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n o r t h w e s t e r n f o o t b a l l • D I G I T A L P R O G R A M • N O R T H W E S T E R N v s . U M A S S
BLACK & WHITE TO HD
By: Skip Myslenski
THIS WAS FOUR YEARS AGO, and Clayton Thorson was four games into his career as a starter,
and the offensive coordinator Mick McCall was comparing his reality to that of more experienced
quarterbacks. "Attention-to-detail things get lost in the moment because you're focused on— there's
so many things going through your head," he said here, referring to his young 'Cat. "The older you
get, the more slowed down it gets. Peyton (Manning) and (Aaron) Rodgers, everything slows down
for them. Picture TV back in the 1950s when it was all scrambled up, then picture the HD stuff right
now. That's the difference between the way those guys see it compared to the way a freshman sees
stuff going on."
After five games as a starter, Aidan Smith was asked on Monday, what kind of picture is he seeing?
"I definitely think when I first started playing it was black-and-white and a little fuzzy," he admitted. "I
think the picture's starting to get a little bit clearer now, and I think that showed on Saturday (against
Purdue). There's a few throws and things I want back, some beginner mistakes that I made. But other
than that I think the picture's starting to clear up. I think everyone can see that."
Is the game slowing down for him then?
"Yes. That comes along with getting used to being out on the field, and then film study and preparation."
