A quarterback coach breaking down when a quarterback is ineffective. Sound familiar?
One of the best-ever explainers of how costly sacks are was David Cutcliffe. Now retired, Cutcliffe was the fellow who coached such unhesitating, flashing recognition into both the Mannings, first at Tennessee with Peyton and then with Eli at Ole Miss. Cutcliffe always likened the field maelstrom for a quarterback to “air traffic control, and it’s fast.” He wanted such decisiveness from his quarterbacks that he got impatient if a guy even hesitated over a menu. He swears he used the “menu test” as a recruiting filter. If a kid paused and said, “What looks good to you?” Cutcliffe crossed him off the list.
The Mannings under Cutcliffe learned to make judgments in just three clicks, “Presnap, post-snap, alarm,” Cutcliffe demanded. Presnap assessment was about making sure you were in the right play and protection, or adjusting it. Post-snap, you had to make an instant assessment as to whether your presnap judgment was right or wrong, and if it was wrong, “go like hell” to get out of it, Cutcliffe taught. If you got to the “alarm” stage, “Now we’re bad wrong,” he explained.
“If you’re not careful, what you end up doing is making a decision by indecision,” Cutcliffe said. “And that’s the worst one you make. Decision by indecision — you catch yourself flat footed while you’re waiting for an answer. Any time you hold the ball, you have already made a mistake, because the decision is going to be made for you. You’re going to be sacked or force a ball or quite likely turn it over.”