Q&A with Troy QB Levi Brown

TROY — Troy quarterback Levi Brown has got a lot more on his plate this summer.

Instead of watching as a backup quarterback, Brown has to be the guy that runs summer pass drills while coaches can’t be around.

The Trojans started workouts Monday under Brown’s leadership. The upcoming senior, who became the starter in the sixth game last year after Jamie Hampton went down with a season-ending injury, threw for 2,030 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions as Troy finished 8-5.

Brown was named this year’s starter prior to the New Orleans Bowl last December. He spoke with the Dothan Eagle last week for a Q&A session.

Q: How important is it for you guys to be here this summer?

A: It’s really important. It helps the timing. It’s hard to just show up in the fall and be accurate and the receivers just catch the ball without having done it this summer.

Q: You said in January you were going to watch film of every throw you made (201 attempts). How long did that take?

A: It took a few weeks to go through it all. I found a couple of throws that I missed more than I should have. The corner route was the main one. The 20-yard and the breakout corner routes.

Q: What else do you feel you need to improve on?

A: I just need to step up in the pocket more rather than just escaping out. There’s a few times I could have stepped up and made a throw.
Coaches have challenged you to take more chances throwing the ball. Do you feel like you need to?

Q:Possibly. There were some times that there was an open guy but I didn’t throw it because I couldn’t see if somebody was in the way. A: I’m always nervous about throwing it blind. There were definitely instances that I missed throws that could have been in there, but you’re never going to throw a perfect game. I just think (it’s good to be) finding a good balance of not throwing picks, but taking chances when they’re there.

Q: How good should this year’s offense be?

A: I expect that we should be really good. I’ll be disappointed if we’re not. We’ve got most of our backfield and receivers back and some new ones that will help us out a lot — (Josh) Jarboe, Jason Bruce, TeBiarus Gill, Chip (Reeves) will play some. We should be really good.

Q: How big is it having bigger guys like Jarboe and Gill?

A: That’s something we haven’t had since I’ve been here, a tall receiver where you can just throw it up to and they’ll make plays. That should help us a lot in the red zone.

Q: How much will going under center benefit you guys?

A: I like it. I think it’ll add an extra dimension to make teams prepare for and it’ll make it a little more difficult for them. We’ve got some pretty good play-action stuff from under center and our O-line will be able to do a power run game. It’ll help us out on some fourth and shorts we didn’t convert last year.

Q: Are there any size, strength and speed numbers you want to improve on?

A: I’m happy with my size right now. I’m about 222 and want to stay between 220 and 225. I have gotten faster. At our junior pro day a month ago, I ran a 4.78, which is fine for a pocket passer. It never hurts to get faster, but that’s OK for me.

Q: Coach Neal Brown said he wanted you to take charge of the offense. Do you think you’ve done so?

A: I think so. He’s always on me about that. I think I have, but summer workouts, organizing these and getting everybody out there will determine that.

Q: After the loss to Southern Miss in the bowl game, how much are you guys itching to face another team?

A: A lot, I would say. It was a sour note to end the season on. I expect us to be a lot better than we were last year so hopefully we can improve on that.