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QB Lee impressing with his arm, mobility
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008 - 12:38:40 am CDT
No more watching from the sideline in a knee brace. No more directing the scout team offense, even if he was pretty darned good at it.
Zac Lee, at long last, can consider himself a part of Nebraska’s quarterback mix.
“This is definitely my chance to get everything down and see what I can do,” Lee said. “I’m hopefully to the point where everything kind of starts to click.”
If nothing else, Lee continues to impress onlookers with his arm.
“What I’ve seen so far, he’s got a ridiculously strong arm,” Nebraska senior wide receiver Nate Swift said. “He can make any throw. Today, he threw one 50 yards off his back foot. Didn’t even look like he was throwing it at all.”
That, Swift said, and mobility in the pocket are two of Lee’s biggest strengths.
As for his knowledge of the offense?
“I think that’s coming,” Swift said. “They tried getting him into a little bit of reading plays and stuff last fall, which is good for somebody who’s redshirting.”
Lee, a sophomore, redshirted last season after sitting out the spring season while rehabilitating from knee surgery.
“It was good to sit back and watch and see different guys in different situations and try to learn from that,” said Lee, who was Nebraska’s offensive scout team MVP last season.
A San Francisco native, Lee played the 2006 season at San Francisco City College and threw for more than 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes. He came to Nebraska as one of the top junior college quarterbacks in the nation.
Now, in his second spring at Nebraska — and his first actually practicing — Lee is battling incumbent Joe Ganz and reserves Patrick Witt and Beau Davis. Kody Spano, a true freshman, also is enrolled in classes and participating in spring drills.
“Obviously (Ganz) gets a lot of the first-team reps out here,” Lee said, “but competition only makes everyone better, and we’re all out here trying to push each other, trying to get everyone better.”
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson echoed those thoughts. He named each of his quarterback backups when asked to dissect that position.
As for Lee?
“Zac Lee’s a different guy,” Watson said. “He’s going to be in the mix.”
When asked to define “different,” Watson explained: “‘A,’ he can practice without being limited, and ‘B,’ he knows what he’s doing. He’s been really good.”
Lee said it’s too early to tell how different Nebraska’s offense will be under Watson, who’s in his first season solely in charge of play calling.
“It’s not like starting over, but Coach Watson obviously has a bunch of his offense now,” Lee said. “We’re excited with Coach Watson calling plays. We’re going to get a little bit of his flavor in there.”
Lee said he spent much of the winter months in the weight room and film room.
“I’d like to improve on everything that I do,” Lee said. “Obviously, I’d like to get all this offense down, to where it’s second nature, and just kind of get the feel back for playing football. Even though I did scout and stuff like that, it’s still not the same as really being out there and getting hit.”
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008 - 12:38:40 am CDT
No more watching from the sideline in a knee brace. No more directing the scout team offense, even if he was pretty darned good at it.
Zac Lee, at long last, can consider himself a part of Nebraska’s quarterback mix.
“This is definitely my chance to get everything down and see what I can do,” Lee said. “I’m hopefully to the point where everything kind of starts to click.”
If nothing else, Lee continues to impress onlookers with his arm.
“What I’ve seen so far, he’s got a ridiculously strong arm,” Nebraska senior wide receiver Nate Swift said. “He can make any throw. Today, he threw one 50 yards off his back foot. Didn’t even look like he was throwing it at all.”
That, Swift said, and mobility in the pocket are two of Lee’s biggest strengths.
As for his knowledge of the offense?
“I think that’s coming,” Swift said. “They tried getting him into a little bit of reading plays and stuff last fall, which is good for somebody who’s redshirting.”
Lee, a sophomore, redshirted last season after sitting out the spring season while rehabilitating from knee surgery.
“It was good to sit back and watch and see different guys in different situations and try to learn from that,” said Lee, who was Nebraska’s offensive scout team MVP last season.
A San Francisco native, Lee played the 2006 season at San Francisco City College and threw for more than 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes. He came to Nebraska as one of the top junior college quarterbacks in the nation.
Now, in his second spring at Nebraska — and his first actually practicing — Lee is battling incumbent Joe Ganz and reserves Patrick Witt and Beau Davis. Kody Spano, a true freshman, also is enrolled in classes and participating in spring drills.
“Obviously (Ganz) gets a lot of the first-team reps out here,” Lee said, “but competition only makes everyone better, and we’re all out here trying to push each other, trying to get everyone better.”
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson echoed those thoughts. He named each of his quarterback backups when asked to dissect that position.
As for Lee?
“Zac Lee’s a different guy,” Watson said. “He’s going to be in the mix.”
When asked to define “different,” Watson explained: “‘A,’ he can practice without being limited, and ‘B,’ he knows what he’s doing. He’s been really good.”
Lee said it’s too early to tell how different Nebraska’s offense will be under Watson, who’s in his first season solely in charge of play calling.
“It’s not like starting over, but Coach Watson obviously has a bunch of his offense now,” Lee said. “We’re excited with Coach Watson calling plays. We’re going to get a little bit of his flavor in there.”
Lee said he spent much of the winter months in the weight room and film room.
“I’d like to improve on everything that I do,” Lee said. “Obviously, I’d like to get all this offense down, to where it’s second nature, and just kind of get the feel back for playing football. Even though I did scout and stuff like that, it’s still not the same as really being out there and getting hit.”
