Why does the NFL have QBs that cannot play QB? (1 Viewer)

[Gatorman]

Specifically the NY Giants. How is someone who cannot do anything a QB in this league? Even third string. I feel the Giants would have better luck if Saquon just played in the wildcat all game.

Not talking about Mac Jones, or Zach Wilson, guys with middling talent that can't seem to put it together. Heck, People hated on Tebow but at least the offense moved down the field.

Guys like Purdy, Sklar Thompson in Miami and the like have proven guys at the end of the draft can at least throw the ball down field with some accuracy. Is this simply malpractice by the Giants coaching staff (I know Jones and Tyrod where plan A and B, but plan C has to be able to throw the ball, no?)

 

[Terpman22]

Specifically the NY Giants. How is someone who cannot do anything a QB in this league? Even third string. I feel the Giants would have better luck if Saquon just played in the wildcat all game.

Not talking about Mac Jones, or Zach Wilson, guys with middling talent that can't seem to put it together. Heck, People hated on Tebow but at least the offense moved down the field.

Guys like Purdy, Sklar Thompson in Miami and the like have proven guys at the end of the draft can at least throw the ball down field with some accuracy. Is this simply malpractice by the Giants coaching staff (I know Jones and Tyrod where plan A and B, but plan C has to be able to throw the ball, no?)

Some teams just do not value the backup position, some teams value it greatly.

Plus there just are not many good QBs in the league ever so its just one of those things where if you don't have a top 12-15 guy, you are already kinda screwed, so maybe why even bother with the guys that are 33-64 and to a degree 65-96.

But hey! At least there is a new rule where you can take 3 QBs into each game just in case you have to rely on QB91!

 

[-OZ-]

devito threw two touchdowns.

Definitely wasn’t pretty.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

there just are not many good QBs in the league ever so its just one of those things where if you don't have a top 12-15 guy, you are already kinda screwed,

That's the thing, there aren't even enough starters much less decent backups. NFL defenses are just too good for most of these guys.

 

[EBF]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job. It's funny because if you lose a starter in the NBA, the backup will almost always be a reasonably capable player. Not to say there's no dropoff from LeBron or Steph to the next man down, but those guys will at least be able to play something resembling winning basketball. The same idea applies in other sports like soccer. Messi's backup for Argentina isn't Messi, but will still be a good player.

On the other hand, there are about 10-15 guys in the world who can play QB in the NFL and everyone else is effectively awful. I don't understand it, but we can probably conclude that the job is just insanely difficult to execute. You'd think some of these great college QBs would be able to play serviceable football in the NFL, but they just can't. They can't read the field and make the throws fast or accurately enough while coping with the pass rush and speed of the defenses.

 

[Moonlight]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job. It's funny because if you lose a starter in the NBA, the backup will almost always be a reasonably capable player. Not to say there's no dropoff from LeBron or Steph to the next man down, but those guys will at least be able to play something resembling winning basketball. The same idea applies in other sports like soccer. Messi's backup for Argentina isn't Messi, but will still be a good player.

On the other hand, there are about 10-15 guys in the world who can play QB in the NFL and everyone else is effectively awful. I don't understand it, but we can probably conclude that the job is just insanely difficult to execute. You'd think some of these great college QBs would be able to play serviceable football in the NFL, but they just can't. They can't read the field and make the throws fast or accurately enough while coping with the pass rush and speed of the defenses.

QB job was even more difficult when they were responsible for all of the above plus play calling.

In the 1960splay calling was taken over by head coaches and the position of offensive coordinator was created to plan the attack and call plays.

The QBs job became more then to execute those plans and plays.
Being of an advanced age I can remember how many people protested this change saying that it was turning the QB into a robot and removing the QBs advantage of being part of the game action on the field.

At that time it was thought that QBs needed 3 to 5 years of experience/study while on the bench before they would be effective.

 

[eighsse2]

Dude shares his last name with Danny DeVito, and he's an NFL starting QB whose mom still makes his bed. I don't go around social media, but I assume the memes must number in the trillions already. Giants publicity marketing tool.

