QB2 with Charlie Whitehurst: Clipboard Jesus never really held a clipboard

Despite picking up the nickname “Clipboard Jesus”’ about five years into his NFL career, Charlie Whitehurst says he actually only held a clipboard once during his playing career, for about five minutes. 

“I had not ever touched a clipboard on a football field or practice,” he says. “I mean, never.” 

Never up until the middle of his 10th season, 2015, when the Colts claimed Whitehurst off waivers from Tennessee, and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen wanted him to chart plays during games. “He handed me a clipboard for the first time, and said, ‘Hey, you can write it down on this?’” Whitehurst says. “I think I held it for the first drive and I said, ‘I’m going to go put this thing down. I’m going to hold this little pad of paper in my hand and chart the plays for the guys.’” 

Despite the nickname misnomer, Whitehurst’s place on the Mount Rushmore of most recognizable backup quarterbacks is well-earned (yes, he still has the ponytail). He backed up Philip Rivers in two different stints with the Chargers, where he quickly learned he was never going to see the field behind such an iron man. After his first San Diego era, he was traded to Seattle and had a chance to compete for the starting job there, but played “about as bad as I possibly could have,” he says. 

“I always thought that there was a good chance that I would ascend in the sport …  I had an opportunity. It didn’t work out for me.” 

After a failed chance in Seattle, Whitehurst says he slowly started to accept his NFL fate as a career backup. 

“I’m in my seventh year,” he says. “Wow. It’s probably not going to happen, as in the big contracts and the fame. That was a little bit of a struggle for me to deal with personally. I mean, nobody ever knew anything about that or anything, but just like, wow, I’m not going to achieve the dream. So you adjust your dream a little bit.” 

And when Whitehurst finally edited his dream and got realistic about what his career would be, he felt free. 

“My last two or three years that I played, I had some of the most fun I had ever had playing football,” he says. “I was playing for fun. And I never really played football — at least pro football — for fun … There was no expectation other than I’m going to go out there and play a sport that I’ve played my whole life and it happens to be at this level and it’s like a high school game.”

Advertisement

“The hundred million dollars is not coming, okay? Like, it’s not coming. So I’m just going to go frickin’ play as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can.”

Seven years removed from his NFL career, and completely out of football (at least for now), Whitehurst still isn’t sure if it’s OK to admit that he ever stopped seeing himself as a guy who should be a starter. “I don’t know, maybe I should feel a certain way about having that thought ever,” he says. “But I did. I did have that thought, and this is what it is.”

Welcome to QB2, my miniseries for The Athletic focused on my favorite players in the NFL, the backup quarterbacks. The term QB2 is loose, as these guys are constantly shifting up and down the depth charts, and every move is another story for them to tell.

On this episode, Whitehurst details what it was like to be the liaison between then-Chargers coach Norv Turner and quarterback Philip Rivers, translating some fiery language, how to stay relevant without throwing a single regular-season pass, and the importance of networking and being a likable guy in creating a long career as a backup QB. 

This episode was recorded on Oct. 18. You can watch the first two episodes of QB2, featuring Jets quarterback Mike White and Texans quarterback Kyle Allen at The Athletic’s YouTube channel, or listen on The Athletic Football Show. 

On how much of building a career as a backup is reliant on being a good networker and good at relationships: 

“A lot, if you want to play for a long time. I played 11 years. I had some luck happen for sure. You have to have some luck. I mean, seriously, like there has to be some opportunity that lines up.

“I had some talent, you know. But if you’re a bad employee, if you’re a bad team teammate, I’m not saying you’ve got to be like the best guy in the world, but you certainly have to understand if you’ve got a Pro Bowl quarterback or just a starting quarterback in general, that your ego needs to be in the appropriate level as a backup. And I’m trying to think of all the guys that I was in a quarterback room with and I can’t think of like a one that was a bad guy. You know, I really can’t.

Advertisement

“I think it is not necessarily being likable, but you’ve got to be useful. I know Philip had a bunch of quarterbacks that were helpful to him, and maybe even more so than I was. But I know that he was comfortable with me. I know that I can help him in some areas. Maybe just assessing the team. He was a young player and not how to lead the team, Philip needs no help whatsoever in any of that, but just it’s just a different perspective, maybe, of managing all these star players and being the new quarterback. Sometimes there’s advice you can give people, and I know Philip respected that in me, you know what I mean? And I didn’t get in his way. I’m not stupid enough to do so. I just think that sometimes egos and things can get you in trouble. And I don’t mean that necessarily in a bad way either.

“Look, there’s a short window in pro football. It is a very, very competitive environment. And I know people are saying this is my chance to do something in the early part of my life. And damn it, I’m going to frickin’ take advantage of every opportunity. I completely agree that people should do that. But sometimes you just, you know, being a good teammate is very, very important.”

On serving as the liaison and translator between Chargers head coach Norv Turner and Philip Rivers: 

“I was the third quarterback those first few years. In my second year, Norv Turner was hired as our head coach and he was also the OC. He’s calling the plays as well in the headset system to the quarterback. In my second year they said, hey, I was the third quarterback, but I was going to call the plays in. Norv was going to tell me to play and then I was going to call it in to Philip, which is a pretty big responsibility. It’s like being the holder. You can’t really do anything right. But you can really, really screw this thing up.

“So I remember being pretty nervous when they told me that like, oh my goodness, I’m going to have to do that. I did that for four years. Even though I wasn’t the next guy in to play. I was engaged in the game. I’m not going to say it was a vital part, but I mean, the communication of the offense and the defense is important. So I was lucky enough to stand next to the head coach with a headset on, which is really cool. And I heard what all the coaches were saying on the headsets, which yes, sometimes players aren’t supposed to hear all that stuff. I heard it all. …

“Norv would get really amped up. He had so much responsibility, you know. He’s the head coach and he’s also calling the plays. So he could get emotional at times, and I was able to see all that. And he used to joke with me. He said, you know, you could write a book. I certainly hope you don’t write that book, but you could write a book, everything you’ve heard. …  I will say this was pretty funny. There was a few times where Norv was upset with Philip. In their what, 10-year, eight-year relationship. They’re both very passionate guys. They’re both great at their jobs. They weren’t mad at each other very much. But there were a few times where Norv wanted Philip to come over to the sideline, and he told me to, tell that, sonofa … tell that guy to come over here! So I’d push the button and say, Philip, Norv is requesting you on the sideline.”

(Top photo of Whitehurst with Andrew Luck: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57knJua2hkbXxzfJFrZmpqX2WGcK%2FHmqmloZVixKm1056frqqjqXqywcCrq56qkpawrHnQm2lmqJ%2BZsKK%2F02g%3D