What’s different for you this year?
“Offensively, it’s the same system. Mindset wise, I’ve played so I have a little more perspective of what the game is like and how much time you really have in the pocket, so just the expectation for what to expect come game time.”
What are the differences in the quarterback competition this year compared to last year?
“Both years have been competitive. This year, three of us. Last year, two of us. I mean there’s one more person so it’s hard to divide the reps but the coaches have done a really good job with that. I mean it’s hard to balance reps with two people. Credit to them on handling it well and I think it’s been a really good camp.”
Does McElwain need to make a decision on the starting quarterback’s soon?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I know this time last year, he named a guy. It’s up to him. I’m not really worried about it.”
Is it hard to develop consistency while splitting reps among three quarterbacks?
“No. I mean, it is difficult because everybody kind of gets use to one guy and you’re trying to get in a rhythm. It’s just part of it. It’s hard and it can be kind of awkward with timing sometimes. You just do what you can and kind of make it work.”
How much better are the skill players around the quarterback this season compared to last?
“Yeah, last year, we played a lot of freshman and a lot of people didn’t realize how young we were. You know we lost David Sharpe and Cam Dillard obviously transferred, but we were really young last year, so excited to see the guys that have experience now and step up not only do well for themselves, but also lead the few young guys we have in the wide receiver rooms.”
Skill positions have to be the biggest difference – players lining up correctly more often, running the right routes?
“Yeah, absolutely. The game slows down the more you play. Every year it gets a little bit slower and slower and you understand coverage's and seeing them now in the game, so you kind of know what to expect.”
Is there a balance between competing with the other quarterbacks and mentoring them?
“You know, I didn’t come back to be a strict mentor or a coach. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t want to play, so I’m focusing on competing. If I’m not starting, I’ll do what I can to get them ready.”
Do you find yourself helping them along since you’re familiar with everything?
“Yeah, if they have questions, I’ll answer them. You know, I’m not here to try and coach them every day on every little thing that they do wrong. They have to learn too.”
What have you improved from last season going into this season?
“Consistency. I think I had a very consistent camp – I mean, we are still in camp for one more day, but last year I would have an off day here, an off day there. I thought I have been very consistent throughout camp. People know what to expect when I’m in. Really, consistency.”
Do you feel like the underdog in the quarterback battle year?
“Yeah, I mean I’ve never been 6-foot-6 obviously, it would be nice. It makes seeing things a lot easier. Yeah, I mean my dad is 6’4, my sister is 6’0 and I’m like 6-foot-1, so there’s nothing I can do about it. I just try to do the best to my ability and I found that quarterbacking is a lot more than just what you look like, how hard you can throw, how far you can throw. I’ve seen plenty of NFL guys that are huge and we see them throw 7-on-7 and we’re like “Oh my God” and then a little guy beats them out, or it’s an average size guy that beats them. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2, Drew Brees is like 6’0, Russel Wilson is like 5’10 ½ . Yeah, there’s prototypical size, but there’s more than that.”
McElwain said the offensive line will define the team, will that make or break the offense?
“Well, I think it’s a unit that makes or breaks every offensive unit across all levels of football. You can’t win without a consistent, reliable offensive line. You look at the Cowboys, Raiders. Great offensive lines, and they can cover up for mistakes in other places. So, they’ve done a really good job at gelling. T.J. McCoy has done a great job at kind of stepping into a leadership role. So it will be nice to have him back. Only losing one starter at the end of last year is big.”
You took a lot of heat last year about your arm strength, is it back to where it was?
“Yeah, my arm is 100% percent healthy. And I found it pretty ridiculous that fans are saying I had a noodle arm when I was throwing the ball 80 yards in the first game. So, they have the memory of a goldfish I guess. I’ve never had like a ridiculous arm, like Feleipe has a ridiculous arm. But I’ve always had a pretty adequate arm. I’ve been able to make every throw on time. It’s the first time in my life I’ve heard ‘you don’t have a strong arm’. So, whatever.”
Where are you this year compared to last year? Are you a year better?
“Yeah, I think so. Playing in six games is an invaluable experience. That’s the takeaway from last year is, not only playing, but going through adversity, being hurt, losing once, how you handle the team when you do lose. So, last year was so important. And it was very hard, but I’m glad I was here for it.”
Do you feel like you’ve accomplished what you want at this Fall camp, do you think you’ve done enough to win the starting job?
