Commentary

John Brantley can be elite in 2011

Brantley's passing skills and Charlie Weis' offense could lead a Gators turnaround

Originally Published: February 15, 2011

By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider

One of the secrets to Steve Spurrier's success during his days as the Florida Gators head coach was that he spent as much time coaching up the receiving corps as he did the quarterbacks.

Spurrier understood that while having a field general with superb accuracy, toughness and the ability to read defenses was extremely valuable, all of those skills could effectively be rendered useless if the pass-catchers weren't where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there. (This is a rarely discussed aspect in the discussion of why some Florida quarterbacks did less in the NFL than expected.)

The Ol' Ball Coach may no longer be patrolling the sidelines in Gainesville, but his methodology regarding pass-catchers is one of many changes that new Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis can implement to help senior quarterback John Brantley become one of the best passers in college football this season.

To read KC Joyner's full take on John Brantley and why he can become an elite passer under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis in 2011 (plus, a note on how Brantley compares favorably to Peyton Manning), become an ESPN Insider today.