Northwestern's Kafka armed and dangerous
For the last eight months, Northwestern alum Brett Basanez has done his utmost to stick with the Bears as their third-string quarterback.
There's nowhere the 26-year-old St. Viator graduate would rather be at this stage in his life, save the obvious desire to move up the Bears' depth chart.
But Basanez also knows what he wants from the next phase of his life - and spent some of his summer moonlighting toward that goal.
If Basanez did his job well, then his alma mater is going to enjoy one heck of a 2009 season. And he'll have a nice initial entry for his next resume.
"I try to make an effort to get back to Northwestern to be around 'Coach Fitz,' " Basanez said of NU fourth-year coach Pat Fitzgerald. "Because ideally, when I'm done playing, I want to coach."
When fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Kafka noticed Basanez hanging around Evanston - they were teammates in 2005 during Basanez's senior season - he texted him and asked for help.
Though Kafka has been around for a long time, he has started just 6 games and thrown a grand total of 145 passes.
The duo agreed to meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons throughout the summer. Basanez would work out at Halas Hall from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., then make the 20-mile drive from Lake Forest to Evanston to tutor Kafka, NU sophomore backup Dan Persa and Jason Kafka -Mike's brother who's a freshman walk-on at San Jose State.
They'd work on the field for two hours, then spend another hour watching film. Basanez's biggest task, particularly with the Kafkas? Getting rid of their baseball tendencies.
Both are terrific baseball players with big-league arms, but those qualities don't necessarily translate to football. Quarterbacks aren't supposed to fling their bodies toward a target the way a pitcher or an outfielder might.
"Mike is - was - a very mechanical, deliberate thrower," Basanez said. "He went to St. Rita. He didn't throw the ball very much. It was play-action. He played baseball. It was, 'Hey, let's hum this thing 20 yards, 90 yards.'
"I just wanted him to be tight as if you're (standing) in a phone booth, but stay loose with your mechanics. Don't flex all your muscles trying to hum this ball 1,000 miles an hour. Keep your front elbow tight, don't overstride and literally try to play every snap like you're in a phone booth."
Basanez's Frankenstein has become, well, a monster - and the villagers have heard the word. Of the 20 senior quarterbacks nominated for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Kafka has the fewest career passing yards (835).
Kafka (as well as Persa) not only looks like he's utilizing less effort when he throws, his spirals appear to have more velocity and they stay straight as a string.
"It takes the margin of error out of their throws," NU offensive coordinator Mick McCall said. "The other thing it does, it gets the ball out a lot quicker."
Basanez hasn't seen his students since the Bears headed to Bourbonnais a month ago, but he's glad to hear they've maintained their new fundamentals.
"It was like night and day," Basanez said. "Just the progression they made was so fast, it was just refreshing to see guys like that who are so coachable and so smart, they could take what you tell them and then a couple days later implement that into their game."
"I can't thank him enough," Kafka said.
Kafka's marked improvement takes some initial pressure off Northwestern's plethora of unproven skill players.
Junior Stephen Simmons (66 career rushes, 175 yards, 2 TDs) and true freshmen Arby Fields are the top two tailbacks on the depth chart released Friday.
The four starting receivers (senior Andrew Brewer, senior walk-on Zeke Markshausen, junior Sidney Stewart and sophomore Jeremy Ebert) have combined for career totals of 62 catches, 494 yards and 3 scores.
Everywhere else, though, the Wildcats are loaded with experience and skill.
Every offensive lineman has started for at least one year, while the eight returning defensive starters (led by Playboy All-American defensive end Corey Wootton) have 160 starts under their belts.
With all four defensive backs returning, including potential NFL draftees in cornerback Sherrick McManis and hard-hitting safety Brad Phillips, ESPN.com ranks NU's secondary as the Big Ten's second-best unit.
Northwestern Wildcats at a glance
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (4th year, 19-18).
2008 record: 9-4, 5-3 (tied for 4th); Lost to Missouri in the Alamo Bowl (30-23 in OT).
Last bowl miss: 2007
All-Big Ten candidates: DE Corey Wootton, CB Sherrick McManis, S Brad Phillips, S Brendan Smith, SLB Quentin Davie, LT Al Netter, QB Mike Kafka.
The Wildcats will go to a BCS bowl: If they sweep their home games and take two of the three critical road games: Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois. In order to do this, Kafka must limit his turnovers and maintain his upgraded throwing motion. The Wildcats have enough weapons that Kafka shouldn't have to run as often as he did (56 carries, 300 yards) in his 2 starts a year ago.
BCS finish the last five years (2008 listed first*): 23rd, 73rd, 77th, 25th, 54th.
*Ratings (courtesy CollegeBCS.com) are pre-bowls.
NU schedule
Sept. 5 TOWSON 11 a.m.
Sept. 12 EASTERN MICHIGAN 11 a.m.
Sept. 19 at Syracuse TBA
Sept. 26 MINNESOTA TBA
Oct. 3 at Purdue 11 a.m.
Oct. 10 MIAMI (OHIO) 11 a.m.
Oct. 17 at Michigan St. 11 a.m.
Oct. 24 INDIANA 11 a.m.
Oct. 31 PENN STATE 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 7 at Iowa TBA
Nov. 14 at Illinois TBA
Nov. 21 WISCONSIN TBA
Projected lineup
OFFENSE (spread)
QB 13 Mike Kafka Sr.
TB 25 Stephen Simmons Jr.
SB 89 Josh Rooks Jr.
WR 5 Sidney Stewart Jr.
WR 12 Andrew Brewer Sr.
IR 11 Jeremy Ebert So.
LT 75 Al Netter So.
LG 76 Desmond Taylor Sr.
C 65 Ben Burkett So.
RG 64 Doug Bartels So.
RT 78 Kurt Mattes Sr.
DEFENSE (4-3)
DE 99 Corey Wootton Sr.
DT 98 Corbin Bryant Jr.
DT 67 Marshall Thomas Sr.
DE 94 Vince Browne So.
WLB 35 Ben Johnson So.
MLB 57 Nate Williams Jr.
SLB 41 Quentin Davie Jr.
CB 26 Jordan Mabin So.
CB 24 Sherrick McManis Sr.
S 17 Brad Phillips Sr.
S 4 Brendan Smith Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K 1 Stefan Demos Jr.
P 1 Stefan Demos Jr.
KO 1 Stefan Demos Jr.
KR 20 Scott Concannon So.
PR 4 Brendan Smith Sr.