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.

Posted on September 7, 2026 at 12:31:00 PM by Ev (edited September 7, 2026 at 12:31:32 PM)

A lot easier to go with the guy with the biggest arm. Kinda reminds me of theories about why there are so few knuckleballers in the pros these days — no specific metric to justify picking or signing some guy who’s topping out at 75.

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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... - 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

The Victors

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.