The Most Over, yet Undernalyzed Position in All of Sports
The Quarterback position is everything in the NFL. Every team floundering in the league is always turning to the position. Fair or not. A position full of wildly different archetypes. Different stories will come to be of every top guy. The teams who’ve hit the jackpot are fortunate to evade the media attention the bottomfeeders get when picking their hopeful heir apparent. The teams who have found their guy still fall back into the cycle of quarterback judgment once the playoffs roll around. Legacies defined by each passing season.
For young quarterbacks, the level of patience is constantly decreasing. With the advancements in social media allowing for ruthless scrutiny of them, It’s easy to reach a sweeping verdict on a QB. Sometimes it can be justified, sometimes it’ll be an overreaction, and sometimes the verdict will be reached far before it should have been. Who’s at fault?
Quarterback analysis goes way further than simple talent or raw athletic tools. There’s a staggering amount of factors that aren’t looked at for the most heavily scrutinized position in all of sports. Winning becomes synonymous with QB play, which leads to the predicament.
The Game
It seems as if the current judgment around the QB position is one that eliminates many essential facets of football. Whether it be coaching, personnel, or read progression. How do you expect a rookie QB to come in and dominate with one of the worst rosters around him and no stability at head coach? These are the teams like the Giants, Titans, Browns, etc. They have no hope, yet the QB’s leading these rosters get put on the same pedestal as every other quarterback. Teams with carousels of coaches who have a constant clash with the position. Who’s to blame for the lack of the organization’s success? It seems subjective to how a team’s front office views the dynamic. Sometimes the analysis seems blind to a true fan. Kevin Stefanski keeps his job after repeated failures including quitting on Baker Mayfield early. He has since done nothing with Deshaun Watson or anyone else in the Dawg Pound. Meanwhile Brian Daboll got fired after horrendous front office decisions and crushing injuries all year when there was a glimmer of hope for the G Men. Don’t forget the terrible calls and close losses the Giants experienced to begin the year. Coaches build the culture and are vital in establishing a blueprint full of complexity, variance, and stability.
Coaching alone can take a supremely talented gunslinger and make him look unfit for the league. A great coach can form a dynasty or capture a Super Bowl with a guy who at the very least can get the job done by winning games. Complexity equates to the layers within an offense and how the team can move defenders from their spot to attack weak points. Variance is balance. Giving different looks while simultaneously evolving old plays that defenses have broken down in film. Stability represents durability along with flexibility. Good coaches lose incredible minds and have to replenish their staff. There are several examples of failed coaching across the league right now. Sam Darnold on the Jets vs his run on both the Vikings and Seahawks. Matthew Stafford’s remarkable, historic, success on the Rams after playing for one of the most embarrassing franchises of all time (My Detroit Lions). Each of these players despite their atrocious situations were given blame for the lack of their first team’s success. Both were given up on or failed in one way or another. The most notable example might be with former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield who was relegated to a backup deep in the depth chart and then ended up getting one last chance.
You look at history and will see many examples of quarterbacks who could be considered late bloomers. Maybe these guys weren’t prepared well for the NFL considering the teams that drafted them were in shambles. The gap between the College and NFL games is far more significant than people realize. Schematically the concepts are far more complex at the NFL level and the field itself greatly changes the game. Hashmarks are more narrow in the NFL to force a more balanced attack that must incorporate the middle of the field while the collegiate field caters more to explosive run after catch plays. This means the college game has far more screen passes with the extra space their field provides. The game itself can be simplified into three main categories. Coaching, Personnel, and Reads. Each contributes to success at varying degrees. A better coaching staff can mask a QB who struggles to progress through reads. Incredible personnel can make a coach and QB look better than they are. Let’s dive into it.
Coaching
For coaching the main component revolves around whether or not you can galvanize your players. The roster and especially the quarterback need to believe there is a shot at bringing home the hardware. It all starts with culture. Look at the Lions who went from the bottom of the league to consistently one of the top teams. This wasn’t an accident, it was in large part due to the fight their Head Coach Dan Campbell instilled in the team. He let everybody know the Lions wouldn’t roll over for any team. This all started at the end of the 2022 season. Detroit was destined for another losing season, yet this time Campbell refused to let it happen. Winning five of the last six games and bouncing the division rival Green Bay Packers from the playoffs. The Lions had a zero percent chance to make the playoffs entering their final game against Green Bay. Campbell was even questioned if there was motivation for winning the game to which he replied by laying everything out on the line. Ridiculous trick plays. Colossal fourth down conversions. This was the Lions team Detroit had been desperately waiting for. Not only did Campbell build the culture, but he built up his wavering QB. A good coach works with the quarterback tirelessly until they find comfort in the system.
