The quarterback is the single most important catalyst for the Flexbone Offense to be successful. There are certain characteristics your quarterback will need. Many of these can be trained into the quarterback. Some cannot. The guidance you provide your quarterback through his decision making process is vital. Your program needs to develop these quarterbacks from the lowest level of football in your 
community through the final snap he will take his senior year. I will spend a considerable time guiding you through this process and giving you incontrovertible facts that will improve the play of your quarterbacks, and thus your program.
No single blueprint exists for specifying what skills and traits a Flexbone quarterback should possess and how much of each characteristic a quarterback could have. The veracity of such a point is reinforced when the playing abilities of several of the great Flexbone quarterbacks are considered. Consider the abilities of recent Flexbone quarterbacks from the Naval Academy and Georgia Tech. Some of them were better passers than others such as Ricky Dobbs and Joshua Nesbitt. Keenan Reynolds is displaying tremendous athletic ability, as is Vad Lee of Georgia Tech.
The issue is further compounded by the fact that although some flexbone quarterbacks appear, at face value, to have every quality that is necessary for that position, they never developed into productive players, for whatever reasons. Look through the quarterbacks you have coached in the past. I am sure you could come up with several names from your own program that emphasize this point. In my own career I’ve encountered these types of players many times. They look like they have everything it takes to be effective in this offense, but they simply cannot or do not perform adequately on the field. In these situations, the sum of the parts did not equal the whole, because for the Flexbone quarterback, the whole is normally greater than the sum of the parts.
Functional Intelligence
This is when the Flexbone quarterback organizes and isolates different categories of tasks that he must perform in a particular situation. Functional intelligence reflects the fact that a Flexbone quarterback has the ability to continually and quickly comprehend situations, circumstances, and reads to a point of understanding where he simplifies his response to them. This ability is the key to instantly process information in high-pressure situations.
Another way to look at this is to consider when a player is “in the zone”. A psychological phenomena that exists in enhanced states of awareness, comprehension and performance. When players describe being “in the zone” they after describe similar experiences. The ease of the task, pace of the game or performance objectives all seem to be in harmony with each other which allows the player to perform at a significantly high level.
Ability to Learn
The Flexbone quarterback must develop and adhere to the proper Flexbone mechanics. For some, the learning process is intuitive and natural, which requires minimal effort on their part. For other Flexbone quarterbacks, the comprehension process requires more active instruction over a longer period of time. In either case the quarterback has to have the “want to” factor. If your player is unwilling to reluctant to play quarterback, he will not undertake the steps needed to learn the offense properly. Deliberately or not, an unwilling quarterback is doomed for failure. I’ve found this to be the single greatest deciding factor in the ability of a quarterback to comprehend the offense. If the most talented athlete you have does not want to play quarterback, there is very little you can do in the manner of instruction, or cajoling that can make him succeed as your quarterback.
Work Ethic Leads to Marked Improvement
An inherent willingness to improve and learn is vital to the developmental progression of the Flexbone quarterback. The Flexbone quarterback has a reasonable level of compatibility with the coaching staff and his teammates. Not only could a Flexbone quarterback understand the triple option, counter option, and triple pass mechanics, he must work to make these mechanics look effortless. The most effective approach is frequent repetitive practice versus multiple situations, and the Flexbone quarterback’s footwork in quick response to each individual situation is one of the most helpful steps the coaching staff can take to improve the quarterback’s gameday ability. This is done in its entirety at Flexbone Association Football Camps. Your quarterback must be able to execute his footwork and reads against every conceivable front you will see during the season. It is your job as the coach to make him feel comfortable on the field against each defensive front, in each situation, with each of the plays that are the core of your offense. There are no shortcuts to this desired outcome.
Many Flexbone coaches discover that ineffective Flexbone quarterbacking involves more than the mechanical ability to hop, point, read #1 (read key) and #2 (pitch key). While many Flexbone quarterbacks possess this capacity, few multiple-yard gains are made in such a rarified atmosphere—outside of quarterback exercises during drillwork with the B-back and A-backs versus #1, #2, and #3. The Option Drill, is the most vital drill to the entire offense. This drill encompasses every scenario you can imagine your quarterback will face. The number of reps with the other skill position players will only enhance your quarterbacks comfort level in his execution.
In reality, on gameday, the quarterback must have the physical skills and the proper mechanics for delivery to the B-back or backside A-back while facing penetration from the action key, inside linebacker run-throughs, or “blood stunt” where #1 quickly tackles the dive and #2 quickly looks to bludgeon the quarterback. A Flexbone quarterback delivers the ball to the accurate phase of the triple option no matter what occurs within the play.
Emotional Stability
Flexbone quarterbacks must exist as emotionally strong individuals.. They must dominate the stress and pressure that occurs during the game. The Flexbone quarterback must constantly spotlight his assignment, evaluate within learned behavior, and compete rationally, regardless of the situation. You can coach your quarterback to undertake this mentally taxing scenario by convincing him to attack the opponent and the game one play at a time. A “next play” attitude can and should be developed within your quarterback. When the quarterback can compete in real time, and refuse to allow doubt to enter his mind, he will be actively displaying the emotional stability needed to succeed. In time, the Flexbone quarterback shows the truth in regards to his emotions and proves whether or not he is the answer or if the move to the 2nd quarterback is required.
Leadership Abilities
The Flexbone quarterback is the #1 servant in the program. There is no mistake that every service academy in the nation runs some form of triple option. Your quarterback must prchestatate the offense to the benefit of everyone else. He must be humble, and have enough humility to put himself in the position to serve others. Only when your quarterback comes to terms with this idea will he unleash the potential of his other ten teammates on offense. The Flexbone quarterback will become the proverbial posterboy for your values, the values of the rest of your coaching staff, the school and community that his jersey represents. By reading two defensive linemen, the flexbone quarterback makes ten other players’ lives easier, because now the game is won on the 2nd level. He creates the 3-on-2 matchup where blocked defenders, most of whom are at the 2nd level, must defeat blocks, cross the face of a blocker to make the tackle versus the quarterback, B-back, and backside A-back. The execution of your quarterback will either carry or doom your team.
Your Solution
Like the position your quarterbacks will be in. There are no shortcuts to your own comprehension, much less that of your assistant coaches or your entire offensive squad. Scott Jazdzewski via the Flexbone Association have been providing you the tools necessary to fully develop your football program. I am always looking for new and more effective ways to transmit the needed information and understanding to coaches from coast to coast. Whether I am in Belfair Washington or Key West Florida, my mission remains unchanged. The Flexbone Association Academy will provide you with highest quality of instruction at a price every coach, head coach or otherwise can afford. For enhanced comprehension, consider a Flexbone Association Camp, like over 100 schools have in the past four years. Scott Jazdzewski and The Flexbone Association have developed championship teams, turned programs around, and given those teams on the brink the shot they needed to compete for state championships. Put your program in the best possible situation for success next season and going forward. Contact the Flexbone Association today!
Feature Photo: AP Photo/Sara D. Davis
Georgia Southern Photo: Georgia Southern Athletics
Keenan Reynolds Photo: AP Photo/Nick Wass
Kriss Proctor: Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam
Air Force Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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