What Makes a Great Quarterback: Stats You Should Consider

Statistics can look and feel very honest but let’s not kid around here; numbers can be deceiving. However, even though that’s the case, statistics can still be accurate with the right context and with proper research.

Now, quarterbacks are one of the most important parts of the team, and without them, scoring can be hard.

During the draft, they can be cherry-picked by coaches not only because of their popularity but also because of their official statistics. A player’s statistics give us an insight into how they operate and play in the field.

But as mentioned earlier, they can be deceiving and very controversial. This is especially true in the quarterback position.

Stats vary according to the person making, so there is a lot of debate about the numbers.

So if you want to get a little insight into which stats are the most crucial when picking a QB, here are some statistical factors you might want to dip into when it comes to QBs.

Touchdown-to-Interception Ratio

Points and turnover are the most important keys to winning college football betting, at least some of us would say. And since the QB is the most important player on the field, he would be the one to control how often his team would score and turn the ball over. Of course, this ratio correlates a lot to the chance of a team winning the game, so most of us value this stat to the extreme.

For example, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady are all in the top three in this stat, with a combined 110-to-27 ratio back in 2012. And with that kind of number, the Packers, Broncos, and Patriots all won their divisions with a 36-12.

However, this stat only looks at some plays in the game. Also, it only mostly focuses on the offensive side of things, which is why it often has a high touchdown number. If the QB is conservative, there will be a low interception total. For example, Alex Smith has a 30-to-10 ratio, which is technically higher than Drew Brees (89-to-33) and Matt Ryan (61-to-26). Would you say Alex Smith is in the same caliber as these Pro-Bowl caliber QBs?

Completion Percentage

This is also one of the most sought-after stats in football, especially for the QB. So if you’re trying to research a QB’s performance on paper, the completion percentage should be the first one you should check. So what is the completion percentage? A quarterback throws the ball, and the receiver catches it without letting the ball touch the ground. So, of course, the higher this percentage is, the better the performance of the QB.

However, a QB can afford a low completion percentage and still do great in a game. Experts often say that a QB should have a percentage above 60 to say that they have done well. But then, if you think about it, you can consider the Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco back in 2012.

He only had a 57.9 completion percentage during the 2012 regular season. Still, his touchdown-to-interception ratio of 11-to-0, his rating was 117.2, and he averaged in that season with 9.1 yards per attempt, which is no joke.

Yards Per Attempt

Yards per attempt is one of the go-to stats of veterans for years. Although the stat itself is unreliable, it tells how many yards a QB had produced per throw. While the yards per attempt every game can be useless, it still considers the completion percentage and the downfield passing ability.

This stat also tells us about how a QB is doing recently, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate which QBs are producing much skill. For example, let’s look at Andrew Luck, Josh Freeman, and Cam Newton. They were leading in this category back in 2012, but none of them ultimately is part of the elite right now.

However, if you look at Rodgers, Manning, Griffin, and Wilson, they were top in this stat, but they are also at the top of the touchdown-to-interception.

Therefore, if you look at this stat and pair it with the touchdown-to-interception ratio, you will have a more accurate insight into how a QB performs. However, this stat doesn’t have disadvantages. For example, it doesn’t differentiate between an incomplete pass and an interception. Also, some QBs are victimized by their team’s offensive scheme, potentially making this number low.

Final Words

QBs are one of the most important players on a football team, so most eyes are on them in a typical game.

If you want to gain insight into a QB’s statistics and gauge how well he has been performing recently, you might want to look at their stats according to what we discussed above.