John Idzik has been involved with football as a coach and front office executive for over 35 years. Idzik has been in various roles, including General Manager, with the Buccaneers, Cardinals, Seahawks, Jets, and Jaguars. You can find an accompanying podcast to this article in the SumerSports Show feed.
As the son of a coach, I had the extreme good fortune of attending NFL training camps since I was nine years old. As a result, I’ve been afforded the opportunity over the years to observe and catch footballs from various throwing techniques while getting to know a variety of quarterback personalities and leadership styles.
The position has certainly evolved with the game, but through it all one thing remains constant: it is the single most complex and demanding position in football and arguably in all of sport. Furthermore, the quarterback position is surrounded by an aura of importance as every team constantly turns over all stones in search of the next gem.
Quarterback Scrutiny
These gems are rarely hidden, as players are evaluated and reevaluated as far back as high school and progressing through their college years. Scouting the position is demanding in and of itself as the job of quarterbacking seems to grow more difficult each year.
Before digging into the intricacies of evaluating a quarterback, a scout must first strive to remain objective within the subjective nature of their duty. Initially, the scout should do their best in tuning out the pomp and circumstance surrounding the next big prospect and approach the task with clear eyes. This presents a challenge in an age of unprecedented hype with players, and particularly quarterbacks, being touted from a very young age making their way into public consciousness earlier than ever before.
Still, a scout must adhere to a primary scouting axiom: grade what you see and not what you hear!
Nobody is Perfect
Playing quarterback is demanding on both mind and body at levels much higher than any other position. Traditional physical and athletic measurements such as height, weight, speed, change of direction, strength, flexibility, hand size, and arm length have been augmented by other metrics such as release quickness, footwork quickness, ball velocity, ball flight and three-level accuracy.
All “measurables” are certainly important as they begin to tell the story of each quarterback. However, with so many physical and athletic traits to consider, you come to realize that no one, not even the elite of the elite, possesses all such traits at an elite level. So, a player who may lack in one or more areas should not be eliminated from the scout’s pile. Instead, understanding how a player may offset his deficiencies is crucial. For instance:
- If a quarterback is short, do they show the maneuverability and awareness to find unobstructed throwing lanes?
- If a quarterback’s arm is not as strong, can they anticipate windows that will be open and accurately hit them with proper timing?
Painting a full picture of the player – both the good and the bad – helps teams ascertain if their individual football ecosystem can support a player’s talents and thereby foster a quarterback’s growth.
Key Traits: Mechanics and Accuracy
Height, physique and arm strength can “wow” a scout watching throws on air or in a non-contact 7-on-7 competition. Impressive physical traits certainly are factors in the NFL, but there is more to playing quarterback than how far the ball is thrown. Throwing mechanics are no longer one size fits all, but there are some initial points to keep in mind:
- Is the quarterback’s footwork quick, clean and efficient? Are they a long strider in the pocket?
- Do they take structured drops? Are they consistent or do they drift? How deep do they set?
- Do they require a lot of space to throw?
- Where is their launch point? How high is the release? Can they alter their release without affecting the throw?
- How do they transfer weight? How well do they generate torque and power?
- Do they instinctively square to their target and throw on balance?
Nice throw from Stroudhttps://t.co/GsmcTEJWff pic.twitter.com/mMokJe5TBt
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) August 22, 2023
Evaluating a quarterback’s arm should extend further than innate arm strength. Quarterbacks need to understand when to use different velocities based on the coverage or where defenders present themselves. They must also incorporate touch and trajectory for access to a full arsenal of throws. This can generally be referred to as “arm talent:”
- Does the quarterback have the velocity needed to consistently hit downfield targets outside the numbers in tight windows?
- Does the quarterback have the ability to pace a throw?
- Can they find a balance between touch and velocity to manipulate the ball into open areas?
- Does the quarterback facilitate a receiver’s run after catch?
- Does the quarterback protect their receivers with throws into traffic to keep them out of harm’s way? Can they “throw their receiver open” versus tight coverage?
Herbert throwing into the cover 2 hole on jet wheel pic.twitter.com/Ydfab9tqYt
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) December 17, 2021
Such considerations help you determine a quarterback’s throwing mechanics and true accuracy.