“Yeah, I think I had a good camp. I really do. I was saying earlier, really consistent camp. I kind of think that’s what got me the job last year, is I was consistent through camp. Just really knowing the offense, even more than I did last year, you know I knew it well last year and this is my fourth year in the offense. So having that deeper understanding is going to take me a long way.”
Is there anything to be taken from not announcing the starting quarterback?
“Yeah, I get the strategy of it. They have a quarterback competition, too. Bottom line, both teams are going to run their offense. You’ll have a wrinkle here or there to help with skill set. But what teams are good at is what they’re going to do. Everybody tries to play cat and mouse with it, but we don’t really worry about it.”
What's the biggest change you've seen in Franks?
"He definitely filled out. Really understands the offense, and taking command of it. And maturing on and off the field. It's night and day from when he first got here last spring -- I think he was here in the spring. I don't even recognize the guy from who he was last year. He's been awesome. Been a great teammate. Been a great leader. It's been a fun camp. I said earlier that camps can be kinda miserable if you don't like the room., but we've had a great room, and it's been fun."
What does Zaire do that's impressive?
"He does a really good job at improvising when the play breaks down. Obviously he's athletic. At Notre Dame, you saw that when he did play. So extending plays and taking advantage of his legs when he can use them is impressive."
Is McElwain not getting enough credit for his offense?
"Yeah. Especially with fans and media, for instance they'll watch a play and they'll see a guy that's wide open. And he's not even in our read. So just because they busted a coverage doesn't mean the play was a failure. You know, like a back-side go and the safety doesn't help over the top -- we can't help that. So we love our fans, we like you guys most of the time, but we're not really worried about what they say with play-to-play execution."
Do you think McElwain's offense will eventually impress people?
"Yeah. Absolutely. Mac is an offensive guy. He's very smart in how he coaches, how he calls plays. Him and Nuss. So we have the utmost confidence in him and his offense."
On criticism of your noodle arm.
"It's frustrating when you're completely healthy for two games, but I get it. They saw under-thrown deep balls. I didn't play well the last couple games. I also overthrew deep routes in the first two games. I understand fans remember the last thing that they saw and that's kind of what sticks. I don't blame them. It's frustrating, but I don't blame them."
“Offensively, it’s the same system. Mindset wise, I’ve played so I have a little more perspective of what the game is like and how much time you really have in the pocket, so just the expectation for what to expect come game time.”
What are the differences in the quarterback competition this year compared to last year?
“Both years have been competitive. This year, three of us. Last year, two of us. I mean there’s one more person so it’s hard to divide the reps but the coaches have done a really good job with that. I mean it’s hard to balance reps with two people. Credit to them on handling it well and I think it’s been a really good camp.”
Does McElwain need to make a decision on the starting quarterback’s soon?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I know this time last year, he named a guy. It’s up to him. I’m not really worried about it.”
Is it hard to develop consistency while splitting reps among three quarterbacks?
“No. I mean, it is difficult because everybody kind of gets use to one guy and you’re trying to get in a rhythm. It’s just part of it. It’s hard and it can be kind of awkward with timing sometimes. You just do what you can and kind of make it work.”
How much better are the skill players around the quarterback this season compared to last?
“Yeah, last year, we played a lot of freshman and a lot of people didn’t realize how young we were. You know we lost David Sharpe and Cam Dillard obviously transferred, but we were really young last year, so excited to see the guys that have experience now and step up not only do well for themselves, but also lead the few young guys we have in the wide receiver rooms.”
Skill positions have to be the biggest difference – players lining up correctly more often, running the right routes?
“Yeah, absolutely. The game slows down the more you play. Every year it gets a little bit slower and slower and you understand coverage's and seeing them now in the game, so you kind of know what to expect.”
Is there a balance between competing with the other quarterbacks and mentoring them?
“You know, I didn’t come back to be a strict mentor or a coach. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t want to play, so I’m focusing on competing. If I’m not starting, I’ll do what I can to get them ready.”
Do you find yourself helping them along since you’re familiar with everything?
“Yeah, if they have questions, I’ll answer them. You know, I’m not here to try and coach them every day on every little thing that they do wrong. They have to learn too.”
What have you improved from last season going into this season?
“Consistency. I think I had a very consistent camp – I mean, we are still in camp for one more day, but last year I would have an off day here, an off day there. I thought I have been very consistent throughout camp. People know what to expect when I’m in. Really, consistency.”
