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Pitt coaches putting QB Voytik to the test The play always works on paper. The X's block the O's, and dotted lines smoothly flow from the quarterback to the wide receiver. In the real world, that isn't always the case. Human error comes into play. So do weather and defenders. Dealing with those distractions is what separates the great quarterbacks from everyone else. It is also one of the goals of Pitt offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and quarterback Chad Voytik, who went through the second day of spring drills Tuesday.
"We are trying to get Chad comfortably uncomfortable," Chaney said. Voytik is a smart player, earning Big East and ACC academic honors during his first three years at Pitt. From hours of video review and studying his playbook, he knows how a play should look. But there always are hurdles.
"If you put 50 cents into a pop machine, you get a Diet Coke," Chaney said. "It doesn't always work like that in football.
"Sometimes you can call the perfect play, and the player slips, and it doesn't happen the way you need it to happen." That's where the quarterback must learn to think on his feet. "He's good at that," Chaney said of Voytik. "But I don't think he is comfortable with that. He'd much rather know the questions to the test and have the answers and go out and perform, which we all would like to do."
Voytik, 21, steadily improved throughout last season, his first as a starter. He threw six interceptions in his first seven games but only one the rest of the way. His passing efficiency (140.2) was third best among ACC quarterbacks with at least 275 attempts. "The coaching staff started understanding who he was," Chaney said. "You saw that maturation throughout the season. I thought they did a nice job with it."
Voytik said improvement did not stem from gradually learning the offense. "I knew the offense going into the season," he said. "It was more knowing how to game plan and being comfortable on the field. If you can be comfortable and calm when you are on this stage, you will succeed."
Chaney, who is Voytik's third quarterbacks coach in four seasons, brings a wealth of experience to the team, having coached quarterbacks at Purdue, Tennessee and Arkansas. In 2000, he helped Purdue's Drew Brees lead the nation in total offense (358.1 yards per game).
Voytik first met Chaney when he was recruited by Tennessee at Cleveland (Tenn.) High School. "He makes it fun. He's a character and has a great personality," Voytik said. "But he'll coach you when you need to be coached."
Chaney, meanwhile, has been impressed by Voytik's work ethic. "He's a (football) junkie. He's a perfectionist. He loves football," Chaney said. "We expect him to have a big season."
Notes: Coach Pat Narduzzi spoke with dismissed cornerback Titus Howard on Tuesday during practice. Narduzzi hopes to help Howard find an eventual transfer location. ... Central Catholic junior defensive tackle Rashad Wheeler also attended practice.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/7981074-74/voytik-chaney-coach#ixzz3Ul8RWn50
This post was edited on 3/18 1:34 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly
Pitt coaches putting QB Voytik to the test The play always works on paper. The X's block the O's, and dotted lines smoothly flow from the quarterback to the wide receiver. In the real world, that isn't always the case. Human error comes into play. So do weather and defenders. Dealing with those distractions is what separates the great quarterbacks from everyone else. It is also one of the goals of Pitt offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and quarterback Chad Voytik, who went through the second day of spring drills Tuesday.
"We are trying to get Chad comfortably uncomfortable," Chaney said. Voytik is a smart player, earning Big East and ACC academic honors during his first three years at Pitt. From hours of video review and studying his playbook, he knows how a play should look. But there always are hurdles.
"If you put 50 cents into a pop machine, you get a Diet Coke," Chaney said. "It doesn't always work like that in football.
"Sometimes you can call the perfect play, and the player slips, and it doesn't happen the way you need it to happen." That's where the quarterback must learn to think on his feet. "He's good at that," Chaney said of Voytik. "But I don't think he is comfortable with that. He'd much rather know the questions to the test and have the answers and go out and perform, which we all would like to do."
Voytik, 21, steadily improved throughout last season, his first as a starter. He threw six interceptions in his first seven games but only one the rest of the way. His passing efficiency (140.2) was third best among ACC quarterbacks with at least 275 attempts. "The coaching staff started understanding who he was," Chaney said. "You saw that maturation throughout the season. I thought they did a nice job with it."
Voytik said improvement did not stem from gradually learning the offense. "I knew the offense going into the season," he said. "It was more knowing how to game plan and being comfortable on the field. If you can be comfortable and calm when you are on this stage, you will succeed."
Chaney, who is Voytik's third quarterbacks coach in four seasons, brings a wealth of experience to the team, having coached quarterbacks at Purdue, Tennessee and Arkansas. In 2000, he helped Purdue's Drew Brees lead the nation in total offense (358.1 yards per game).
Voytik first met Chaney when he was recruited by Tennessee at Cleveland (Tenn.) High School. "He makes it fun. He's a character and has a great personality," Voytik said. "But he'll coach you when you need to be coached."
Chaney, meanwhile, has been impressed by Voytik's work ethic. "He's a (football) junkie. He's a perfectionist. He loves football," Chaney said. "We expect him to have a big season."
Notes: Coach Pat Narduzzi spoke with dismissed cornerback Titus Howard on Tuesday during practice. Narduzzi hopes to help Howard find an eventual transfer location. ... Central Catholic junior defensive tackle Rashad Wheeler also attended practice.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/7981074-74/voytik-chaney-coach#ixzz3Ul8RWn50
This post was edited on 3/18 1:34 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly
