By Chip Scoggins
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke had an itch to get into coaching after his NFL career ended in 2008, but he wasnít sure where or at what level.
Sports is part of his DNA. A decorated athlete at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn., Weinke won a national championship and the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Florida State. He played professional baseball before college, and started 20 games at quarterback in his seven NFL seasons.
But Weinke hadnít established any concrete long-term plans after his athletic career finally ended.
ěPlayed a lot of golf,î the 38-year-old said.
His life took a new course, however, after he ran into a staff member of the renowned IMG Academy at a Florida State football game. That spurred a process that led Weinke to become director of the IMG Madden Football Academy, which opened last spring in Bradenton, Fla.
Known for its work with golf and tennis prodigies, IMG hired Weinke to help launch its football academy, which offers specialized camps and instruction for players at all levels.
His clientele includes a 13-year-old quarterback from Kentucky, high school kids hoping to earn a college scholarship and … Cam Newton, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn and recent No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Weinke also began working privately with Vikings quarterback Joe Webb last week, and first-round pick Christian Ponder, a fellow Florida State alum, is scheduled to join them this week.
Weinke spends hours every day working on the field and in the film room with a diverse group of players at different stages of their careers.
ěThatís why I say itís the best job in the world,î Weinke said.
The football academy is open to players at all positions, but Weinke works primarily with quarterbacks for obvious reasons. His daily regimen with Newton provides a glimpse of Weinkeís desire to make the academy a place where quarterbacks receive specialized training.
Newton, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers, trained at IMG before his pro day workout and returned recently because of the ongoing NFL lockout.
Weinke scheduled his own ěfour-day minicampî with Newton, who brought his Carolina playbook with him. Weinke said they worked in the classroom for 90 minutes going over plays and defenses in the morning, followed by 90 minutes of work on the field. They returned to the classroom after lunch for another 90-minute study session. Newton had the option of a second throwing session in the afternoon.
ěWeíre spending about 3 to 31/2 hours a day in the classroom installing his offense and watching video,î Weinke said. ěWe film everything, we video it, we analyze it. We come back in the afternoon and do some more installation and review some video. Itís really similar to what they would face if they went to a minicamp following the draft.î
Weinke said the work is especially important for rookies because of the lockout. The players donít have the luxury of minicamps and organized team activities to learn their systems. They canít even communicate with their coaches during the lockout. Weinke said Ponder, the No. 12 overall pick, is scheduled to train with him for one month and will get plenty of film study.
ěIíll do the same thing with him (as Newton),î Weinke said. ěThere will be an installation of the offense, for him to get familiar with the verbiage and the concepts. Weíll take all that information and go to the field and apply all of that.î
Ponder and Webb are represented by the same agency, SportsTrust Advisors. Ponder received a portion of the Vikings playbook when he visited Winter Park after the draft. Webb got a copy of it when the lockout was lifted for one day. Weinke will help the two quarterbacks begin to learn Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgraveís system.
ě…I know both Joe and Christian will have their playbook, and my understanding is the goal is to work on their footwork and installing their plays as much as possible while theyíre down there,î said Pat Dye Jr., who is Webbís agent. (Jimmy Sexton represents Ponder.)
Weinke evaluates quarterbacksí mechanics on the field and offers tips and suggestions. He also videotapes the sessions and reviews them with the players afterward.
ěIím not here to change these guys,î he said. ěIím here to really refine their skills and help them or point things out.î
While Weinkeís work with NFL players attracts more attention, he spends the majority of his time instructing youth and high school players in camps and individual sessions.
Weinke said the academyís inaugural weekend camp last summer drew 130 players from 26 states. Five junior high kids enrolled in the school on the IMG campus for year-round training. Weinke even anticipates fielding a high school and junior varsity program starting in the fall of 2012.
Weinke, the Heisman winner in 2000, describes his new career as a ěperfect fit.î
ěIíve always said I was a student of the game. I couldnít run fast, couldnít jump. I was blessed with a decent arm. But at the end of the day for me to have any success, I had to be a student of the game. Thatís really where I think I can separate (myself) in terms of the teaching aspect of it. That I did understand the game, that I spent a lot of time studying the game. Players are always trying to find an edge.î