Building The Ultimate NFL QB With Scott Mitchell
Jun 19, 2019, 9:15 AM | Updated: 10:23 am
John Elway #7, Quarterback for the Denver Broncos calls the play on the line of scrimmage during the American Football Conference West game against the Kansas City Chiefs on 6 December 1998 at the Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado, United States. The Broncos won the game 35 - 31. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Think of the greatest quarterbacks you know. Now take them apart and piece together the best parts of each one to create a super quarterback.
On Helmets Off Podcast, Scott Mitchell, a former NFL quarterback himself, built what he calls “the perfect quarterback.”
Mitchell broke it down in four parts – feet, arm, head and most importantly heart.
The Feet
Some of the names that initially came to Mitchell’s mind when thinking about quick, athletic quarterbacks included Steve Young, Cam Newton and Michael Vick.
“Steve young re-wrote athleticism as it relates to quarterbacks,” Mitchell complimented the former BYU superstar.
He couldn’t choose just one. Mitchell cheated at his own game and picked two quarterbacks’ feet, one for each leg. One leg is the runner and one is the footwork artist.
“In all reality, to have the ultimate quarterback, you have to have both of those things,” said Mitchell.
“The fastest human being I’ve ever seen on a football field.”
@MichaelVick’s career highlight reel is just insane 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/oAVVuWJAbU— NFL (@NFL) March 20, 2018
From a pure athletic and speed perspective, according to Mitchell, there was no one better than Michael Vick. He described Vick’s ability to run the football as “freakish”
He chose Joe Montanna’s footwork on the other leg. Mitchell described Montanna’s movement in the pocket as “graceful precision”. Every move he made was with a purpose, according to Mitchell.
The Arm
Quarterbacks have two arms so Mitchell chose two for this category as well. One arm is sheer strength and the other is accuracy. Some quarterbacks have cannon arms but lack the accuracy and that leads to interceptions, Mitchell brought up.
Randall Cunningham, Brett Favre and John Elway all got thrown in the arm strength discussion. In the end, Mitchell picked Elway’s “cannon arm.”
Elway’s arm is so legendary there is a rumor of the “Elway Cross”. If one of his passes hit a receiver in an unprotected area it would leave a cross mark from the stitching of the ball.
As for accuracy, Dan Marino takes the other arm.
“His accuracy and precision were spectacular,” described Mitchell.
Mitchell had a front row seat to watch Marino’s precision and the work that went into creating it, as Marino’s backup with the Miami Dolphins.
The Head
Mitchell said there are two sides of the brain, right and left, so gets to choose two here also. One is what he called football IQ or knowledge of the game. The other is leadership and the ability to handle and react to pressure.
He chose Peyton Manning for his knowledge of the game because he changed the level of preparation and understanding required for quarterbacks going into every game, according to Mitchell.
“With his level of preparation, I believe he took football to a whole new level,” Mitchell said on the podcast, “No one prepared harder.”
The other side is Roger Staubach. He was captain of the field and lovingly known as “Captain America” to Dallas Cowboys fans.
“Roger Staubach is like George Washington…he is the leader you want on your team,” Mitchell described.
The Heart
Some players just have the pursuit of excellence, the will to win and the ability to perform in clutch situations. That is the heart.
There is no other heart Mitchell would rather have than Tom Brady.
“I can’t even think of another player who fits this category other than Brady,” said Mitchell, “He has the heart of a lion and his rings prove it.”
Jules I JUST put them away, do you have any idea how long that vault combo takes? https://t.co/P4eMLZvGpS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) June 7, 2019
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“This quarterback would be unbeatable, you couldn’t touch it,” he closed.
Mitchell wants to know how you would build your super quarterback. Find Helmets Off and Facebook and let him know.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Helmets Off wherever you get podcasts or on the KSL Sports app.
Listen to the full episode below.
