DraftAnalyst Q&A: Montana's Brady Gustafson
December 21, 2016 | Chris Tripodi
http://www.draftanalyst.com/draftanalyst-qa-montanas-brady-gustafson
Montana quarterback Brady Gustafson didn’t get a chance to shine until his junior season, but the 6-7 signal-caller made the most of his opportunities, throwing for 4,769 yards and 37 touchdowns in 16 starts. Chris Tripodi caught up with the Billings native to discuss fellow FCS standout Carson Wentz, fighting through early-career adversity and transitioning from the shotgun back to working under center.
Tripodi: Prior to your senior season, several NFL scouts gave you a similar grade to the one handed Carson Wentz before his final year at NDSU -- a grade which is the equivalent of being roster fodder. Were you aware of this?
Gustafson: It’s something that I heard and it’s kind of unbelievable to be honest with you. You look at a guy like Carson Wentz and he’s so good in so many different areas -- running, throwing. It’s just an honor that I’d get comparisons to him; he’s an incredible football player and a good dude.
Q: How much interaction did you have with Wentz during your careers?
A: After the first game I talked to him and said ‘Good game, probably see you down the road.’ After the second time he was out with his injury so I just wished him luck, and obviously he didn’t need it since he tore up the national championship game and built momentum. I did talk to him a bit, we’re not pen pals or anything; he was a good guy and you could tell from just talking to him. I got a lot of respect for the dude for sure.
Q: What teams have come to scout you during the season?
A: It’s nothing that you really pay too much attention to, but we do get more people than you’d think, it being Montana. There were quite a few teams that rolled through, but nothing I really paid too close attention to. Our weights coach [Matt Nicholson] said there were always dudes asking about myself and Caleb Kidder -- the big defensive lineman -- but nothing real specific. We didn’t talk about it all too much.
Q: Have you spoken directly to any NFL scouts recently, and if so, what did they tell you?
A: To be honest, I think I’ve said ‘Hi’ to a dude who had a Saints jacket on and that’s about all my interaction with scouts.
Q: Our leading draft expert, Tony Pauline, presently grades you as a potential fourth-round choice. Have you heard anything similar from scouts?
A: That sounds about where it’s at; truly, if I just get drafted that would be an extreme honor. This whole experience is kind of new. There are a couple guys I’ve asked here and there about what it’s like, but it’s a new experience and I’m trying to learn and pick everything up as I go. I’ve heard the same things but there’s a lot of time between now and draft day and anything can happen, so I’m not putting too much stock in that. Not trying to discredit anyone, but a lot of work has to come between now and draft day for that to become a real thing.
Q: Tony feels you have an NFL arm but lack mobility and you're a classic pocket passer. Would you agree?
A: I would absolutely agree with it but that being said, obviously my efficiency -- if you want to call it that -- with mobility is something I’ve been trying to work on, and going forward it will be a focal point for me when I start to train. I would absolutely agree with the assessment, maybe I’m a little faster than people think I am but probably not too much.
Q: What parts of your game do you feel you need the most work on?
A: Footwork and overall quickness, being able to make subtle moves in the pocket, to have my footing solid and to be able to step into it and make a strong throw. Playing the quarterback position really starts from the ground up, really working on footwork, quickness and agility could really help along with continuing to see the game, know the game and be a real student of the game to continue to get better.
Q: You’ve worked primarily out of the shotgun with a good amount of play-action plays and quick-hitting passes. How comfortable are you under center and how do you plan to show teams you can handle that along with the footwork necessary on five and seven-step drops?
A: In high school I did work quite a bit under center and prior to Coach Bob Stitt being hired [in 2014], we were primarily under center. Obviously I wasn’t playing at that point, but I guess you could say I’m rooted in under-center stuff. It’ll just be a matter of bringing that back up and getting more comfortable with it like I was previously.
Q: What was going through your mind as you sat your first three years at Montana, and how did your broken leg affect you or change your game, if at all?
A: Its cliché but you can never take it for granted; you never know when your last play will be. It sucked to break my leg; it was tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you’re trying to do the right things -- coach up the other QBs and give your team a chance to win. Confidence tapers off a little bit but once you get back to trusting that the injury isn’t going to affect anything, you start to gain your confidence back. Sitting out a couple years was kind of non-traditional with the redshirt, and then the Jordan Johnson case where he had to sit out due to rape allegations. Obviously he was found not guilty, came back and played for us, but it was kind of an interesting time here at Montana. He would’ve played my redshirt year; I come in thinking I’ve got three years at this and he comes back. It seemed like the window was closing but through my whole college experience, the big takeaway is it only takes one. I only had one college talk to me out of high school, I got my one chance and tried to do the most I could with it.
Q: Being an FCS prospect, what traits do you hang your hat on to sell to NFL teams about your pro potential?
A: First I’d say the love of the game; I’m a classic Brett Favre guy and loved watching him growing up. I don’t know if I’ve modeled my game after him, but I’ve certainly tried to have a similar playing style -- obviously big arm, Favre had a cannon. Love of the game would be the first one and, being from a smaller school, most guys have a chip on their shoulder. You look around and there’s so many upsets in the first couple weeks of college football, FCS teams taking down FBS teams. I think the gap is a lot closer than the common fan perceives, and I’d argue that it’s a competitive style of football. The past couple years I’ve had an encompassing knowledge of the offense; I really immersed myself into it, knew all the ins and out -- I have the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want on each play. That would be something to set me apart; we didn’t have many check-with-me’s on the sideline. Most of the stuff we were getting into was through me. On a game-to-game basis, coach would give me a jumping-off point, and I’d see something and we’d take it and run. That along with preparation -- because if you’re going to give the quarterback that much freedom, you have to be prepared. This semester was really nice, I didn’t have too many classes and I was able to spend quite a bit of time in the film room.
Q: What would you say has been your biggest area of improvement at Montana?
A: I would say seeing subtle things and the application of what you see on film to the game. You go through film, you see the same clip 4, 5, 6 times and you get tired of it, but when you get into the game you see it again, know what they’re doing and know what to do. I know teams disguise stuff all the time, but seeing subtle things like alignment – if the safety is inside, there’s a good chance he’s rolling coverage. Once the ball is snapped the defense can do what they want, but picking up things pre-snap is the biggest thing I’ve gotten better at Year 1 to Year 2.
Q: Other than teammates you face in practice, who was the toughest defensive back you faced the past three years?
A: Being FCS, there aren’t a lot of household names. Week 1 we played St. Francis and Lorenzo Jerome had two nice picks, and he also took either a punt or kick back for a touchdown and almost took another back. He singlehandedly had one of the best performances against us of all time, and I helped him by throwing a few picks, but it was Game 1 and we had stuff to work on.
Q: What are you looking forward to at the NFLPA Bowl?
A: That’ll be a big week to showcase some of the under-center stuff. Shotgun I’ve done so long I’m comfortable, but being under center and calling plays -- back in our old offense we had some doozy of play calls -- I get how long some of them could be. The two big things I’d like to showcase are my ability to play under center and also to command the huddle, because everybody talks about ‘Oh, you never huddled’ and there’s a different aspect, but I have had a huddle before in my life and it’s not something completely new. Taking charge of 10 others guys is something you need to do, and those things will be big in the week leading up to the NFLPA game.
Q: Where will you be training leading up to the draft?
A: So [my agent] Joe Linta has me going to Test Performance in New Jersey, and I’ll be there January 2, fly out of there and go to L.A. for the NFLPA Bowl and then go back. The end of February is when we finish up training, and then I’ll come back to Missoula, work out and do Pro Day.
