So how is it for the son of Denver’s favorite quarterback as a freshman at Arizona State?
“It’s hot,” said Jack Elway after a recent practice.
Even if it’s a dry heat, it’s still a desert for John Elway’s kin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback whose body and mind are being baked at the outset of a survival test every incoming freshman must endure in making the jump to Division I-A football.
First off, he’ll redshirt, so actually getting to play in a game won’t happen until 2009. It’s the longest nonplaying drought he can recall.
“It’s going to be weird,” the younger Elway said. “I can’t just come in here and expect to be the guy. I have to earn it.”
Despite redshirting, he has thrown more than ever, but his arm is holding up fine. Visits to the weight room have had more meaning. But what about his learning retention and ability to adapt to the college game? Learning and executing an offense in the Pac-10 versus leading Cherry Creek in the Class 5A Centennial League? That’s a scholastic major in itself.
“You definitely have to know a lot more,” Jack said. “Mentally, there’s a lot more studying, a lot more.”
Plus, he said, “there’s a lot bigger people here and you have to get used to the speed of the game. It’s different trying to pick it up. But it’s coming. At first, it was rough, but every day it gets easier.”
Whether his father, who was the same size as his son when entering college, serves as cool shade or casts too large of a shadow through his association is debatable. The NFL Hall of Famer is aware his history and experience is a double-edged sword.
“I do worry about that,” John Elway told the East Valley Tribune in Phoenix. “I’ve done the best I can to defuse it, but there’s always going to be pressure on him.”
Both No. 7s agree it was best for Jack to play outside Colorado, but he’s playing for Dennis Erickson, who has known the Elways for years and was on the staff at San Jose State under John Elway’s dad, also named Jack. As the youngest of five Sun Devils quarterbacks, this Jack’s patience will be tested.
“It’s nice having him down here,” Jack said of Erickson. “I’ve got to take advantage of my reps so I don’t move down the list. I’m definitely fine with whatever maximizes playing time.”
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
