NFL Dreams: Studying Quick in Tampa

By Nick Hill/Special to The Call

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Hello again to everyone back in Du Quoin, last week I wrote you from El Paso where I was preparing to play in the Texas vs. The Nation all star game. As you might have heard, things didn’t go as well as our team would have liked, as the Texas team beat my team The Nation 41-14.

Personally I didn’t play as well as I would have liked, only playing in a few series it was hard getting into any kind of rhythm. However, I am very thankful for the opportunity to play. I had a great time throughout the week, and I met a lot of great people.

This week I trained in Tampa with Steve Deberg. In the short week I had with him I gained a lot of knowledge and several techniques that will help me out. The one thing Steve teaches is how to get the ball out with a quick release. He would video tape everything I did and then we would review the film each day.

Breaking down every little thing from my upper body to lower body. We would also watch film on other pro quarterbacks that have quick releases and study their technique. I have learned from scouts and other players that the biggest thing when going from college to the pros is the speed of the game. Being able to get the ball out quick and on time is what all successful quarterbacks in the NFL are able to do.

Studying with Steve this week taught me ways to do that and I believe the week really helped me out. Being down in the 80 degree weather didn’t hurt either!

I am now back in Cincinnati where I will continue my training at Ignition sports. I look forward to getting back to my regular routine. I now have about one month to prepare before my pro day, which I will do at the University of Illinois on March 12. This is where I will run and throw for pro scouts.

I hope all is well back home, and I want to say good luck to the Indian basketball team the rest of the season and in post season play.

Until next time, take care!

Nick Hill