FORT COLLINS — Part of the emphasis at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana during the summer is that quarterbacks must fit the role. They’re leaders. They cajole. They praise. They demand, or at least seek, perfection.
Kind of like the guy named Manning who plays quarterback for the Broncos.
Garrett Grayson also wears No. 18 on his orange jersey — at least at practice where the old Aggies color sets off the Colorado State quarterbacks — and he’s trying to be like Peyton as the Rams approach their game Saturday at Boston College.
Through preseason camp and three games, victories over Colorado and UC Davis, plus the loss to Boise State, Grayson occasionally has barked at teammates. It seems a bit out of character. And when Grayson has seen it on video, or even thought about it, he has felt a little sheepish.
“I’ve gotten on some guys, and I’ve kind of looked at it later and been surprised,” Grayson said. “I’ve seen clips where Peyton Manning and Tom Brady yelled at guys just like I did, but it’s just so far out of my comfort zone that I’m saying, ‘Maybe that was a little overboard.’ But I go back and see clips of them doing it, and if I can be half the quarterback they are, I’ll be totally happy. So if I have to get out of my comfort zone and take that step, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Last week, he chided H-back/tight end Steven Walker, who has stepped in for the injured Kivon Cartwright and caught eight passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
“After the fact I went up to him and apologized,” Grayson said. “He was like, ‘Man, it’s just like Julius Thomas and Peyton.’ He understood. He was totally fine with it. He knows that at the end of the day, it’s about winning and wanting everything to be perfect.”
Grayson’s favorite receiver has been wideout Rashard Higgins, with 19 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. That’s not surprising because Higgins also led CSU in receiving as a true freshman in 2013. He’s got a bit of the prototype diva receiver in him too, per his “Hollywood” nickname.
“We joke back and forth about that type of stuff,” Grayson said. “He was on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, so I started calling him Mr. Biletnikoff and things like that, and that’s going to boost his ego. But he’s not a super cocky guy. He may come off to some people like that, but he’s really not. He likes to joke around and have some fun, but at the end of the day, he puts up some big results.”
Grayson is . He bemoans the two interceptions — both against Boise State — and his two fumbles, one of them lost against Colorado. Both offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin and head coach Jim McElwain made a point last week of saying Grayson needs to be more conscious of protecting the ball. McElwain even brought up a former Seattle Seahawks quarterback who was notorious for fumbling.
“He’s done a good job,” McElwain said of . “Ball security is an issue. I had to remind him who David Krieg was. He did the research and came back and understood a little bit better what I was talking about. Other than that, what I’ve noticed is he has a command of the field. He isn’t getting stuck on a read and is actually going through a progression, and it’s showing.
“The thing that has helped him is that the play of the receivers has been a little bit better too.”
For the record, here’s what Grayson found when he (most likely) Googled: Krieg is third on the with 153, behind Brett Favre (166) and Warren Moon (161). Favre threw nearly twice as many career passes as Krieg, though.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com/TFrei
