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An Education in Quarterbacking
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An Education in Quarterbacking
It's the most important position in football -- and the most enigmatic. Players, coaches and executives open up about a nearly impossible job: quarterbacking an NFL team in 2016.
By Michael Silver | September 2016
On a mild, mid-October morningin Madison five years ago, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider walked up to the University of Wisconsin's football offices at Camp Randall Stadium carrying a warm cup of coffee and a double-shot of healthy skepticism. Schneider, like many others in the scouting profession, was intrigued by a senior quarterback named Russell Wilson who, less than four months after transferring from North Carolina State, had the Badgers rolling toward a Big Ten title. As Schneider watched game tapes of Wilson expertly directing the Wisconsin offense, and later saw him shine in practice, the GM became more and more convinced that this was a young man who possessed the elusive stew of physical and mental attributes necessary to play football's most demanding position at the highest level.
There was just one obvious area in which Wilson came up short.
At 5-foot-10 5/8, Wilson -- unlike Greg Brady's alter ego, Johnny Bravo -- didn'tfit the suit. To most NFL talent evaluators and coaches, this made the idea of selecting Wilson with a high draft pick the following spring a non-starter. As Schneider recalls, "There were a lot of people who were like, 'Too bad.' " Yet, there was so much good about Wilson -- his advanced aptitude for learning, unrelenting work ethic and preternatural maturity, for starters -- that Schneider kept an open mind. Ultimately, he and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the best scouting decisions of their lives, concluding that Wilson's lack of height wasn't a disqualifying factor, drafting him in the third round and opening up a quarterback competition that he would seize as a rookie.
Four seasons, three Pro Bowl selections, two Super Bowl appearances and one ring later, Wilson stands shoulder to shoulder with the elite members of his profession, with the potential to soar even higher. And it's now clear to just about everyone that Wilson's genetic predisposition toward doing the toughest job in team sports is off the charts, tape measures be damned.
"There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the National Football League -- it's not an easy job -- and I'm just grateful I have that opportunity," Wilson said last month as he stood on the indoor practice field at the Seahawks' training facility, where he had followed up a training-camp walkthrough with extra throwing drills to some of the team's young receivers. "And with that gratefulness, you put the work in, because you don't take anything for granted, and that's what it takes to do this job. And in terms of finding that skill set, finding that quote-unquote It Factorthat everybody talks about, or whatever that may be ... you're definitely born with most of it, and then you craft the rest of it. And you keep building your craft through hard work and attention to detail ... and that's what makes you an NFL quarterback, and that's what gives you the opportunity to be great."
Too long to post the whole thing
