NFL scouts say accuracy is the most important quality in a quarterback. When drafting a quarterback out of college, scouts look first for accuracy. Inaccuracy produces incompletions and interceptions. Accuracy leads to completions and touchdowns. A quarterback needs to be accurate in order for a team to move the football down the field.
In the 2018 NFL draft, scouts said that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen needed to become more accurate passers. This may have effected their standing in the draft. In contrast, the scouts complimented the accuracy of Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold. Rosen went later in the draft than many predicted, but it was not because there were questions about his accuracy. Darnold went 3rd overall to the New York Jets.
Baker Mayfield was the most accurate quarterback in division 1 college football last year. Mayfield, while playing for the University of Oklahoma, completed 70% of his passes. He was drafted fourth overall by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are hoping his high completion percentage will continue in the NFL.
Last season, Darnold completed 63.1% of his passes, and Rosen completed 62.6% of his passes. Allen completed 56.3% of his passes, while Jackson completed 59.1% of his passes.
Drew Brees, of the New Orleans Saints, is the most accurate quarterback in NFL history. Brees has completed 66.9% of his career pass attempts. Chad Pennington has completed the second highest percentage of his passes at 66%. Kurt Warner and Kirk Cousins both completed 65.5% of their passes. Peyton Manning and Tony Romo completed 65.3% of their passes.
Brees has had three of the most accurate four seasons for a quarterback. In 2017, Brees completed 72% of his passes, which is the highest completion percentage for a single season in NFL history. Brees also completed 71.2% of his passes in 2011 and 70.6% of his passes in 2009. Sam Bradford completed 71.6% of his passes in 2016, which is the second highest completion percentage for a single season in league history. Ken Anderson completed 70.6% of his passes in 1982.
In addition to Brees, other quarterbacks completed a high percentage of their passes in 2017. Case Keenum completed the second highest percentage of his passes at 67.6%. Alex Smith completed the third highest percentage at 67.5%. Josh McCown completed 67.3 % of his passes. Tom Brady completed 66.3% of his passes. Brees, Keenum, Smith, McCown and Brady were the five most accurate passers in the league last year. Ironically, Keenum and Smith are on new teams for the upcoming season.
Profootballfocus.com ranked the most accurate deep ball passers in 2017. The site refers to a stat called "adjusted completion percentage" which looks at throws for 20 yards or more. The statistic accounts for "dropped passes, throwaways and passes in which the quarterback was hit as he throws." The stat is a decent way to measure the accuracy of quarterbacks who throw deep passes.
According to Profootballfocus.com, Alex Smith was the most accurate deep passer last season. Smith's adjusted completion percentage was 56.5%. Brees was second best at 52.5%. McCown had an adjusted completion percentage of 46.7%. Dak Prescott was the fourth most accurate passer on deep throws with an adjusted completion percentage of 46.5%. Smith, Brees, McCown and Prescott were the most accurate quarterbacks on deep throws in 2017.
Troy Aikman is the most accurate quarterback in Super Bowl history. Aikman completed 70% of his passes in 3 games. Joe Montana completed 68% of this passes in 4 games. Peyton Manning completed 66.5% of his passes in 4 different games. Eli Manning completed 66.2% of his passes in 2 games. Tom Brady has completed 65.8% of his passes in 8 games.
Phil Simms had the most accurate game in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl XXI, Simms completed 88% of his passes. In Super Bowl XLIV, Brees completed 82.1% of his throws. Montana completed 75.9% of his passes in Super Bowl XXIV. Eli Manning completed 75% of his passes in Super Bowl XLVI. Brady completed 74% of his tosses in Super Bowl XLIX.
Throwing the football into a tight window is also a sign of accuracy. According to "Next Gen Stats", a tight window pass happens when the intended receiver is separated from the defender by less than one yard. Recently, NFL quarterbacks were ranked according to this ability. The rankings took three criteria into consideration: Completion percentage on tight window passes; passer rating on tight-window passes; adjusted yards per attempt on tight-window passes. The rankings were added to create the total score for 35 different quarterbacks who were ranked the highest.
