Allen and Greene evaluating risk vs reward in the running game
With a dual-threat quarterback like Garrett Greene, there are times he will be in precarious situations. WVU's coaching staff focused on helping him analyze risk versus reward when it comes to him running the football.
What makes Greene, like many dual-threat quarterbacks special, is his ability to run the football but at the same time, the Mountaineers want him to be cautious and smarter when he's running in order to cut down on the number of hits he takes as well as reduce his injury risk.
You got to be careful because you don't want to take that away from him because that's what makes him a great player, his ability to play free," West Virginia quarterbacks coach Tyler Allen said.
Greene was as elite of a rusher as any other quarterback in the country last season. Greene rushed for 13 touchdowns, tied for the most among any quarterback in the nation.
"You don't want to take that away from him but at the same time you have to teach him when to take risks and when not to take risks when can you just run out of bounds or slide or when do you need to really go get that, get the first down or really go score a touchdown and take a chance. There's situations we watch and we talk through but I definitely don't want take away his ability to go play free and take away his abilities that you can't coach," Allen said.
This has been part of the development for Greene this offseason. Greene is entering year two as the full-time starter for the Mountaineers and there's been a focus on getting him better this offseason for the West Virginia coaching staff.
Greene is also as fiery and passionate as they come, and that's something he's also been able to reel in a little Allen said, as he needs his quarterback to be smart when rolling out of the pocket.
"That's one big improvement he's made, he's more level-headed now and we try to say all the time, we want to play with emotion, not emotional. He's come a long way and he's way more level-headed and controlled and he can make those decisions at a faster rate and he's done really well with that," Allen said.
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