 

[Joe Bryant]

It's a fair question.

Two thoughts on it.

I think the primary answer is it's just exceptionally difficult to do. I think it's the most difficult job in all of sports.

Second thought is this is why I don't get worked up over roughing the passer calls. The league knows the watchability of the game is directly related to the QB play. I think that's why they do everything they can to protect the QB.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Watching Gardner Minshew vs Mac Jones was a far cry from Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady.

 

[TartanLion]

The workload/informational material/general difficulty disparity between qb and any other position on the field is far greater than any other such disparity across any team sport that I can think of to hand. To wit, these guys are doing what they are doing against the absolute very very best of physical specimens and general top level sportsmen across whole defences on every single team. The level is so high.

 

[FarFromHome]

Watching Gardner Minshew vs Mac Jones was a far cry from Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady.

Care to debate it? Ha ha

 

[Gold Fox]

It seems like 6-8 of the XFL/USFL quarterbacks could do a better job than Devito, but that’s just my uneducated perception.

 

[Ray_T]

well, from a backup perspective, Tyrod Taylor should have been a very good backup. he started in this league for a couple seasons. his main issue has been durability which makes him an ideal backup.

nobody could have predicted that he'd crap out this quickly after Danny Dimes got hurt.

but I get it. lots of teams seem to not pay enough attention to the backup QB spot

 

[Insein]

It's the toughest position in all of sports. You touch the ball every play on offense. You're responsible for making sure every one is in the right spot and that the right play is ready to be run. You then have to execute it perfectly with about 30-50 variables every single play. Get up and then do it again. The physical and mental demands are more grueling than any other in professional sports. The rewards are immense but the penalties can be career ending. The mental toughness needed to even step foot on the field is more than a regular human will ever experience in their normal lives (medical emergency or being attacked aside).

 

[rockaction]

Considering the game wasn't designed with the forward pass in mind, it's no wonder the job is difficult. It's not supposed to be an aerial show; it was supposed to be a war of trench positioning and attrition.

That's why as a kid you learn your Mississippis by counting to five of them before you get to rush the passer. In the NFL, there is no such luxury.

1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, and so forth.

Game wasn't designed for QB dominance. It was the running backs, pure and simple, that made it work.

 

[rockaction]

I wouldn't argue it's the most difficult job in all of sports.

I think you mean you wouldn't argue if somebody said it was the most difficult job in all of sports. Your context doesn't match your statement, but I think I know what you're saying. It is the most difficult job in sports, and that's why people that look so competent in one arena are so fantastically bad at it.

You can't scout it because it's so difficult to know how people will react to the NFL demands of the position.

There are no more than fifteen good QBs at any one time in the NFL. Which is why you don't pick a safety when Patrick Mahomes is sitting right there. I'm looking at you, whoever drafted Jamal Adams of the Jets that year.

 

[Runkle]

I get why the NBA, NFL, and MLB have 30 or 32 teams, but, across all of them it seems there isn't enough talent to go around. Contracting to 24 would make for better games overall, but it'll never happen.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I wouldn't argue it's the most difficult job in all of sports.

I think you mean you wouldn't argue if somebody said it was the most difficult job in all of sports. Your context doesn't match your statement, but I think I know what you're saying. It is the most difficult job in sports, and that's why people that look so competent in one arena are so fantastically bad at it.

You can't scout it because it's so difficult to know how people will react to the NFL demands of the position.

There are no more than fifteen good QBs at any one time in the NFL. Which is why you don't pick a safety when Patrick Mahomes is sitting right there. I'm looking at you, whoever drafted Jamal Adams of the Jets that year.

Yes. If someone said it's the most difficult job in sports, I wouldn't argue.

I should have been more clear and said I think it's the most difficult job in sports.

 

[HomerSimpson]

I think its also on coaching. If you dont have a top 10ish QB you need to be creative in the run game and play calling. You cant lose your starter and be like "well were just gonna keep calling the same plays for this guy and see what happens".

