WEEI.com: Wonderlic scores leaking out - Page 3 - New England Patriots Forums

***patchick*** · 03-22-2009, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainefan

Football is a combination of brawn and brain--both are needed for best results. Having players on the field who are mentally quick and not shaken by pressure has many kinds of benefits. BB knows that and drafts and trades accordingly.

OK...but are you arguing that BB places an emphasis on the Wonderlic in particular? Because he has spent top picks on players with astonishingly low Wonderlic scores on more than one occasion, and with fine results. It all depends on the position.

RayClay · 03-22-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiveShot

Most big time football programs have "special" classes for the dumbasses parading as "student" athletes. They are athletes paid by the school, nothing less. Shame on the schools. Mens basketball programs are far worse than football for almost graduating male students. Compared to the womens graduation rates for all sports the men (boys) should be embarrassed but it's hard to embarrass someone when their too dumb to realize they are being made fools of.

What do you expect? The NFL uses them as a free minor league, and the schools use the players as free talent in their revenue program.

Not too much economic distortion there, is there?

***DaBruinz*** · 03-22-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ichiro

Ben Watson got a 41 or something and still can't learn how to catch the ball. The wonderlic is overrated

Yes.. those 4 drops he had last year just were so devestating. Moss dropped as many as Watson did.

So did Welker and Gaffney..

The same people griping about Watson were the ones griping about Graham. There clearly is no pleasing you. You'd just find something else to complain about.

***DaBruinz*** · 03-22-2009, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scout

Nice post.....................Tell me something, if your an extraordinarily gifted athlete but not college material, but want to play professional football, what are you supposed to do?
Then, you compare the men's programs to the girls, who do not go on to professional sports and some, are not even athletes, but are playing a "sport" to receive a free education (Title IV).

Go to a prep school or junior college so you can be college material. Or check out the CFL. Not sure what the requirements are there.

***patchick*** · 03-22-2009, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayClay

What do you expect? The NFL uses them as a free minor league, and the schools use the players as free talent in their revenue program.

Not too much economic distortion there, is there?

Talk to anybody from Europe and they're completely baffled by America's "big-time college athletics." And frankly, when you stop to think about it it's pretty nonsensical. Why did it end up the province of our universities to run our minor-league football and basketball operations? And why does a guy with a great vertical jump and no interest in academia get a free pass to the same school that a brilliant scholar has to pay a fortune to attend? I guess it's not really surprising that a lot of distorted, illogical framework gets built on that distorted, illogical foundation.

Anyway, back to the old Wonderlic. I'm as fascinated in them as anybody, but draftnik self-interest aside, it's pretty outrageous that these scores are being leaked. When those players agreed to take the test, it was with the understanding that their scores would remain strictly confidential.

***KontradictioN*** · 03-22-2009, 04:15 PM

There are warning signs about Maualuga all over the place. Slow 40 time (for NFL standards) and a bad Wonderlic score. Doesn't really look like he's a good fit for a Bill Belichick defense.

scout · 03-22-2009, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaBruinz

Go to a prep school or junior college so you can be college material. Or check out the CFL. Not sure what the requirements are there.

No. A person who under no circumstances belongs in college (not that there is anything wrong with that) but wants an NFL career, their best option is college ball at a University in the U.S. Are you going to tell that kid that he should go play in the CFL because he has a low SAT score? You could have been great kid.

Mainefan · 03-22-2009, 04:35 PM

No, Patchick, I don't think BB relies solely on the Wonderlic, although I'm sure it's among the factors he looks at. I think he listens to the college coaches and that the interview is important too.

I am trying to think back to remember what low Wonderlic players he's taken on. Could you remind us?

***jmt57*** · 03-22-2009, 04:57 PM

Lost in all this discussion is how this information became public. I thought these were going to be confidential, with big-time discipline for anybody leaking them to the public after the Vince Young embarrassment. With the way Pompei wrote this article it made me think he had a printout of every player's score from the entire Combine.

***patchick*** · 03-22-2009, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainefan

No, Patchick, I don't think BB relies solely on the Wonderlic, although I'm sure it's among the factors he looks at. I think he listens to the college coaches and that the interview is important too.

I am trying to think back to remember what low Wonderlic players he's taken on. Could you remind us?

Two who come immediately to mind: Graham & Wilfork, both #21 overall picks, both scored a whopping 10. And I think Asante Samuel scored the same.

I think I said this in another thread, but there are only a handful of positions where a low Wonderlic would really give me pause, headed by QB, C & ILB. I'd at least want to see some other sparkling evidence of excellent info processing, communication and leadership skills in those cases.