The Search for Unbelievably Believable Continues During Spring Break

Bruce Feldman has an article that focuses on 2 BCS conference QB's who are spending their Spring Break with private Quarterback Coach/Guru George Whitfield.

Now that my socks are out there, I got nothing to lose, right? This moment right here, it's unbelievably believable. It's unbelievable because in the moment, we're all amazed when great things happen. It's believable because great things only happen with hard work. The great coach Art Briles always says great things only come with great effort, and we've certainly worked for this.

-Robert Griffin III

One of my many favorite things about Robert Griffin III is that he consistently makes the point that hard work is necessary for success. You see it in his Heisman Acceptance Speech above, you saw it in his decision to leave high school a semester early to get a jump start on his collegiate training, and you see it in his commercials. While some other Heisman winners want to be known for their million dollar smile or how many times they can share pictures of themselves at clubs and casinos through social media, the example that Robert set is remarkable for his leadership as much as it is his excellent play.

Which brings us to Bryce Petty, the nominal Baylor starting quarterback. While his place on the bench has limited his media coverage, and thus our knowledge of his personality, we are starting to find out more about him this spring. His comments to the media so far this spring leave no doubt that he is a confident guy, both in his ability and his team's chances at a Big 12 Championship.

Today, Bruce Feldman as CBS reports that Petty is one of a handful of BCS starting QB's who will spend their Spring Breaks working with private Quarterback Coach/Guru George Whitfield in Norman, OK. I encourage you to read the article. In addition to highlighting some of the promising aspects of the 2013 Baylor squad, there are some interesting tidbits on what Petty is working on this spring.

Petty admits he sometimes would get "lazy" with his mechanics and has now gotten used to hear Whitfield harp on "being in the phone booth." Meaning: Keeping his mechanics tight. Keeping his elbow in. Not over-striding. "Chances are you're not going to have a whole lot of room to work with [in the pocket]," Whitfield said, adding that Petty is so big, strong and dynamic that he often can get away with not always being dialed-in mechanically.

When Whitfield said Petty is "dynamic," he means the Baylor QB is comfortable throwing with a base or without and excels at throwing on the run. Like a lot of young QBs, Petty also has a tendency to try to do everything 100 miles per hour and fire the ball 110 percent. "The hard part for me is to dial it down and focus on the little things, which is what we've really been doing here.

In addition to Petty singing the praises of his athletically gifted wide receivers, the article mentions that Petty spent last Spring Break doing this as well.

In general, I'm a guy who prefers to eschew character spotlights and (tired) narratives when evaluating players. But this is exactly the sort of thing I want to be reading about my rookie QB. And I can't help but think it goes a long way in the locker room towards setting a tone about what level of commitment is expected.

Baylor we are, Baylor we'll always be, but it's up to us to define what that means, and this Heisman Trophy is only the beginning of that process.