Here's an interview with David Morris, the founder of QB Country which has tutored some of the most recognizable names at the position in the last few years.
The first part of the article talks about AJ and Eli and then it gets into Coker:
Reier: Shifting gears, what’s the plan for Coker?
Morris: First and foremost, he’s got to graduate (from FSU). Secondly, he’s got to get ready to compete for the job. He’s got a lot of (class) hours and he’ll have some catch up to do in a system that may change a little bit but from a nuts and bolts standpoint I wouldn’t imagine the scheme changing a ton at Alabama. He’s got a heavy load but he’s a blue collar worker. He’s a guy who rolls his sleeves up and gets there early and wants to throw after practice. We’ll chart 115 throws after warm up and he’ll want to go more. He’s one of those kids who does not want to stop so I think he’s got the right makeup to handle the tough task.
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Reier: We know Coker has prototype size and arm strength. Where’s he at in terms of accuracy and instincts?
Morris: He can throw the football. He’s an accurate kid and he is an anticipator. There’s no substitute for experience so I think he’s going to get better in those two areas. It’s the natural progression of a quarterback that you become the better anticipator with the more games you play. He can hit you on a dime so I think he’s going to be fine. I think he has the tangibles and intangibles needed to be a starter in the SEC for sure.
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Reier: So what are your objectives for Coker between now and summer?
Morris: It’s not my job to implement the offense so what we focus on are the mechanics and fundamentals of playing the position and getting into quarterback shape. You can’t ever have enough muscle memory, either under center or in game drops. Then what you’re trying to do is get him prepared for every situation, so you rep the heck out of footwork and situational throws. The way we train is that we do perfect scenario repetitions and then we try to incorporate worst case scenario repetitions. If you can do both those things you should have a guy who things can happen naturally for because you’re prepared for a situation where everything happen in rhythm and also when you have to get off your platform a little bit to make a play.
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Reier: Bigger hurdle for Coker in winning the job at Alabama: getting the playbook and terminology down or developing chemistry with his teammates both as a passer and leader?
Morris: I think it’s a combination. Ultimately, you’ve got to learn the playbook. You’ve got to learn the ins and outs of terminology for protections, route concepts and the run game. And then, like anything else, if you’re going to be the quarterback you’ve got to be one of the leaders. I think he’s a natural leader but he’s not a very local guy. His way of leading is natural to him. He’s just kind of a worker and a laidback guy. As long as you’re authentic in that, then I think you’re leadership skills will speak for themselves. He doesn’t need to try to be AJ. They’re different in how they lead but they both do it well. There’s no cookie cutter way of leading. It’s just a matter of being yourself and working hard and I think those are two things he’s good at.
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Reier: What’s the timeframe for getting Coker going?
Morris: I’m training these guys for the draft and that’s my priority for now. He’s got some getting healthy to do and that’s his priority for now. He’s got a lot of school work to do, too, so that’s also a top priority. I think he’s going to come home (to Mobile) on Thursdays and we’ll probably work through the weekends. We’ll come up with something that makes sense for him but isn’t too much with his workload. And he knows how to work on his own. He’s the kind of guy that no matter where he is, he’s going to get some football work in every day. Between school and getting back home to prepare for football, he’ll have a good balance.
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Reier: Coker’s top attribute as a quarterback is ….
Morris: I think it goes back to him being a blue collar worker. He’s just a kid that doesn’t mind working his tail off. Nothing has been handed to him. He was in a challenging situation last season (at FSU) and he handled it very well. Jake’s a great teammate. He’s a great person and people are going to love him around there because he’s a hard worker.
