Jan. 12--The last word -- possibly -- on quarterback Brett Hundley's career at UCLA comes from offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
Mazzone, who tutored Hundley the last three seasons, has an impressive resume of quarterbacks. The list starts with the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers, who Mazzone coached at North Carolina State in 2003, and includes the Denver Broncos' Brock Osweiler and the Carolina Panthers' Derek Anderson.
Mazzone declined to state where Hundley sits on his list, but he did say that, "throwing all the numbers out, which he has about every record at this school, he is probably one of the only ones who had to grow up in conjunction with the rest of the guys on offense. I've had some good quarterbacks come in, but they had a senior offensive line, a senior running. They had some maturity around, which makes it easier for them."
As for who was the best he has coached, Mazzone said, "Probably Rivers. I was lucky to have him for one year."
Hundley said that under Mazzone he learned "movement, the understanding that in this game you have to move around and make plays."
Which, he said, is part of game management.
"You can teach 'take a three-step drop' as much as you want," Hundley said. "There will be many times that you take a three-step drop and things don't go perfectly. A lot of times you have to move and think on your feet."
