Wednesday Morning Quarterbacking

The morning fog has burned off quickly, and the sun is shining bright in Holly Springs. I can see Charley Loeb approaching from across the lot, his tall, six-foot-four frame casting a long shadow across the gravel. He’s slender but muscular, and probably doesn’t look much different than he did when he played quarterback for the Syracuse Tigers from 2011 to 2014.

Loeb has been coaching with QB Country for the past seven years and primarily trains young high school quarterbacks in the fundamentals of the most coveted position on the field. My first question is, “What are the most critical skills a quarterback needs to possess?”

He answers, “There’s three things…got to be a good enough athlete, have strong throwing skills, and possess football IQ.” Loeb continues, “Defenses are much more complex today, and you need a quarterback who can block out all the noise to be able to make those decisions at the line in a matter

of seconds.”

He tells me that every athlete is weaker in one of these skills, and that’s where his private, focused training helps quarterbacks improve on that skill. “Everybody wants a quarterback maxed out in their abilities, but not everyone is going to be a Josh Allen who walks through the door…he’s like Superman playing quarterback.”

QB Country provides personalized training for everyone from nine-year-olds to professional quarterbacks like Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos. Loeb is most proud of some of his quarterbacks who have gone on to succeed in college, including John Alan Richter at the University of Toledo.

Quarterback Coach, Charley Loeb

Like Loeb himself, many of his athletes started playing football at a very early age. Loeb started playing pee wee football in second grade. He went on to play quarterback in high school in New Hampshire and was then recruited by Syracuse to serve as a backup to Ryan Nassib, who later played for the New York Giants. Loeb eventually took over as the starting quarterback during his final year. It was also at Syracuse that he enhanced his football acumen by learning from several coaches who are currently coaching in the NFL.

After Loeb completed a Zoom call to go over game film with one of his quarterbacks, we make our way from his office to the training facility. “My team and I do our indoor training here at Velocity," he explains. The building is a metal warehouse structure divided into two sections. One is a strength-training area with weights, while the other is a large space housing an indoor AstroTurf field some eighty yards long.

His day is full of back-to-back training sessions, and he won’t finish until 8:00 p.m. Today, he has six quarterbacks scheduled to train, starting with Cannon Holloway, a junior quarterback playing for the Fannin County Rebels. True to his name, his arm is like a canon. After running through an hour of heavy drills with Coach Loeb, Cannon settles on the metal bleachers with his buddies. When I ask him about college and where he wants to go, he responds, “I’m only goin' to consider Division 1-A schools, or not play college ball at all.” He’s confident, and I assume that’s another skill quarterbacks need to master, too.

Loeb is currently coaching high school football at the Walker School in Marietta but would like to return to coaching college football when the time is right. For now, he’s content with his busy schedule.

The door opens, and another quarterback in training steps into the building. Loeb looks over at him and exclaims, “Ready to go!”

"If a parent asked me what are the chances of my son playing quarterback in the NFL...I'd say zero percent. That's how hard it is to become an NFL quarterback."