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[15/06/2021, Stanford stadium, 13:15]
The drill continued with different receivers, Jace maintaining the same level of precision and velocity. By the time they rotated to the next set of routes—deep curls, comeback routes, and intermediate crossers he was already in full swing. No one in attendance doubted whether it was him making the pass or the receivers were performing spectacularly to make catches.
The timing and accuracy drill was quite easy for him, especially since it was something he practised as the basics. Usually, he'd have an offensive line trying to murder him so the fact he faced no such pressure missing the designated spot wasn't something even remotely plausible for him. From an overall 30 throws including a variety of short, medium and deep routes he successfully completed 29 perfectly in the zone.
The one he failed wasn't due to his mistake but because the receiver decided then was the best time to have butter fingers and dropped the ball. Mike Jones who had confronted him also delivered a solid performance with well-placed balls, but he panicked towards the end. His accuracy visibly dropped for routes past 30 yards as he missed the square requiring the receiver's show out to make the catch.
However, upon missing the first pass the gunslinger from Florida started to panic and his throws became erratic. In the end, he barely managed to complete 27 passes and only 25 of those were within the designated zone. Safe to say he stayed as far away from Jace as possible not even willing to acknowledge the bet, but even without him saying it everyone knew who the better quarterback on the day was.
~~~
[16/06/2021, Stanford stadium, 11:00]
Jace Lyon sat in a dimly lit room, the only sources of light coming from the tablet in front of him and the overhead projector displaying film on the whiteboard. Across from him sat Coach Reilly, a seasoned quarterbacks coach who used to coach one of the top Power Five schools, and Coach Hargrove, a defensive coordinator with an intimidating presence.
This part of the Combine was all about brains as the assessors would try all they could to figure out the recruit's game IQ. Arm strength, speed, and mechanics were all great, but decision-making, football IQ, and leadership determined who was truly elite among Quarterbacks. Coach Reilly leaned forward, clicking a button on the remote.
The screen in front of Jace flashed to life, displaying a play from a college game—a 3rd and 7 situation, the defence in a Cover 2 look with a linebacker cheating toward the slot receiver. Jace squinted, already analysing the coverage.
"Alright, Jace," Coach Reilly said, his voice calm but firm. "It's the fourth quarter, 1:15 on the clock, you're down four. What's the pre-snap read? And where are you going with the football?"
Jace didn't answer the question right away but asked a question instead. "How good is my O-line and how reliably are my wide receivers? What are their energy levels have they been forced to play at high intensity all game?"
Coach Hargrove, who had been silent up to this point, raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Coach Reilly. They weren't expecting that kind of response—not right away. Most quarterbacks at these combines rattled off the first answer that came to mind, eager to show they understood the basics of coverage.
Coach Reilly smirked. "You tell us. Assume this is your offence—your line has held up decently, but your right tackle has been getting beat inside the last couple of drives. Your top receiver is double-covered often, and your slot guy has been effective, but he's taken some big hits. Running game's been shut down."
Jace nodded slowly and immediately started visualising the play in his mind as it developed right in front of him in a matter of seconds. He could envision how his Running back would be murdered if he was going for a running play but if he attempted a touch or motion play, he might have a better chance at getting first down. He could also imagine how great his wide receiver was and how much damage he had been causing their opponents requiring double coverage to curb his impact on the game.
He smiled after envisioning how he wanted the play to develop and already mapping out his teammate's shortcomings. "Okay. Cover 2, so I'm looking for soft spots between the safeties and corners. That linebacker's creeping up on the slot, which means I can't trust the window over the middle unless I move him. From his stance poised and his head movement through the build-up, he might be trying to jump a short route—maybe a quick out or a slant."
He stopped when he reached that point of his explanation making sure the two coaches understood his vision. However, both of them simply stayed silent not giving away any Idea they had formed. "Safety's playing deep, but he's flat-footed. "If the right tackle has been struggling, I'm expecting pressure. That means my timing has to be sharp. I won't have the luxury of letting deeper routes develop unless I shift the pocket."
He tapped the screen, highlighting the outside receiver on the right. "I send my running back in motion to the right to widen the defence and confirm if it's zone or man. If the linebacker follows, I know it's man coverage. If he stays, I'm seeing Cover 2."
Coach Hargrove leaned forward slightly, intrigued by Jace's thought process. Most young quarterbacks would have jumped straight to picking a target, but Jace was manipulating the defence before the snap, something only experienced players at the college level were comfortable with.
"Alright," Coach Hargrove said, nodding. "Assume the linebacker stays put. It's Cover 2."
Jace smirked. "Then that's easy, I'm attacking the soft spot in the deep sideline. I fake the quick slant to the slot receiver—just enough to hold that linebacker for a half-second. Meanwhile, my outside receiver on the right runs a corner route, stretching the boundary safety. If I've timed it right, I shift left to buy an extra second, step into my throw, and drop it right over the cornerback before the safety can react."
Coach Hargrove didn't give a visual cue of whether the response was correct but simply moved on to ask another question. "And if the safety plays deeper than expected?"
"Then I check down to my tight end sitting underneath in the curl window for the first down." Jace shrugged. "I'm trying to score, but I'm not forcing a bad ball when I can move the chains and get a fresh set of downs."
"Hmm, interesting take shall we see what this quarterback from CCU decided to do," Coach Reilly said from the side and then immediately pressed the play button.
From the Video he saw how the Quarterback scanned his formation the proceeded to shout, "Green 22 sparrow," Which Jace could only assume was the play he wanted executed. Unlike Jace, he didn't send his running back in motion but placed him to assist the right tackle for some extra security.
Following his action Jace watched how they played developed as the QB initiated the play. The moment he snapped the ball he performed the standard 3 steps and grasped the ball firmly as both teams O lines crashed. The quarterback took a controlled drop-back, his eyes scanning the field while keeping his movements tight within the pocket.
His six-man O-line fought against the five from the opposing Cover 2 formation. With the running back stepping up in time to support the right side, the left tackle that had been troubling the quarterback was effectively stopped. However, that's when it happened the opposing centre exploded into another gear pushing two defenders aside and opening up the middle.
The quarterback did not notice this as he glanced at his wide receiver on the right flank fighting to break through. However, his halfback did notice this and immediately moved into motion as he spotted the middle safety who was about to continue stepping back suddenly charged forward. The player exploded through the opened slot and immediately locked onto the QB.
The halfback seeing this immediately charged at him but the player merely stiff-armed him to the helmet as he sides-stepped. Continuing his charge the QB finally noticed his presence, but it was too late as the halfback was within 3 steps. Panicking the arm that he was about to draw back to launch a throw came down as he scrambled to evade.
It was too late though as the opposing safter jumped forward spearing him shoulder first completely knocking the wind out of. If that wasn't enough the ball came loose falling to the ground causing chaos to erupt. The half-back that had just been sidestepped scrambled to throw himself on the bouncing ball but missed it.
The safety that had just sacked the QB also jumped up and pounced on the bouncing ball. By luck, the ball bounced his way, and he managed to stay standing and as if infused with redbill he exploded forward charging with all his might towards the end zone.
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To Be Continued...