sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/story?id=1539920
Also See 14 Pasquarelli: Don't believe the hype 15 Clayton: QB or not QB? Better yet, tell him he doesn't have the strongest arm in this year's NFL draft quarterback class. It's an unquenchable thirst for competition and unflappable sense of confidence. Boller, the former Cal quarterback who went 1-10 his junior season and almost quit the game 18 months ago now believes he's one of the best. And if you don't agree, he'll beg for a chance to shove it down your throat and prove it. Kyle Boller Boller has gone from probable second-round pick to potential top 10 selection. Which makes his decision to sit out the passing drills at last month's NFL combine all the more fascinating. While Palmer, Grossman and others flung 22 balls at moving targets, Boller just stood there and gut-wrenchingly watched his competition compete. Aside from Leftwich, who was injured, every major quarterback prospect threw at the combine, leaving many to wonder what Boller was hiding. He resoundingly answered "nothing" a month later, when he concluded his pro day workout by proving an earlier promise that he could drop to one knee at the 50-yard line and fire an airtight spiral through the goalpost. Those in attendance -- coaches, general managers, scouts, agents -- applauded when the sizzling ball finally came to a rest. The quarterback who five months ago was considered the sixth-best in the draft, a likely second-day selection, is now seen as a potential top 20, if not top 10, pick. A year and a half ago, when Jeff Tedford became the new Cal coach, he inherited a quarterback who was at the low point of his career. Boller, a former high school all-everything that brought with him enormous expectations to Berkeley, went 1-10 his junior year and his confidence was shattered. The former Oregon assistant, who worked with 33 Joey Harrington and 34 Akili Smith, broke Boller down and rebuilt his mechanics, footwork, decision making and most importantly, confidence. In practice, he tied Boller's left wrist to his left bicep, to force his throwing motion to stay compact. He made Boller practice in tennis shoes, so that if his strides got too long, he'd slip and fall. And he used a set of checkers labeled with football positions to quiz Boller about his various reads and schemes in the Cal offense. So much that Boller has continued working with Tedford in his preparations for the NFL. And now, I can't even watch tape of myself from when I was younger. A year ago, the 6-foot-3 inch Boller weighed a lanky 199 pounds with 12-percent body fat. At the combine in February, he measured 234 pounds with 7-percent body fat. Not to mention he's faster, more agile and has quicker feet. From the beginning of the program, Weatherspoon played to Boller's competitive nature by putting him in workout groups with the receivers and the defensive backs who were also preparing for the draft at Weatherspoon's performance enhancement facility. Each day, Weatherspoon set the goal of beating the smaller, quicker guys. In the 40, in the shuttle run, in footwork drills, he beat them. There are some scenarios where he could be picked ahead of Leftwich. He trained with elastic tubing tied to his waist to hold him back. Anything he put in his mouth had to be either already on his diet or pre-approved. And little by little, Boller shaved the athletic disparity between him and everybody else. They question why Boller didn't win in college (he was 14-26 as a starter), why his career completion percentage is under 50-percent and why people suddenly think he's worth a Top 10 pick in the draft. But talk to Boller and get a first-hand sense for that unwavering confidence and deep-seeded passion and it's hard to walk away. It's the reason the Ravens, who own the 10th pick in the draft, have flown Boller to Baltimore on a couple occasions for more analysis. Head coach Brian Billick saw Boller's competitiveness first-hand, when he concluded a recent workout by putting a wastebasket 45 yards down field along the sideline. Boller did, but never put the ball in the can (few ever do in this common Ravens drill). But an hour later, after Billick briefly stepped out of a meeting with Boller for a quick television interview, the quarterback found his way back to the practice field, lined up the garbage can and tried again.
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