The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks Read Online Free PDF

marveled at what the Pro Bowler did.
    “Oh, and, by the way, I don’t wanna hear the argument,” Dilfer said, “that
this guy
[Rodgers] is just more talented than the rest. I worked out with him for two straight years in the middle of my career, when I was still pretty damn talented. He was good—not great. He was fiercely competitive, though, and he wanted to be the best and was willing to learn anything. So, his body developed, and he thoughtoutside the box in terms of his development. He watched number four [Brett Favre] closely and pushed his body and his mechanics to the limits, and now he is a made man.
This guy
is the perfect example of what can happen when you never stop developing. You’re not what you were when you came out of college, or at least you don’t have to be.”
    The night’s entire presentation lasted almost four hours, an hour more than Dilfer had envisioned and about two more than the other guys had expected. A few of the coaches later admitted they thought that the forty-five-minute
intro
prior to dinner was what they had come for, not a whole evening’s dissertation. Before the crew dispersed to check out the local bar scene, Dilfer closed with another pep talk.
    “I miss the team,” Dilfer said, and he started getting choked up. “You miss climbing the mountains. You miss failing. You miss the rawness of every day being a battle. We built TDFB using Elite 11 as a launching point, and [we used] all the cool stuff you saw tonight to build a team.
    “I’m done with turf wars! I’m done with you guys worrying about a client here and a client there. It’s bigger than that! I’m giving you Calvin Johnson as your receiver, Walter Jones as your left tackle, and Peyton Manning as your quarterback. I’ll give you every tool you could possibly have to be successful, but it’s gonna be a team. And when you’re a team, it’s team above self. Do you want to be part of this, and you’d be foolish not to—that’s the perspective. My expectations will be exceedingly high. I’m giving you the tools. Let’s go kill it. It starts tomorrow.”
    EVERYBODY IN RECRUITING LIES . The college coaches. The high school coaches. The kids do, too. It’s an odd game of liar’s poker that often plays out online with thousands of fans watching it unfold. Trent Dilfer had been lied to, also, he told the hundreds of parents his staff rounded up a half hour before the Saturday workout started. (Dilfer’s eldest daughter, Maddie, was a high school volleyball star being recruited by college coaches. She committed to play volleyball at Notre Dame.) Dilfer made two promises to the parents about their young quarterbacks.
    “First, he will leave here better than when he showed up, and second, we will tell you the truth,” Dilfer said. “We won’t lie to you.”
    One hundred and six quarterbacks from thirty-one states had signed in. Thirty-one QB coaches—“thirty-one of the best quarterback coaches in the world,” Dilfer said, pausing a few breaths to let that math sink in. “One of those coaches is gonna know your kid intimately,” Dilfer added. “These guys aren’t making any money. Thirty-one guys here, and all they get is their travel paid for. I know you’ve made a great investment. So have we. It’s kid-centric.
    “I gotta get to eighteen quarterbacks. I have thirteen spots left. Maybe four, five, or six will come from this group. The goal for you guys and your kid is to get better today with more tools in the tool kit.
    “We’re looking for ‘Dude Qualities.’ Who’s the ‘Dude’? We’re looking for the ‘Dude.’ ”
    Most of Dilfer’s comments for the twenty minutes of his intro talk to the parents met with nodding or smiling or laughing. “Who’s the Dude?,” though, left them looking puzzled. He ran through all of TDFB’s new features, even the forty-foot trailer parked outside “with some really ugly bald guy [himself] on it.”
    “It’s groundbreaking. We’re changing