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COPYRIGHT 2005 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Rookie quarterbacks, like babies, should be fed slowly, from tiny spoons. Their diet should be soft and easily digestible. And still, they may spit up all over themselves.
No one wears the burp cloth quite like Bill Cowher, whose formulas nourished rookie Ben Roethlisberger to a 14-victory season for the Steelers last year. This season, the Bears hope to start getting Roethlisberger-type play from rookie Kyle Orton.
So here's a Dr. Spock approach to handling the young ones:
Put safety first
Protection must be the top priority. Don't worry about raising a thumb sucker.
Defenses will be more aggressive against young quarterbacks, both in terms of pressure and showing different looks. Orton, for example, has been blitzed on 41 percent of his pass attempts.
So don't expect five linemen to do the job. Better to protect with seven blockers and use only three receivers than to give the young passer multiple receiving options he'll never be able to capitalize on anyway. The Bears have used six or seven blockers on 85 percent of their pass attempts, with tailback Thomas Jones having been used enough in pass protection to qualify as an unofficial member of the line.
Be certain the rookie knows his hot reads, which occur when the quarterback is responsible for reacting to an unblocked blitzer. And make sure he and his receivers know their sight adjustments, which are necessary when a defensive back blitzes. "Far and away the toughest thing...
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