GAME Interview with matt Schaub THE
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att Schaub is a former Pro Bowl quarterback for the Houston Texans and led the NFL in passing back in 2009. He played 17 seasons in the NFL and seven of those were in Houston. He played college football at the University of Virginia where he was 2002 ACC Player of the Year. Jake Asman: We waste no time as we introduce our next guest, former Texans Pro Bowl quarterback, Matt Schaub. Matt, it’s Jake, BK, and Cody, appreciate you making some time for us here on a Friday and hope all is well on your end. Matt Schaub: Hey, thanks for having me, guys. Glad to be here. Cody Stoots: David Kelley after a recent game was talking about the game and maybe they kept sort of the training wheels on, for lack of a better term, on Davis Mills a little bit longer than they should have as a quarterback. How frustrating it is at the QB spot, sometimes you’re like, let me go out there and sling this thing a little bit. Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s definitely tough, I mean, you know, it’s also hard as a coach when you have to manage a situation where you have a guy who hasn’t played, and is fresh out of college. But at the same time, you’re a football player that’s played a lot of football so you’re not a stranger to throwing the football and going through progressions. OK, here’s my play: what are my coverage indicators and where the football can go? Take the snap. Okay, confirm those things and then make a decision. Is that number one or number two and get the ball out your hand on time. And all the while not keeping things within ten yards on a scrimmage, You’ve got to give them an opportunity just to loosen those things up and show you’re going to go and attack them. Brad Kellner: Matt, If I’m not mistaken, you had a total of two starts in your first three years in the league and you ended up having a really good career. Obviously, you look at a guy like Tom Brady who didn’t start right away. Hall of Fame career. Patrick Mahomes, maybe the best quarterback in football right now, didn’t start right away. In a perfect world, would you like your quarterback to rest, maybe sit and learn a little bit from the sideline before being thrust into the action? Matt Schaub: You know, that’s it, every situation is different, every player, every, you know, staff, everyone has their own philosophies and everyone needs to be treated somewhat differently. Are you coming into a team that has a top 10 defense, a top rushing offense view How is your team built? What’s around you? You know, how is your play caller, you know, taking care of you, but all at the same time, understanding you as a player, what your strengths are playing to those strengths, Peyton Manning wasn’t so lucky and fortu20 | HEIGHTS | November + December 2021
nate in his first year in the league. Look, what happens now? Sometimes it’s good to have those storms and you’re hardened and callous to those tough situations and that adversity. But not everyone can weather that storm who has that mental capacity and mental toughness to do that. Jake Asman: Matt, what do you remember about your first start? Because, of course, Davis Mills had to be thinking a lot of different things on three days’ notice that he was starting his first game. Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s tough when things kind of happen that quickly. So having to get ready with minimal full speed reps for a young quarterback, It’s hard to translate over to game planning throughout the course of a week. You know what you’re working on, the game management side of it and situational football. And so to just get thrown in there. That can be a lot for a rookie quarterback. And you know, for
