erod
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Recently, Tony Romo was on 105.3 The Fan discussing the mechanics of throwing the football, and he had some interesting perspective on the work Dak is doing.
Romo qualified himself by admitting he was an obsessive geek when it came to arm angles, shoulder position, and release points to get the ball into certain windows with accuracy depending on what side of the field and type of throw was required. He spent hours upon hours trying to perfect this over his career for different situations.
He said footwork is overrated in terms of accuracy. He said that he instead focused on shoulder and arm position, and that the footwork just naturally follows. His reasoning was that, because QBs are often on the move or off balance when throwing, footwork is never going to be consistent anyway, but shoulder position and arm angle can be if you can rotate your upper torso into position before the throw.
In essence, he was saying he was already accurate from a perfect throwing position (no pass rush pressure) right out of college, but he had to learn to throw accurately from different live-action positions when he had to lean or slide from pressure. Being able to do that and put balls over the top of coverage and in tight windows is what separates QBs in the pros.
That makes a lot of sense.
On the flip side, Jon Kitna is ALL about footwork. He uses the phrase "ankle's eye" when throwing, as if you need to position your front foot toward the target to get it there accurately. I think that is important for Dak because he's tall and has a big windup compared to Romo. However, that doesn't apply when you can't set your feet. Dak throws well rolling to his right, but not as much to the left.
The important point is that Dak develop enough confidence in his arm and accuracy that he can throw sooner and in tight coverage, particularly in the red zone where things are really compact. The reports are that he looks more comfortable, but live action will tell soon enough.
And Dak's biggest issue is throwing from the pocket, so Kitna is certain right to focus there. However, as he moves around in the pocket, Romo's approach is valid as well.
Certainly worth watching early on this season.
Romo qualified himself by admitting he was an obsessive geek when it came to arm angles, shoulder position, and release points to get the ball into certain windows with accuracy depending on what side of the field and type of throw was required. He spent hours upon hours trying to perfect this over his career for different situations.
He said footwork is overrated in terms of accuracy. He said that he instead focused on shoulder and arm position, and that the footwork just naturally follows. His reasoning was that, because QBs are often on the move or off balance when throwing, footwork is never going to be consistent anyway, but shoulder position and arm angle can be if you can rotate your upper torso into position before the throw.
In essence, he was saying he was already accurate from a perfect throwing position (no pass rush pressure) right out of college, but he had to learn to throw accurately from different live-action positions when he had to lean or slide from pressure. Being able to do that and put balls over the top of coverage and in tight windows is what separates QBs in the pros.
That makes a lot of sense.
On the flip side, Jon Kitna is ALL about footwork. He uses the phrase "ankle's eye" when throwing, as if you need to position your front foot toward the target to get it there accurately. I think that is important for Dak because he's tall and has a big windup compared to Romo. However, that doesn't apply when you can't set your feet. Dak throws well rolling to his right, but not as much to the left.
The important point is that Dak develop enough confidence in his arm and accuracy that he can throw sooner and in tight coverage, particularly in the red zone where things are really compact. The reports are that he looks more comfortable, but live action will tell soon enough.
And Dak's biggest issue is throwing from the pocket, so Kitna is certain right to focus there. However, as he moves around in the pocket, Romo's approach is valid as well.
Certainly worth watching early on this season.
