Jake Heaps says his RWQB Academy with Russell Wilson is about much more than throwing a football
Jul 6, 2017, 12:36 PM
Jake Heaps will serve as director of operations and head QB coach of RWQB Academy. (AP)
(AP)
Jake Heaps and Russell Wilson know how to throw a football about as good as anybody, and that’s a big reason why they’ve partnered together for the RWQB Academy. But it’s not the only thing they plan to teach young quarterbacks.
Heaps, a former Seahawks quarterback who at one time was the most sought-after QB in the nation while setting records at Skyline High, told “Brock and Salk” that he and Wilson have much more knowledge to impart to aspiring football players.
“My hope and aspiration is we get a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of athletes that become process-driven. That are focused on the process, that aren’t focused on the accolades,” Heaps said. “There’s a whole lot that goes into this. It’s not just physically getting better at throwing a football. As you know, the quarterback position, there is so much to it. Mentally, how to be a leader, what do I need to do in order to be successful, and there’s a lot of almost kinda therapy that goes around with it, as well.”
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Heaps, who spent time on the Seahawks practice squad last season, assumes the roles of director of operations and head QB coach for RWQB, while Wilson serves as the founder and CEO. Expect the fingerprints of the Seahawks philosophy to be all over the teachings, as Heaps said what he and Wilson have learned from Pete Carroll has had a big impact on them.
“I think the biggest and No. 1 thing that I learned in just being around that (Seahawks) environment is trusting yourself and just going out and playing and trusting in your preparation,” Heaps said. “Pete talks about competition, and it’s not just competition for a day or competition for a week that sets the tone for the rest of your career. It’s competition every single freaking day. It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, it’s about today, and that’s the part that I try to infuse into my teachings with these guys. … It’s about the next opportunity I have I’m gonna take full advantage of it, and that’s something I didn’t necessarily have mentally (coming into the NFL).”
Heaps learned a lot of that from Wilson, too, who he said has a remarkable relationship with his head coach in Seattle.
“It’s very unique that you have a guy like Russ and you have Coach Carroll, who Russ wasn’t even around Coach Carroll, wasn’t around that philosophy (before coming to Seattle), and came in as the same person,” Heaps said. “They came in with the same mindset.”
Heaps spent the entire last hour with “Brock and Salk” on Thursday, covering all kinds of topics including why he decided to go to BYU over Washington out of college, if things would have been different had Chris Petersen been in Montlake at that time, and what his plans are should another call from the NFL come. You can listen to a podcast here.
For more information on RWQB, visit the website: rwqbacademy.com.
