justin zwick

Panthers give Ohio State's Zwick a shot

By MIKE CRANSTON, AP Sports Writer
June 11, 2007

AP - Jun 11, 2:47 pm EDT
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Justin Zwick was watching a lot of movies at his parents' house in Ohio, close to giving up his dream.

"I'm thinking I've got to start earning some money some time, and I can't live off my parents forever," the former Ohio State quarterback said Monday. "Then all of sudden you get a call."

The Carolina Panthers wanted to give Zwick a shot to keep his football career alive.

Zwick, who had stayed in shape since leaving college, first worked out for the team Thursday and the Panthers signed him over the weekend. He practiced at an optional workout Monday.

"He was somebody we were thinking about," general manager Marty Hurney said. "We just took a look at him and figured we'd sign him and bring him in this week."


Hardly a ringing endorsement, but Zwick said he'll take it.

For a player who entered college with great fanfare and left as a forgotten backup behind Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, Zwick just wants to get invited to an NFL training camp.

"It's tough playing behind a Heisman Trophy winner," said Zwick, who went undrafted. "I learned a lot, probably more life lessons than on the football field. Coming in with all that and then having to humble yourself and sit behind somebody, that's a life lesson.

"But it was a good opportunity to learn, and move on from there."

Zwick faces long odds with Carolina. He is the fifth quarterback on the roster, behind starter Jake Delhomme, backup David Carr, third-string Brett Basanez and fellow undrafted rookie Dalton Bell.

Last year, the Panthers carried only two quarterbacks, while Basanez was on the practice squad.

"It's better than not having the opportunity, to be down here throwing balls," Zwick said. "Whether they want to bring me back for training camp or whatever, it's better to have this opportunity, to have a chance to be called back. I'm looking at it as a great opportunity."

Zwick was a Parade All-American after a stellar high school career in Ohio, and he chose to stay close to home after being heavily recruited. Zwick became the Buckeyes' starter in his sophomore year, but he was injured halfway through the season.

Smith stepped in, and Zwick never regained his full-time starter position. He led Ohio State to a win over Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl when Smith was suspended, and he played well in a game against Texas, but he mostly watched from the sideline.

"The career didn't go as well as I wanted it to, but that was the hand I was dealt," Zwick said.

At 6-foot-4 with a quick release, Zwick has some tools. But he knows he faces long odds to make it in the NFL. In between movies and workouts at his parents' house, Zwick was contemplating taking a sales job in Columbus, Ohio and maybe doing some television work for Ohio State broadcasts.

"Now I have to come out and see if I could throw a little bit and get into a training camp," Zwick said. "That's all I'm focused on."

 

Interesting, i wondered what happened to Zwick.

Has a legitimate shot at making the #3 spot.

 

He has pretty much no shot of making the #3 spot, unless someone else gets eaten by a Lion.

 

How long before someone says he should start ahead of Jake?

 

well, it's not inconceivable to beat out another undrafted player

we've got 4 undrafted QB's and one first overall pick

 

8th round picks

 

Statue.

 

I've got a buddy up here who insists that Zwick has the potential to be a better pro prospect than Troy Smith because of his build and his skill set (more of a natural passer).

I'm not buying into that at this point, but this particular friend knows his football so I wouldn't trash him either. Of course, even if it's true that he could, it still might not hasppen.

 

Yeah, because Basanez and Dalton Bell are so fucking awesome.
Basanez beat out a midget in LeFors last year.

Zwick is a more prototype NFL QB. Injury forced him out the starting spot in Ohio State.

 

Zwick gets his chance to make it in Carolina
By CHRIS EASTERLING
[email protected]
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The call came out of the blue for Justin Zwick. Of course, the former Massillon Tiger and Ohio State Buckeye isn’t going to complain, mind you.

A week ago at this time, Zwick was uncertain what his future held. But after a phone call from his agent last Tuesday, he now knows what his immediate future will be – that as a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

“I didn’t have any idea what was happening,” Zwick said via phone from Charlotte, N.C., where he participated in a voluntary workout with the Panthers on Monday. “I was just trying to stay in shape working out in Columbus. Then my agent called and said they wanted to bring me in for a tryout.

“They brought me in on Thursday for a tryout, where I met the coaches. Friday morning, I worked out with a couple of receivers and the quarterback coach. After that, they said they wanted to bring me back in. So I flew home to Columbus, found some clothes, and flew back here on Sunday.”

Zwick, who spent the past two-and-a-half seasons as Troy Smith’s backup at Ohio State, is going into the situation with eyes wide open. The Panthers already have a starter in Jake Delhomme, and recently signed former No. 1 draft pick David Carr.

Carolina also has former Northwestern standout Brett Basanez and West Texas A&M rookie Dalton Bell on the roster. So the Panthers are likely to chose two from the trio of Zwick, Basanez and Bell to fill the No. 3 quarterback job as well as potentially a practice-squad quarterback.

“I know coming in now, it’s a little later than most,” Zwick said. “They’ve been here for some time now. I’ve just been playing catch and trying to learn the routes in order to feel comfortable. That’s going to be tough to do. I just have to go out there and perform the way I know how. The big thing is just catching on and catching up.”

Zwick has leaned on Bell, the youngest of the four quarterbacks already with the Panthers, for help.

“I think there’s four good quarterbacks here,” he said. “Dalton’s only been here for four weeks, but that’s still longer than I have. We were able to talk (Monday) and I was able to ask him questions when I needed to. It’s a good situation for him. For me, it’s a great situation, because I really didn’t have anything else to do.”

There was some speculation around the April NFL draft that Zwick could end up being a late-round selection, a lot like Matt Leinert’s backup at Southern California – Matt Cassel – was by the Patriots in 2005. That did not happen, and Zwick ended up spending a weekend in the rookie minicamp of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

But Zwick knew that wasn’t the best of situations.

“They already had three quarterbacks with (Peyton) Manning, (Jim) Sorgi and (John) Navarre,” Zwick said. “It was just a numbers situation. I was waiting around to see if maybe they called looking for a practice-squad quarterback.”

Before the Panthers called up, Zwick admits he didn’t really have an idea of what he would be doing in the months ahead.

“I really didn’t sit down with anybody,” Zwick said, “because I didn’t want to solidify something and then a chance with an NFL team come up and have to drop what I had agreed to. I was probably thinking about something in sales around the Columbus area. There was a chance I could have done something with Channel 10 in Columbus as far as working football games in the fall. But I hadn’t really sat down with anybody yet.”

At least for the time being now, he knows exactly what lies in store for him.