Will White's skill set transfer to NFL career?
MORGANTOWN - For all that Pat White has accomplished over the past four football seasons - the records, the wins, the adoration of nearly an entire state - there is still one group that he has largely failed to win over.
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN - For all that Pat White has accomplished over the past four football seasons - the records, the wins, the adoration of nearly an entire state - there is still one group that he has largely failed to win over.
They come armed with stopwatches and clipboards, wear sometimes silly logos on their caps and jackets and spend much of their working life in dark rooms with remote controls and stacks and stacks of video tapes or DVDs or whatever it is they put college highlights on these days. [img_r]http://images.sportsnetwork.com/cfoot/getty/bigeast/west_virginia/2008/white_pat245.jpg[/img_r]
They are NFL scouts and, if conventional wisdom is correct, they remain largely unimpressed with West Virginia quarterback Pat White.
Oh, they're intrigued by wide receiver Pat White. They think kick returner Pat White has a shot at making it in the NFL, too. Shoot, in some system where a relatively skinny 190-pounder doesn't have to be a workhorse there might even be room in the NFL for running back Pat White.
But if there are more than a few who will even consider recommending to their employers quarterback Pat White, they haven't exactly come bursting out of the woodwork.
And it kind of gets under White's skin, as witness his response last week when someone mentioned the fact that few think he can play quarterback at the next level.
"Yeah, well, a lot of people don't think West Virginia is a state, either,'' he said dryly. "What do they know?''
Well, they actually know a lot, at least about what seems to be the array of skills needed to become a successful pro quarterback. Granted, they don't necessarily think outside the box all that often, but that's in part due to the fact that so few NFL quarterbacks - past, present or even in waiting - have succeeded with White's particular skill set.
Specifically, that would be stronger credentials running than passing, a body type not projected to withstand a great deal of punishment when he does run and limited experience playing in a pro-style passing attack.
Well, guess what? White's skills as a passer have improved and he now has at least some basic knowledge of the pro-style passing game about which he was formerly clueless.
If the metamorphosis West Virginia's offense has undergone this season has done little else - you are free to insert your disparaging comments here - it has at least made White at least a little bit more NFL-friendly as a QB.
"I think so. I think it's helped me out,'' White said. "As far as footwork, ball position, reading defenses; and being able to read more than just one side of the field.''
Naturally, the scouts and coaches who will ultimately make the call on what sort of chance White is given to prove himself as a quarterback are the ones who will judge how far he has come in just one season. Chances are most will continue to look upon White as a novelty.
But the great thing about a novelty act is that, if for no other reason than curiosity, people watch it. That's all White wants - someone to watch him and see what he can do.
"I'm not an NFL representative, so [I don't know what they think],'' White said. "I'll admit that coming into this year I was just going to work hard and see what happened.''
Had they watched White a year ago he would have looked completely out of place, possessing virtually no knowledge of any sort of sophisticated passing schemes. He was a quarterback who basically looked at one receiver, maybe two, then either threw the ball or tucked it and ran.
Sure, he was a terrific talent, but putting him into an NFL system with that limited knowledge would have been embarrassing.
Now, while White is still not the most polished or sophisticated passer in college football, he is light years ahead of where he was just a few months ago.
"You'd like to think so,'' said new WVU offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen when asked if he thought White had progressed enough that he could at least sneak onto someone's radar. "We've worked very, very hard on pocket presence and mechanics and full-field reads, sliding protections and seeing safety rotations, understanding coverages to anticipate the soft spot. It's all the things you talk about [when evaluating the pro potential of a quarterback]. Now, whether he is ready or not, I hope he is.''
Statistics, of course, can be made to illustrate any point you care to make, but just for kicks here are a few to ponder about White. He is not only the all-time leading quarterback rusher in NCAA history, he also leads the Big East this season in touchdown passes.
Really, he does. He has 17, the same as Cincinnati's Tony Pike and more than Rutgers' Mike Teel or Louisville's Hunter Cantwell. He is also on target to become perhaps the most accurate and efficient passer in school history, albeit with far few attempts than some others.
"The guy is leading the conference in touchdown passes. And these aren't screens he's throwing,'' Mullen said. "That's Pat White. It's not Mike Teel or the guy at Louisville, these pocket guys.''
Mullen has examples of White's maturation ready at a moment's notice. Just pick one.
"The two touchdown passes he threw at Louisville were special, and that's what the normal guy doesn't see,'' Mullen said. "He got one on a second or third look, he did it with people in his face, having to slide around, [which means] he didn't panic. The second one, a defensive lineman actually hit the ball [while White was trying to escape pressure]. That's another of the things we've worked hard on, ball security, not as a runner but as a quarterback.
"When I see that, I think he's gotten better. I wouldn't have expected that from him - and didn't see it - in the spring.''
Of course, White could have skipped town and tried his luck in the NFL last season - as a wide receiver or whatever - but he chose to stay. Naturally, that was good for West Virginia, but maybe it was good for him, too.
"It's been a two-way street. We will forever be indebted and grateful that Patrick White stayed,'' WVU coach Bill Stewart said. "But I think Patrick will be the first to tell you, to jump up and say, 'Hey, I learned a lot of football this year from Jeff Mullen and our new scheme and what we're trying to do at West Virginia.' ''
It remains to be seen if he learned enough to impress the guys in the dark rooms.