 

[msudaisy26]

Watching Gardner Minshew vs Mac Jones was a far cry from Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady.

I think it was an exact replica if Brady and Manning were playing. As in, they pulled both of them off their couch that morning and said here you go.

 

[jobarules]

It's pretty wild only 15 guys in the world can do this job competently.

 

[jobarules]

Also another thing crazy, when I was growing up teams used to have QB controversy all the time. When was the last legit QB controversy in the NFL? I can't even remember.

 

[Loipz]

Also another thing crazy, when I was growing up teams used to have QB controversy all the time. When was the last legit QB controversy in the NFL? I can't even remember.

Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis upcoming

 

[Chemical X]

i think it’s an athletic question. i get the feeling that QBs are likely the most athletic guys in school, with a choice of sports. so, do you go the route of getting your brains beat in or opt for baseball or hoops? QBs are starting to get paid, but top NBA players can make 30 million a year now, baseball players too. and you don’t have to worry much about breaking your shoulder, popping the bone out of your ankle or wandering around with a concussion.

 

[Galileo]

Watching Gardner Minshew vs Mac Jones was a far cry from Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady.

I bet you can't wait for the DTR-Pickett matchup this week...

 

[Gatorman]

It seems like 6-8 of the XFL/USFL quarterbacks could do a better job than Devito, but that’s just my uneducated perception.

This is what I mean. Again, not trying to call one person out but even when teams went to replacement players 30 years ago they were able to execute an offense. There are a bunch of college players that can execute an offense every week. Not saying it’s pretty but if you have a line that can reasonably block and players that can reasonably get open you should be able to execute a forward pass.


even if you don’t (Tebow) have an arm you can create an offense that plays to what the player CAN do. you figure there are what 200 college qbs (starters and backups) plus guys in other leagues and retired guys who still have some tread and ability. (Rams just brought back wentz).

teams bring in “camp arms” in training camp. Can’t those guys throw passes? Figure we need 105 guys to play the position in a “serviceable” way. Figure 10-15 are “elite”. another 20 are good so you need 70 guys to be “serviceable “.

just seems to me that either coaches are too lazy to build around “outliers” that could win or that there is a very very narrow range of guys who can play. Maybe it’s both. It just boggles my mind that you’d have a guy third string on your team that cannot throw the ball.

 

[Gatorman]

I get why the NBA, NFL, and MLB have 30 or 32 teams, but, across all of them it seems there isn't enough talent to go around. Contracting to 24 would make for better games overall, but it'll never happen.

But this is an interesting point. Maybe it’s more like the outliers are taking over the game so the “average athlete“ is no longer good enough.

17-0 phins o line weighed 250 pounds or so per player. Now they’d be smaller than linebackers. But you had a guy like bob greise at qb.

what will the NBA look like when lebron, shaq, and wemby arent “outliers” in terms of body type and most guys are 6’9” plus and have handle?

if anything, the qb position has become less complex with the rpo offenses being run.

it just seems odd to me.

 

[CalBear]

There are no more than fifteen good QBs at any one time in the NFL. Which is why you don't pick a safety when Patrick Mahomes is sitting right there. I'm looking at you, whoever drafted Jamal Adams of the Jets that year.

Alex Smith made a career of being the 15th best QB in the NFL. Until he lost his job to the 14th best (Cousins).

 

[QuizGuy66]

Devito wasn't meant to play this year - development project pressed into service too soon at a league minimum cap hit

-QG

 

[SoBeDad]

Dude shares his last name with Danny DeVito, and he's an NFL starting QB whose mom still makes his bed. I don't go around social media, but I assume the memes must number in the trillions already. Giants publicity marketing tool.

Remember Joe Pisarcik? And the Miracle at the Meadowlands? There have been some bad QBs in the past.

 

[BassNBrew]

I get why the NBA, NFL, and MLB have 30 or 32 teams, but, across all of them it seems there isn't enough talent to go around. Contracting to 24 would make for better games overall, but it'll never happen.

