| UC |  |
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photo/courtesy
of UC Athletics |
It
takes a team effort.
I was fortunate to have a strong enough arm that I could throw it long.
But it is always helpful to have great receivers that can run under it
and catch it. You also cannot be successful as a passer unless you have
a running game to complement the passing game.
No time to
waste. As a quarterback, you aren't protected that long --
a couple of seconds usually. By that time, the receiver is already 30
yards down the field. So you have to assess the defense and release the
ball much quicker than most people think, even when throwing the 'bomb."
Footwork
is really important. It is imperative to keep on your toes
and not get flat-footed. I've helped several young quarterbacks with that.
Just
do it. You really have to throw all the time in practice.
You have to do it over and over. If you want to run fast, you run. If
you want to jump high, you jump. If you want to throw far, you throw.
I used to throw 100 to 150 times a day. That's what it takes.
Greg Cook set several passing
records while at UC and even set the NCAA record for passing yards in
a game (554). Drafted by the Bengals in 1969, he led the American Football
League in passing. Cook's true gift was the deep strike. He averaged 17.5
yards per completion in '69, a standard no professional quarterback has
accomplished since. Unfortunately, Cook suffered a shoulder injury his
rookie year that forced the phenomenal passer out of the game just four
seasons later. Today Cook, a salesman with a Cincinnati firm that works
with foundations and charities, keeps up with the game to the point that
friend and Bengals owner Mike Brown still calls for occasional advice.
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