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An interview with Quarterback Guru Bret
Johnson of Johnson’s Camp Quarterback on the decision of Mark Sanchez’s
decision to come out early with Dan Brandenburg of Speed Tech.
 QUESTION: We hear USC quarterback Mark
Sanchez often refer to you and your dad as his long time quarterback
coaches. What is your relationship to Mark?
Bret
Johnson: I started working with Mark Sanchez when he was in the
8th grade and came to me for private quarterback coaching. My Dad and I run
a camp called Johnson’s Camp Quarterback and Mark has been a camper for
years. Once he was playing at USC, he came back to our quarterback camps to
help young quarterbacks as a volunteer “camp counselor”. Over the years
we’ve become great friends. He’s one of those quality people you want to
keep around. He comes from a great family.
QUESTION:
I hear you’ve had quite a laundry list of amazing young quarterback start
with Johnsons Camp Quarterback. Can you do a little name-dropping for us?
Bret Johnson: I’m really proud of the
kids we’ve coached over the years. I believe in what I do and I’m a big
believer in being honest with parents and letting them if they’re kid has
potential. I think because of that we weed out the riff-raff and work with
the best kids from supportive families. We’ve been lucky enough to have
worked one on one with Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer, his younger
Jordan Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Blaine Gabbert (the projected starting
quarterback for Missouri next year), Colt Brennan, currently with the
Redskins, Matt Cassel with the New England Patriots, Cody Hawkins of
University of Colorado and Gregg McElroy of Alabama. Gosh, I’m missing a
bunch, but those are the ones that pop into my head.
QUESTION: You say you’re still in touch
with Mark. Have you talked to him about his decision to come out early,
forgo his last year at USC and enter the NFL draft?
Bret
Johnson: Yes. Actually, we’ve been on the phone everyday since
the Rose Bowl. The poor kid was really torn. I mean he was getting advice
all over the board, so he really struggled with this decision. I really
think Mark liked bouncing his thoughts off of me because he knows he can
trust me and I just want what’s best for him. I have no vested interest in
whether he stayed or came out early. I love Mark. He’s the best kid you’ll
ever meet. He has a huge heart. He’s humble. He’s kind. He’s polite. He
worries about everyone else first. He’s just top notch all the way around. I
only wanted him to do what was best for him.
 QUESTION: So, does that mean you
suggested he come out early?
Bret Johnson: No. I told Mark, “listen
to your gut.” I told him only one person knows where your heart and your
head are and that’s you. There are no guarantees either way. He could have a
terrible year next year or a career ending injury in his first game back at
USC. He could also come out now for the NFL draft and the NFL scouts may
have him projected lower than most speculate. No one has a crystal ball, but
most people suggest he’s a top ten draft pick in this years NFL. It’s a
gamble, but it’s not a coin flip. He needs to follow his heart. I think
Mark’s made the right decision for his future.
QUESTION: So Mark Sanchez has been a
part of Johnson’s Camp Quarterback since he was a little guy. I’m trying to
picture an 8th grade Mark Sanchez. Tell me about what you were working with.
Did you know you had a Division 1 quarterback in the making.
Bret Johnson: That’s funny. Mark
Sanchez, even as an 8th grader was a great athlete, a big kid who really
listened and wanted to be coached. Actually, Mark and Carson Palmer were a
lot a like in that regard. Even when kids are that young, you can tell
immediately if they have athletic ability and most importantly that they are
coachable. To be coachable a kid has to be eager to learn and have a built
in respect for authority. Its no surprise that the best quarterbacks come
from strong families.
But like most aspiring quarterbacks, they both needed a lot of work on
footwork and the drills that give them the confidence and presence they need
under pressure. I think the one thing that separate good quarterbacks from
those who are great is having coaching on how to read and really understand
coverages. We always say the best quarterbacks are the ones who know more
about the game than any other player on the field. We spend a lot of time
with our quarterbacks in the classroom.
I can’t begin to tell you how many hours my Dad and I spent with Mark
Sanchez or Carson Palmer, in the class room teaching him how to read
coverages and make split decision on defenses and what he was seeing.
 QUESTION:
It seems the trend today in most sports is “private coaching” and
specialized camps, regardless of the sport. Is this necessary to give young
athletes the competitive edge. Do you think that made a big difference for
kids like Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez, both kids who started coming to
you and your dad as early as the 8th grade or do you think parents go
overboard?
Bret Johnson: Well, as a general
question, I think it depends on the sport. I think if you start with the
private coaching and the special camps to young you can burn a kid out. I
didn’t even talk to my son about football until he brought it up. Now he’s
11 and it’s time to get serious about his coaching. But some parents call me
with 8 years olds and I tell them, “Let you kid be a kid!” With Mark Sanchez
and Carson Palmer, they both started with us around 8th grade. I like to
believe the extra coaching made all the difference. My Dad and I devote
ourselves not to this business, but to the kids that come to us. The
business has grown from our love of what we do and who we work with. I won’t
let a parent spend money with me who has a kid with no chance. It’s a waste
of my time and their money Kids who have raw talent and mediocre coaching
might have a decent outcome. But things in sports have changed so much from
when I was playing quarterback. The competition is so steep. Parents from
all over the country fly their kids in to come to our camps. They buy our
videos. They study the videos like they would for a test. It’s crazy! But if
you’re going to play Division 1 football and if you think someday your kid
is going to have what it takes to be an NFL quarterback you have to find the
best
QUESTION: Does that mean you think
Johnson’s Camp Quarterback is the best for young quarterbacks?
Bret Johnson: Of course I do. I’m
committed to making it the best. This year my dad and I asked my brother Rob
Johnson to join us. As a retired NFL quarterback, he obviously isn’t doing
it for the money. He doesn’t need to work. He’s cut from the same cloth as
me. We are obsessed with molding these kids. It’s really something we do as
a family because we believe we have figured out how to devoted to it being
the best. I have kids of my own now. I know the difference between a camp or
coaching that’s all about the numbers and a program that is devoted to
working with and developing the best. That’s what we do. . But not everyone
can afford private training, and money shouldn’t separate a kids opportunity
to learn, which is why we did the video series. The video series has helped
a lot of kids go from back up to starter. I love those emails. It’s funny, I
have all these dads across America saving stats and clippings of their kids
progress after studying the videos. It’s actually pretty rewarding.
 QUESTION:
It sounds like if you think your kid has a chance to play college football
they need to come to you.
Bret Johnson: Hey…only if they want the
best! Actually, what I’m trying to say is that statistically speaking, even
if your kids is the all-star super star at his high school, to get a
scholarship or even to walk-on as a collegiate quarterback is a totally
different game. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Div 1 quarterback
who hasn’t had their share of private coaching or specialized camps like
Johnson’s Camp Quarterback. The earlier the better, but it’s never too late
to be better. The thing I wanted to make clear, however, is that all the
private and specialized coaching in the world is no guarantee that you’re
kid is going to play college ball. Statistically speaking it’s a pretty
small number who make it to that level and any competitive edge you can give
your kid
QUESTION: Do you think Mark Sanchez made
the right decision by leaving early for the draft?
Bret Johnson: I do. He’s the whole package and I don’t care if I’ve coached
a kid or not, I call a spade a spade. He’s the real deal. The question is
will the NFL scouts and NFL teams that are looking for a quarterback make
the right decision? I can’t imagine him not being a top ten draft pick.
Interview by Dan Brandenburg of Speed Tech |
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Camp
Quarterback Live! on DVD