I understand what Lombardi was trying to do I just think he did an exceptionally poor job. I think what he attempts to quantify is pretty tough to quantify to begin with. My problem with the list is that he doesn’t successfully isolate football IQ. He conflates it with physical talent and the ability to play football at a high level. You could have a high football IQ and be a slow WR or a LB that just doesn’t have the ability to shed blocks and make tackles…

Why is Miles Austin on the list for his ability to… concentrate? Don’t all top quality WRs have good concentration? I just don’t see how Miles separates himself from other WRs in terms of this ability, for example. I just don’t understand what justifies Lombardi’s choice of these particular players versus other WRs that share the skills Miles apparently makes the list for.

And as far as Peyton’s football IQ… the best I can give him is a maybe, honestly. He’s definitely the best QB in the league but is he the most football smart? He’s only ever had to learn one offensive system his whole career, which undoubtably has helped him develop a masterful hold of his offense. Is he really more football smart than a Campbell or a Chad Pennington? Those players are of lesser ability and have a lesser skill level so they’re less football intelligent? If Chad was more football intelligent than Manning, for example, how would he ever have proved it with his shredded shoulder and low velocity passes? He can be as smart as he wants to be but he throws a more interceptable ball for reasons related most strongly to his physical strength. Maybe there’s a backup QB who can’t hit the broad side of a barn but has a deep, nuanced understanding of the game and will eventually be a HOF coach. There are players at the QB position that won’t get a chance to ever really show their stuff and there are players at positions like RB or FB who may very well be intensely football smart but who would think so from watching Addai or AP or CJ run the ball… They don’t get the same opportunity to display their football IQ as a QB, Center, or MLB who gets to adjust plays and protections…

I’m certain Peyton is up there and his ability to read defenses is impressive but not all positions have the capability to showcase their ability in this regard. Someone like Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark only needs to read his particular matchup but maybe they could do what Peyton does if that was what they had to learn to do coming into the league.

To me the article is vapid and lacks substance much like the attacks on Lebron’s character following his business decision this summer. There isn’t much meat there and it’s a harmless entertainment piece.

Does that make sense? I don’t know why it would piss off Colts fans if I thought that there was a chance that Manning isn’t the #1 football smart player in the league or that there might be some bench warmer or marginal starter out there that will eventually make a fantastic coach or maybe a better coach than Manning if he does go that route (This is even likely. Who talked about Dungy’s football smarts during his career? Or Jeff Fisher’s? I’m sure the league was QB centric then too).