The story of a Wheeling QB named Brady

It would have been easy for Tyler Brady to take a break considering it was the first Saturday of preseason football practice.

Maybe he could go hang out with friends and get as far away from the game as possible. There would be plenty of time to study video before the season started.

But shortly after Wheeling offensive coordinator Brian Hauck thought he posted a video for everyone to watch he received a text message. Brady told him the video wasn’t there yet.

A few minutes later, Hauck posted the video. Brady texted back to tell him he was watching it on his phone.

“It’s exciting the level of commitment I get from Tyler,” Hauck said of the third-year starting quarterback.

“There’s nothing better than seeing what you did wrong and knowing what you need to do to improve,” Brady said, “and seeing what you did well to watch on a replay.”

If Brady continues the improvement he made from his sophomore season to last year’s all-area performance then there should be a lot of worthwhile highlights.

Brady went from 687 yards passing and 3 touchdowns to 1,373 yards and 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 565 yards and 6 scores a year ago.

And the commitment level is unwavering for the son of former Indiana quarterback Terry Brady.

“Tyler is just a great kid and he takes everything seriously,” said Wheeling coach Dave Dunbar. “He takes leadership seriously and he takes running the offense seriously.

“If he could be on the field every play he would take every play seriously.”

Brady could end up being on the field for a few more plays if his wish of playing some safety the last three years is granted. It would definitely be time earned.

“He’s just a natural ballplayer,” Dunbar said. “We put him out at safety without any real coaching and we said, ‘Whoa, how did he figure that out so quickly?’’

“In every aspect of the game he wants to be at the top of things.”

Especially at quarterback, which Brady has played primarily since grade school except for a stretch where his size put him at tight end.

Brady’s dad, who played at Maine East and lettered at Indiana in 1981, has been one of his best teachers. But the younger Brady had a lot to learn on his own when he became Wheeling’s varsity starter as a sophomore.

“The change from freshman year to varsity Friday nights was completely different,” Brady said. “Going into my junior year I was more comfortable.”

It could have been uncomfortable as Hauck switched coordinator spots from defense to offense. Brady threw for the third-highest single-season yardage total in Wheeling history.

“Tyler did an outstanding job throwing the football last year in addition to running the football, which he already did,” Hauck said. “This season he’s been very accurate, very good with his reads and very accurate with his decisions.”

And Hauck has definitely rubbed off the right way on Brady.

“Coach Hauck and I talk about plays every day,” Brady said. “With his dedication, it made me want to be as dedicated as he is.”

Brady’s dedication has taken another dimension this year along with senior teammates such as running back Eddie Scanlon, linebacker Brandon Yacu and receiver Jeremy Fredrick.

“Those two years helped me and I’m a more vocal leader now,” Brady said. “It’s my team and my class and we’re working hard as a senior class together to lead the team.”

It doesn’t hurt that Brady is a leader in the classroom as well. He’s ranked in the top 30 of his class with a weighted 5.1 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale, scored 31 on the ACT and is considering schools in the Ivy, Patriot or Pioneer leagues to play football and study engineering or business.

But helping Wheeling take a big step after 2- and 3-win seasons is Brady’s focus right now.

“There is a lot of hard work and effort everyone has put in and that’s all you can ask for,” Brady said. “Everyone wants to win. We’re sick of the last two seasons we’ve had and we keep working hard and getting better.”

Because nothing would be better for Brady than to be studying video and preparing for games in late October and early November.