Quarterback gurus might be able to help their college pupils with things like mechanics, but that doesn't mean they're helping them be winners. Those were the sentiments of Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who joined the College Football 24/7 Podcast and was asked about the growing business of offseason, private tutelage for college quarterbacks.
"I'm not big on it at all. I would not let one of our guys go anywhere else. There's a difference -- you can have a guy teach mechanics and motion and all of this, but it's your offense and your timing," Cutcliffe said. "... You go and get with a quarterback guru, and I'm not one. The reality is, there's a scoreboard. You get into guys that are just individual tutors, they're not dealing with a scoreboard on a day-to-day basis. I'm going to have our guys around here doing what they need to do to help win football games."
Cutcliffe addressed his work with Manning brothers Peyton and Eli over the years, and why he feels that's different than guru work.
"The reason Eli and Peyton come back is because I've coached both of them from the time they were 18, and kind of have continued to now. I know them, I know what they're doing, how they're doing it. I know both of their offenses," Cutcliffe said. "We don't get outside the realm of teaching something that is not (wanted) by their current coach. We just enhance it."
There is no shortage of NFL quarterbacks, some quite successful, that have worked with private tutors during or immediately after their college careers. Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Ben Roethlisberger are just a few of the quarterbacks that have worked on the side with someone outside their college program. But the list of college coaches against the practice is getting longer, too. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn won't allow Nick Marshall or any other Auburn quarterback to engage with a private instructor, and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino stands on the same ground.
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