I am a huge football fan but as a Navy brat who grew up mostly overseas I never got a chance to play it growing up, unfortunately. Only basu-ball in Japan and soccer for Wee Lad Wdiss..
That being said, I am a student of the game and read quite a bit about the game's history, evolution over time, strategic schools of thought, etc.
Regarding the quarterback position, the recent trend has been towards the dual-threat, athletic type... This phenomena bubbled up at the high school level, started saturating the college ranks about 10-15 years ago (Michael Vick, the QB Option) and is now becoming more of a staple in the NFL with the ascendency of players like RG3, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick. etc.
The position is indeed changing - most people would acknowledge that - but developed PASSERS are still the fundamental need at the pro-level.
Quarterbacks must be able to read a defense pre-snap, ideally make adjustments at the line, know the playbook cold, have a 'mental map' what the other 21 players are doing on the field (or will be doing), and throw receivers open based on an understanding of how the play is supposed to unfold. Obviously, this is quite a bit of mental cogitation to do it well.
One doesn't have to be a genius to do this well but it obviously takes a bit of brain-power.
Great college QBs have struggled mightily with the adjustment to the NFL, not so much because they lack the raw tools to be successful - are mobile, have big arms, are reasonably accurate, have prototypical size, etc. - but struggle instead because they just aren't very bright and can't mentally manage the game and speed at that level. They just resort to trying to play the game like they successfully played at the college level (and high school level) - by scrambling and playing 'backyard ball - but this doesn't take you very far in the pros. Especially, when the defensive ends are as fast as you are and everyone is just as athletic.
This is why the Wonderlic Test is given, right? It's not a perfect gauge of how a QB will do in the pros - Dan Marino supposedly got a really low score - but its a pretty good test to determine how quickly a skill player can process information.
One can argue that intelligence is the #1 most important attribute in an NFL quarterback. Peyton Manning isn't amazing cause he's a great athlete or has a big arm or can scramble like a madman and "make plays"...he's amazing cause he's a master at mentally understanding the game real time and controlling the offense.
Thoughts? Especially curious to get the thoughts of those of you who actually played the position.
That being said, I am a student of the game and read quite a bit about the game's history, evolution over time, strategic schools of thought, etc.
Regarding the quarterback position, the recent trend has been towards the dual-threat, athletic type... This phenomena bubbled up at the high school level, started saturating the college ranks about 10-15 years ago (Michael Vick, the QB Option) and is now becoming more of a staple in the NFL with the ascendency of players like RG3, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick. etc.
The position is indeed changing - most people would acknowledge that - but developed PASSERS are still the fundamental need at the pro-level.
Quarterbacks must be able to read a defense pre-snap, ideally make adjustments at the line, know the playbook cold, have a 'mental map' what the other 21 players are doing on the field (or will be doing), and throw receivers open based on an understanding of how the play is supposed to unfold. Obviously, this is quite a bit of mental cogitation to do it well.
One doesn't have to be a genius to do this well but it obviously takes a bit of brain-power.
Great college QBs have struggled mightily with the adjustment to the NFL, not so much because they lack the raw tools to be successful - are mobile, have big arms, are reasonably accurate, have prototypical size, etc. - but struggle instead because they just aren't very bright and can't mentally manage the game and speed at that level. They just resort to trying to play the game like they successfully played at the college level (and high school level) - by scrambling and playing 'backyard ball - but this doesn't take you very far in the pros. Especially, when the defensive ends are as fast as you are and everyone is just as athletic.
This is why the Wonderlic Test is given, right? It's not a perfect gauge of how a QB will do in the pros - Dan Marino supposedly got a really low score - but its a pretty good test to determine how quickly a skill player can process information.
One can argue that intelligence is the #1 most important attribute in an NFL quarterback. Peyton Manning isn't amazing cause he's a great athlete or has a big arm or can scramble like a madman and "make plays"...he's amazing cause he's a master at mentally understanding the game real time and controlling the offense.
Thoughts? Especially curious to get the thoughts of those of you who actually played the position.
