There’s a fine line as a quarterback. You have to be robotic but play free. You have to be structured, but be able to break the structure. You have to be able to use your athleticism, but not rely on it.
That is the tightrope Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan is walking right now with Taylen Green. He is trying to mold the Broncos’ starter into a more polished quarterback without stripping away what makes Green so special.
“Obviously two things come to mind: Project yourself,” Hamdan said of Green. “If you’re in the open field, you can’t necessarily be a guy, at the quarterback position, carrying it 30-35 times a game. The second thing for him — that final step, if you will — will be playing in the pocket.
“You look at all the great quarterbacks, all the NFL guys,” Hamdan continued. “The one consistent thing, in critical situations, (is they) can take the space they need —only the space they need- hang in there tough and deliver balls in the pocket.”
If there was a criticism of Green from last year, it’s that he didn’t always look comfortable in the pocket. Inexperience contributed to that. So did an offensive coordinator switch. And a rotating offensive line.
Even after a full offseason of training, Green still thinks he’s got plenty of room for development.
“I’m definitely — I wouldn’t say better because, you know, I feel like I definitely have a long way to go (as a passer),” Green said. “I’m definitely not satisfied yet, but I’m a lot more comfortable in the pocket. Just drilling that in our indy (independent) drills with Bush.”
Hamdan has his rules for the quarterback — everything from footwork to hitches to progressions — but understands this game is not played on a whiteboard. He can draw up some masterclass play, but if it limits Green, then what good is it?
Schools train for a fire drill knowing things are going to go wrong if there’s a real fire. Some kid is gonna be in the bathroom. There’s gonna be a substitute. One bus is going to have a flat tire. Who knows? Teachers are trusted to make quick decisions to keep the kids safe.
Hamdan can run through every drill and every practice scenario with Green, but the greatest gift he can give his quarterback is the confidence to play free when you know what hits the fan.
“He tells me all the time, ‘Don’t be a robot. Just play football. Just trust your instincts and trust what your eyes see,’” Green said. “He definitely gives me the freedom to do some stuff, but I have to be within the parameters of what he wants.”
While speaking Monday, Hamdan thought back to a quote from future Hall of Famer Tom Brady in which the seven-time Super Bowl champion said he never had the ability — even as a young kid — to escape the pocket and outrun anyone. He stayed in the pocket because he had to.
Green has always had the ability to blow past people, to dart out of the pocket and be one cut away from a touchdown. With each level and each year, it gets harder and harder to do that as much.
Green is well aware the secret is out. Teams know what he can do with his legs. And, now, they don’t have just a week or two to prepare, they have a whole offseason.
“With that being the case at this level of football, there’s speed all over the place,” Hamdan said. “We’re trying to get him as many reps for what it looks like to stay in there and push up in the pocket. And, again, when those long runs happen, they happen.”
That is what Hamdan is hoping for.
When he curated Boise State’s playbook, he did not copy and paste what he had from Missouri. He was not stubborn. No, he watched Green and George Holani and Ashton Jeanty and tried to devise ways to best utilize their skill sets.
“So much of what you do is tailored to what your quarterback does well,” Hamdan said.