Do you feel like the underdog in the quarterback battle year?
“Yeah, I mean I’ve never been 6-foot-6 obviously, it would be nice. It makes seeing things a lot easier. Yeah, I mean my dad is 6’4, my sister is 6’0 and I’m like 6-foot-1, so there’s nothing I can do about it. I just try to do the best to my ability and I found that quarterbacking is a lot more than just what you look like, how hard you can throw, how far you can throw. I’ve seen plenty of NFL guys that are huge and we see them throw 7-on-7 and we’re like “Oh my God” and then a little guy beats them out, or it’s an average size guy that beats them. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2, Drew Brees is like 6’0, Russel Wilson is like 5’10 ½ . Yeah, there’s prototypical size, but there’s more than that.”
McElwain said the offensive line will define the team, will that make or break the offense?
“Well, I think it’s a unit that makes or breaks every offensive unit across all levels of football. You can’t win without a consistent, reliable offensive line. You look at the Cowboys, Raiders. Great offensive lines, and they can cover up for mistakes in other places. So, they’ve done a really good job at gelling. T.J. McCoy has done a great job at kind of stepping into a leadership role. So it will be nice to have him back. Only losing one starter at the end of last year is big.”
You took a lot of heat last year about your arm strength, is it back to where it was?
“Yeah, my arm is 100% percent healthy. And I found it pretty ridiculous that fans are saying I had a noodle arm when I was throwing the ball 80 yards in the first game. So, they have the memory of a goldfish I guess. I’ve never had like a ridiculous arm, like Feleipe has a ridiculous arm. But I’ve always had a pretty adequate arm. I’ve been able to make every throw on time. It’s the first time in my life I’ve heard ‘you don’t have a strong arm’. So, whatever.”
Where are you this year compared to last year? Are you a year better?
“Yeah, I think so. Playing in six games is an invaluable experience. That’s the takeaway from last year is, not only playing, but going through adversity, being hurt, losing once, how you handle the team when you do lose. So, last year was so important. And it was very hard, but I’m glad I was here for it.”
Do you feel like you’ve accomplished what you want at this Fall camp, do you think you’ve done enough to win the starting job?
“Yeah, I think I had a good camp. I really do. I was saying earlier, really consistent camp. I kind of think that’s what got me the job last year, is I was consistent through camp. Just really knowing the offense, even more than I did last year, you know I knew it well last year and this is my fourth year in the offense. So having that deeper understanding is going to take me a long way.”
Is there anything to be taken from not announcing the starting quarterback?
“Yeah, I get the strategy of it. They have a quarterback competition, too. Bottom line, both teams are going to run their offense. You’ll have a wrinkle here or there to help with skill set. But what teams are good at is what they’re going to do. Everybody tries to play cat and mouse with it, but we don’t really worry about it.”
What's the biggest change you've seen in Franks?
"He definitely filled out. Really understands the offense, and taking command of it. And maturing on and off the field. It's night and day from when he first got here last spring -- I think he was here in the spring. I don't even recognize the guy from who he was last year. He's been awesome. Been a great teammate. Been a great leader. It's been a fun camp. I said earlier that camps can be kinda miserable if you don't like the room., but we've had a great room, and it's been fun."
What does Zaire do that's impressive?
"He does a really good job at improvising when the play breaks down. Obviously he's athletic. At Notre Dame, you saw that when he did play. So extending plays and taking advantage of his legs when he can use them is impressive."
Is McElwain not getting enough credit for his offense?
"Yeah. Especially with fans and media, for instance they'll watch a play and they'll see a guy that's wide open. And he's not even in our read. So just because they busted a coverage doesn't mean the play was a failure. You know, like a back-side go and the safety doesn't help over the top -- we can't help that. So we love our fans, we like you guys most of the time, but we're not really worried about what they say with play-to-play execution."
Do you think McElwain's offense will eventually impress people?
"Yeah. Absolutely. Mac is an offensive guy. He's very smart in how he coaches, how he calls plays. Him and Nuss. So we have the utmost confidence in him and his offense."
On criticism of your noodle arm.
"It's frustrating when you're completely healthy for two games, but I get it. They saw under-thrown deep balls. I didn't play well the last couple games. I also overthrew deep routes in the first two games. I understand fans remember the last thing that they saw and that's kind of what sticks. I don't blame them. It's frustrating, but I don't blame them."
