How is there not 32 guys capable of playing QB at a high level?

[Adi]

You ever wonder how there is not 32 people in the whole world that can be successful at playing QB in the NFL? Its truly mind boggling, There is more 7 footers in the NBA than there is capable QB's in the NFL. It just doesn't make sense, I know its hard and all of the coverage's have changed the game but come one now ! I think sometimes team over complicate the situation and don't let these guys just play the game! Let me know if you have any comments on this because its just the weirdest thing in sports for me.

 

[Rambitious1]

I think that is a testament to how difficult playing that position really is.
By far the most difficult position to play in sports.

 

[Ballhawk]

I think that it may be that there isn't 32 coaches in the NFL that know how to use a QB to his best capabilities.

 

[Jacobarch]

You ever wonder how there is not 32 people in the whole world that can be successful at playing QB in the NFL? Its truly mind boggling, There is more 7 footers in the NBA than there is capable QB's in the NFL. It just doesn't make sense, I know its hard and all of the coverage's have changed the game but come one now ! I think sometimes team over complicate the situation and don't let these guys just play the game! Let me know if you have any comments on this because its just the weirdest thing in sports for me.

I promise you there is...

Coaching/scheme/personnel fit.

- Lets take Bradford as a prime example. Sucked to mediocre with the Rams and Philly. Looks like a #1 Pick should with the Vikings. Right fit, right time, right coaching staff.

Sitting on bench/undrafted/or not playing at all.

- Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Kurt Warner. Some of the greatest qbs of all time, road the bench for years before getting their shot. Rarely do QB's get drafted in the top 5 and perform like top 5 QB's.

Pride/stubbornness

- Coaches take pride in their picks and will usually go down with the burning ship. We've seen it all too many times in the NFL. Coach comes in, brings in his "guys" and players, and ends up falling flat on his face because they're no good at talent evaluation. Then you have coaches like Pete Carroll. Sure I hate the dude, but he's so damn good at saying f*ck the process and going with the best player no matter where he drafted him or didn't. Aka, RW, and Richard Sherman among others.

Point is most of these players can succeed with the right coaches and players around them. Problem is QB are consistently surrounded by talent-less ass hat coaches.

 

[Pancake]

Could be that their isn't 32 quality qb coaches or coordinators.

 

[Selassie I]

Something I haven't seen mentioned yet...

At the NFL level... it's takes more than just physical skill to be successful. The mental part of the game is just as important. Lots of QBs excel at one or the other... not many excel at both.

 

[bubbaramfan]

As soon as you get on the field Adi, they'll be 33.:yay:

 

[…..]

There are many people....even on this chat board, that have outplayed their coaching at some stage in their lives. In any given sport, at any given level, some of us were way better than our competition. And vice versa.

Its a talent thing. Some athletes transcend coaching, others respond well to it. But no one is here solely because of it. I am not convinced one single bit that coaching or lack of coaching is the reason there are not 32 brilliant quarterbacks in the NFL.

 

[baconandbread]

IMO It's not necessarily that there isn't 32 that are capable, I think they all are to some degree...and you have to take into account the level of competition/teammates.There is something to be said that these 32 QBs made it to the NFL. The ELITE QBs transcend all the negatives in a variety of ways.

 

[Rabid Ram]

Can't just tie it to qb I would say it's more not 32 teams with a good qb and wr corps

 

[Yamahopper]

It's not Just the QB/s that drop off. Any position count down 12-16 places and the Meh levels dramatically raises.
32 #1 WR's ? Really? Gets kinda skinny after a bakers dozen,
Count down 16 DT's from Donald, think that guys a Beast?
It's alway the top few at a position that makes the other look so average.

 

[12intheBox]

Because it's really really really hard?

 

[RaminExile]

1) it's really hard.
2) because it's so hard it requires a lot of things to go right. Good scheme fit, good coaching, good teammates, luck.
3) there probably IS 32 guys at least who are capable if they are given the right help in the right situation at the right time in their careers. That's what's difficult.

Re thoughts on Bradford @Jacobarch - you say he was mediocre/sucked in St Louis and Philly - I disagree. I've watched nearly every throw this guy has made as a pro and he has never sucked outside of one season and a few games. He perennially had a bad team, bad coaching and a bad scheme about him - but still played well and made everyone around him better to the point that people thought it was HIS fault. 2013 he was playing great - pro bowl calibre - with no receivers. Then hurt 2 years which changes the narrative on him to "bust he sucks" then a year in Philadelphia where he set franchise records (seriously) with possibly the worst wide receiver corps in history in a gimmicky offense - and you regard it as mediocre?

 

[fearsomefour]

One thing for Fing sure.....it is not a lack of guys with arm arm strength.
Give me a smart guy who understands Ds and coverages has good feet balance and mechanics then we can worry about arm strength.

 

[1maGoh]

There are probably lots of guys capable of doing it. Some of them probably aren't interested in playing, some weren't coached well enough to feel like continuing, some had things come up and couldn't continue, some got injured, some didn't "fit the profile" (think Russell Wilson) and never received the support to make it, etc. There are very likely plenty of people who *can* do it, just not many who make it. And then there's coach bias to deal with. You can't tell me that Kurt Warner never looked like a starter until the first game of 99. Coach had his guy. Warner wasn't going to start. And that happens at all levels. Maybe more in high school leading to less talented his getting developed.

The point is, there's more than 32 that can, there's just only 32 that survive the gauntlet.

 

[MadGoat]

The thing that stands out the most to me is the inability of any NFL coach to take advantage of the huge number of run first QBs that never make it to the NFL. That's the missing piece in the QB shortage puzzle.

The problem is the cost of losing quarterbacks in season. You'd have to enter the season with four relatively inexpensive QBs all with enough arm talent to keep defenses honest. Something like that would certainly turn the NFL on its head. Tebow was probably the closest thing that we've seen to that mentality, and you'd need at least two more like him to ensure you'd make it through the season.

It may happen eventually.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

There are millions that are smart enough, but football is a violent game and a lot of smart people prefer not to play it. Being athletic helps but it isn't a requirement, Tom Brady proved that. So, you need a good arm and brains coupled with the desire to play a violent game.

Then throw in that high school coaches are selecting the kids that play QB. Most high school coaches are stuck in a mindset on what makes a QB. Sometimes it is a popularity contest or the best athlete be cause they run a spread system. Maybe if more high schools and colleges ran pro style offenses more QBs would be discovered and if coaches actually looked for brains as the number one attribute.

 

[OldSchool]

Could be that their isn't 32 quality qb coaches or coordinators.

Came here to say exactly this.

 

[ScotsRam]

You said in the world. There may well be other people in the world who would excel had they grown up in America and been given the opportunity to play the sport. Let's be honest, despite the growing international appeal the NFL still fishes for talent in a very small pond. We are really saying there aren't 32 great QBs in america.

BTW this is why I don't support expansion - further dilution of the talent pool will make the game less exciting.