma Randy Jordan is dealing with. I realize you cannot have QB by committee, but having depth such as Ganz pushing Keller is a good thing. If Keller goes down, I have complete confidence in Ganz.
Lee and Witt will be the next generation of this "problem." I like the direction we're going.
'sa blang thang Apr 19 07
Tyler,
Yo!
Not saying it's a bad thing; must be difficult for would-be, talented QBs, though. Look at Ganz, he may never start at NE but surely could at some lower profile school. Kind of frustrating for us fans, too, who would like to see 'em all play!
HUSKER SHAWN Sep 22 08
You all are talking out ur butt....the bottom line is we need to get back to Husker football. Line up and punch someone in the mouth...we arent going to do that with a pro type QB....Lets recruit some studs up front and get back to grass roots...Running the damn ball. Nothing beats the old school option that every team feared coming to Lincoln??? Lets talk about that!!!