Quote:
Originally Posted by Jlighter
How about we ask John Elway, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Roger Staubach, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Joe Namath, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning?
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Not to digress too much from Te'o, but a QB's height is completely overrated.. as are many other measureables. If a guy is smaller but knows the offense inside and out, can keep cool during the play, has a live accurate arm, and can move when need be, he'll be able to see and get the ball out. BTW- Montana, though listed at 6'2" was probably about 6' and very very skinny.. but he was a smart, tough, supremely confident leader, and mobile when need be.. and also like Russell Wilson was a 3rd rounder. Brady, who I got to play against in HS, was a 6th rounder who backed up Scott Dreisbach then Brian Griese, and then had to split time with Drew Hensen at Michigan.. his big NFL break came due to a Bledsoe punctured lung. Who knows if he'd have gotten another chance?? Favre was 2nd rounder who ATL traded to Green Bay after his rookie year. Rodgers, had zero D-I offers out of HS and played JC ball.
It's a very non exact science and is impossible to predict who will succeed and who won't. Even the guys above who seem like no doubter superstar types all had college coaches, GMs, coordinators along the way that didn't see what they could become. I think having measureables gets you in the door easier.. see 6'8" Dan McGwire, or Jamarcus Russell.. but to make it, they have to put ridiculous study and work, not really ever get discouraged (much harder than it sounds), be incredible leaders of large groups of very alfa type men, and have generally unbreakable stones... see Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and now Russell Wilson.
What is amazing to me is that for every Russell Wilson or Tom Brady that defies the odds, there's 50 guys just as talented that didn't get that break they needed, or were blocked out by a narrow minded coach/GM and are either journeyman back ups, or out of the league entirely.