One thing that's weird to me is that great quarterbacking is primarily mental (given a few physical attributes), my sense is that the mental stuff is hard to measure so we default to overvaluing the physical stuff. Also a weird Men in Black analogy that might work...

Posted on September 7, 2026 at 11:59:05 AM by Supergoat

I mean Brady, the Goat of QBs, who had fairly avg/poor measurables, proves that great QBing is about something else. The school that produced him should know better but here we are.

Ultimately it was shocking to me to see Carr in the spring game come in off the street and operate at a level higher than BU. Still I've seen that happen often enough that Im worried that there's some sort of backup beginners luck that runs out fairly quickly. But I want to see.more of Carr soon.

Still, Ultimately, I guess my point is that we are measuring the wrong things when it comes to someone being a great QB. Not sure what the right things are though. Maybe something like delta between speed of the touch pass and the fastball? Or time it takes to look away from one route to the next? Or the number of times QBs can freeze or confuse a defender? Anyways, there's got to be a better way to measure who's got it, and 40s and ball speed are not it. How do you measure processing?

Anyone remember that scene in Men In Black where they're testing Will Smiths character by going through a shooting range and then he explains why he didn't shoot an alien looking guy but shot a little girl? Something like THAT. How quickly can you tell what you're seeing and make the right decision while under pressure.

If we figured out how to test that more accurately, I'd expect we wouldn't be as confused by high rated QBs that can't seem to QB all that well.

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Thread:

One thing that's weird to me is that great quarterbacking is primarily mental (given a few physical attributes), my sense is that the mental stuff is hard to measure so we default to overvaluing the physical stuff. Also a weird Men in Black analogy that might work... - By Supergoat September 7, 2026 at 11:59:05 AM
- You need both the mental and physical to be elite. You can’t measure mental and having the physical means you can get away with more mentally* - By harbaughdyssey September 7, 2026 at 02:02:45 PM
- Don’t remember the scene but otherwise I think you have this exactly right. Also makes me think about the incentives/constraints faced by talent evaluators. Hard to justify recruiting a guy based on less-easily-measurable attributes like decision making speed or composure. - By Ev September 7, 2026 at 12:31:00 PM
  - This one... trying to link YouTube video* - By Supergoat September 7, 2026 at 12:45:30 PM
- As Monson and others have shown, processing speed has become an under-valued trait in QB prospects* - By brick September 7, 2026 at 12:07:08 PM
  - there's a great article in ESPN about Sean Payton (he famously mocked Vikings for selecting JJ). He rates QBs on their processing and apparently Bo Nix was off the charts* - By 6p September 7, 2026 at 12:11:55 PM
- It's really a mystery. It's not based on intelligence (Marino had one of the lowest Wonderlic scores ever), and I don't think hard work/film study can overcome everything else either - By danny September 7, 2026 at 12:06:55 PM
  - yup, we just have to pray a light goes on for him at some point with this stuff, it might never come* - By Daytripper September 7, 2026 at 12:08:09 PM
- Klatt's review is 1st drive had problems (I agree). No setback as a cause - from good practices to being half-freaked from the whistle. He needs some sort of game mental reset.* - By ftb September 7, 2026 at 12:05:54 PM
- This pic of the GOAT NFL QB always makes that point for me (m) - By Spirit September 7, 2026 at 12:02:32 PM
  - Jesus that almost looks fake* - By Supergoat September 7, 2026 at 12:08:57 PM

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One thing that's weird to me is that great quarterbacking is primarily mental (given a few physical attributes), my sense is that the mental stuff is hard to measure so we default to overvaluing the physical stuff. Also a weird Men in Black analogy that might work...