Rick Moffat
CFL.ca
If quarterbacks were dogs, would Marc Trestman be Cesar Millan? Football’s Dog Days of August loom. As CFL teams sort themselves out between the contenders and the pretenders, the showdogs and the mutts, GM’s, scouts and other talent-spies are given a long leash to hunt down future talents at NFL Training Camps.
The CFL’s version of the Dog Whisperer, Marc Trestman, will have a special interest in two rookie quarterbacks who plan on never setting foot in Canada. Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen, properties of the Broncos and Panthers, hired Trestman to ready them for “first in show” NFL-style.
“It was as much fun for me as it was for them,” Trestman says to ease a genuine awkwardness of any line of questioning that focuses on himself or his mentoring.
“They’re 2 great kids, great leaders. I don’t know how I helped them…you’d have to ask them.”
During the offseason Trestman had individual sessions with Tebow and Clausen in hopes of boosting their NFL Draft stock and their chances of fitting into the pro game as quickly as possible. Trestman had them studying film, doing drills on the field, even practising their NFL Combine interviews.
“Now they’re ready for their first QB meetings at the NFL level,” says Trestman whose NFL exploits with Kosar, Gannon, and Young to name a few are well documented.
So what would all those whisperings be about? Turns out if the QB Whisperer is destined for any reality show, Anthony Calvillo suggests it could be “Dancing with the Stars”.
“His attention to detail is so incredible, he’s so persistent on that,” says AC. “Like with our quarterback drops—like ‘where’s our Hole 3 in a hitch, which is like a 3-step drop. Then we’re hitching to throw to our receiver and if he’s not there we have to re-hitch to our second option, so he’s always telling us to listen to our feet.
“You would think he’d thrive on Dancing with the Stars just because he stresses it’s all about listening to your feet. There have been times when I held onto the ball too long waiting for a receiver to get open.”
“Quarterback footwork is most important, it has to be right,” says the insistent Head Coach. “Your mechanics of throwing can’t be right if your footwork is off.”
“Anthony has taught me, demands the best in me. He pushes us to know every scenario and keeps the coaches on edge.”
And in a world when less is more, the Trestman playbook proves sometimes More is More.
“I know I have to go home every night and study my plays,” says the future Canadian Football Hall of Famer who transitioned from calling all his own plays under Don Matthews, to having every play sent in to him under Trestman. “In the past I didn’t have to do that, everything was pretty much locked in my head. The way it is now there’s just no way I could have success without doing this kind of homework every day.
“After the kids go down, I open up that book and study for a good 45 minutes. Everything should be locked in my head so that when I’m going through my reads—every single read versus every single look (from the defense)—I have a chance for success.”
Trestman graciously shares the credit. “Scott’s done a fantastic job and doesn’t get enough credit for Anthony’s growth and development,” he says of O.C. Scott Milanovich, considered by many around the CFL as a future head coach when he wants to be. “We’re a three-headed monster…attached at the hip.”
Are all players created equal? Not in Trestman’s universe.
“My complete devotion is to Anthony. That’s all I think about—taking care of him. I’m devoted to making sure each play can be the best play it can be, the next great play of his career. It’s an infinite job…keeping him clean, keep the splits right…
Als’ backup Ricky Santos agrees Trestman is the QB Whisperer, “I’m the best I’ve ever been at understanding defenses and Marc’s done that in my years here. Then there’s the footwork and the fundamentals he’s taught us.”
Will he “tsch, tsch” in the snout of players who’ve messed up?
“He’ll come right in your face and let you know you’ve made the wrong decision,” admits Santos. “He instills in us the preparation to come to work every day.”
AC says Trestman could probably coach up your problem dog, too.
“You never know. He’s worked with a lot of great coaches and developed his own style. I’m sure he’ll find his way in getting anybody right. If he likes dogs, I’m sure there’s a chance.”
