"It" isn't enough for Centeio

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – He has "it", which is why he has it.

Colorado State's starting quarterback job. That belongs to Todd Centeio heading into spring drills, and while head coach Steve Addazio said he's all about competition, he noted in his eyes, it'll take some heavy lifting on the part of somebody else in the quarterback room to supplant him.

Heavy lifting for sure, because no one else in that room has thrown a collegiate pass. The only other guy on the Rams' roster who has – Justice McCoy – is next door in the wide receiver room. For Centeio, it most definitely feels good to be the guy, because it is what the Temple transfer has worked his whole career to become.

"I feel like I've been trying to get to this point for so long that it just gives me confidence that he's behind me, the whole team is behind me," Centeio said. "Getting compliments that I'm a leader and things of that nature make me feel more confident within myself and within my team. I'm happy, and I'm blessed to be here."

Addazio likes Centeio, and he's a big fan of "it." To him, that's the singular characteristic all the successful quarterbacks he's been around have carried with them. The trait is important, because it encompasses so many things. Leadership. Attitude. The ability, as he puts it, to be the tide which raises the boats in the water.

From the perspective of his teammates, Centeio is a guy who does all of that, all the time.

"A big thing that I've realized around being with so many different quarterbacks, they all have their own little personal vibes, and as you're around them more and more, they have their own little things, tendencies, you can point out and figure out," running back Marcus McElroy said. "With Toddy, he has a really strong, positive attitude going into a lot of situations. No matter what's going on, it could be late in the game, down by two touchdowns, we need to go down and score points, here's Toddy on the sideline motivating everybody.

"Toddy just has a very positive attitude around himself, and I think right now, him being the leader that we look to, it gives everybody a good sense of where we need to be at all the time and just trying to be positive and look to always make stride. I think his whole thing is always making strides regardless of what we're doing. As a quarterback, he pushes us to shine on and off the field."

"It" can also mean an excitement factor, which Centeio and others feel he can deliver to the offense.

All quarterbacks are required the throw the ball, but those who can extend plays lead to a world of possibilities. Centeio's introduction to the offense came in the first game last year when he broke off a 35-yard run, which stood as the second-longest rush from scrimmage from a CSU ball carrier.

Now, people shouldn't read this the wrong way, but after seeing similar throwing mechanics, Budmayr likened his new starting quarterback to Russell Wilson. He said there was a lot of carryover with the upper-body mechanics and the demeanor in which the two play the game.

He also noted Wilson extended plays with the intent of looking down field for big plays, not necessarily to run first, and that's something – because of those throwing mechanics – he will look to instill in Centeio, because as plays break down, defenses become vulnerable as they close in on the passer.

That's the thing, and Addazio said it, too – Centeio has plenty of room for growth in the other areas. That's Budmayr's task.

"The other stuff, were going to accentuate that – get that better and grow and develop that. Every quarterback needs growth and development in certain areas," Addazio said. "I've been around long enough and I can tell you this: Being a quarterback's not about throwing pretty balls. Being a quarterback is about winning. We believe that toddy has those intangibles to lead and to win."

Intangibles are even better when they are coupled with a quarterback who can throw a ball where it is supposed to go and when it is supposed to get there. Great quarterbacks can throw a receiver open, and Centeio has been here long enough to understand he should trust guys like Trey McBride and Dante Wright to create positive results.

Footwork is always the key to quality quarterback play, and Budmayr is being a stickler about it with his new troops. It's important for his starter, but requiring equal importance is the overall knowledge of the game.

"I think it has to start mentally. He does have the "it" factor," Budmayr said. "He's a natural leader. Guys really gravitate toward him, the team respects him and appreciates everything he brings to the table, but the mental side of it, growing his football IQ, we're spending a lot of time on right now. That's a pretty broad term, but it's understanding situations, understanding coverages, it's understanding what we're trying to get accomplished, whether it's run game, pass game, protections. There's a lot that goes into it, and he's been amazing so far. He cares about the game a ton. He wants to be coached up hard, as does the whole group, but Toddy has certainly set the standard for that unit. From a mental standpoint, we're starting there; we want to continue to grow that."

This is Centeio's second school, and Budmayr is already his second position coach here, his fourth overall. Each one of them brings something new the table, and Centeio is taking in all Budmayr has to offer.

The footwork, he's already taken that into side sessions with the receivers, feeling the value of having his base set correctly and where that leads him down the field. He pairs the skill with the film-room sessions, and as each day progresses, the comfort level is creating confidence.

"Alignments are really huge. We go out and he says pre-snap you have to look at apex, safety-safety every play," Centeio said. "That will show you by alignment, you can eliminate certain coverages the defense can play, and it makes the read even faster. Instead of having to go through all my progressions to get to a route on a certain coverage, I know by alignment they can't run the other coverages so I can get to the open guy in the flat or something."

Centeio has never felt accuracy has been a problem for him, and he understands what people think when he completed 14 of 36 passes for 207 yards, with one touchdown thrown and another interception. What they don't know is in the opener, he sprained his deltoid tendon in his foot, then a few weeks later banged the knuckle of his index finger on his throwing hand and it swelled up for the remainder of the campaign.

What he does know is he has the backing of his coaches and his team. That he's working to become a better player overall. He carries the "it" factor like a badge, and it gives him confidence in everything he does.

While some might believe that means he is at his leisure to work on improving, that's just not the way Centeio thinks.

"I feel like there's urgency, because I want to be what everybody wants me to be," he said. "I want to be that guy everybody can lean on and know I'm going to make those plays for us. I have that pressure on myself, but overall, there's not that much pressure. I'm not afraid to compete, either."

Because when you have "it," everybody expects those.

You know: Wins.

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"It" isn't enough for Centeio

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