I mean, I’m going on 50 years of following football. To see Bryce Young, Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold type fail year after year and watch the Tommy DeVito’s and Brock Purdys emerge? There is no science to it.
My only explanation is that the game has changed a lot. Going back to Brady and Manning, they read defenses brilliantly, adjusted calls at the line, and relied on precise routes and throws to beat the defense.
In my view, that entire style of offense is no longer effective. Defenses are too good, player roles more flexible. It’s like position-less basketball, where you can no longer run ISO on mismatches and hope to win.
The guys who succeed are both receivers and QBs who make post snap adjustments. That means extending plays with you legs, and receivers who don’t just blindly run routes, but who look back and adjust based on what’s happening behind the line of scrimmage. It’s a different skill set. It’s more like sandlot football. Zach Wilson has the right physical tools for that style but the Jets don’t play that way (and he may just be too dumb). Watch clips of Tyreke Hill and you’ll see how early he turns his head back to the QB then adjusts.
I think some of the QB failures is just from guys playing in the wrong system.