Prescott was the best tight window passer. He had a completion percentage of 45.8% on tight window passes. He had the best passer rating on tight window throws at 82.1. Additionally, he had 7.41 for adjusted yards per attempt. Matthew Stafford was second overall. Case Keenum was third overall. Alex Smith was fourth overall. Ben Roethlisberger was fifth overall.
The ability to throw into a tight window is important. It enables a quarterback to throw the football to a wide receiver who may be covered closely. The ability to throw the football into a tight window helps to offset good defensive coverage. This ability depends on natural talent and hard work. The natural talent must be cultivated with hard work and practice.
Accuracy is a skill that quarterbacks develop over time. They have to have the basic skill of hand/eye coordination. This basic ability has to be innate and inborn. However, quarterbacks can develop accuracy over time.
Quarterbacks can become more accurate through rote repetition. They can practice throwing the football at different lengths. They can practice short, medium and deep throws. There is no substitute for rote repetition and practice.
Quarterbacks can throw a football through a tire which is played at different points on the field. Quarterbacks can practice throwing the football to wide receivers who run different routes. Of course, there is no substitute for passing the football to a covered wide receiver. This forces the quarterback to throw a football into a tight window.
Ryan Brennan, writing for thoughtco.com, discusses 7 drills that can improve accuracy.
The first drill is called "The Two Knees Drill: Warm-Up." This drill improves concentration and warms up the quarterback's arm. In this drill, two quarterbacks position themselves on their knees. They stand 10 yards from each other. The quarterbacks throw the football back and forth to one another. The focus is on accuracy and concentration instead of speed.
The second drill is called The One Knee Drill: Wrist Motion and Arm Strength. Two quarterbacks, once again, kneel down about 10 yards from each other. However, this time each quarterback kneels down on one knee only. The quarterback is encouraged to focus on using the arm only for the throw. This is an attempt to build strength in the quarterback's arm.
The third drill is called The Circle Toss Drill:Agility. This drill involves two people. One person stands still. The other person runs in a circle around the person and throws the ball to the person standing still. The radius of the circle is a decent distance away. The two quarterbacks can change roles eventually. The person doing the passing can also change directions.
The fourth drill is called Down the Line Drill: Conditioning and Throwing. During this drill, both quarterbacks run the distance of the field while they are playing catch. During this drill, both players will have to adjust their targets and throw the football quickly so that they get in as many throws as possible. Both players are 10 yards from each other during this drill.
The fifth drill is called Sprint Out Drill: Accuracy. During this drill, one player sprints out to the left. The quarterback will throw the ball to the receiver after the sprint. Then the receiver will sprint out to the right and receive the football after the sprint.
The sixth drill is called Find Open Receiver Drill: Scanning and Adaptable Decision Making. The goal here is for the quarterback to survey the field before he chooses where to pass the football. This drill improves the quarterback's decision making ability and accuracy, which should improve his completion percentage. 10 to 15 players line up as receivers. The quarterback looks at the receivers , while the coach stands behind him. The coach points to a receiver to be a target. The receiver puts up his hand, while the quarterback continues to survey the field. Then the quarterback throws the football to the receiver who has his hand raised.
The seventh drill is called Throwing Progression Drill: Warm - Up. Two quarterbacks look at each other while they are standing 15 yards apart. At first, the two quarterbacks are sitting on the ground while they play catch. After 25 passes, they kneel on one knee. The quarterbacks can continue to sit and kneel in different positions. The two quarterbacks focus on their techniques and mechanics.
Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the University of Michigan, has a list of favorite quarterback drills. Michael Austin, writing for coachad.com, discusses some of those drills.
During the anticipation drill, the quarterback improves his ability to throw the football to a receiver that he anticipates will get open. A receiver sets up behind a screen. The quarterback drops back and then throws the football to the receiver as he becomes visible from behind the screen.
