Tedford's prolific pupils still struggling to make NFL splash

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
Friday, August 19, 2005
Nate Longshore and Joe Ayoob drop back with short steps, almost as if their ankles are tied together with a short rope. They both hold the ball up near their ears as they scan the field, and they fire quick passes with near-perfect form.
Longshore and Ayoob are the two newest students in California coach Jeff Tedford's elite quarterback school, following in the precisely measured footsteps of an impressive list of star college passers. Six of Tedford's star pupils have become first-round draft picks over the last 12 years, and at least five could be NFL starters this season.
But if Longshore and Ayoob check the postgraduate employment records for this particular institution, they might be surprised. From Trent Dilfer to Kyle Boller, from David Carr to Joey Harrington, players who reached impressive collegiate heights under Tedford's tutelage at Fresno State, Oregon and Cal have never produced similar success as pros.
While nobody blames Tedford for getting the most out of his players with the same exacting coaching that has turned the Golden Bears into winners, some NFL observers wonder if he's making his quarterbacks look better than they are.
"We definitely get the most out of our players," Tedford said. "When they go to the NFL, they've got new coaches, a new system to learn. I'm certain that what we teach doesn't hold guys back. Hopefully the skills they learn here make them better. I think they do."
But in past drafts, scouts have been known to cite the "Tedford Factor" when evaluating quarterbacks. Some believe it might be why Cal's Aaron Rodgers plummeted to the 24th overall pick in last spring's draft after nearly going No. 1.
This complaint should sound familiar to fans of Florida, Brigham Young or any passing-centered college power in past decades. Players coached by Steve Spurrier and LaVell Edwards have been slapped with similar labels — and until somebody proves the doubters wrong with pro success, it's likely to stick.
"BYU quarterbacks are supposed to struggle in the pros, except Jim McMahon won a Super Bowl, and I had a good career, and Marc Wilson was successful," Hall of Famer Steve Young said. "It's not about the school. It's about the player, but it's a hard perception to shake until somebody shakes it, even if it's totally groundless."
Tedford, a star quarterback at Fresno State and in the CFL, earned his reputation as a guru during nine years as an offensive coordinator at Fresno State and Oregon, where he polished a steady stream of talented young passers. He has produced two more stars since moving to Cal as a head coach, transforming Boller in one season and polishing Rodgers in two years.
Tedford's quarterbacks regularly have been first-round picks, from Dilfer in 1994 to Rodgers this past spring, while two more — Miami's A.J. Feeley and Tennessee's Billy Volek — are active in the league, both hoping to be starters soon. The only outright bust is Akili Smith, the former Oregon star who never lived up to expectations as the third overall pick by Cincinnati in 1999.
Where some see failures, others see an impressive lineage. According to Scot McCloughan, a longtime scout who became the San Francisco 49ers vice president of player personnel last winter, the unique parts of Tedford's tutelage are all good things — and those who blame his coaching for his quarterbacks' struggles are "grasping at stuff."
"All of those guys, even Akili, had the tools if they were put in a situation to be successful," McCloughan said. "It just hasn't happened. It's about the right situation at the right time, the right feel for the kid. I don't think it's anything about mechanics, about how Tedford taught them to be quarterbacks. It's just the situation they're in."
Tedford instills an incredible attention to detail, advanced film-study abilities and quick thinking on the field, but he also likes his quarterbacks to look a certain way. Most distinctively, they hold the ball almost to their faces while dropping back to pass, which helps quicker releases. Tedford's offense often is described as low-risk, putting quarterbacks in a prime position to look good with a minimal number of decisions.
Some league observers consider these factors to be more important than others. McCloughan and the 49ers nearly picked Rodgers before settling on Alex Smith with the top overall pick, and they were shocked when Rodgers slid to 24th.
"Some people look at it as a negative because of the way they hold the ball or whatever, but every quarterback is different," McCloughan said. "If that's the way he's programmed, then so be it. If he's successful with it, why change it? Over the long haul, quarterback is so hard to figure out anyway, seeing how many first-round picks don't make it, and how many lower-round picks do."
Except for Rodgers, who will get at least a year to learn the NFL game behind Brett Favre, Tedford's pupils all are entering critical years in their careers.
Patience with Harrington is running thin in Detroit, where 2002's third overall pick has thrown 48 TD passes and 50 interceptions in three seasons. Carr has grown along with the expansion Houston Texans during three tough years, and he's expected to make a leap forward.
Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl in Baltimore, has a great responsibility on his shoulders, becoming a starter in Cleveland after four years as a backup in Seattle. Boller, whose game was utterly transformed by Tedford, finally has teammates who might help him make a splash with the Ravens.
No matter how well they do, Tedford will chat with them during the week, then root for them on Sundays — when he's not busy preparing Longshore and Ayoob to be the next stars. "It should be an exciting year for all of those guys," Tedford said. "Hopefully they're all in situations where they've got the guys around them who will help them reach their potential. You can't ever forget it's not just about a quarterback. It's about the entire offense and the coaching staff, wherever these guys go."