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Tony Romo breaks down the mechanics of the QB position
Posted at 11:50 AM on Wed., Aug. 4, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Todd Archer / Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips
One of the more enjoyable parts of talking to Tony Romo is how he will break down some of the minutiae of the game, especially his mechanics. On Tuesday, he gave some pretty good insight on his motion.
I noticed three of his first six throws in seven on seven drills in the morning workout were high and that in between reps he spent some time just working on finding a release point. He threw only lightly the previous two days to help his sore shoulder and he lost the feel for a little bit.
"Your hip moves a little early," Romo said. "The ball's coming out of your hand, say, a step early. One of them was footwork. The other one my rhythm was good, but as you turn to throw, say, or you're going to throw, your weight goes from your right to your left and at that exact moment [something's wrong in the release] ... Your weight is forward first just barely, too early. Now you're back a little or the opposite. You just have to find the right shift, the timing of it. When I did that, I think I was fine.
When Romo makes checkdown throws to the backs or zone reads underneath to the tight ends, he doesn't just simply make a connection. He will attempt to put the ball to the "8" or the "2" on Jason Witten's jersey.
"When he stops, you'll throw it on this shoulder and he needs to turn that way and go up, there's a defender on that side," Romo said. "Throw it on this shoulder, turn that way, go up."
I remember hearing Bill Parcells tell a wide out or tight end years ago, "The quarterback will tell you where the defender is," by where he throws the ball after the player turned to the wrong side and smack into a defender.
Romo said that is something he has always had a knack for since he started playing the position. Romo's vision is often his best quality. He can move defenders with his eyes. I remember him dragging Keith Brooking over just slightly to the linebacker's right to create a sliver of space for a throw to Witten. So on point was the play that Brooking jumped straight up thinking he was getting a pick.
"Predominately, I look at defensive players when I throw the ball," Romo said. "That's probably not 100 percent normal, I would say as far as how many people do it. I don't know. When I started playing, it just seemed easier to throw away from that guy. I knew where my guy was going to be already."
As a result, Romo admits having precise route running is a must for him.
"Just the timing if you can get to your position I can do little things that allow us against zones to help," Romo said. "The other part is if you get a good receiver, a guy who understands where to be, Witten and some of those guys, they put themselves in a position where I don't have to do as much. The combination, everyone helps everybody."
Posted at 11:50 AM on Wed., Aug. 4, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Todd Archer / Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips
One of the more enjoyable parts of talking to Tony Romo is how he will break down some of the minutiae of the game, especially his mechanics. On Tuesday, he gave some pretty good insight on his motion.
I noticed three of his first six throws in seven on seven drills in the morning workout were high and that in between reps he spent some time just working on finding a release point. He threw only lightly the previous two days to help his sore shoulder and he lost the feel for a little bit.
"Your hip moves a little early," Romo said. "The ball's coming out of your hand, say, a step early. One of them was footwork. The other one my rhythm was good, but as you turn to throw, say, or you're going to throw, your weight goes from your right to your left and at that exact moment [something's wrong in the release] ... Your weight is forward first just barely, too early. Now you're back a little or the opposite. You just have to find the right shift, the timing of it. When I did that, I think I was fine.
When Romo makes checkdown throws to the backs or zone reads underneath to the tight ends, he doesn't just simply make a connection. He will attempt to put the ball to the "8" or the "2" on Jason Witten's jersey.
"When he stops, you'll throw it on this shoulder and he needs to turn that way and go up, there's a defender on that side," Romo said. "Throw it on this shoulder, turn that way, go up."
I remember hearing Bill Parcells tell a wide out or tight end years ago, "The quarterback will tell you where the defender is," by where he throws the ball after the player turned to the wrong side and smack into a defender.
Romo said that is something he has always had a knack for since he started playing the position. Romo's vision is often his best quality. He can move defenders with his eyes. I remember him dragging Keith Brooking over just slightly to the linebacker's right to create a sliver of space for a throw to Witten. So on point was the play that Brooking jumped straight up thinking he was getting a pick.
"Predominately, I look at defensive players when I throw the ball," Romo said. "That's probably not 100 percent normal, I would say as far as how many people do it. I don't know. When I started playing, it just seemed easier to throw away from that guy. I knew where my guy was going to be already."
As a result, Romo admits having precise route running is a must for him.
"Just the timing if you can get to your position I can do little things that allow us against zones to help," Romo said. "The other part is if you get a good receiver, a guy who understands where to be, Witten and some of those guys, they put themselves in a position where I don't have to do as much. The combination, everyone helps everybody."