Friday, July 3, 2009

Eli Near Top of Mechanics Tree


The bottom line in team sports is wins. Ugly wins or pretty wins don't matter, just win baby! There have been successful quarterbacks with awful mechanics that just got the job done, but solid mechanics give the QB a better chance of producing repeatable results with his passes, thereby creating more potential positive results by the end of the game. That said, a beautifully thrown ball in the air, if thrown to the other team, doesn't mean much, so decision making will always be the most important attribute of a QB, but great mechanical fundamentals are a close second.
I put Tom Brady on the top of the list of best mechanics in the league. He is almost always on balance (football is a dynamic game, so it is impossible to always be on balance with pressure coming from different areas of the field each play). His release point is out front with the tip of the ball toward the target and his hips and shoulders are equal and flat (not tipped back or forward) on release.
Eli Manning is probably number two in the NFL right now. He is better than Peyton in the mechanics department. Peyton's weight is too far forward too early in his motion and causes him to rely on his arm a bit too much. No one is arguing Peyton's success, but Eli's balance is better throughout his delivery. They both have one Super Bowl under their belts, but we'll all have to wait and see how the careers end up to see which motion wins out!

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