Studies have shown that the average person has the ability to hold 5-9 items in their short-term memory. Not sure how many studies have been done to decipher how 30,000 people screaming in your direction affects memory, but in college I tried studying while my suite mate was having sex and I could hardly concentrate over his crying.
In any event, I’m offering most of you no new information when I say that there’s more to being an NFL quarterback than a slingshot of an arm. You gotta be poised, intelligent, and a leader. That’s why QBs consistently score highly in the NFL’s Wonderlic Test–50 questions that measure a player’s ability to think on their feet, follow directions, and make effective decisions under the pressure of a time clock. Offensive lineman are the only ones who, on average, score higher than QBs.
This clip of Drew Brees, who scored a middle-of-the-pack 28/50 Wonderlic, demonstrates a slither of the knowledge a QB must obtain before his arm is even tested. Check out these two calls:
Gun, Flex, Right, Stack, 394, Dragon, Smoke, Kill, Turbo, Sucker, Right.
Y2, Green, Right, Off, Nasty, Hound, 2Y, Flutie, X, Basic, Backs, Right, On One.
I can hardly remember my phone number.
[h/t Total Pro Sports]