A lot of times you hear how important it is for QBs to face adversity in high school or college if they want to be successful in the NFL. This is something I couldn’t agree with more. Why exactly is this the case?
Based on my vast knowledge of what it takes to be a successful NFL QB (by vast, I mean absolutely none whatsoever), here is what I think. In life, we all face moments that rock us to the core and force us to face our toughest internal demons and critics. No matter how good a QB is, they will inevitably face difficult situations, which can lead to self-doubt and damaged confidence.
When they face these moments, they can either give up or fight another day. It is in these situations when they really see what they are made of. When a QB deals with these difficulties in high school or college, they have far fewer eyes and much less pressure on them. Don’t get me wrong, these moments are still extremely hard to deal with. As a high schooler or college student going through these issues, they will probably feel like the hardest things they’ve ever dealt with.
However, when you get to deal with these internal and external struggles away from the entire country watching (aka the NFL), it allows you to have the time and space to overcome these obstacles in order to erase the self-doubt and win back your confidence. Then, each subsequent time you deal with adversity, you will deal with it better and better. Players like Tom Brady who dealt with a ton of challenges pre-NFL were well-equipped to handle NFL struggles.
Now, imagine an NFL QB who hasn’t dealt with a ton of strife in their life. They are a first-round pick making millions, who is supposed to be the savior of their team and city. When they face adversity for the first time and the inner turmoil it causes, they are doing it with hundreds of millions of eyes on them. That is a ridiculous amount of pressure to deal with! Furthermore, teams and fans barely give these young guys a chance to overcome these struggles.
Look at J.J. McCarthy. He’s only 23 years old, has been in the NFL two years, and has started 10 games. Most fans and people in football are already giving up on him. There is no time and no sympathy, as these are multi-billion-dollar teams with a lot of money at stake. Often, people want to say that a guy isn’t “mentally sound enough” to be an NFL QB. I would argue some guys just need time to build up their confidence and resilience to adversity.
Guys like Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Mayfield should give McCarthy hope. Sometimes a reset out of the spotlight gives you the proper time to overcome what you are facing and get in the right headspace to be a QB1 down the road. Then, when you face future challenges, you are more ready to overcome them.
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