Sept. 14, 2006

by Sam Miller, Illinois Sports Information

Hours before the heat scorched his summer days, Illinois senior quarterback Tim Brasic set to work studying film of Pro Bowl quarterbacks Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Rich Gannon and Matt Hasselbeck.

At one time or another, each of these signal-callers ranked at the top of his profession. What made them successful and how could the Orange and Blue's leader make what worked for them work for him?

Together, Brasic and his quarterbacking comrades spent the early morning hours of every day watching clip after clip, play after play, the good, the bad and the ugly of what worked and what didn't last season for the Fighting Illini, and in the case of the all-pros, over the course of each man's career.

In every case, one commonality stood out. Whether the quarterback ultimately made the right decision or the wrong decision in a given situation, on the whole he was decisive. Back comes the snap, look right, look left, down the middle, and go for it. No maybes, ifs, shoulds or coulds-just dids, all within a few seconds.

"That's the biggest gain I think I've made this year--just being more confident in my reads, sitting back in the pocket and trusting in my protection," Brasic said.

"The quarterback obviously gets a lot of glory when things are going well, but if it weren't for the offensive line--it all starts with them, really--if they don't block and come off and run, do the things they do, the skill position guys like myself, the receivers and running backs can't make plays."

Brasic speaks of young quarterbacks as if he has years of seasoning behind him. But while his maturity may have accelerated thanks to early-morning film sessions and all-around dedication this past summer, fans should remember that this year is only the senior's second full season under center.

The same goes for his teammates, who collectively made up the youngest squad in the nation in 2005, but are fixed on taking uniform strides this season. Whatever happened in the past is past. The future will unfold one game at a time.

"You just go out worrying about the opponent you have this week," Brasic said. "Obviously, big goals are going to a bowl game and such, but you have to come out and stay focused every day in practice just worrying about your opponent for that week. If you look to the future you might get passed up in the present."

Senior quarterback Tim Brasic showed last season that he could pick up some yards on the ground, but he and the coaching staff are hoping that he won't need to run the ball as often this year, given the re-vamped offensive line.

For Brasic, regardless of the season's outcome, one goal has already been accomplished. His dream of lining up for the Illini has been realized.