How many times have we seen the memes or the polls about making the perfect player at each position?? I know I have seen it many times myself. As a huge football fan and one that played the Quarterback position my whole life, I have always often thought about the perfect build. One obstacle I always encountered was my size. It’s hard to play a position that needs to see the whole field if you can’t see over your lineman. This means you need to have big trust in your timing and also in your receiver to be in the right spot. Unfortunately, many times that still isn’t enough. If you can’t see the play develop and which defenders are doing what, it makes an already hard and stressful job – that much harder. Sure, it may work in high school with a lot of designed roll-outs and moving the pocket to give you a better visual of the field, but at an NFL level – the defensive coaches can scheme against that better than anyone. There is a reason scouts look for guys with size and big hands, and this is just one. These coaches get paid the big money they do because no matter who is under center, they will game plan for them and try to exploit the weak areas of the quarterback. We all know there are just some guys that it doesn’t matter what the plan is- they can be slowed down some, but never really stopped.
Now, what if we could create the perfect quarterback?? One that is just not even able to be slowed down? Sure, we have the guys like Patrick Mahomes (considered the best today), who seems to never really be phased or slowed down during a game- but is that the best we can do? The way the quarterback position has evolved over the years really is remarkable. We have gone from the statues in the pocket to the guys that could be receivers or running backs with the speed and abilities they have carrying the ball. Those changes have caused the defenses to transform the way they play and have to account for the guys with running capabilities like that. So, today I’m going to combine some old school and some new school, and by the end of this, I think most will be in agreement with the perfect quarterback.
Arm Strength/Touch: Patrick Mahomes– The arm strength that Mahomes brings is next world, and even though Josh Allen may actually have a stronger arm for raw power and velocity when you factor in the touch and the difficulty level of some of the throws we’ve routinely seen him make- to me he takes it. Those running and cross-body throws while contorting his body in different ways, but still managing to put the ball where it needs to be – is next level and will likely never be matched.
Speed: Michael Vick- Before someone thinks it, this is not because I’m a Steelers fan and don’t want to say Lamar Jackson. We know Lamar is special and gifted with the ball in his hands, but Vick is the one that created all of that style, and everyone going to Madden to play with the Falcons. Fine, just to prove with numbers it’s not a bias against Lamar, he ran a 4.34 while Vick ran a 4.33, but Vick has been clocked at a 4.25 for the fastest QB in NFL history. This means I’m taking Vick’s speed for the perfect build.
Accuracy: Drew Brees– He has often been considered the most accurate at the position. With the highest completion percentage of all time, it’s kind of hard to argue those facts especially considering the length of time that covers. Those short and intermediate routes he makes, look way too easy. Now, you wouldn’t be wrong to consider Aaron Rodgers here either, but I think Rodgers is better with the deep ball, but Brees overall takes it for this purpose.
Smart/Mind: Peyton Manning- This one is an easy choice to me, it’s “Omaha” himself. The reason he was able to still play at a high-level after injuries was because of how smart he was. I’ve seen multiple reports of how well he reads defenses, and the ability to know where they were going to be. When you’re able to call out the defensive play at the line of scrimmage and direct your receivers and pass protection to counter that- you’re playing chess when they’re playing checkers.
Durability: Brett Favre– With 321 consecutive starts including playoffs, this really is a remarkable achievement. In this day and age with all the injuries we see to star players, it is a blessing knowing your franchise Quarterback is a tank that will always be on the field. What makes his streak even more impressive is that it was done at a time when they were still allowed to hit the passer.
Toughness: Ben Roethlisberger– Again, this is not my bias showing, but how many times have we seen Ben get hit or injured and stay in the game, or go out but play the next one? In the pocket, he has always been tough to bring down. There would be guys that could get to him, but not be able to finish the job and bring him to the ground. As a Steelers fan, I’ve seen him countless times shake off a big defender, to then proceed to extend the play for a big gain. The toughness he brings is why he fits so well in the Steelers uniform.
Mobility/Elusiveness: Russell Wilson This has got to be Russell Wilson. As I mentioned earlier about size, Russ is not a big guy, but his mobility and shiftiness in the pocket make him hard to account for. There are times you think he is getting sacked, and then to see him dart passed all the guys and maneuver around to find a way to either tuck and run, or throw a strike downfield. If he wasn’t as elusive, he would likely not be where he is in his career at this point.
Poise/clutch: Tom Brady– This is one that we could also take from Russell Wilson, but the reason I say Brady is because he doesn’t have the mobility of those guys, but is still able to find ways out of it. With the six Super Bowl rings he has, we know there is never a moment too big for him- and yet he remains cool, calm and collected.
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Body Build: Cam Newton– The physical specimen that Cam is at the Quarterback position is just wrong (in a good way) on so many levels. When you have a super athletic guy built like Cam at 6’5″ and 245 pounds, and you throw the aforementioned traits on top of that, it really wouldn’t be fair to anyone on the defensive side of the ball. He can see over the line easily, and he is strong enough to take and give hits. As I ruminate about it more, a guy of that size and those abilities would be scary on the field.
Heart/Grit: Ryan Fitzpatrick– It would be too easy to give it to someone like Brett Favre for his heart and durability. While Favre, Russ, and all those guys have tremendous heart, you have to give it to Fitzmagic here. In 15 years with eight different teams, he has played for, they all combined for a 38 win percentage. He has consistently given everything he has to bad teams and has become a fan favorite in most places he plays. This year he took his benching like the great teammate and mentor he is and didn’t make much fuss about it. He then got his chance again this last week and lead the team to a win. I love the grit and determination of a guy like Fitz.
Leadership: Russell Wilson– There is a lot of traits you can take from a guy like Russ, and one that really stands out is his leadership. He is just a natural leader on and off the field, and well respected by everyone in Seattle and the league in general. He is as unselfish as they come and remains humble through it all. On the sidelines, he helps keep guys locked into the game, and builds trust and lifelong friendships, with his receivers especially. It would be hard to find a better leader at the position, and one that leads by experience like Wilson does.
Vision: Tom Brady– You thought I was going to say Mr. 30 for 30 himself, didn’t you?? We can’t all have vision like Jameis Winston, and let’s be glad that we don’t. His talent would be nice, but not the vision. As for Brady, his vision and understanding of the field really is special. There will be times when he just drops a pass in out of nowhere and leaves you wondering “how did he see that?”. When you’ve played at the level he has for as long as he has, you have to be able to see things develop before they do, and Brady is a master at that.
What are your thoughts on the Quarterback I just created? Where would you go different, or what type of assessment do you have about that build?? For myself- it would be hard to find one to rival that. I’m not saying that I’m right, but having played the position and been more critical of guys at the position, I would like to think it would be hard to really beat that one, from someone that is not a biased fan. For all of us fantasy sports players, what position do you think a guy like that would be getting drafted at yearly, or what type of weekly salary would he come with??? Let me know your thoughts on any of it.
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