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PRO TIPS

Ex-NFL QB works with Cougar players

By Chris Johnson 4 min read

MANSON -- On a hunting trip to southern Iowa last year, Casey Pipal was chatting with friends and family members about football.

Pipal, the offensive coordinator for Manson Northwest Webster and a former Fort Dodge Senior High player, loves coaching and talking about the game. During the trip, former NFL quarterback Kyle Orton was a part of the group.

Pipal wondered if Orton -- a Southeast Polk and Purdue University graduate -- would come speak to his Cougar players in Manson sometime.

"I hunt with him in southern Iowa. He is good friends with my wife's cousin,'' Pipal said. "We got to talking about football, and I explained to him that I coached at Manson and was taking over the offense. I was talking to my wife's cousin, and wondered if Kyle would come up and work with the quarterbacks.

"He said Kyle would absolutely love it and he would set it up."

Wednesday afternoon, over 40 Manson Northwest Webster learned tips and techniques from a former professional player on their home field.

"Kyle just told them, 'be a team,''' Pipal said. "He said your best years of football are as a high school player. He met with our two quarterbacks and taught them how to read defenses and helped change a few things with their throwing motion.

"He talked about Cover 1 and Cover 2 defenses. It was great to see, and it was nice to have our quarterbacks learn from someone of (his stature). We really appreciated him coming up."

When Manson Northwest Webster head coach Marty Hart walked on the field he saw the excitement in everyone's eyes.

Especially Orton's.

"He was so pumped when we all came out,'' Hart said. "He said, 'I can't thank you enough.' I couldn't believe he was thanking us -- we were thanking him. He's an NFL player.

"At the end, he asked me if he could come back."

"The entire Cougar team was around the former signal caller, who was behind center for five different NFL teams -- including the Chicago Bears. Orton finished his pro career with 18,037 yards passing and 101 touchdowns.

Cougar senior quarterback Shawn Kenyon and freshman Matthew Condon especially got some one-on-one time with Orton.

"We did some 7-on-7 so he could look at our quarterbacks and see how they reacted to coverages,'' Pipal said. "They were nervous about having him there at first and threw a few high balls that they normally don't throw.

"He pulled Matt off to the side and was teaching him what to look for. He helped him adjust his body and instructed him on a lot of the little things that make a big difference."

The Cougar quarterbacks soaked it all up.

"Shawn and Matt were able to spend some quality time with him,'' Hart said. "Shawn and Matthew were very receptive and absorbed everything. He told Shawn if he had any questions to have me get a hold of him and he would help out."

Pipal was pleased with the way the squad responded.

"We were doing our sets and warmups and cals and you could see our team chemistry and they were hyped up,'' Pipal said. "The intensity was higher.

"He just told the guys to play the game and love the game. It was a neat experience."

Football isn't all about physical attributes, which Orton was able to help Hart's ballclub understand with better clarity.

"Before practice, he asked what we were struggling with,'' Hart said. "I told him we have the athletes, but we need to work on our mindset. After a tough play or loss, we don't bounce back like we need to. He told a couple of stories about his playing days and some situations late in games.

"He talked about how, all of a sudden, one play could change the momentum of a game -- and on bad plays you have to block (the negativity) out.

"That was the best message, and something that our team needed."

Both Hart and Pipal are hoping Orton will make a few more trips to Manson -- and that he has a new team to root for.

"He told me that I better call him after we get a win,'' Hart said. "We added him to our Hudl and he said he would critique it and get back to us, which is obviously something we would really appreciate.

"It was just a great all-around experience for our program."

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