All-State Gamer?
Quarterback Brandon Taylor retools for senior season
Pounding the buttons on a PlayStation 3 controller is a lot like taking a snap for senior quarterback Brandon Taylor.
The simulated game play offered by EA Sports’ NCAA Football is leisure for Mustang High School’s third-year starter, but it’s also another tool in his hunt for a state championship and Division I scholarship.
Taylor incorporates Mustang’s Xs and Os in the playbook of Arizona State University’s digital team, and it has helped develop his awareness on the field.
“I’ll just sit there and pick at it. There’s been a few times when I’ll bring it out here, and I’m thinking, ‘This happened on the game,’ and it happens out in practice,” Taylor said.
“It just kind of helps me because I’ve seen it before. It’s a good teaching tool, that’s for sure.”
Another major teaching tool for Taylor is college and high school game film, allowing him to identify tendencies of the defense. He said it gets easier to read his opponents with the more time he spends in the film room.
“I have some of the game film from OU and just try to pick up on college stuff. But at the high school level, the corners show their blitz a little soon,” he said. “I’ve been getting on to our defensive guys about it because if I can pick it up, another quarterback would be able to pick it up.”
Taylor’s study of collegiate film is not only to help him in his senior campaign, but it also helps prepare him for a potential career in Division I football.
Oregon State, Missouri and Tulsa are among some of the programs shopping the Bronco, who garnered the scouts’ attention as a junior.
That spotlight, however, hasn’t made the beads of sweat roll down Taylor’s forehead going into his senior campaign.
“It’s not so much the pressure of the scouts and the colleges, it’s just the pressure to win,” Taylor said. “No one likes to lose, especially with a program that’s used to winning and getting to the playoffs.”
Quarterbacks Coach Andy Collier has been instrumental in keeping Taylor focused on the overall goal to rack up wins en route to capturing a gold ball.
Collier said his most seasoned student has the physical makeup to play on Saturdays, but he preaches to Taylor that the domino effect of offers will come with a winning record.
“We can talk about Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady all you we want, but Tom Brady has three more championships, and that’s what people look at,” Collier said.
“I think the key for Brandon is winning. That’s just the nature of the game.”
Of course, there’s still the desire to statistically be the top quarterback in the state, which Taylor said is one of his main personal goals. The gunslinger led the league, completing 237-of-404 passes for 3,304 yards and 36 touchdowns.
“I just want to beat what I did last year — more yardage, more touchdowns — but it will all come with the wins. As long as we can get the wins, I can have the worst touchdown/interception ratio possible, I don’t care,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s status as the reigning Class 6A passer had a lot to do with the after-the-catch playmaking abilities of David Glidden, the Oklahoma State University rookie who averaged 19.1 yards with 65 catches in the 2010 season.
Collier said Mustang’s offense may not have the big-threat player like Glidden, but Taylor does have more options with the most depth at receiver the squad has had in years.
“Do we have David Glidden? No one does,” Collier said.
“But depth-wise, we’ve got some playmakers. We’ve got some outside receivers who are big targets, and we’ve got some inside receivers, like Dakota (Warrington), who’s a stud. And talking about Brandon’s mental makeup, he’s able to see the first receiver, the second receiver and come back to the third receiver. There’re not a lot of college quarterbacks who can do that. He’s going to find the open guy.”
One of the standout receivers is sure to be sophomore Colton Hadlock, who Taylor said has emerged as a go-to target in the preseason. Hadlock is hard to miss at 6-feet, 4-inches.
“The offense didn’t show up too much in our first scrimmage, but in our practices, he’s shown up big time — making unbelievable catches, one-hand grabs and stuff,” Taylor said.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be harder (without Glidden), it’s just going to be interesting.”
With a plethora of hands to aim for, Taylor may not have to abandon the pocket too often, but if he does, Collier said the quarterback run game is in good shape with Taylor’s improved mobility.
Taylor’s resemblance to a “Big Ben” Roethlisberger-type gunner at 6-foot, 4-inches and 200 pounds would normally make agility a challenge, but he has worked to stay in shape and develop his footwork.
“He’s got such a strong, strong arm, but what we’ve really tried to work on over the past year is getting quicker with your feet so you don’t have to abuse your arm. At the same time, it buys you more and more time,” Collier said.
“Arm-wise, I’m not going to touch. That stuff’s God-given. It’s still the same.”
Taylor went into last season with a rehabilitated knee after having bone chips removed, and the possibility of another surgery kept him from participating in too many summer camps.
But he jumped on the chance to attend Texas Christian University’s Elite 11 combine after learning that an operation wouldn’t be necessary.
“He (doctor) said I was 100 percent healthy, and the knee was doing fine — no weaknesses or anything. I’ll wear a brace again this year just for cautionary reasons,” Taylor said.
The biggest improvement Collier has seen in Taylor is his leadership skills. Last season, there was no shortage of leadership with Glidden’s example on and off the field.
A host of varsity newcomers and young players in Mustang’s offense demands Taylor’s guidance in making the system a well-oiled machine.
Collier said he has seen Taylor answer the question of team leadership, especially when it comes to an offensive line with two returnees and three sophomores.
“It’s going to be ugly at first. So as human beings, we’re either going to get real frustrated, or you’re going to do like he’s done and stay positive. After the red/white scrimmage, Brandon went to the linemen and said, ‘Hey, guys keep your heads up,’ instead of saying, ‘I got drilled four times. Keep them off of me.’ He’s really grown up in that area,” Collier said. “We’re going to be good.”
