jterrell said:
Hos this may be the best sentence I have heard to describe why Quarterbacking is so hard to critique, find, develop.
QBs are most dangerous when they can beat you with their brains.
QB's need some weird algebraic combo of chutzpah(sp? not jewish, lol), talent, charisma, confidence, instinct, peripheral vision, et al. Its a maddening process to be sure identifying guys who have the right mix. As we have seen here it is fairly impossible to agree on that mix and unless a guy has simply done it no one knows for sure he can or will.
Brady is a great example because even after 2 super bowl wins folks were wondering what kind of smoke and mirrors Belichek was using to cover for this mediocre athlete playing QB.
No one ever had a doubt who was a better physical specimen between Henson and Brady. It was Henson. Brady seemed to play a bit better on the field but neither were atmospheric nor poor. So where exactly Brady's "it" came from I do not know or else I would be sending it to Valley Ranch in gift boxes.
The reason QBs are so intriguing is exactly what you said right there. Ryan Leaf had a ton of physical talent. Between the ears he was lacking. Jeff George, one of the great arms ever. No heart. Jim McMahon, too small to play the game but won a Super Bowl. Probably on charisma. McMahon used to go into the huddle and tell the big uglies that he needed just 5 seconds to make something happen. Then he'd turn to his receivers and say, "okay, they're going to give me 5 seconds..." It was like it was a forgone conclusion they could do it. His linemen would kill for him.
I've mentioned it before, I think Joe Montana's "Joe Cool" persona won them ball games. Marcus Allen tells the story of the game against Denver where Elway led the Broncos to a late score to take the lead. Montana had just over a minute left and they needed a TD. He came into the hudle laughing because John Candy was in the stands eating a hot dog. The team relaxed and they won the game.
It's a strange dynamic. The most exciting thing to me against the Cradinals with regards to the QB was that when Henson went in the team as a whole paid attention. No one was on the bench or absorbed in some other activity. It tells me one of two things. Either they are as curious as everyone else, or he has that certain something that pulls them. Now, I'm not saying Bledsoe and Romo did not command attention. They did. There was just a different feel. Especially when he started moving the team down the field each time he was in. Teams feed of that.
Back to Favre for a minute. He makes a ton of mistakes. Why is he so universally praised? Because he simply exudes supreme confidence and the gamblers mentality. Teams fear him because more often than not he does beat them. Playing tentative will kill most teams.
Peyton Manning is more dangerous for his mind than his arm or the offense they run. There are a couple of QBs with better arms. His arm is good, but it isn't the best in the NFL.
I agree with you on Brady. No flash, just a good game manager who doesn't make mistakes because he is smart.
QB is the single most awe inspiring position in all of sports. When it is played well, it is almost impossible to beat a great QB. In big games Aikman stepped up his level of play. Staubach had that "It" factor.
The list of what you can say about great QBs is endless. So is the list of what you can say about QBs who fell short of their potential. Usually the success or failure rate is balanced between the ears or measured in the heart of the QB. Few get by on talent alone. It just doesn't get it done.