Detroit did wonders with Goff who looked miserable at the beginning of his Lions tenure and the best teams around the league oftentimes require their QB to be in a constant rhythm. Especially come playoff time. That’s a coach’s job. How can they maximize talent? How can they dial up the perfect plays to catch opponents off guard? What do they have up their sleeves in adverse situations? Can they delegate under duress? So often does blame get put on the quarterback, but if the coach struggles to answer any of the questions that were just posed, then the whole team easily could fall short. A quarterback’s success isn’t solely due to coaching, there has to be solid personnel around the superstar quarterback. With Josh Allen and Daboll there was Stefon Diggs alongside one of the best offensive lines in the league. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid there was Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce who were two of the best players at their respective positions. Even Jalen Hurts would be viewed as average if he didn’t have a top 7 TE, Saquon in the backfield, the best offensive line in the league and two WR1’s. Personnel is vital for a quarterback's success. No QB can reach the pinnacle without help.
Personnel
Certain teams have such porous rosters that no QB could save the sinking ship. While other teams have such an abundance of talent make it far easier to rip apart talented Quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts gets blasted when the Eagles struggle while his superstar playmakers are disgruntled. His lack of success can be attributed to playcalling that doesn’t utilize Philly’s weapons alongside his inability to execute on open plays. Jared Goff gets reasonable scrutiny for his lack of success when faced by pressure. Sam Darnold got mocked for his late season let down in 2024. As little holes pop up all across the depth chart, teams with the blueprint of success watch it cave in. Injuries to the building blocks of offenses alter schemes. Many quarterbacks can break down without the direct blueprint. Jared Goff inexplicably throws the ball away while he has time to make a play. When rosters have their stuff together along with a potent front office more is expected out of the position. That is the case most of the time where QB’s fighting in the postseason receive a new magnified analysis of their play. That being said, there are still anomalies.
Teams with such freakish defenses that a below average player could potentially claim a Super Bowl ring or reach the top of the league in the regular season. It’s been a consistent phenomenon throughout history. No one is going to say Trent Dilfer was a better QB than Dan Marino. But Dilfer did something Marino never could accomplish. Hoisting a Lombardi trophy. An elite organization is harmonious. Consistent. Replicated adaptability to remain a level ahead of the rest of the league. The first teams that come to mind in today’s game are the Chiefs and Eagles. A QB doesn’t have to be the main character if the personnel, coaching, and front office of an organization are perfectly in sync. That’s the case with the Philadelphia Eagles. The quarterbacks who just get it done need to, at bare minimum, be able to read a defense or progress through reads. Putting things into perspective an NFL QB has about 2.5 to 3 seconds to throw the ball on average. A number that continues to dwindle. Having elite playmakers like Rashee Rice, Puka Nacua, JSN, etc. make it far easier for a quarterback to make quick decisions. They can beat you off the line immediately, make spectacular grabs to bail out their quarterback or can create explosive plays in the open field once the ball touches their hands. The thing is you can’t just blindly throw it to your trusted weapons. Opposing teams often scheme to completely eliminate the stars, which is where reads enter the picture. The most important factor of QB success.
Reads
What separates quarterbacks oftentimes is how well they can see the field. This is how project QB’s like Anthony Richardson completely flop in the league. Their “raw” tools don’t do anything in terms of diagnosing the opposition. Richardson struggled even with an admirable cast. He showed flashes of talent that were awe inspiring, yet he is nowhere near an NFL level QB. His infamous seventy yard missile under immense heat while rolling to the left that fell perfectly into Alec Pierce’s hands is a perfect example of why talent isn’t enough. This throw against the texans in his fifth game fooled many including myself. It may have been the best throw of all time. Despite his wild throws that showed off elite arm talent there was a writing on the wall with him. This game he completed just nine passes on nineteen attempts. Putrid efficiency boosted by just the explosive play. He also had an interception. With AR15 he never read a defense that lined up across from him, he just opted to play backyard football instead. No top tier quarterbacks struggle with reads and their progressions which is why it’s so vital young quarterbacks learn what the league is like.
