Thanks for the link. That might be the best piece I've read by Ben Goessling.
When I read stuff like this...
Teams administer numerous personality tests and learning assessments and get all the outside help they can on how to find what makes a player tick; the Vikings, for example, talk to psychologists and corporate headhunters to fine-tune their interview process. They, and other teams, keep a file of every data point they can find on a player, from height and weight to Myers-Briggs personality type. If there's a precedent for a player of similar attributes being successful in the NFL, all the better. For many, the trick is not to let the subtler traits of quarterbacking get obscured by a big arm or ideal stature.
"A lot of times, people overemphasize certain skills," Grigson said. "Sometimes you'll overemphasize arm strength, but if a guy can't read a defense, he can't use that arm. And then sometimes, you'll overemphasize athletic ability, but a guy might not have the top arm strength or the release quickness or the size. A lot of things have to line up."
... I can't help wondering if teams over-analyze and make the job even more difficult by thinking too much.
I believe impatience is a key factor. Teams understandably want quick returns on high draft picks and they want quick development from young quarterbacks. The success some young QBs have had in recent years only reinforces that it's possible to draft a young QB and be successful with him early in his career. There are older examples of that too but it feels like the process has accelerated and patience has been reduced. As we've discussed many times, the environment a QB is in, the team around him, can have a big impact on his development. Putting too much on a QB too early can be detrimental to his development. Drafting the "right guy" is just the first step. He's only going to BE the right guy if he's put in position to succeed and if the team gives him the time he needs to develop. Some players will need more than others. It took Bradshaw quite a while to get there but he was the QB on a team that won 4 Super Bowls. Brees didn't really begin to excel until his 4th year in the league and he didn't play the kind of "lights out" football he's known for now until a few years after that.
One thing I'd say for any team looking for a QB is to forget "the rules" and just look for the guy you believe can solve the problem. In other words, we all know the Vikings are looking for a QB and they're likely to draft one in May. However, it's possible that there are no franchise QBs in this draft or that the one or two there are won't be available for the Vikes. If they spend a first round pick on a QB this year and find themselves doubting that guy next year, or thinking there's a much better choice available to him, does that mean they have to be married to their 2014 choice for 2-4 years just because they spent a first round pick on him? I don't see why, especially in the era of the rookie salary cap. I realize a statement like that seems to fly in the face of what I said about patience but my point is to throw out the rules. If you think a player has what it takes and you think that should be completely evident after 3 years but it's not, stay with him longer. If you believed in him when you drafted him but a year into the process, you're already extremely discouraged or you just feel there's a much better prospect available, be willing to make a move. I think everyone from fans to GMs gets too wrapped up in what needs to happen, how the process should go, when all that really matters is results.
I hope that made sense.
Thanks.