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
MORGANTOWN - For all that Pat White has accomplished over the past four football seasons - the records, the wins, the adoration of nearly an entire state - there is still one group that he has largely failed to win over.
They come armed with stopwatches and clipboards, wear sometimes silly logos on their caps and jackets and spend much of their working life in dark rooms with remote controls and stacks and stacks of video tapes or DVDs or whatever it is they put college highlights on these days.
They are NFL scouts and, if conventional wisdom is correct, they remain largely unimpressed with West Virginia quarterback Pat White.
Oh, they're intrigued by wide receiver Pat White. They think kick returner Pat White has a shot at making it in the NFL, too. Shoot, in some system where a relatively skinny 190-pounder doesn't have to be a workhorse there might even be room in the NFL for running back Pat White.
But if there are more than a few who will even consider recommending to their employers quarterback Pat White, they haven't exactly come bursting out of the woodwork.
And it kind of gets under White's skin, as witness his response last week when someone mentioned the fact that few think he can play quarterback at the next level.
"Yeah, well, a lot of people don't think West Virginia is a state, either,'' he said dryly. "What do they know?''
Well, they actually know a lot, at least about what seems to be the array of skills needed to become a successful pro quarterback. Granted, they don't necessarily think outside the box all that often, but that's in part due to the fact that so few NFL quarterbacks - past, present or even in waiting - have succeeded with White's particular skill set.
Specifically, that would be stronger credentials running than passing, a body type not projected to withstand a great deal of punishment when he does run and limited experience playing in a pro-style passing attack.
Well, guess what? White's skills as a passer have improved and he now has at least some basic knowledge of the pro-style passing game about which he was formerly clueless.
If the metamorphosis West Virginia's offense has undergone this season has done little else - you are free to insert your disparaging comments here - it has at least made White at least a little bit more NFL-friendly as a QB.
"I think so. I think it's helped me out,'' White said. "As far as footwork, ball position, reading defenses; and being able to read more than just one side of the field.''
Naturally, the scouts and coaches who will ultimately make the call on what sort of chance White is given to prove himself as a quarterback are the ones who will judge how far he has come in just one season. Chances are most will continue to look upon White as a novelty.
But the great thing about a novelty act is that, if for no other reason than curiosity, people watch it. That's all White wants - someone to watch him and see what he can do.
"I'm not an NFL representative, so [I don't know what they think],'' White said. "I'll admit that coming into this year I was just going to work hard and see what happened.''
Had they watched White a year ago he would have looked completely out of place, possessing virtually no knowledge of any sort of sophisticated passing schemes. He was a quarterback who basically looked at one receiver, maybe two, then either threw the ball or tucked it and ran.
Sure, he was a terrific talent, but putting him into an NFL system with that limited knowledge would have been embarrassing.
Now, while White is still not the most polished or sophisticated passer in college football, he is light years ahead of where he was just a few months ago.
"You'd like to think so,'' said new WVU offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen when asked if he thought White had progressed enough that he could at least sneak onto someone's radar. "We've worked very, very hard on pocket presence and mechanics and full-field reads, sliding protections and seeing safety rotations, understanding coverages to anticipate the soft spot. It's all the things you talk about [when evaluating the pro potential of a quarterback]. Now, whether he is ready or not, I hope he is.''
Statistics, of course, can be made to illustrate any point you care to make, but just for kicks here are a few to ponder about White. He is not only the all-time leading quarterback rusher in NCAA history, he also leads the Big East this season in touchdown passes.
Really, he does. He has 17, the same as Cincinnati's Tony Pike and more than Rutgers' Mike Teel or Louisville's Hunter Cantwell. He is also on target to become perhaps the most accurate and efficient passer in school history, albeit with far few attempts than some others.
"The guy is leading the conference in touchdown passes. And these aren't screens he's throwing,'' Mullen said. "That's Pat White. It's not Mike Teel or the guy at Louisville, these pocket guys.''
Mullen has examples of White's maturation ready at a moment's notice. Just pick one.
"The two touchdown passes he threw at Louisville were special, and that's what the normal guy doesn't see,'' Mullen said. "He got one on a second or third look, he did it with people in his face, having to slide around, [which means] he didn't panic. The second one, a defensive lineman actually hit the ball [while White was trying to escape pressure]. That's another of the things we've worked hard on, ball security, not as a runner but as a quarterback.
"When I see that, I think he's gotten better. I wouldn't have expected that from him - and didn't see it - in the spring.''
Of course, White could have skipped town and tried his luck in the NFL last season - as a wide receiver or whatever - but he chose to stay. Naturally, that was good for West Virginia, but maybe it was good for him, too.
"It's been a two-way street. We will forever be indebted and grateful that Patrick White stayed,'' WVU coach Bill Stewart said. "But I think Patrick will be the first to tell you, to jump up and say, 'Hey, I learned a lot of football this year from Jeff Mullen and our new scheme and what we're trying to do at West Virginia.' ''
It remains to be seen if he learned enough to impress the guys in the dark rooms.