The determining factor in terms of success at the position is how well a QB knows the game. What defense are they going up against? How defensive alignments can give away holes in the coverage. Elite QB’s not only can diagnose defenses, but can manipulate what they see with their eyes. Moving safeties and linebackers to create chunks of yardage. A simple look to the right accompanied by a quick snap to an in breaking route on the left can create yards out of thin air. With only having a little under 3 seconds to throw the football you have to be sharp and progress through reads quickly to be elite. The gunslingers who receive the most scrutiny usually hold onto the ball too long, miss reads entirely, and have no idea what the opposition is doing in front of them. Failing to prepare their offensive line for an all out blitz, living within the confines of the system only, and being unable to attack down the field are usual symptoms of having an average or bottom tier QB. The position can be vital, unimportant, or everything. The spectrum is full of such incredible variance.
Just look at Brock Purdy for instance. He can perfectly operate Kyle Shanahan’s offense even though he was drafted as an afterthought. The last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft not only is the beneficiary of the system, he is an improviser. That might be the most underrated trait of a quarterback. How well can they execute an extended play that breaks down? On the other side of the coin is a guy like Tua Tagovailoa. A former top draft pick who was thought to be the most polished passer throughout his collegiate career. Now in the NFL Tua only operates off of reads. If the first guy isn’t there he tends to whistle the ball at his next read without looking, take a horrific sack with poor pocket presence, or throw the ball to the wrong guy. He routinely misses reads when the play breaks down. His internal clock is only operational in a perfect system. If you were to think about all the top QB’s in the conversation for MVP or among the league leaders in major statistics they mostly have an elevated ability to maneuver within the pocket. Creating more time than what was afforded by their offensive line through nifty footwork, pump fakes, slide steps, etc. This is when the commentators gush over a ridiculous cross body throw on the run by Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. Their ability to extend and keep a play alive for longer creates a whole new wrinkle within their offenses. At times it can be a defender’s worst nightmare to chase these elite QB’s around. This idealized picture of having an unstoppable franchise quarterback is what has fueled the QB picture today. Overpaid players with a ceiling far below guys they make more money than.
You see, reads can go beyond the football field. Front office’s think they know a thing or two as they delegate their cap space. Here’s some notable examples. Tua led the league in passing yards in 2023 and got $53 million a year. He played the worst schedule ever conceived that season yet Miami inexplicably gave him a fortune. Trevor Lawrence was supposed to be the prodigal son throughout his journey to the NFL, but his time in Jacksonville has been riddled with instability and disaster. He dominated college ball at Clemson, led a heroic playoff push for Jacksonville one season and somehow finessed a whopping $55 million a season. The second highest paid QB. He is direct evidence of the QB who’s in question of either not being good enough or is he being completely failed by an organization top to bottom? Jacksonville has blown draft picks, done abysmal in free agency, and hasn’t had a coach do anything in eight years encompassing TLaw’s whole Collegiate & NFL career (2018-2025). Two players who succeeded in college. Tua and Lawrence have had wildly different paths in the NFL, but both are pretty bad front office reads considering their pay versus output. Lastly there is a subset of generational talent who must fight an uphill battle.
Generational talent going nowhere
This might be the most frustrating aspect of loving quarterbacks. They could be around for 20 years. Injury could derail their careers, but father time doesn’t necessarily care about any excuses. How can a QB cement their legacy and get the job done? The first name that comes to mind for a QB in need of a Super Bowl ring is Joe Burrow. A quarterback who has maybe the best wide receiver tandem in the league alongside nothing else. No offensive line, a historically putrid defense, and a rushing attack that is as inefficient as they come. Despite the Bengals’ shortcomings Burrow has a Super Bowl appearance under his belt. An achievement that might be irreplicable given how awful Cincinnati's front office is. No one questions Burrow’s talent or his toughness. The prodigy has been hit more than any other quarterback by a landslide. Unfazed by gruesome injuries, he uses no excuses. The clock however is ticking as pressure mounts each season. Then there’s another perennial MVP candidate under the microscope. Lamar Jackson.
There’s some who question Lamar’s legitimacy because of his whole lot of nothing to show for in terms of the postseason. Is it fair? Definitely not. Zay Flowers being a top option is just dreadful given Lamar’s progression as a passer. Zay can get yards on a gadget play in a game or gives you zilch. Not even mentioning how poorly the Ravens offensive line has played. Why don’t they give Derrick Henry the ball more? This whole offense seems to have collapsed. No one has ever denied Lamar Jackson’s talent, but now poor front office work has put him under the spotlight even though it’s a franchise encompassing issue.
