The Athletic had an article a few weeks ago on
a day in the life of a backup QB. Coincidentally, it was John Wolford. The amount of studying and preparation that goes into a Wednesday for a QB who does not expect to be starting that week was downright astounding - below are some excerpts.
I wonder how this routine compares to McCoy's, and to Murray's?
5:45-6:15 a.m.: He created voice memos of the play calls for the upcoming game the night before, and reviews them on the drive in to work. "I hear the call, pause the recording, envision the play in my head with the corresponding “can” criteria (I will explain later), call it as if I am in the huddle and think through what defensive looks I should anticipate. I find this is a good way to stay productive in the car and steal some reps."
6:15-7:30 a.m.: He review notes studies film: "My notes at this point of the week revolve around coverage tendencies for normal down and distance (first and second downs). Secondarily, my notes will cover the opponent’s personnel — who are its corners, linebackers, defensive linemen, etc. It is vital to have a good understanding of how your opponent wants to defend you and which players we want to attack and avoid."
7:30-8 a.m.: T-spine mobility, ankle stability and breathing exercises.
8-8:45 a.m.: QB meeting: Run game and play-action pass, including anticipated defensive looks and audibles.
8:45-9:45 a.m.: Lift.
9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Offensive meetings: Breaking down opposing defensive tendencies on normal down and distance and discussing corresponding play-action, dropback and screen passes to attack those tendencies. "New plays are installed, tweaks are made to existing plays and film is always displayed showing how we anticipate the opponent will defend us. A substantial amount of information and strategy is communicated in this meeting, and my brain is typically fried walking out the door."
12:25-1:15 p.m.: Walk-through: "I receive the play calls in my helmet, recite them to myself and then emulate Stafford’s movements as if I were taking the rep."
1:15-2 p.m.: Lunch/review practice script: "I’m typically not hungry, but I force myself to wolf down a protein and some rice or a banana so I have energy through practice. I subsequently find an empty meeting room to review the practice plan. At this point in the day, the practice plays are scheduled for us, and I will review those play calls and make sure I know all the [audibles] and the intent of each play."
2-2:30 p.m.: Pre-throw warmup routine.
2:30-4:15 p.m.: Practice: "I am running the scout-team offense against the first-team defense. When the first-team offense is up, I am behind the play taking mental reps."
4:15-4:45 p.m.: Post-throw routine.
4:45-6 p.m.: Third-down film study: "I head back to the quarterback meeting room, quickly buzz through practice and turn my attention to third downs (third-down plan is installed Thursday). I watch film cutups of our opponent sectioned into third-and-short, third-and-medium and third-and-long. For example, most teams play more man-to-man coverage in the third-and-short window because they want to contest every throw. Every team is different though, and this is when I dive into the film to understand the tendencies of our next opponent."
6-7 p.m.: Dinner, review play calls: "I am now driving to grab food and head home. I will flip on the voice memo that I listened to in the morning (I add to the memo throughout the day as plays are tweaked)."
7-7:45 p.m.: Isometric arm care.
7:45-9 p.m.: Downtime: "I do my best to wind down an hour before going to bed. This typically entails dim lighting and throwing my blue-light-blocking glasses on."
...dbs
