I’d like to lead with a couple important notes first. Disclaimer – By no means is writing a strong point of mine. I wasn’t too fond of English or Literature class in college and still wonder to this day how those term papers got me by. I’ve only written one piece in the past six year since I’ve been out of college and in that article I actually lead off with this same exact disclaimer. Go figure. However, as I begin my quest to become the next ‘Top Blogger,’ I’d like to add that recently I’ve found myself wanting to put my thoughts and ideas down on paper. I have to give credit to a good friend and former college teammate of mine Mike McCann. Mike is what you refer to as just a good dude. Someone I’ve always looked up to in many ways even though I’m his elder. He’s a ‘Type-A Guy,’ someone who has always excelled whether it was on the field for football, in the classroom, and now in the business world. He is the main reason I’m reading a lot more now and writing this blog itself. If you get the chance check out his blog site at www.PickaDirection.com. There’s a lot of great ideas and insight there that can help you with everyday life.
I’ll start by giving a brief bio of myself. My name is Collin Drafts. I’m 28 years old and come from the beautiful small town of Beaufort, South Carolina. I have a wonderful family that without a doubt shaped me throughout my life to become the person I am today, and the man I strive to be every day. Son of John and Pam Drafts, and brother to Trent Drafts. They are my rock. I also have a beautiful little girl now named Abigail Marie Drafts. Funny how some things come along in life that can completely transform ones’ outlook on the world. I admit it sounds cliché, but that’s exactly what my daughter has done for me. I’m a football junkie. It’s been a part of my life for 22 years now since I first started playing at the age of six. I was fortunate enough to somehow always have the football gods in my favor. I was an All-State selection at Battery Creek High School, and All-American at Charleston Southern, and went on to play in the Arena Football League for seven years. I was very fortunate to be surrounded with great teammates and coaches that greatly contributed to my success throughout my career. Playing QB was/is something I feel was ingrained in me from the first moment I put on that helmet. I now have moved on from my playing days into the world of coaching. It’s something I always feared and thought I would struggle with, because I always had identified myself as a football player, a quarterback. That’s just what I did. But now I enjoy the game even more. Being able to pass on the knowledge I learned to high school kids and have them light it up on Friday nights brings me far greater joy than playing on the 50 yard AFL field. It was fun while it lasted, but definitely time to move on. I am currently the Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach at West Orange HS in Winter Garden, Florida, just outside of Orlando.
In the next couple months my plan is to take on some topics that will benefit anyone who loves the game, and specifically playing Quarterback or offensive football in general. My intentions originally were to have my first article be on QB mechanics, but instead it’s turned into this. Hopefully this will spark your interest enough to return. Ideas I have in mind include but not limited to – QB mechanics, A QB’s pre/post snap thought process, Simplifying Offense/Play calling, and anything else I think could benefit others that relates to the game of Football. Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to putting my thoughts into this blog.
– Collin Drafts