An exceptional quarterback is the dream shared by fans as well as QB coaches, offensive coordinators and head coaches. He is what allows a bad team to be ordinary, an ordinary team to be good, and a good team to become great.
A great quarterback rains fire from the sky and sometimes even slashes and burns across the gridiron. Like a general who will not be defeated, he marshals his troops to the most advantageous and strategic positions to ensure victory.
Fans know that certain quarterbacks give their team a REAL chance to win to every time they step on the field. Some coaches use their proximity to exceptional quarterbacks to further, or even "make" their careers. They can do this because coaches can take credit for an exceptional quarterback. The problems arise when the exceptional quarterback leaves and the coach has not found another one to take his place.
No one can doubt that Troy Aikman was an exceptional quarterback. After two years at Oklahoma he transferred to UCLA, where he went on to become a consensus All-American and the #1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. He was a 3-time Super Champion for the Dallas Cowboys and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
One coach who rode Aikman to greater glory for himself was Rick Neuheisel. He parlayed his role as QB coach to Aikman in 1988 to fancy himself a quarterback guru in years to come. Back in the late 80's, reality set in when he was moved to coach wide receivers a year after Aikman was gone.
That didn't slow down slick Rick, however, as he moved on to the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1994, and as quarterbacks coach, he inherited not one, but TWO exceptional quarterbacks in Kordell Stewart and Koy Detmer. (Just a note: The Slickster's Wikipedia page claims that Neuheisel was the offensive coordinator for CU in 1994, but that is NOT true. Elliot Uzelac was the offensive coordinator under Bill McCartney in '94).
The 1994 Buffaloes were arguably the best CU team ever. It was loaded with NFL talent. They had SEVEN players taken in the first 3 rounds of the 1995 NFL Draft, and nine drafted overall. Needless to say, that would have been a great team no matter who was coaching quarterbacks.
Neuheisel somehow convinced CU president Judith Albino he was the right guy to fill the shoes of Bill McCartney when Mac suddenly announced his retirement at the end of the season. Rick was young, good looking, had a law degree, and seemed like the perfect guy to carry on the McCartney legacy (in Albino's eyes, anyway). Problem was, Neuheisel was not a Mac guy. He had only been in Boulder for one year. Mac gave Albino advice on who to promote to head coach, but his advice was ignored.
In '95 and '96, Neuheisel had teams that were built by Mac and led by perhaps the best football mind ever to take a snap at CU in Koy Detmer. This writer remembers when Koy came to Colorado and hearing stories from some sports writers at the Daily Camera about how football savvy the kid was.
Traditionally, when college players go to meetings it is to learn from their coaches. Stories were told then about the young gun from Texas who taught his coaches a thing or two about playing quarterback. (It helps when your father is a high school coaching legend and your brother is a Heisman Trophy winner.) Put it this way, if Koy had the body or athletic gifts of Troy Aikman or Kordell Stewart, he would have been the best quarterback ever to play the game. He was a football savant with a skinny and fragile body.
With Detmer as the primary QB, the Buffs won 10 games each year in '95 and '96. When he left, along with all those great players recruited by McCartney and his staff, the wheels fell off the bus at Colorado. With Koy on the field (or the sideline when injured), the Buffs finished the season ranked #4 in '95 and #8 in '96. Their record was 20-4.
After Detmer graduated on to the NFL, Neuheisel's Buffs won 13 games and lost 10 over the next two years. There were also reports that the NCAA was investigating Colorado for recruiting violations. Like a rat fleeing a sinking ship, the Slickster headed west and took the job at Washington.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH COLORADO IN 2015?
Brian Lindgren, the current Colorado QB coach and Offensive Coordinator, came with coach Mike MacIntyre to Colorado in 2013 after leading San Jose State to 11 wins and a top 25 ranking in 2012. It was Lindgren's first year at SJS, and the success of that team gave him great reviews as one of the best young offensive coordinators around.
When one goes back, however, it is easy to note that maybe the success Lindgren had at SJS was due mostly to David Fales, their excellent quarterback now with the Chicago Bears. Fales holds most of the SJS passing records despite being at the school for only two years.
When MacIntyre and Lindgren came to Colorado in 2013, they inherited a team that was possibly the worst in the country in 2012. What they also inherited was a 5* quarterback transfer from Texas in Connor Wood. Despite the pedigree, Lindgren was unable to coach Wood into a top quarterback. In fact, seven games into the season, Wood was benched and freshman Sefo Liufau took over the reins. Wood decided to leave football after that year.
Liufau finished out 2013 as the starter and in 2014 broke many Colorado passing records. Most of the records were due to the sheer volume of passes attempted. Sefo attempted 498 passes in 2014.
By comparison, Koy Detmer threw 458 in '95 and '96 combined. And Kordell Stewart averaged 261 passes each of his three seasons as starter. Kordell also left CU with more almost 1300 yards rushing.)
"Yards per Attempt" (Y/A) is one of they key stats for quarterbacks. Compare the following #'s in Y/A for notable quarterbacks:
9.1 -- Koy Detmer
9.0 -- Darian Hagan
8.9 -- David Fales
8.4 -- Troy Aikman
8.3 -- Kordell Stewart
6.5 -- Sefo Liufau
Each pass attempted by the first five listed was 30-40% more effective in gaining yards than those thrown by the Colorado QB who broke so many records under the guidance of Brian Lindgren.
Even more important than Y/A is the record a team has under the guidance of an exceptional quarterback. These records are for when each was the primary quarterback (starter unless injured) for their team.
30-5-3 Darian Hagan
28-6-2 Kordell Stewart
20-4 Koy Detmer
20-4 Troy Aikman
17-8 David Fales
3-15 Sefo Liufau
Sefo Liufau has been added purely for statistical and comparative reasons. Unlike the others listed above, he was truly thrust into the fire his true freshman season. No redshirt year... no backup up year.... Just take over for a team that has been struggling for a decade.
That being the case, his QB coach and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren needs to take all the criticism for lack of production from the quarterback and the offense.
If (or when) the Buffs turn it around, all the credit should go to Sefo and his fellow players. If not, the blame falls on the coaches. Like in war, privates and corporals can be heroes, but the loss of the battle belongs on the officers, and ultimately the commanding officer.
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