what would i improve

Question
i want to be a professinal qb. i am in my sophmore in maryland in a small school. i am 5 foot 8 132 pounds i have great accuracy not so much arm strenght great vision great mechanics and attending summer camps to better myself i am gain weight my goal is to be 200 pounds at the end of the year my 40 time is 4.7. what should i do?

Answer
Dave -

Thanks for writing.  The first thing I want you to do is to set your sights on goals that are more short term.  I appreciate that you would like to play in the NFL someday, and that is a great dream, but I do want you to take this one step at a time.  So lets talk for a few minutes here and see what we can do.

Playing in the NFL is harder than anyone could imagine.  Especially at QB.  It is the hardest position in sports hands down.  Not only do you have to be physically gifted, with a rocket arm, at least decent speed, good height (6'2" or better in most cases) but you have to have an unreal understanding of the game.  For your future, do yourself a favor and take it one step at a time.  Your goal right now should be to be the starting Qb at your high school.  If you are that now, then it should be to be the best QB your league.  Take that approach and you will find that you will see more success.  And remember one thing, being the best QB doesnt mean being the most talented QB.  If you arent a good leader you will not be a good and successful QB.

You will need to gain a lot of weight to even think about getting to college.  Also, if you really want to be a QB, I hate to say this, but you will need to be taller.  To be realistic, if you do not expect to get over 6'1" tall it isnt a good possibility.  College coaches look for height because the linemen are tall in college, and if you cant see over the linemen, you cant throw.

Also, to make it to college, you will need to be able to throw the ball like you wouldnt believe.  Remember one thing here.  About 1% of the BEST high school players in the WORLD make it to college.  And of the college players, about 1% make it to the pros.  SO to make it to the pros, you will most likely have to be the BEST QB in your state in high school BY FAR..  BY FAR!  Of all of the people you ever play with or against, maybe MAYBE one might make the NFL.. And it will most likely not be as a QB.  There are only about 80-90 NFL QBS in the league at one time, out of the hundreds of thousands of players in the country.  That is the harsh reality of the issue here.  

I hope you dont get down on this.  I believe in being honest with those who ask me honest questions.  Dont get discouraged Dave.  I think you will find that being the best you can be and being successful at whatever level you play at is a great thing.  If you wanna play in the NFL, then give it your best shot!  But take it one step at a time.  First, be the starting HS QB.  Next, Be the best QB in the league / win games (dont worry about your individual future, worry about the teams future - this is a team sport and if your team thinks you are out for yourself, you will never be a good QB, because QBs are leaders first and foremost). Next, if you have been a TOP HS QB, and get recruited, make a good college decision.  Take it like that and you will be happy with the results.

Best wishes

Coach Perl