Question about QB throwing mechanics

JoeRedskin · 08-23-2005, 01:21 PM

I have seen this in a couple of places - QB's being criticized for "patting the ball" as they go back to pass. Anybody know why this is considered a bad habit?

scowan · 08-23-2005, 01:26 PM

I am with you JoeRedskin, I don't really care what a QB's quirks are as long as they throw accurate passes. I guess some would say "patting the ball" slows down a QB's delivery, or tips the defense off to something, but I think making a bad decision, like throwing an INT is much worse.

Kope · 08-23-2005, 01:33 PM

Increases the time it takes the QB to relase the ball

backrow · 08-23-2005, 01:37 PM

I figured they were going through their progressions, looking the field over.

MTK · 08-23-2005, 01:37 PM

Elway did it all the time, I don't see what the big deal is either.

It's sort of like a rhythm thing in my opinion.

SmootSmack · 08-23-2005, 01:57 PM

From what I understand "patting the ball" is often a tell-tale sign that the QB is about to release the ball so it gives the defender (of the intended target) that extra second needed to break on the pass and get the pick

Schneed10 · 08-23-2005, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAFKAS

From what I understand "patting the ball" is often a tell-tale sign that the QB is about to release the ball so it gives the defender (of the intended target) that extra second needed to break on the pass and get the pick

Bingo.

dblanch66 · 08-23-2005, 02:31 PM

It would be interesting to see if there is a difference between the throws when the ball is "patted" as opposed to when the QB just drops back, cocks the arm and fires. Is there a difference in velocity or accuracy, or a difference in how quickly the defense breaks to the ball? Look for it in the game on Friday evening. Both of our QB's are ball patters.

offiss · 08-23-2005, 02:42 PM

Patting the ball is irrelevant to throwing mechanic's, no different than a baseball player moving, or waving his bat, as Matty said it's nothing more than a rhythm thing, a QB once he spots his target needs to be prepared to throw the ball, patting the ball allows the QB to continually reset his mechanics.

If a defender reacted to a ball pat he's in a lot of trouble because a ball pat is not a tip on where the ball is going, QB's very often can, and will, pat the ball looking one way and then throwing somewhere else.

Ramsey's problem mechanic wise has nothing to do with a ball pat, it's his footwork, his happy feet in the pocket right now are sometimes inhibiting his throwing mechanics, which means he's not planting and pushing of his back foot and following through with his throws, he's basically just using his arm without the rest of his body, Rypien before his super bowl year used to have a bad habit throwing while he was falling backwards, he to was afraid of the rush, not until the line created a ton of time and a huge pocket for him to throw did he finally excel, something about the structure of Gibbs passing game really scares QB's.

Personally I would have him dropping back a little further on pass play's which hopefully give him a little more confidence in stepping up into the pocket, as well as seeing and reading the defense a little better, that's why I kind of like the shotgun for Ramsey, we have to find a comfort spot for him as soon as possible, he has the talent, but he's still struggling to master Gibbs offense.

MTK · 08-23-2005, 02:52 PM

Nice explanation, offiss. I agree with your assessment.

illdefined · 08-23-2005, 03:04 PM

stepping too far back sometimes plays right into the defensive end's hands, especially the newer speed types going around the edge. knowing when to step back into the pocket without looking is key to getting you that extra time.

that said, what IS up with Ramsey's feet, he's like dancing a jig out there but he's not going to avoid anybody with his 'mobility'. is this an old Ramsey habit or side effect from the Spurrier "Saving Patrick Ramsey" days?

STPainmaker · 08-23-2005, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by offiss

Patting the ball is irrelevant to throwing mechanic's, no different than a baseball player moving, or waving his bat, as Matty said it's nothing more than a rhythm thing, a QB once he spots his target needs to be prepared to throw the ball, patting the ball allows the QB to continually reset his mechanics.

If a defender reacted to a ball pat he's in a lot of trouble because a ball pat is not a tip on where the ball is going, QB's very often can, and will, pat the ball looking one way and then throwing somewhere else.

Ramsey's problem mechanic wise has nothing to do with a ball pat, it's his footwork, his happy feet in the pocket right now are sometimes inhibiting his throwing mechanics, which means he's not planting and pushing of his back foot and following through with his throws, he's basically just using his arm without the rest of his body, Rypien before his super bowl year used to have a bad habit throwing while he was falling backwards, he to was afraid of the rush, not until the line created a ton of time and a huge pocket for him to throw did he finally excel, something about the structure of Gibbs passing game really scares QB's.

Personally I would have him dropping back a little further on pass play's which hopefully give him a little more confidence in stepping up into the pocket, as well as seeing and reading the defense a little better, that's why I kind of like the shotgun for Ramsey, we have to find a comfort spot for him as soon as possible, he has the talent, but he's still struggling to master Gibbs offense.

This is probably the best take on the matter.

12thMan · 08-23-2005, 03:29 PM

Patting the ball, like it's already been said here, slows down your release time.

If you watch Peyton Manning he never pats the ball. It's just one smooth throwing motion. I don't think it's anything that separtes the great QBs from the average ones, but it's something that Peyton doesn't do. But how many Peytons are there anyway?

SmootSmack · 08-23-2005, 04:05 PM

Offiss, what do you mean by "something about the structure of Gibbs passing game really scares QB's."?

TheMalcolmConnection · 08-23-2005, 04:09 PM

Everybody talks about "happy feet" and this-n-that, but I don't think that has anything to do with the problems he is experiencing. Sure his feet move a bit, but they move whether he's throwing a forty-yard bomb or an INT.

"Happy feet" is the least of Ramsey's problems, I think the bottom line is his decision-making needs to improve. I think that once the regular season rolls around when all bets are off, we can put to rest all of this Ramsey stuff because we'll be running an offense to WIN and not just to evaluate who we want to keep on our roster or what kind of plays we need to run.

