The Biggest Flaw for Every Starting QB in the NFL

The Biggest Flaw for Every Starting QB in the NFL By Ian Wharton Jun 5, 2015 Jack Dempsey/Associated Press We’re in the midst of the NFL offseason, so it’s a good time to look at the league’s marquee position, quarterback. Every quarterback has strengths that they rely upon each week to keep their team competitive. On the flip side, all quarterbacks have flaws they must overcome, and defenses work to exploit those weaknesses.The few elite quarterbacks across the league compensate for their flaws better than anyone. Often, their weaknesses are much less severe as their competition, which makes their success more impressive and apparent.Using a mixture of advanced statistics and film study from the 2014 season, we’ve identified the biggest flaw for every starting quarterback in the NFL. Some of these flaws are to a lesser extent than others, but the human aspect of the game certainly comes into play. Even the best quarterbacks have their struggles.NFC SouthAtlanta Falcons—Matt Ryan: Improvisation Jeff Haynes/Associated Press Within the structure of the offense, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan ranks as one of the best in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks in the top six of each of the following categories: accuracy percentage, passing under pressure and deep passing.There’s not much debate to the statement that when Ryan is in rhythm he is a great quarterback. His biggest flaw shows when he is unable to go to his first two targets, he breaks down and loses that efficiency.That’s where Ryan’s film has the most glaring weakness. His inability to get outside of the pocket and buy time for his receivers isn’t poor, but not up to the standard he has set for when he is in the pocket.Carolina Panthers—Cam Newton: Footwork Ted S. Warren/Associated Press Watching Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton transform as his career has progressed has been fascinating. He’s no longer the raw athlete playing quarterback. He’s become a great quarterback with elite athleticism.Newton doesn’t always get the respect he deserves because his raw stats aren’t elite, but that’s not really how any quarterback should be measured. Newton’s surrounding cast has been embarrassingly poor throughout his career, which has hurt those numbers greatly. Most importantly, Newton’s mechanics and mental processing are leaps and bounds better in four seasons.The area that can use more work is his footwork. A big reason why Pro Football Focus had Newton’s passing accuracy at 37th in 2014 was his lower body. He’ll rush throws, compromising the positioning of his feet to get the ball into a tight window.New Orleans Saints—Drew Brees: Arm Strength Brian Blanco/Associated Press Another one of the elite quarterbacks of the past 10 to 15 years, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has had to adjust his game to succeed. Down the stretch of the 2014 season, Brees’ arm looked gassed at times, forcing the Saints to assault the short to intermediate part of the field more often.According to Pro Football Focus, Brees attempted just 27 deep passes outside of the hash marks, down from 54 in 2013. Brees is still one of the most accurate throwers in the league, which is a testament to his anticipation and mechanics.Like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Brees must embrace the loss of arm strength to thrive. With a rebuilt offensive line and one of the best head coaches in the NFL, Brees is in a great position to make that adjustment as he ages.Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Jameis Winston: Throwing over the Middle Chris O'Meara/Associated Press On the field, it was clear during the draft process that former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had more NFL-type training in college. Their system was similar to an NFL playbook, utilizing the pocket to call plays and spacing receivers in less-gimmicky ways.As a freshman, Winston had an NFL-ready receiver in Kelvin Benjamin. His turnover count was low, with only 10 interceptions. Losing Benjamin stung badly, and Winston’s turnover rate swelled to 18.Not all of these interceptions were Winston’s fault, or over the middle. But Winston’s penchant for forcing passes over the middle of the field must change immediately. There were too many instances where Winston would either ignore or just not see the underneath defenders. NFL linebackers will love feasting on Winston if he doesn’t correct this.For every QB....link