Most important position on field reason for Petrino's optimism

It's the key to any offense. While the offensive line and secondary may be the most important groups for success as a team you can't score points without a quarterback.

Petrino didn't say it, but Green's improvement is probably a two-way street. The coach has learned what he can do well and what he can't. Just don't expect him to offer details on that.

He also knows what Green needs to improve.

"You got to get better at what it is that you're good at and improve at it, be more consistent at it and that is his ability to run the football," Petrino said (and that's not a shocking detail".

"He's a very good thrower. Some routes, he's way better than others. You know, we're trying to make sure we're doing that more and using his talents more, and then you got to improve on that 20% that must get better at –– so you can play at a very high level consistently."

In his first year, Green started every game. He didn't finish every one of them because everyone remembers he was knocked out of the Tennessee game and backup Malachi Singleton led that winning drive against token resistance from the Vols.

An improvement on the offense line would help more than anything. Green showed how good he was running the ball mainly to stay alive.

"That’ll be huge," Petrino said. "It’ll make him that much better."

Having a second year in Petrino's system is going to be huge. You don't even have to read closely between the lines to figure out how that works both ways.

Green has also become a leader for the entire team and the entire offense.

"He's done a really nice job of leading," Petrino said. "Part of maturing as a quarterback and leading is communicating with your teammates and motivating your teammates, and NOT accepting when they don't do something right."

In other words, don't be a quarterback accepting excuses for failure. Winning quarterbacks demand everybody around them have the same standard. They don't listen well to excuses.

"I try to encourage that, like, 'Hey, you go tell them what he should have done there and not me,'" Petrino said. "Then they know he knows what he's talking about whether they're short on a route or deep on a route or didn't break at the right angle.

"A lot of times our quarterbacks now are going and making that correction to the players, and that means a lot more than just coming from me."

Petrino goes over grades with his quarterbacks. He has no idea what an Excel spreadsheet is (Mike Fishback does that from the notes).

"That's what I believe playing quarterback is," Petrino said. "Every single play we have a decision to make, whether it's stay with the play called, change the play, stay with the protection called, change the protection, dropback pass, holding the mike, keying the nickel, where I throw the ball, and then I have to be able to execute what my assignment is sometimes.

"Like in the run game, we've got to be perfect on our footwork, perfect on our ball handling, and perfect carrying out our fake.'s

"In the pass game, it's as simple as I make the decision, I've got to be able to throw the ball and complete it. Doesn't do me any good if I can make great decisions and not be able to complete the passes that are there."

It's a combination of know what to do and be able to do it. That's how he develops his quarterbacks.

"I've had quarterbacks like, 'Man, this guy knows what he's doing, but, man, he can't complete it,'" he said. "Then you've had quarterbacks that don't know what they're doing and throw the ball real well, but they get you in trouble with decision-making and interceptions and stuff like that. It just how I've always graded a quarterback."

Even in his NFL days, starting at Jacksonville with left-handed Mark Brunell.

"My first stint in the NFL, I gave Mark Brunell that grade sheet, and he said, 'What's this?'" Petrino said "I said, 'Well, that's the grade sheet, man.'"

He found out quickly that changed with Petrino.

"That's how I believe you get better, too, is that you understand what decisions I'm making and how am I able to execute it," Petrino said.

Now he's just to work that same magic with the rest of the offense. Histoy says he will.

Hogs Feed