American football is known to be one of the most popular sports in the USA. It a team sport played by two teams with 11 players on the field per side, each player has a specific role. One of the positions is called the quarterback (QB), these are the players who receive the ball from the center to start the play. Generally, this player is considered to be the leader and most influential position on the offensive team and is therefore responsible for calling the play in the huddle. Additionally, their job is to pass the ball to other players in order to get the ball down the field and eventually score points. So, what exactly makes a successful quarterback…keep reading to find out.
What Exactly Makes A Great Quarterback?
Arm Strength & Touch
The first essential quality of a top quarterback is the combination of excellent arm strength as well as a polished touch. As we mentioned previously, the main purpose of the QB is to distribute the ball to other players on his team so eventually, the ball will make its way down the field. Basically, the more arm strength a quarterback has, the better his ability to throw the ball at a high speed. Now you know why footballer players have such beautifully sculptured arms.
Able To Perform Well Under Pressure
This next skill is considered to be one of the top qualities amongst the most elite quarterbacks, this is the ability to be able to perform well under pressure as well as being calm. Additionally, a great, QB is able to make quick and wise decisions with regards to how to pass the ball most effectively. A great quarterback is also one that has nerves of steel, especially when there are several opposing players charging at them. For many generations, people believe that a top-class quarterback doesn’t have the word panic in their dictionary.
Mobility
An excellent football quarterback needs to have many great qualities in order to succeed, however, their flexibility and adaptability whilst on the field are probably two of the most important characteristics. Playing this position requires you to move swiftly without being tackled by any of the defensive players from the other team. A good QB with super mobility is often described as having “quick feet”.
Exceptional Vision
If the quarterback wants to lead their team to victory, they need to have a good overall view of the entire field. This doesn’t mean that need to have a perfect twenty-twenty vision, but in an ideal world, it wouldn’t hurt. A QB must promptly scan the football field when he comes to the line of scrimmage prior to the snap of the ball. He also needs to scrutinize the defense, verifying its alignments and especially the depth of the defensive back – how far they are off the line of scrimmage or how close to the receivers they are. Once the ball is grabbed, the QB needs to continue scanning the field as he moves backward.