It's pretty wild only 15 guys in the world can do this job competently.

I disagree with this line of thought. Contracting from 32 to 24 would just mean you have 12 bad teams and 12 good teams rather than 16 and 16.

I suspect there are a lot more decent QBs that never catch a break. Purdy probably isn't a thing if Jimmy G and Lance both didn't get hurt last year. Geno was a joke and one of the guys we said couldn't play until he could. Goff was another guy we had on the scrap heap. If Bledsoe hadn't gotten hurt and Bill B didn't have a top defense for several years would Brady be the GOAT or just a guy who bounced around rosters for a few years?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I'll be a contrarian here and argue that QB play is actually pretty okay. I don't think the top-end QBs of today are as good as Manning, Brady, Young, Elway, Marino, etc. but that tier of player is extremely limited under the best of circumstances. I just remember the dark ages of 10 or so years ago when teams were trying to get by with the likes of Vince Young and the aforementioned Tim Tebow, and it felt like about half the teams in the league didn't even competent quarterbacking, let along entertaining quarterbacking.

Today is different. Just about every team had a week 1 starter that could move the chains. Even the Giants. Even the Jets. I mean, yeah okay the Giants' third string QB sucks, but if you have dig that far into the roster of one the league's worst teams, doesn't that indicate that there's not really a problem here? I know that all the assorted QB-friendly rule changes had a ton to do with this, but if guys like Brock Purdy and Joshua Dobbs can win games in this league, it seems like we're doing pretty well.

Edit: Also, I like the fact that it's easier for first- and second-year QBs to be successful in the modern NFL. And I like that the league can figure out how to use non-standard QBs like Lamar Jackson. The league is more fun when not every team builds their offense around a pocket passer operating out of the I-formation.

 

[taylormeetstheismann]

I think the primary answer is it's just exceptionally difficult to do.

^^^ This ^^^

What other sport do you have several 300 lbs defensive lineman looking to pancake you while you‘ve got less than three seconds to throw the ball 20 yards down field to a moving target and you’ve got to make that throw within about a one foot radius. And if you are a little slow for any reason, they blitz you too.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I'll be a contrarian here and argue that QB play is actually pretty okay. I don't think the top-end QBs of today are as good as Manning, Brady, Young, Elway, Marino, etc. but that tier of player is extremely limited under the best of circumstances. I just remember the dark ages of 10 or so years ago when teams were trying to get by with the likes of Vince Young and the aforementioned Tim Tebow, and it felt like about half the teams in the league didn't even competent quarterbacking, let along entertaining quarterbacking.

Today is different. Just about every team had a week 1 starter that could move the chains. Even the Giants. Even the Jets. I mean, yeah okay the Giants' third string QB sucks, but if you have dig that far into the roster of one the league's worst teams, doesn't that indicate that there's not really a problem here? I know that all the assorted QB-friendly rule changes had a ton to do with this, but if guys like Brock Purdy and Joshua Dobbs can win games in this league, it seems like we're doing pretty well.

Edit: Also, I like the fact that it's easier for first- and second-year QBs to be successful in the modern NFL. And I like that the league can figure out how to use non-standard QBs like Lamar Jackson. The league is more fun when not every team builds their offense around a pocket passer operating out of the I-formation.

Same. I think we're in a golden age for QB play.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Dude shares his last name with Danny DeVito, and he's an NFL starting QB whose mom still makes his bed. I don't go around social media, but I assume the memes must number in the trillions already. Giants publicity marketing tool.

Remember Joe Pisarcik? And the Miracle at the Meadowlands? There have been some bad QBs in the past.

I don't just remember it I was there.

I also saw the backs of all the adults who stood up in front of me when it happened

The first thing I was able to see was all the Eagles celebrating in the endzone


-QG

 

[stillfeelme]

The position just has way too many variables that a person has to be good at just to be decently successful. To top it off you can be talented in a few different areas but if your line can't block and you or not mobile enough you may not even be able to get the proper reps to improve. Would a CFL QB be willing to take 3rd string NFL QB with almost no chance to play? I have to believe there are better QB's playing in CFL better than some backups I could be wrong.