During the Quick Release Drill, the quarterback improves his accuracy by throwing the football to a stationary target. A coach kneels close to the quarterback and tosses the football to the quarterback who throws the football as quickly as possible to a stationary target. After the quarterback throws the football, the coach tosses the quarterback another football.
During the Hitch-Hitch-Go-Or-Throw Drill, the quarterback moves into the pocket and decides whether he should throw or run after he surveys the field. The quarterback can drop five or seven feet back. The quarterback makes two hitch moves and moves towards the line of scrimmage while the coach pretends to be a linebacker. The coach either drops back into coverage or goes after the quarterback. The quarterback has to make a quick and good decision based on the movement of the coach.
Harbaugh's fourth drill is called The Circle Drill. This drill improves a quarterback's ability "to throw on the run, off balance or under duress." The drill improves a quarterback's ability to throw when he is outside the pocket. Two quarterbacks line up 5 yards from different cones. Both quarterbacks run to the right while they stay 10 yards away from each other. Then the coach yells "switch" which tells the quarterbacks to move in the opposite direction.
Accuracy is connected to mechanics, arm strength and footwork. Good quarterbacks need the proper mechanics and footwork. Additionally, they need the arm strength to make deep throws. Even good quarterbacks can improve in these areas.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a good quarterback. However, as he enters his first full season as an NFL starting quarterback, there are ways in which he can improve. Richard Madrid, of 49erswebzone.com, discusses some of the ways that Garoppolo can improve.
Madrid says that Garoppolo needs to improve his footwork. Madrid says that Garoppolo can limit the number of errant throws he makes, if he improves his footwork. Madrid says "Early on in his starts for the 49ers it was apparent that he lacked the ability to throw deep passes with any consistency because his footwork prevented him from delivering passes with enough control and velocity." Madrid suggests that if Garoppolo can improve his footwork, he could become more consistent.
Madrid says "The glaring issue with his footwork is that he has a tendency to not open up his front foot (plant foot) to the target. When a quarterback doesn't open his front foot to the target, it screws up his weight transfer on the rest of the throw. The back foot lags behind, the hips don't rotate and generate torque, and the throwing power is generated in the elbow and the shoulder, causing control issues." Madrid suggests that Garoppolo's accuracy is harmed when he does not open up his front foot and point it towards the receiver. Consequently, poor weight transfer effects the pass. By forcing the shoulder and the elbow to "power" the throw, it makes Garoppolo less accurate.
Madrid elaborates by saying "A quarterback's throwing power, like most athletes, is generated in the hips. Try and throw a football with just your arm and then try and throw it while rotating your hips. The ball travels much farther and with greater control. Even baseball players, try swinging a bat with just your arms and then try swinging while rotating your hips. You generate much more power." So, Madrid emphasizes the importance of hip rotation for a quarterback. Like footwork, hip rotation, effects the accuracy of a quarterback.
Madrid says that Aaron Rodgers is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. Rodgers has many good qualities as a quarterback that support his fundamental accuracy. These qualities may not be directly related to accuracy, however, they allow Rodgers to employ his accurate throwing motion.
Brandon Hall, writing for Stack.com, discusses Rodgers' passing ability. Hall notes that when Rodgers came out of college he had flaws in his passing game that were corrected. When he entered the NFL, Rodgers held the football too high. However, Hall says "Once he arrived in Green Bay, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and former Packers quarterback coach Tom Clements went to work on Rodgers' mechanics. Perhaps, most importantly, they gradually helped him hold the ball lower in the pocket. Eventually, Rodgers became comfortable holding the ball between the middle of his chest and his throwing shoulder, making his delivery much more fluid. If you ask Rodgers about his mechanics today, he's quick to point out how vital a role his lower half plays." This change in mechanics helped Rodgers to utilize his feet and legs to help him become more accurate and do develop more strength on his throws. Rodgers' receptivity to coaching helped him to improve his game when he entered the NFL.