That’s the bigger point. Oftentimes in organizational assessments the quarterback is the main person highlighted for lack of team success. This is the case despite glaring holes in the roster. Josh Allen never has made it to a Super Bowl. His playoff defenses have been absolutely annihilated. He’s played perfect playoff games to put his team in a position to win. Sometimes playing the refs as well when talking about last season against the Chiefs. Since prime Stefon Diggs started to decline he’s had no serious top receivers. His defense has gotten worse as well this year, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s the one who has to drag the Bills over the hump. Saying, “This is Josh Allen’s shot to prove himself,” considering Joe Burrow, Mahomes, and maybe Lamar aren’t going to be in the playoffs is an awfully silly take. He is the entire Buffalo Bills team aside from James Cook. Pinning blame on Allen for the Bills shortcomings if they were to lose in these playoffs is a perfect example of the silliness of quarterback analysis at the granular level. Most of the time people don’t actually analyze the position, but they provide the most analysis on the quarterback. That especially comes into fruition when injuries enter the equation.
Injuries
In terms of injuries there’s no position with less leeway than the quarterback. No matter what the entrusted man to lead their team is held in the lineup oftentimes regardless of whether they are healthy or not. Broken hands, shoulder injuries, calf issues, and fractures of any kind are just minor setbacks. The truest QBs in the league just gut it out. Give their teams everything they got because if the backup comes in the gap in offensive efficiency is immeasurable. Once in a long while the backup does it. He leads a top end team on a magical run. For a majority of teams over the course of history this isn’t the case. Injuries not only are disregarded from a health standpoint, but also in breaking down quarterbacks.
Injuries are the icing on the cake for analysis purposes. Examples are littered throughout the league. There’s talk of Daniel Jones’ regression while he’s dealing with a fractured fibula. He plays through it and tears his achilles just trying to push his team to a division title in the AFC South. Justin Herbert isn't often placed among the best QBs in the league. Even with an incredibly average roster and a battered offensive line. He plays the Eagles with a broken hand, plays a week after surgery, and has his hurt hand punched by a defender going for the ball. He made no excuses, extracting a colossal win to hawk down the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Despite that no one is singing his praises through a megaphone now. Then there’s Baker Mayfield’s frequent shoulder injuries. Injuries that directly affect his accuracy. These injuries affect so many aspects of being a quarterback that the argument for QB not being the hardest position in football is null.
Injuries alter the plant, release point, and footwork behind special throws. A shoulder injury can cause a QB to routinely sail throws that are right across the middle. A knee injury can take away a quarterback’s mobility or prevent them from stepping into a throw. All year long they strike. Even minor injuries can have major implications. Unlike most other positions minor injuries can’t afford a missed week or two in some cases. Tight, late season playoff pushes. Big time playoff matchups. These moments require quarterbacks to tough it out. No questions asked. That’s the issue at large the position has the least leeway, the most scrutiny, and arguably the hardest path to glory. Are all the sacrifices worth a chance at glory? That’s what fuels your favorite gunslinger to show up every Sunday healthy or not just to have their names etched into the history books.
Conclusion
So next time you want to rip apart a quarterback just think how much they put into the game. Go through the course of their career with a checklist. Do they deserve the scrutiny? The scale is ever changing. Definitive answers can be elusive. Mindless GMs, horrendous coaches, injuries and much more paint a full picture of what you see. So make sure that the analysis is complete and full before blame is assigned. That’s the challenge for people today. Avoid impulsive takes.
QB RANKINGS
Patrick Mahomes
Josh Allen
Joe Burrow
Lamar Jackson
Matthew Stafford
Justin Herbert
Dak Prescott
CJ Stroud
Drake Maye
Jalen Hurts
Jordan Love
Trevor Lawrence
Baker Mayfield
Jared Goff
Sam Darnold
Brock Purdy
Bo Nix
Jayden Daniels (injury)
Caleb Williams
Daniel Jones
Aaron Rodgers
Bryce Young
Jaxon Dart
Cam Ward
Kyler Murray
Tyler Shough
Michael Penix
Shedeur Sanders
Tua Tagovailoa
JJ McCarthy
Geno Smith
Unknown player (Brady Cook)/ Tyrod Taylor. (Jets QB Room)
