Former Badgers QB Stave enjoying the ride at NFL Combine
At this point, maybe we should stop doubting Joel Stave.
Yes, the former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback has had his detractors, but think about his journey for a second: A walk-on quarterback who became UW's starter, then lost the job only to regain it and post the most QB wins in school history.
Add to that being selected to the East-West Shrine Game and, improbably, being invited to the NFL Combine.
"It's been a heck of a ride," Stave said during an interview session at the combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday. "If you would have told me in the beginning I'd get a chance to start and win as many games as I did, I'd absolutely take it. I wouldn't complain with how things have gone.
"It's been a lot of work, a lot change over the last five years, but I really enjoyed it."
The 6-foot-5 Stave said he has put on a few pounds since leaving the Badgers -- NFL.com has him at 236 pounds while Wisconsin listed him during the season at 219 pounds.
"It's get up, eat, work out, eat, work out, eat, go to bed," he said. "There's no school, nothing really to worry about other than making sure your body is physically prepared and mentally prepared."
Stave threw for 2,687 yards as a redshirt senior in 2015, completing 61 percent of his passes. Of course, he knows there is work to do if he is to make an NFL roster.
His training has consisted of getting better footwork and "trying to kind of quicken my release." Stave, like many a young quarterback, looks up to New England's Tom Brady, impressed with the way "he plays in the pocket," among other things.
"There's no magic to it," Stave explained. "It's just a matter of being detailed in your preparation, being detailed in the way that you work and just working at it. That's something that I've continued to work at."
One thing which might make Stave more appealing is having played for three different head coaches -- and thus three different offensive systems.
"I think that definitely gives me an advantage, having done the things under center, the play-action, having your back to the defense and getting your head back around," Stave said. "We had our fair share of shotgun plays, third-down routes too.
"It has been an advantage to me to be in three different pro-style offenses and learn a lot of different pass concepts."
Stave has the size and big arm, but the NFL.com combine analysis also notes his struggles with accuracy, troubles with pressure and inability to run. However, the site also gives him a 5.08 grade, which on its scale equates to a "better-than-average" chance to make NFL roster.
He way Stave's career has panned out, it's easy to doubt his chances, but at the same point don't be surprised if he makes it.
