WEEI.com: Wonderlic scores leaking out

[patchick]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Patsaholic]

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).

I agree with most of your views, but wished to fix the typo. It's Title IX, not title IV.

Unfortunately Title IX has been mangled from its original intent. It was created to give women equal opportunities in sports, in reality it has only limited men's sports to pare down men sports to keep participation percentages equal.

Title IX works if you assume all programs lose money equally, but men's sports tend to fund athletic programs, while women's sports with a few exceptions drain it.

Secondly, 18 year olds are not physically or mentally ready to play pro ball, at least not without mangling their bodies. College is a good requirement as it does force the able to have an advantage after the game leaves them behind, as it does most. I wish the NFL could require a college degree as the basis for entrance, it may eleminate most of the off field issues. Smart people are less likely to get arrested than dumb people (and yes some dumb people are college educated, but it does lessen that number precipitously).

 

[VJCPatriot]

Hey all ... the Wonderlic scores from this year's draft class are starting to come out. We have a few of them here.

Nice stuff. Delmas only scored a 12? Weird. And Barnes scored a 41!! That's even higher than Stafford who's a QB. Man, Barnes on day 2 could be a nice pickup. Good size/speed and brains? Sounds like a Patriot type of DB.

Kevin Barnes CB Maryland 6-0 187 3 4.45 -- 38 1/2 2.56 1.49 10'08" 3.96 6.72

 

[captain stone]

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.

I'm surprised that Grahambo scored so poorly. I also remember A$ante's poor score, but for a low 4th-rounder - and a CB - I wouldn't have expected much more than that. The same goes for NT, or anywhere else on the DL.

Besides QB, C & ILB, I prefer higher Wonderlics from the rest of the OL - esp. the Tackles - and SS. These are the positions which require not only that pre-snap calls be made, but also that post-snap adjustments be made, and quickly.

 

[eom]

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.

I believe the theory of it is that the great vertical jumper will bring in more money for the school than the brilliant scholar.
schools make big dough off sports, so they hire athletes and pay them via scholarships.

meanwhile, the brilliant scholar might be in line for some scholarships of his own.
it's mostly the mediocre white students that have to pay the fortune.

 

[JMarr]

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.

BB leaked them so that Maualuga would fall right into our hands. :eat1:

 

[g-fresh]

I think people make too much out of these. I bet a some of the players are smart enough that if they cared they could do better academically but instead choose to focus on football so when it comes time for the wonderlic they bomb it. What matters to BB is how they do when they quiz them on football strategy, if they show a good understanding of schemes, as well as the ability to adapt and anticipate then wonderlic scores don't matter.

 

[Feep50]

This subject comes up every Spring like crocuses. I don't have particularly strong feelings either way on wonderlic scores but it seems to me that almost anyone should score in the 20's at least.

Out of curiosity: Anyone remember what Mayo's was last year? Or Crable? Or, what the heck O'Connell?

 

[Clonamery]

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.

$$$$$$$$$$.

 

[patchick]

$$$$$$$$$$.

I believe the theory of it is that the great vertical jumper will bring in more money for the school than the brilliant scholar.
schools make big dough off sports, so they hire athletes and pay them via scholarships.

Except the scholarships are--and have always been--given for every varsity sport, not just the spectator favorites. There's no chance those javelin throwers and field hockey players add more to the school's bottom line in the long run than a scientist or scholar.

And even in football & basketball, there's a dirty little secret: it doesn't work. Hundreds of schools build super-expensive sports facilities with dreams of a massive payout, and the vast majority of them lose their shirts doing it.

 

[gomezcat]

Interesting. I would kill for an online wonderlic here that Patsfans folks could take publicly. I think Miguel would do OK

Yeah, even you might get some correct!

I think most people on here would do OK. This board and the Planet has an above-average number of people with college degrees, who would be expected to do well on that test.