Remember the Name: Meet 10-year old Quarterback Daron Bryden

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with a young aspring quarterback, 10-year old Daron Bryden of Connecticut. Daron and his father Craig Bryden work hard to improve and perfect his craft year-round and he's shown vast improvement since he began playing the sport at the age of six.

Daron conducted this interview via phone while on his way to work out with his father and his receivers:

All-Out Blitz: Your team, the Manchester Sentinals, finished with an 8-2 record and fell just short of the Junior PeeWee championship.  How did this season compare to previous seasons?

Daron Bryden: I think I took this season more seriously. I think it was good compared to other seasons, because I get better each year.

AOB: You train pretty much year-round. How often do you train, and what is a typical training day for you?

DB: I train five times a week during the summer and as much as I can during the winter. Me and my dad do drills and work on my footwork. I like training because I can get better every day.

AOB: What do you find most difficult when it comes to playing the position?

DB: I find it really hard to lose. I don't really like losing.

AOB: You seem to roll out and throw on the run a lot. Is that something you've been working on, or does that come natural to you?

DB: I've been working on my roll out during training. I have QB coaches that have taught me footwork and how to roll out, so I've been getting better at it.

AOB: Do you model your game after any professional or college quarterbacks?

DB: Yes, I model it after Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady. I do after Ben because I think he's really good, and my QB coach (Todd Krueger) says my throwing mechanics are very similar to Tom Brady's.

AOB: How do you approach each game? Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals?

DB: Me and my dad always warm-up before every game, and I also warm up with my receivers. Sometimes, if it's a big game, I'll go on the field before right the game to warm-up my arm.

AOB: Do you play any other sports?

DB: Yes. I also play basketball. I used to play baseball but then it started messing up my throwing mechanics for football, so now it's just football and basketball.

AOB: What's your favorite football memory?

DB: Probably this year. We went to the championship and, even though we lost, it was really exciting. I came really close to 1,000 passing yards, I was only a couple away. I think I've been getting better every year.

AOB: What are your thoughts on the Super Bowl match-up? Are you cheering for a certain team?

DB: None of them (Ravens or 49ers) are my favorite team, but I don't know I kinda want the 49ers to win.

After the 10-minute interview one thing was clear: Daron is a typical 10-year old with a huge passion for football and the work ethic needed to succeed. Driven behind a supporting family, including his father Craig who is very avid in keeping track of Daron's accomplishments and taking note of his career, Daron has a special talent.

With about four years of experience under his belt, Daron stated that he feels he's been improving each season. After being able to throw a football about 25 yards last year, Daron says he can now throw an accurate 30-yard pass.

He's been accumulating quite a following as well. Daron has come across many current and former professional players and coaches, as well as college. Among the guys Daron mentioned during the interview are Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and even famous rapper/entrepreneur/actor LL Cool J. Daron said both guys had seen his Youtube videos and complimented his skill.

Former quarterback Kordell Stewart (Steelers, Bears, Ravens) is also a huge fan of Daron's, and they have been in contact via Twitter. Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" during his early days because he also played a little wide receiver, may even be one of Daron's biggest fans (aside from his family, of course).

It's not often you come across a 10-year old with the kind of character, drive and passion that Daron has expressed. So be sure to takes notes, ladies and gentleman.

Daron has set personal goals for himself:

*Throw for over 1,400 yards and 20 TDs in the fall
*Play in the Junior Rank 6th grade All-American Game in January 2014.

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If you wish to follow Daron and his career to find out if he accomplishes his goals next fall and winter, I have included information for both his Twitter and Youtube pages as well as his father's Twitter and Blogspot pages below:

Daron Bryden:

@DaronQB

http://www.youtube.com/user/DaronQB/videos?view=0

Mr. Craig Bryden:

@QuarterbackDad7

http://www.daronqb.blogspot.com/

Note: We do not own the above photos/videos. Images courtesy of the Bryden family and found via Google. No copyright infringement intended.

Person to Watch: Eight-year old Quarterback Sensation Daron Bryden and his Trick-shot Video

An eight-year old quarterback by the name of Daron Bryden, current starting QB for the Manchester Sentinels youth football team in Connecticut, has made recent news with his 30-second "trick-shot" video uploaded by his father, Craig.

Since it was uploaded in mid-February, the video has received over 36,000 views and he has made numerous appearances on ESPN and local news stations in his area.

In a sense, the eight-year old has already made a name for himself as a top quarterback in his pee wee league, and thanks to his personal quarterback coach Travis Meyer, who is a coach at Five Star Quarterback (camp used to train and coach young quarterbacks), Bryden has developed the needed footwork to be a successful.

Bryden started playing the game of football two years ago, according to his father, when he was looking for a sport for him to participate in. He quickly fell in love with the game, and Craig says (according to quotes I found online) he asked to practice more and more each day. Some days, playing football is all he wants to do.

Bryden's Sentinel teammate, 10-year old receiver Joseph Colon says he is one of the most accurate quarterbacks at that age, and that is clearly demonstrated in a couple of the videos uploaded to youtube.

Before too long, Bryden will be sought out by middle school teams, high school teams and, eventually Colleges and Universities. The recruiting may even start before he hits high school if he continues to improve his game over the next several years.

To follow Bryden and his training, you can check out his blog here on blogspot (http://daronqb.blogspot.com/), follow him on Twitter (@DaronQB), or check out the youtube channel that his parents set up to upload videos of his training and game action.

Keep up the good work, Daron!