08-23-2005, 01:21 PM	#1
JoeRedskin Contains football related knowledge Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Second Star On The Right Age: 62 Posts: 10,401	Question about QB throwing mechanics I have seen this in a couple of places - QB's being criticized for "patting the ball" as they go back to pass. Anybody know why this is considered a bad habit?

08-23-2005, 01:26 PM	#2
scowan The Starter Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: KY Age: 55 Posts: 1,559	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics I am with you JoeRedskin, I don't really care what a QB's quirks are as long as they throw accurate passes. I guess some would say "patting the ball" slows down a QB's delivery, or tips the defense off to something, but I think making a bad decision, like throwing an INT is much worse.

08-23-2005, 01:33 PM	#3
Kope Special Teams Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NC Posts: 447	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Increases the time it takes the QB to relase the ball

08-23-2005, 01:37 PM	#4
backrow The Starter Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: 36.28 x 76.22 Age: 73 Posts: 1,812	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics I figured they were going through their progressions, looking the field over. __________________ '37, '42, '83, '88, '92. Championship!

08-23-2005, 01:37 PM	#5
MTK \m/ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NY Age: 52 Posts: 99,518	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Elway did it all the time, I don't see what the big deal is either. It's sort of like a rhythm thing in my opinion. __________________ Support The Warpath! \| Warpath Shop

08-23-2005, 01:57 PM	#6
SmootSmack Uncle Phil Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 45,256	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics From what I understand "patting the ball" is often a tell-tale sign that the QB is about to release the ball so it gives the defender (of the intended target) that extra second needed to break on the pass and get the pick __________________ You're So Vain...You Probably Think This Sig Is About You

08-23-2005, 02:31 PM	#8
dblanch66 The Starter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Age: 58 Posts: 1,176	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics It would be interesting to see if there is a difference between the throws when the ball is "patted" as opposed to when the QB just drops back, cocks the arm and fires. Is there a difference in velocity or accuracy, or a difference in how quickly the defense breaks to the ball? Look for it in the game on Friday evening. Both of our QB's are ball patters.

08-23-2005, 02:42 PM	#9
offiss Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: sparta, new jersey [ northern jersey ] Age: 60 Posts: 3,097	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Patting the ball is irrelevant to throwing mechanic's, no different than a baseball player moving, or waving his bat, as Matty said it's nothing more than a rhythm thing, a QB once he spots his target needs to be prepared to throw the ball, patting the ball allows the QB to continually reset his mechanics. If a defender reacted to a ball pat he's in a lot of trouble because a ball pat is not a tip on where the ball is going, QB's very often can, and will, pat the ball looking one way and then throwing somewhere else. Ramsey's problem mechanic wise has nothing to do with a ball pat, it's his footwork, his happy feet in the pocket right now are sometimes inhibiting his throwing mechanics, which means he's not planting and pushing of his back foot and following through with his throws, he's basically just using his arm without the rest of his body, Rypien before his super bowl year used to have a bad habit throwing while he was falling backwards, he to was afraid of the rush, not until the line created a ton of time and a huge pocket for him to throw did he finally excel, something about the structure of Gibbs passing game really scares QB's. Personally I would have him dropping back a little further on pass play's which hopefully give him a little more confidence in stepping up into the pocket, as well as seeing and reading the defense a little better, that's why I kind of like the shotgun for Ramsey, we have to find a comfort spot for him as soon as possible, he has the talent, but he's still struggling to master Gibbs offense.

08-23-2005, 02:52 PM	#10
MTK \m/ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NY Age: 52 Posts: 99,518	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Nice explanation, offiss. I agree with your assessment. __________________ Support The Warpath! \| Warpath Shop

08-23-2005, 03:04 PM	#11
illdefined Playmaker Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: nyc Age: 48 Posts: 2,631	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics stepping too far back sometimes plays right into the defensive end's hands, especially the newer speed types going around the edge. knowing when to step back into the pocket without looking is key to getting you that extra time. that said, what IS up with Ramsey's feet, he's like dancing a jig out there but he's not going to avoid anybody with his 'mobility'. is this an old Ramsey habit or side effect from the Spurrier "Saving Patrick Ramsey" days?

08-23-2005, 03:29 PM	#13
12thMan MVP Join Date: May 2005 Location: washington, D.C. Posts: 11,460	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Patting the ball, like it's already been said here, slows down your release time. If you watch Peyton Manning he never pats the ball. It's just one smooth throwing motion. I don't think it's anything that separtes the great QBs from the average ones, but it's something that Peyton doesn't do. But how many Peytons are there anyway?

08-23-2005, 04:05 PM	#14
SmootSmack Uncle Phil Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 45,256	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Offiss, what do you mean by "something about the structure of Gibbs passing game really scares QB's."? __________________ You're So Vain...You Probably Think This Sig Is About You

08-23-2005, 04:09 PM	#15
TheMalcolmConnection I like big (_\|_)s. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lexington, Virginia Age: 43 Posts: 19,225	Re: Question about QB throwing mechanics Everybody talks about "happy feet" and this-n-that, but I don't think that has anything to do with the problems he is experiencing. Sure his feet move a bit, but they move whether he's throwing a forty-yard bomb or an INT. "Happy feet" is the least of Ramsey's problems, I think the bottom line is his decision-making needs to improve. I think that once the regular season rolls around when all bets are off, we can put to rest all of this Ramsey stuff because we'll be running an offense to WIN and not just to evaluate who we want to keep on our roster or what kind of plays we need to run. __________________ Regret nothing. At one time it was exactly what you wanted.

Question about QB throwing mechanics

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