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This year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama features six quarterbacks plus an injured Chad Kelly from Ole Miss. Each will be scrutinized and heavily evaluated during the practice week and play at least one quarter in the game this Saturday.
The entire coaching staff of the Cleveland Browns is coaching the South squad while the North is being worked with from the Chicago Bears. DBN wanted to know what was on these young player’s minds; here are interviews I was able to conduct with four of them.
Chad Kelly (6-2, 215) Ole Miss, Projected round: 3-4
Q: “What do you offer an NFL team?”
Kelly: “I offer a great leader and a quarterback that is willing to do whatever it takes to win whether holding a clipboard or on the field producing.”
Q: “You are still rehabbing an ACL injury you sustained from week nine of your college season and aren’t playing in this game. What will this week do to help you?”
Kelly: “Just getting to know some of these guys who someday may be a teammate. I am also involved in all the QB meetings and get to ask as many questions as the ones here playing.”
Q: “You played in the SEC where it seems almost every week it’s a big game. How do you handle the pressure with a good opponent?”
Kelly: “First you have to breathe, you have to calm down because your blood pressure might be pumping. Everyone is going to look to you when things go bad, so you have to be calm. You have to stay focused and concentrate what is on the field and stay locked in.”
Q: “What is the status on your injury?”
Kelly: “I try to stay focused on getting back to the game that I love. I am about two months out right now. I will be back and ready for pro day.”
Q: “If you were to describe your game to someone that had never seen you play, what would you tell them about your strengths?”
Kelly: “I have a great arm and leadership abilities. I am not afraid to take a hit and try to get some extra yards.”
Davis Webb (6-5, 230) California, Projected round: 3
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Q: “What are you doing since the college football season has ended to adapt to the pro game?”
Webb: “My quarterback coach for this off-season is Jim Zorn, a great quarterback with the Seahawks. He is well respected in NFL ranks. So we have been getting after it and learning new systems. For the next 10 weeks our plan is to work on my weaknesses. I wish I had a cannon for an arm like he still has, but my arm strength is excellent.”
Q: “Do you have any issues adapting to a new system?”
Webb: “Coach Zorn has helped me already with adapting and learning new terminologies. I feel like I have been getting better. He is setting me up to be successful on 3, 5 and 7 step drops.”
Q: “What is he working on you the most?”
Webb: “The biggest thing Coach Zorn has been telling me is that I have the capacity to learn any system and that I can play this game as long as I want to, 10 or 12 years. I am a quick learner and a coach’s kid.”
Q: “You had only one day with practices here at the Senior Bowl. What is your first impression?”
Webb: “My head is still spinning, but I have the ability to listen and learn from someone who certainly knows more than me and where I have been from. The Bears system is a brand new area, a brand new system that none of (the three QBs) have been accustomed to, but I am excited and anxious to pick it up.”
Q: “Are you planning on throwing at the combine?”
Webb: “Yes, sir. That is 100%.”
Antonio Pipkin (6-2, 225) Tiffin, Projected round: 5
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Q: “What did you learn from your first day at the Senior Bowl?”
Pipkin: “That I am able to run the huddle, to control the huddle and get guy’s attention.”
Q: “How did you end up at Tiffin?”
Pipkin: “I kinda slipped through the cracks. I came from a high school that was brand new and didn’t get the attention of college scouts like I had hoped. But I don’t dwell on things and try to find the blessing that the Lord was dealt me.
Q: “Is being a small school guy beneficial to you?”
Pipkin: “There are quite a few small school guys who have been successful at the next level. Last year, there was one taken second player overall (Carson Wentz) and he had a good year for a rookie. I think a small school guy has to take a different path, work harder to prove himself which I think speaks volumes for my work ethic. We are not on TV every Saturday.”
Q: “What are your playing advantages?”
Pipkin: “I am a good decision-maker. I think I play from the head up and am a leader and have the core values of a quarterback.”
Q: “How will this week at the Senior Bowl help you?”
Pipkin: “This is the opportunity of a lifetime and not every guy gets. They only invite six quarterbacks and I am one of those six. There are a number of schools out there and every one has a quarterback. This week will help me get a jump start on the process and develop me more for the draft.”
Q: “Being a small school player, is there more pressure on you?”
Pipkin: “I am very calm. I am down-to-earth anyway. So far it’s not a big deal with the pressure to perform, just relax and not any more pressure than what is out here. Every day is a job interview. Just be on your P’s and Q’s and I just be myself.”
Q: “Do you consider yourself a scrambling QB that can throw, or are you a pocket passer that can scramble and gain yardage?”
Pipkin: “Definitely a true quarterback who has the ability to get out of trouble. At one time as a young buck I did more running around, but I kinda grew into a pocket quarterback but not afraid to tuck the ball and try to gain something out of nothing.”
Josh Dobbs (6-4, 220) Tennessee, Projected round: 5
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Q: “What are you goals this week?”
Dobbs: “To show that I have what it takes to move on to the next level.”
Q: “Your coach this week, Browns head coach Hue Jackson, is known for developing quarterbacks. What are you expecting as far as teaching?”
Dobbs: “So far it has been really cool. I had heard great stories about Hue and how he can elevate your game as a quarterback. A great player’s coach, great energy. To receive first-hand coaching is a great opportunity for myself.”
Q: “Are you aware of some of the guys in the past that have come to the Senior Bowl and been drafted in the mid-rounds and had success?”
Dobbs: “I know Russell Wilson had a great week here and was a third round pick and now has a Super Bowl ring. Last year with Dak (Prescott) is another example. At the end of the day, no matter where you are drafted, in my mind, you step on the field to compete, play to the best of my abilities and try to win the starting job. No matter where I start on the depth chart, I will feel that I am the best quarterback.”
Q: “You have excellent scrambling abilities. Do you think the NFL is gravitating towards more of a running quarterback?”
Dobbs: “There have always been running quarterbacks. It seems like now there are more than in year’s past. Russell Wilson is not a running quarterback, but he will certainly tuck it and run. I feel that if I can make a positive out of a negative then that only helps my team. I am not afraid to tuck it and take off if the pocket collapses or I see an opening on the field.”
Barry Shuck is at the Senior Bowl this week, helping to provide live coverage for Browns fans.