University of Wisconsin junior quarterback Dustin Sherer felt more like a coach than a player the past two seasons.

Sherer was the third-string quarterback, wearing headphones on the sideline, while John Stocco in 2006 and Tyler Donovan in 2007 took almost all of the snaps.

Not only would Sherer signal in the plays after getting them from offensive coordinator Paul Chryst in the booth, but whatever coaching pointers Chryst wanted to make were delivered through Sherer.

Sherer might not have been in the fire, but he was certainly close enough to feel the heat.

"Whatever that coaching point was that he had to relay to T.D., he was the one giving it," Chryst said. "He was at the center of it all. Therefore, you'd like to think, he should be a smarter or more aware quarterback than what he would be if he had not been part of that."

And once in awhile, Chryst would even ask Sherer what he was thinking in a certain situation.

"I had to watch everything," Sherer said. "I'm talking directly to coach Chryst. I had to do all the signals, I had to know everything inside and out. It gets you so much more inside the game. Anyone can stand on the sidelines and watch. I knew what was coming, I could get a read on the defense and I could usually tell where Tyler was supposed to go with the ball before he threw it.

"I got a lot closer to coach Chryst, just because he was telling me what to tell Tyler. He was asking me my opinion on things. I think it benefited me a lot."

Sherer (6-foot-4, 214 pounds), from Cicero, Ind., said there were occasions when Chryst even took his advice.

"There were a couple times, Tyler kept the ball and booted out, those were my calls," Sherer said. "There was one time it didn't work.

"I had to change things. Coach Chryst isn't perfect, sometimes he messes up. I'd say, 'Whoa, coach, it doesn't sound right.' He'd say, 'You're right.' It got to be a pretty good system."

Sherer's comfort level in the offense has been apparent this spring as he battles senior Allan Evridge for the starting job.

"I think I'm more comfortable than I've ever been," Sherer said. "Obviously, being the starter would make you a little more comfortable. But it's been a progression."

Now, instead of thinking about where the football needs to go, he can work on ball placement. He has been fairly accurate, especially on short and intermediate passes.

"Just knowing where to go with the ball, so much faster in your drop, helps you so much," he said. "Before, when I was not sure what I was doing, if I made a bad throw, it was because my mechanics were off. I'm focusing more on my mechanics now, so I think it's going to make me a lot better in the end."

Still, there is a difference between being comfortable in the offense and being comfortable playing. That is the gap Sherer is trying to bridge.

"There still is that moment where because you're thinking, you're not doing," Chryst said. "He can pull away and say, right away, 'I know.'

"You want to make sure you give all players an assignment, a pattern, a blocking scheme, and then give them techniques how to do it. But also, 'Guys, you've got to play. You understand the concept, now you can go (do it).' "

It's harder for quarterbacks, of course, given the complexity of the position. Sherer has enough arm strength to make all the throws. He has worked with strength and conditioning coach John Dettmann to improve his mobility and make him a dual threat, running and throwing.

"If I can just do both, it's going to be so much harder to defend and it's going to make our offense better," Sherer said. "It's something I've focused on."

Sherer has a nice feel for the offense and what Chryst wants, though learning to put all that together on the field takes time. Still, Sherer's ready to put down the headphones and get in the game.

"It's been since I was a senior in high school (2004) that I've even been tackled," he said. "It's just adversity you have to work through, something I think I've handled pretty well.

"It just drives me. I want to play. I'm tired of sitting on the bench and doing signals. It's a lot more fun playing than doing the signals. That's my goal."