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A new tale for Cal's Boller

Sporting News, The, March 11, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

Let me tell you a story about a quarterback named Kyle Boller. Cue the tape:

You'll see it's a familiar tale--a high school superstar arrives on campus with big expectations. But in three seasons, he fails to fulfill his vast potential, and his team posts an 8-25 record in that span, including a 1-10 mark in 2001.

But there's a chance for a happy ending. Thanks to the arrival of new coach Jeff Tedford, Boller could break out as a senior. He could, in fact, end up one of the biggest surprises of 2002.

"Having him come to Cal, I probably couldn't have asked for anyone better," Boller says.

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Boller's right--Tedford knows quarterbacks. He took the Cal job in December after a four-year run at Oregon, where as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach he molded passers including Akili Smith and Joey Harrington. Before arriving in Eugene, Tedford developed Trent Dilfer as Fresno State's quarterbacks coach.

Boller now is Tedford's project, and a big part of the work will be playing checkers. No, Tedford and Boller won't actually try to jump each other and get kinged. They'll use the pieces as pawns in a mental exercise. Tedford will place his pieces in certain defensive formations, and Boller will have to counter with his offensive pieces. The exercise is something Tedford did to hasten Smith's development after his junior year at Oregon. The result? Smith became the third overall pick of the 1999 draft. And Harrington figures to be a high first-rounder this year.

"(Boller) has to go through a lot of mental gymnastics to make sure he understands the schemes and concepts we're trying to teach him," Tedford says. "After he learns them, he's going to explain them to us so we understand his thought process is the way it should be. We don't want to do all the talking and not know what he isn't picking up."

Boller has missed a few things since arriving in Berkeley from Newhall, Calif., three years ago. He has lacked continuity, as he's now working on his third offensive coordinator. And his protection has been spotty, leading to his completing just 397 of 880 passes (45 percent) for 5,165 yards with 36 touchdowns and 38 interceptions in his Cal career. That from a guy whom some had hailed the best prospect to emerge from the San Fernando Valley since John Elway in 1979.

"I'm not a guy who looks back and regrets things," Boller says. "I sometimes think it might have been better if I had redshirted, but I've also learned a lot from it."

He also picked up some bad habits. Cue that tape again:

See how shell-shocked Boller looks. He's antsy in the pocket because he doesn't know what he's looking for. He also knows he's probably going to get hit--the Bears have allowed 96 sacks the last three seasons.

Boller needs to become more confident in his reads and protections and comfortable in the pocket.

"It's important that he realizes that he'll be protected either by scheme or by his ability to get rid of the ball and knowing where the free guys are coming from," Tedford says. "He has to be more disciplined in the pocket. He doesn't have a lot of trust in the pocket. As a result, his mechanics have suffered."

Speaking of mechanics, keep that tape rolling. The big hitch in his throwing motion is obvious. Additionally, Boller's motion is long and features a lot of wasted movement. His entire process of passing has to become more efficient. It begins with improving his footwork, one of Boller's top priorities heading into spring drills.

"The way you use your feet is how you're going to throw the ball," he says. "If you aren't going the right direction, the ball isn't going to go there. I do a lot of drills with cones where I'll drop back and go around certain cones with three-, five- and seven-step drops. And I'll work on pocket movement, going to the right and left."

Stop the tape. It's time for Boller to go to work.

RELATED ARTICLE: Inside dish.

Darian Durant's pending transfer from North Carolina leaves the Tar Heels in a bind at quarterback. Coach John Bunting will audition three players--C.J. Stephens, Matt Baker and Terrance Highsmith--for the spot. Stephens, who sat out last year after transferring from Florida, is the most hyped of the three.... With the hirings of Rockey Felker as coordinator of football operations and Curley Hallman as secondary coach, Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill has four former head coaches on his staff: Felker (Mississippi State), Hallman (LSU, Southern Miss), defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn (Mississippi) and offensive coordinator Sparky Woods (South Carolina).... The departure of Gary Gibbs from LSU to be Dallas Cowboys linebackers coach means coach Nick Saban will hir his fourth defensive coordinator since arriving in Baton Rouge. John Thompson was Saban's original coordinator, but he bolted after a month for Arkansas. Phil Elmassian left after one season for West Virginia, which opened the door for Gibbs.... At Virginia Tech's recent timing day, RB Keith Burnell set the school standard in the 40-yard dash with a 4.21 clocking. In three tries, Burnell's slowest time was 4.38. In all, 14 players ran under 4.5.... Speaking of Tech, it will play Arkansas State in the Hispanic College Fund Football Classic on August 25. Most preseason games have been set, including Maryland-Notre Dame in the Kickoff Classic on August 31 at the Meadowlands; Iowa State-Florida State in the Eddie Robinson Classic on August 24 in Kansas City; Texas Tech at Ohio State in the Pigskin Classic on August 24, and Colorado State at Virginia in the Jim Thorpe Classic on August 22. --T.D.

A new tale for Cal's Boller

Sporting News, The, March 11, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

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