 

[kutta]

I get why the NBA, NFL, and MLB have 30 or 32 teams, but, across all of them it seems there isn't enough talent to go around. Contracting to 24 would make for better games overall, but it'll never happen.

It's pretty wild only 15 guys in the world can do this job competently.

I disagree with this line of thought. Contracting from 32 to 24 would just mean you have 12 bad teams and 12 good teams rather than 16 and 16.

I suspect there are a lot more decent QBs that never catch a break. Purdy probably isn't a thing if Jimmy G and Lance both didn't get hurt last year. Geno was a joke and one of the guys we said couldn't play until he could. Goff was another guy we had on the scrap heap. If Bledsoe hadn't gotten hurt and Bill B didn't have a top defense for several years would Brady be the GOAT or just a guy who bounced around rosters for a few years?

If they contracted down to two teams, would it mean they would have one good team and one bad team?

 

[Soulfly3]

I have to believe there are better QB's playing in CFL better than some backups I could be wrong.

Ochocinco has argued many times that the CFL has just as good of talent as the NFL (just obv not the top talent).

There's only X amount that can make it to the big show...

 

[Wigglytuff's Gruff]

The question is also making the assumption that the teams in question, specifically the Giants in this case, are motivated to win right now.

I don't think they are.

Devito is a good excuse for them.

 

[Timmay]

This is why it will be so hard for the NFL to expand to other cities. There are already numerous QB's that may not belong or at the very least aren't starter material in this league. Can't imagine having the field even more diluted than it already is. Having Devito vs Zappe like matchups each week would be torture.

No chance the CFL, XFL, USFL, or any others are anywhere close to as good as talent as NFL. If a player has the talent in any position, the NFL will find them and get them on a team (barring any legal issues).

 

[Biabreakable]

As others have said it's just a very difficult position to play. So many qualities are required in so many areas. It's hard for even the best QBs to check all those boxes. Even Brady and Manning were not adding a lot with their legs. Remember that option pass that Brady dropped in the end zone some years back? Impossible for any of them to be good at everything a QB could do to help their team win.

Some of the qualities they need are so hard to measure. Leadership. Communication with teammates. Reading defenses that are doing everything they can to fool you. Pocket presence that requires a Spiderman 6th sense I have being seeing from Josh Dobbs multiple times already in just 2 games.

I actually think there are more QBs who could play than there are ones given the opportunity to prove that. Not that they would be perfect, but with a proper plan built around them to maximize what they do well, they could be better set up for success than they are.

Practice and game plans are tailored for what the coaches want to do based on who their starters are. It takes a lot of reps to establish that. It's not like a team can completely reinvent themselves in just one week of practice. Much less during a game when the starter goes down. There are just too many players that would all need to get on the same page to be able to do that quickly. Even if the coach were willing to reinvent everything to match what the current QB does well.

That said I do think there is a lot of dead weight at the QB position carried on NFL rosters. QBs who are smart but can't really execute on the field. Like Sean Mannion for example. Coaches like having these players around because of how they help with game planning and preparation for their starter each week, but if they actually have to play its a disaster. Or the opposite of this are QBs with great athletic traits who are being developed in the mental aspects of the position but just never really get there. When they have to play they are like deer in the headlights trying to read the defense and just opt to try to run because they can't figure it out.

Coaches already have extremely demanding schedules. They have to prioritize their time management. Roster spots are limited. To really develop QBs with proper balance you might need to double the number of players and coaches to actually do that, just to have enough players to run the amount of full practices you would need to do that.

As it is coaches prioritize and cut corners the best they can.

 

[LawFitz]

Deepest QB class in a long while incoming 2024.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job. It's funny because if you lose a starter in the NBA, the backup will almost always be a reasonably capable player. Not to say there's no dropoff from LeBron or Steph to the next man down, but those guys will at least be able to play something resembling winning basketball. The same idea applies in other sports like soccer. Messi's backup for Argentina isn't Messi, but will still be a good player.

