Attention, please, for QBs

Sporting News, The, May 13, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

Don't feel sorry for UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas. He knows he had an awful 2001 season following a great 2000 campaign and has grown weary of bring consoled.

"People come up to me and go, `J.T., it's OK' and give me a pat on the back," Thomas says. "I felt bad, but I'm not going to jump off Caesar's Palace or anything. You get tired of it, but you have to know where they're coming from, and it comes with the territory. They were the same people telling me how good I was doing the year before. So I've got to take it and roll with it."

Thomas won't have to roll with it alone this fall if things go bad. He'll have Vince Alcalde to help. Who the heck is Vince Alcalde? He's UNLV's quarterbacks coach--and he'll end up being one of the most important offseason coaching hires in the nation.

Last year, when Thomas completed just 83-of-194 passes (42.8 percent) for 1,353 yards with eight touchdowns and 12 picks, he had no coach devoted solely to his development. Instead, UNLV had an assistant who was assigned to quarterbacks and receivers. Having no one on staff strictly to work with Thomas was a mistake by coach and athletic director John Robinson.

Thomas is trying to recapture his form of 2000, when he hit 106 of 201 passes (52.7 percent) for 1,708 yards, with 14 TDs and nine interceptions. He also ran 138 times for 599 yards and 11 scores in guiding the Rebels to an 8-5 record that included a Las Vegas Bowl win over Arkansas. He was named Mountain West Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

He eventually hopes to break into the NFL with similar success. Had a quarterbacks coach not been brought on board at UNLV, that would have been highly doubtful. At 6-4, 230, Thomas would have been viewed as a raw prospect with great potential. Translation: a risk. But Alcalde's molding of Thomas, a senior who began his career at Southern California before following Robinson to Las Vegas, will produce a more finished product and make UNLV a sleeper in the Mountain West. Among Alcalde's areas of emphasis:

Release point. Thomas used to have a three-quarters throwing motion and twisted the ball upon release. The motion was more suited to throwing a baseball. Now, Thomas is reaching overhead and releasing the ball higher.

Grip. Thomas used to wrap his hand around the ball so snugly there was no space between his palm and the ball. As a result, Thomas would get little spin on his throws. Now, he's loosened his grip.

Drop. Thomas has quickened his drop. He also has focused on sharpening his drops while moving out of the pocket. Without good footwork--the foundation of a quarterback's passing--it's difficult to throw accurately and with velocity.

"I just needed to be coached every day," says Thomas, who benefited from the mentoring of ex-assistant Gene Dahlquist earlier in his UNLV career. "When you aren't coached every day and someone isn't on you every day, your fundamentals can get sloppy. Coach Alcalde is on me every day."

There are only so many jobs on any college staff--and there's no excess of money for assistants--but coaches would be wise to devote an assistant exclusively to quarterbacks. A check around the nation shows that's rare.

The six biggest conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10) total 62 schools. Only 21 of them (34 percent) have a quarterbacks-only coach.

Most schools have their offensive coordinator double as quarterbacks coach. But a coordinator's scope goes beyond making sure the quarterback is doing his job, which means the signal-caller is cheated from needed attention.

"I'm not the coordinator," Alcalde says. "I'm just the quarterback coach. I don't have any other responsibilities, and I'll be able to focus and put all my attention and time into the position. It will give Thomas someone to go to for answers at any time during practice, during games, the offseason, whenever."

Alcalde even could offer a pat on the back--if Thomas wants it.

Spring football is over--but Tom Dienhart's expert analysis is just getting started. Gobble it up at www.sportingnews.com/voices/tom_dienhart.> INSIDE DISH

Many may doubt the ability of new Florida coach Ron Zook to push the right buttons on Saturdays, but few can doubt his work ethic. This month, Zook--who was a voracious recruiter during his first run in Gainesviile, as an assistant to Steve Spurrier--is scheduled to visit 66 high schools in Florida. In contrast, Spurrier spent most of his May days on the golf course.... Washington is pleased with its defensive line after spring drills. The unit was widely considered a weakness, but players such as NT Josh Miller, T Terry Johnson, E Manase Hopoi and T/E Jerome Stevens looked good. Hopoi, a 6-4, 250-pound pass rusher, has a chance to be special.... Penn State already figured to have a good receiving corps with Bryant Johnson and Tony Johnson penciled into the lineup. But Kinta Palmer turned lots of heads this spring and may steal some thunder. At 6-4, 182, the redshirt freshman is a rangy target. what he lacks in blazing speed he makes up for with sharp route-running, sticky fingers and confidence.... Spring drills didn't clear up who would start at quarterback for Notre Dame, but the decision was made easier when Jared Clark was switched to tight end. That means it's down to Carlyle Holiday and Matt LoVecchio, each of whom is challenged to learn new coach Tyrone Willingham's sophisticated offense. Holiday continues to have issues with accuracy; LoVecchio needs to learn his progression of reads .... Don't expect Oklahoma to be hamstrung by the loss of LB Rocky Calmus. It moved Teddy Lehman to Calmus' old spot on the outside and was pleased with his play in spring drills. Lehman is fast and strong and figures to make as many plays as Calmus.--T.D.