UNC Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo, a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” Tuesday, gave some great shoutouts to his now former quarterback Sam Howell.
Longo was Howell’s QB coach and offensive coordinator for all three of Howell’s seasons with the Tar Heels. Here are some nuggets he provided listeners.
“Of course, I think he is going to be an asset to any (NFL) program. I am also biased because I was his coach. But from a preparation standpoint, he is top-shelf. He will be ready when the time comes.”
“I also know he can make any throw on the field. He is an incredible arm talent. And he is a guy who understands the importance of preparing. When you have those two things along with his maturity and leadership, he is going to give himself an opportunity to contribute in Washington.”
“Saying that a guy can make all of the throws is kind of a cliche many make about their quarterbacks nowadays. But I am just telling you honestly, there is not a single throw on the field that Sam can’t make with velocity and accuracy.”
“What made Sam the starter of August of his true freshman year was his ability to take what he was being taught in the classroom and it came to light. It was like painting a picture. Real quickly you found out he was not going to be a reps guy. You tell him once, he knows it. If he is not great at it, he is going to work at it.”
“When you have a guy like Sam, who is capable of doing so much it affords us the luxury of being able to throw the deep ball with accuracy and a high completion percentage. It enables you to get the ball early to your athletes in space, and he is a good intermediate pass guy. He can run the ball well too when he needed him to.”
“If they ask Sam to throw RPOs he will be good at it. But from a short game, an intermediate game and especially a long-ball game, he is not going to have any trouble understanding the progressions, and or making the throws.”
“He is going to have to go through the same progressions all college players do, getting used to the speed of the NFL game.”
“I know it is hard to listen to my opinions regarding Sam because I am so biased, and that is because I have such a tremendous relationship with him, coaching him for three years. Maybe his greatest asset is not being too emotional in a game. You can never tell if he is up 20, or down 20. He plays with great enthusiasm and great competitiveness. He does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. He is in my opinion an unflappable kid. I think it was a huge asset for him in games.”
“It is so hard as a human being in any walk of life to be consistently efficient. It is hard to do something at a high level play after play after play for 60 to 70 plays a ball game. Sam has the unique ability to do that. That is why his production was so consistent over three years.”
“In a situation like the 4th quarter when you can’t let your emotions get the best of you and you really need to probably be the most focused he has the ability to do that because it is a natural part of his personality. It is another aspect of Sam Howell that is only going to help him in this next chapter in the NFL.”
Former coach or not, there is a lot to be encouraged about with Washington’s new quarterback.