NFL scouts reviewed game tape of former University of Louisville quarterback Hunter Cantwell from the past season and left thinking he was better suited for another sport.
"He looked like a center fielder on tape throwing the ball home,"
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. "He held (the ball) way down and wound up.
"It took him a long time to get rid of the football, and defensive backs were jumping his routes."
Now that Cantwell has shortened his throwing motion, he hopes it expands the list of teams considering drafting him.
After spending three weeks with a specialist, Cantwell impressed scouts at the East-West Shrine Game with his quick turnaround. He hopes to enhance that view as he participates in the NFL Scouting Combine that runs through tomorrow.
Mayock projected Cantwell to be a late-round pick. He said Cantwell was among several senior quarterbacks who had inconsistent seasons. He completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 2,493 yards and 16 touchdowns with 16 interceptions.
"It's just one of those things. I had to shorten my release if I wanted to be successful,"
said Cantwell, who was 5-7 in his only season as a starter.
Changing his release was a step in the right direction. After the Cards' season, Cantwell went to San Diego to work with a quarterback guru.
George Whitfield, who trained former third-overall pick Akili Smith, helped Cantwell shorten his release. Whitfield was a former arena football quarterback -- including a stint with the Louisville Fire arenafootball2 team -- and specialized in having a quick release.
"Hopefully, I can continue to show that it's something I shortened up and it's no longer an issue,"
said Cantwell, who added that he looked to refine more than his throwing style. "You're always working to get better, too, with footwork and hips. It's a never-ending process."
Among the questions bombarded at Cantwell when he faced the media was if he felt like he belonged.
"It's not a cockiness, but you do have to have confidence in your ability to play,"
Cantwell said. "I do think I'm one of the best quarterbacks in this draft."
Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell, who served as the quarterbacks coach before replacing Tony Dungy, said changing a throwing motion wasn't impossible, but it presented challenges.
"I used to believe one couldn't change their throwing motion at all, but then I've seen some individuals work at it extremely hard and make that adjustment,"
said Caldwell, who was an assistant coach under Howard Schnellenberger at U of L. "It just depends. The more drastic the adjustment, the more difficult it is."
Caldwell said the big test comes under pressure because players tend to revert back to their old style.
"It took me about three weeks to get it down,"
Cantwell said. "Once I got it, it wasn't an issue of going back and forth."
Cantwell equated it to a basketball player shooting from his hip as a youth but changing when playing with older and taller kids.
When New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys, he tweaked Tony Romo's throwing motion in a similar way, bringing his release up. Payton said less is more when changing a quarterback's release.
"It's a lot like a golfer; you've got to be careful you're not telling this guy too much. It's one stroke at a time,"
he said.
Added Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn: "In this game you can't think about how you're going to release the ball; it's just got to come out."