Finding Success in Tough Situations
The days of 100% under center 3-5-7 step statuesque pocket quarterbacks are gone. Quarterbacks who are able to impact the game with their athleticism, in both the passing and running phases of offense, can experience more success when facing extreme pressure. Athleticism and mobility are much more than pure elusiveness, quickness, and speed. For example, can a quarterback:
- Throw off-platform from various arm angles with accuracy?
- Throw with accuracy without a full follow-through?
- Throw with accuracy when on the move in either direction?
- Be elusive and instinctive enough in the pocket to be strong and accurate despite suboptimal situations?
- Threaten the defense with their legs when given the opportunity?
- Extend plays or improvise?
- Hang in to deliver the ball when taking a hit or under duress?
- Be resilient in the face of adversity?
Nice throw from Jordan Love on takeoffhttps://t.co/Uhv7Ovypag pic.twitter.com/kBgXKTUxWP
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) August 20, 2022
Though quarterback performance under pressure may not be an absolute statistic with the highest degree of reliability from year to year, top quarterbacks are able to find some comfort in the uncomfortable; after all, muddy pockets, physical play, and quick pressures are guaranteed in the NFL.
Intangibles and the Mental Game
Studying a player on film provides a good illustration of one’s physical abilities, but learning about a player’s mental traits requires more extensive research beyond grading what you can observe during a practice or game. Taking note of a player’s history, both on-field and off-field, permits you to gain a feel for how they got to where they are today. Understanding who has been influential to the player as well as talking to their coach’s and supporting cast can provide deeper insight to the player’s true makeup.
- How does the quarterback best learn? How do they process and at what speed?
- Is the quarterback articulate? How do they best communicate?
- Can they spit back complicated play calls the length of their arm?
- Can they decipher an encrypted signaling system for no-huddle, quick pace offenses?
Quarterbacks are saddled with hefty cognitive responsibilities before the ball is even snapped, such as:
- Identifying fronts and coverages
- Setting pass protections and/or alignments
- Effectively communicating audibles or play checks at the line of scrimmage
While game plans and strategies are locked behind a team’s meeting room doors, there are still several intangible aspects of the game a scout can observe, particularly when attending a live practice or game:
- Does the quarterback “see the field” well? Do they scan quickly? Can they go through progressions?
- Do they make sound decisions? Do they force the ball into coverages unnecessarily?
- How does a quarterback interact with their coaches, teammates, and support staff?
- What is their practice or pre-game routine?
- How does a quarterback manage the flow of a game? Can they adjust?
- How do they respond to the ups and downs of a play, series, game, and season?
- What does the quarterback do between drives?
- What is the quarterback’s leadership style? Do they motivate or elevate others?
- How does the quarterback handle the media? How is their public speaking?
Matthew Stafford hitting the back side in breaker on Flag Bowhttps://t.co/PAzjgpIfCh pic.twitter.com/T6i2RHlV8Y
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 16, 2023
Time is an Ally and an Enemy
The most adept pro staffs recognize where their quarterback is on their developmental path and cater to their growth process in specific ways. Not every quarterback is an ace on the whiteboard, and they do not have to be bombastic; players have varying learning styles, paces, and processes. Shooting a firehose of information at a rookie who is still attempting to master how they consume and communicate information can cause problems, adversely impact confidence, and make the player feel lost.
Contrary to the highly visible, quick-to-judge world of the NFL, it takes a degree of time and patience to develop someone at the sport’s most demanding position. As trite as it may sound, everyone involved in the quarterback’s development cycle must keep this in mind.
Final Thoughts
There’s no way around it, evaluating quarterbacks, the most challenging position in football, is hard and it will always be hard. There are no shortcuts or sure-fire methodologies that magically produce the next star; it takes time and work.
The college game is different than the NFL game in terms of speed, space, talent level, visibility and information processing. Collegiate quarterbacks are asked to perform different tasks against a lesser level of competition than NFL quarterbacks. And yet, the success of an NFL team goes hand-in-hand with the quality of quarterback play.
Accordingly, objective and thorough evaluation of the quarterback position is vital. Subjective thoughts will surely creep in from all angles, but finding a player who has the requisite physical and intangible traits, who fits well into your system, and who is able to offset relative weaknesses in one or more areas with substantial strengths in other areas is essential. Above all, when scouting a quarterback, always remember to grade what you see and not what you hear!