On the other hand, there are about 10-15 guys in the world who can play QB in the NFL and everyone else is effectively awful. I don't understand it, but we can probably conclude that the job is just insanely difficult to execute. You'd think some of these great college QBs would be able to play serviceable football in the NFL, but they just can't. They can't read the field and make the throws fast or accurately enough while coping with the pass rush and speed of the defenses.

I will play devil's advocate here.

There are more of these guys than people think they are. They're just not the guys that scouts and coaches care about.

I think most here have seen my story from the 150yds thread. If you're not 6'2+ with a huge arm, you're just not of interest. Obviously occasionally a true standout can break through. But the guys that aren't big with a cannon just get weeded out further and further the more you progress up the ladder towards the league.

The problem is those big guys with big arms get by on their athleticism for so long, they never learn how to be a real QB until it's too late. Obviously the good ones do, but the guys that are going to end up battling for a 3rd string NFL QB job just don't, and continue to get strung along based on the hope they'll one day put it together while the normal athletes that could develop into a completely capable 3rd string NFL QB get left behind.

I'll share one specific example I know very intimately, working closely with the UF program back when they were good. I worked with the team and was also friends with the 3rd string QB at the time, and helped him train. With all love for my buddy, he was a truly AWFUL QB. But he was 6'3 and could throw the ball on a freaking rope. But just awful. After he graduated and stayed in school for grad school he played intramurals and I'm not exaggerating when I say he was not a top 50 QB in the UF intramural flag football league.

I remember him eventually throwing 5 INTs of the first half of an intramural game and getting benched. But yes, back when UF was competing for BCS National Championships their 3rd string QB was a guy that wasn't good enough to hold down the starting job on a middle of the pack intramural flag football team. And there is a scenario where he could have played, on national TV, in front of millions of eyes, with millions of dollars on the line.

The scouts always always always shoot for upside. But there is an endless supply of crappy Drew Brees's out there that could be a mediocre 3rd string QB without future starter upside.

 

[Biabreakable]

What FreeBaGel says rings true to me.

I think there are a lot of QBs who could be competent back ups who are average in many of the qualities a QB needs to be successful, but who do not really stand out in any of those categories.

These QBs do not get a chance because of scouts being focused on the players that stand out in some categories being good, but being below average in others.

The idea is to have one of those players grow and develop their weaknesses to an average level while still having some strengths. They are shooting for upside here more than an even evaluation of one being slightly better than the others when considering the entire spectrum of abilities a QB needs to be successful.

 

[Bri]

It was a members only club for years n years and really frustrating. During that twenty years, some figureheads or film gurus became QB coaches.
Many teams fans can point out they never heard of footwork or technique about their young player and it's disturbing.
Possibly super simple but the best evaluators of QBs would probably be those coaches that aren't there.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about Vince Passas if you want to Google. Scouting Mariota, Belichick's staff returned raving about him and then he himself went to meet him and offered this HS coach a job. Passas has coached 7 or 8 NFL QBs in his Hawaii youth camps. He went to Alabama and coached QBs there. Eh I can go on and on...

Alex Tanney is a fun read too. He was a longtime third string QB w Titans and got turned down when he was switching to coaching. Not even an interview! They drafted Malik. Jalen Hurts raves about how he coaches the finer points of the game and they go to Superbowl and...Titans turned him down for an interview when they were to be drafting another QB.
Tua went back home and spent time w Passas after struggling in the NFL and he's been far better since.
Hurts will comment about Passas or Tanney and everyone questioned his draft stock and...why doesn't the league leap at the chance to hire these guys?

Titans QB coach, Pat O'Hara, most people know from Waterboy. They hired Charles London to coach Levis and Willis. Their statement that they needed a guy more specialized. Wait! Why was he Mariota's QB coach then? What?
He's still there too as a helpful sort of coach.
Watch the interviews when a team hires a QB coach. It'll make your head spin when they discuss the prior coach. The Titans are sooo not alone in this regard.