According to Zach Kruse, of bleacherreport.com, Rodgers' "escapability" helps him to be such a good quarterback. Kruse says "There is no quarterback in the NFL as consistently accurate outside the pocket as Rodgers, and his footwork is a big reason why. Big plays happen in the NFL when quarterbacks get outside the pocket and have clear lanes to throw the football down the field. Accurate throws are then a must." Rodgers is capable of making big plays because he can escape from the pocket and identify clear lanes to throw the football into. So, Rodgers' ability to escape from the rush and improvise makes him more accurate as a passer.
Kruse also points out that Rodgers can control a defense with his eyes. Kruse says "You have to love when an offensive route concept is augmented by a quarterback who can change what a defense is doing by simply using his eyes. Rodgers does it with the best in the NFL on a consistent basis." Sometimes Rodgers will focus on one receiver, which makes the defense thinks he will throw the football to him. However, then Rodgers will throw the football to another receiver who he did not look at. Sometimes, the second receiver gets open because the defense thinks Rodgers is going to throw the football to the receiver that Rodgers is looking at. It is a good technique that helps Rodgers to fool the defense and keep them off balance.
Kruse also says that Rodgers shows good "anticipation against a blitz." Rodgers can find the open receiver even when the defense blitzes. Sometimes Rodgers is undaunted when he is facing the blitz. Rodgers can calmly make the right read and accurately throw the football to an open receiver.
In Rodgers' case, accuracy remains his most important attribute as a quarterback. Accuracy is the foundation of his ability as a quarterback. However, these other qualities add to his ability as a quarterback. These other qualities are like pillars that are attached to the foundation of accuracy. These and other qualities make Rodgers one of the best quarterbacks in the game today.
Aaron Rodgers may be the best quarterback in the game today. However, Peyton Manning is one of the all time greats. Manning was also known for his accuracy. Manning was accurate because of a combination of his natural talent, hard work, preparation, constant practice and his innate understanding of the game. A combination of many attributes helped to make Manning an accurate quarterback.
In 2014, Manning's third year with the Denver Broncos, Troy Renck, of the Denver Post, said "Accuracy. It defines his (Manning's) statistics, and why it should come as no surprise that in meetings, coaches have referred to him as Greg Maddux because of his command." Renck believed that Manning's accuracy defined his total body of work. Manning's accuracy is what helped to define his career.
Renck said "Manning possesses the skill to throw to open. Translation: The cornerback blankets the receiver until the last moment before the ball arrives. This talent remains as valuable to Manning as detecting a linebacker's stance at the line of scrimmage or a safety blitz. He learned as a rookie that open in the NFL represents inches, not feet." In other words, Manning learned early in his NFL career that precision matters a lot to a quarterback. Being precise with his passes helped Manning to have a good career. Precision helped him to become successful as a quarterback.
Renck pointed out that Manning used "summer practice to develop timing, working before and after practice with receivers. The process begins with air routes, where no defense exists, followed by 7-on-7 and finally the entire offensive group." So, Manning utilized the summer to work on precision and timing with his receivers. He wanted to develop a rapport and a good working chemistry with his receivers. The more Manning and the Bronco receivers practiced together, the more precise Manning's passes would be to the receivers. Hence, the more successful the Bronco offensive would be.
A quarterback needs to do many things in order to be successful. He needs to be able to go through his progressions and locate the open receiver. A quarterback needs to be able to read defenses and see whether the safety is going to help the cornerback. A quarterback needs to identify the blitz and call audibles at the line of scrimmage if necessary.
A quarterback needs to have a strong arm in order to throw deep passes. A quarterback needs to be able to take charge in the huddle and guide the team down the field. He needs to be able to effectively run the play action pass in order to draw in the defenders to give the receivers some separation.
There are many things that a quarterback needs to do. However, accuracy is the most important attribute of a quarterback. Accuracy is the most important quality that a quarterback can have. Perhaps more than anything else, accuracy defines whether a quarterback will be successful in the NFL.
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