Bush Hamdan was trying to articulate to his quarterbacks the importance of prolonged focus. Rep after rep. Series after series. Hour after hour. How one little blip in concentration turns a great day into a miserable week.
Hamdan compared it to golf. Which is fine for the millions who have splashed a drive on the back-9 and, all of a sudden, quit chasing a personal best and began praying for a final tally in the double digits.
But Green doesn’t play much golf, so he needed to tweak the example a bit.
“A couple of us go bowling,” Green said, “and when I’m bowling I’m focused on one shot, one stroke at a time. So I really did that in the offseason to help me focus on one play at a time.
“Having intent on everything I do, but trying to do that for a whole game,” Green continued, now speaking about football. “I know sometimes you get tired and stuff, but actually diving in and knowing the details every single day.”
Green knows the cost when that doesn’t happen. During a week in which every speaking member of the Boise State football team has laid out the goal of winning a Mountain West Championship, it’s hard to forget that the worst game of Green’s career came with the conference title on the line.
He completed under half his passes (45%) for the first time in his career. He threw two interceptions for the first time in his career. He looked out of sorts for the first time in his career.
His first pick led to a Fresno State touchdown — a four-point Boise State deficit turned to 11. His second also led to a Bulldogs’ touchdown. The Broncos went from trailing by two possessions to three. Game over.
That’s the effect when any quarterback — not just Green — makes a mistake, when they zone out for even a half-second. It is on Hamdan and Green to make sure that doesn’t happen in 2023.
“From a mental standpoint, making sure that we go through the process to be aware of the ups and downs in games,” Hamdan said. “To stay focused. To make it about mental endurance. Can you stay focused one play at a time for three-and-a-half, four hours at a time?”
This second season is going to be the real litmus test for Green. The newness has faded.
It has now been over 300 days since he made his first start against San Diego State. Since his parents — Quinton and Latrice — eased his nerves with some pregame texts. Since then-graduate assistant Jabril Frazier sought out Green during warmups to tell him, “God doesn’t make mistakes.” Since Green orchestrated a second-half comeback that kickstarted a four-game winning streak.
Green is entering a new world, an ecosystem of expectations.
“There’s one thing coming off the bench and being able to play (without) overthinking it,” Hamdan said. “Then there’s the natural progression of, OK, now I’m starting to get that information. I’ve been pleased from a leadership perspective.”
What that has looked like over the past few months is Green doing whatever’s necessary to become a master inside Hamdan’s offense. It is a scheme with advanced verbiage and an emphasis on rhythm.
Rhythm takes time, and it seems Green has put in the hours.
“I’ll be walking (into the football complex) and he’ll be sitting in that film room as I’m walking by,” said right tackle Cade Beresford. “He’s just done everything in his preparation to be the best player he can be.”
Green has been known to call up his offensive linemen and invite them upstairs to watch film. He wants the big guys to break down plays from an offensive line perspective and they appreciate his outlook on things.
Said Beresford: “That’s what we need.”