I can go in and on about this topic. It's been super questionable.

Josh Dobbs has sure made some prior franchises look foolish for letting him walk. Some team will give Jordan Taamu an honest chance and maybe the league changes after he plays well. Maybe he's the straw. Idk I always wait for someone to blow it up but it doesn't happen

 

[Kraft...]

With the overall importance of the position why doesn't the league invest more into developing the position. Maybe a QB academy or allow each team one extra QB only roster spot were they can cultivate a guy. Maybe that helps identify a diamond in the ruff or two

 

[Gatorman]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job. It's funny because if you lose a starter in the NBA, the backup will almost always be a reasonably capable player. Not to say there's no dropoff from LeBron or Steph to the next man down, but those guys will at least be able to play something resembling winning basketball. The same idea applies in other sports like soccer. Messi's backup for Argentina isn't Messi, but will still be a good player.

On the other hand, there are about 10-15 guys in the world who can play QB in the NFL and everyone else is effectively awful. I don't understand it, but we can probably conclude that the job is just insanely difficult to execute. You'd think some of these great college QBs would be able to play serviceable football in the NFL, but they just can't. They can't read the field and make the throws fast or accurately enough while coping with the pass rush and speed of the defenses.

I will play devil's advocate here.

There are more of these guys than people think they are. They're just not the guys that scouts and coaches care about.

I think most here have seen my story from the 150yds thread. If you're not 6'2+ with a huge arm, you're just not of interest. Obviously occasionally a true standout can break through. But the guys that aren't big with a cannon just get weeded out further and further the more you progress up the ladder towards the league.

The problem is those big guys with big arms get by on their athleticism for so long, they never learn how to be a real QB until it's too late. Obviously the good ones do, but the guys that are going to end up battling for a 3rd string NFL QB job just don't, and continue to get strung along based on the hope they'll one day put it together while the normal athletes that could develop into a completely capable 3rd string NFL QB get left behind.

I'll share one specific example I know very intimately, working closely with the UF program back when they were good. I worked with the team and was also friends with the 3rd string QB at the time, and helped him train. With all love for my buddy, he was a truly AWFUL QB. But he was 6'3 and could throw the ball on a freaking rope. But just awful. After he graduated and stayed in school for grad school he played intramurals and I'm not exaggerating when I say he was not a top 50 QB in the UF intramural flag football league.

I remember him eventually throwing 5 INTs of the first half of an intramural game and getting benched. But yes, back when UF was competing for BCS National Championships their 3rd string QB was a guy that wasn't good enough to hold down the starting job on a middle of the pack intramural flag football team. And there is a scenario where he could have played, on national TV, in front of millions of eyes, with millions of dollars on the line.

The scouts always always always shoot for upside. But there is an endless supply of crappy Drew Brees's out there that could be a mediocre 3rd string QB without future starter upside.

i remember playing basketball at the UF hoops complex back in the day with a guy who was the 5th string qb for the gators back then. Right before spurrier arrived. His name was Shane Matthews. its amazing that we look for size and speed, Acuracy, and then smarts / special awareness in that order when likely it’s accuracy, smarts/processing speed and then athleticism that matter. Heck, I’m sure more than a few AA shortstops could be viable.

 

[Hankmoody]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job

That's it. No further discussion.

NFL shot themselves in the foot when they abandoned NFL Europe. They need some kind of minor league to develop QB's and get them experience.

 

[Ilov80s]

I think teams would benefit from having more athletic backups and implementing a more mobile QB friendly offense if they lose their starter- especially longt erm.

 

[Gatorman]

I think it just speaks to the enormous difficulty of the job

That's it. No further discussion.

NFL shot themselves in the foot when they abandoned NFL Europe. They need some kind of minor league to develop QB's and get them experience.

The college game? Canada? The other spring crappy leagues?

i guess in some ways it comes down to coaching. there are multiple types of qbs but not a lot of “innovation “ in coaching at the pro level. Usually it’s innovation at the college ranks that leads nfl changes.