The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks

by Bruce Feldman

With unparalleled access to Heisman Trophy-winning phenom Johnny Manziel, Bruce Feldman has written a modern-day tale about the making of the next superstars in football's most important the quarterback.   In the world of modern football, with NFL teams worth more than a billion dollars, no position defines a franchise like the quarterback. The QB is the story of a year in the making of those star players, and of the most significant year in QB development in sport’s history… with the meteoric rise of various quarterback gurus finally coming to light. George Whitfield, profiled in the New Yorker and called the “Quarterback Whisperer,” gets a regular spot on ESPN’s College GameDay, Trent Dilfer, former Super Bowl quarterback, starts his own qb business, Steve Clarkson, another qb maker, gets profiled on 60 minutes, among many others. It is also the year 5’10” Russell Wilson wins the Super Bowl and for the first time in over 60 years a sub-6-foot QB, Johnny Manziel, gets drafted in the first round, forcing NFL power brokers to re-examine how they look at the position—and the game.          To tell the story of all that goes on to create the perfect quarterback, bestselling author Bruce Feldman gained unique access to "Johnny Football" (that's Johnny Manziel), George Whitfield and many other players in what has become a specialized and high-stakes business. In the past decade the boom of the private quarterback-coach business, with its pageant-world-for-boys vibe, has changed the position and the game. The QB tells the story of the interlocking paths of the most fascinating characters involved in this secretive world, examining how advanced analysis has taken root in football. Manziel’s portrait is the most intimate look at him yet, detailing all his talents and antics.  His guru is a man who has come to be known for making QBs--George Whitfield, unparalleled in the business. And then there is Trent Dilfer, the quarterback who never could get to the superstar level, despite winning the Super Bowl.  He is the Salieri to Manziel's Mozart. There is the computer/brain analysis company trying to quantify how playmakers think, the biomechanics expert who saved Drew Brees’s career, and many more fascinating behind-the-scenes looks into this world. Never before has the game so relied on the development of the quarterback. In The QB, the stories of these men illustrate how high the stakes of the quarterback’s game really are, taking readers on a compelling journey into the heart of America's beloved game.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2014

Reviews

[Jack Strangie]

no

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately interesting look into some of the recent promising young QBs (some of whom have squandered much of their promise) and, more importantly for this book, the gurus such as Trent Dilfer and George Whitfield who seek out and cultivate that promise. I did feel the book focused too much on Trent Dilfer, though by all accounts he seems like a really good and intelligent guy who just wants to help young men succeed. The other main focus is Johnny Manziel, the golden boy trainwreck of the season that happened just after this was published, which makes the book equally prescient and dated.

[Zackary Holub · Rating 2 out of 5]

+Annecdotal discussions and notes of QB's from fairly recent class
+Easy read

-Limited statistic info, reliance on anecdotal notes of scouts.
-Insight to scouting evaluation metrics would support

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough examination of how today's college and professional football quarterbacks MUST go through one or more special camps and tutors to become really good QBs. That includes high school players and younger. The book identifies who the tutors are, which organized (and expensive) special camps and programs exist, and which ex-players and coaches are operating them today.

[David Tybor · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book will really make you appreciate Michael Lewis

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was published in 2014 so it written about 2013 happenings. Let me tell you where QB's are at.

Nick Foles just had his remarkable 25 TD /2 INT season with the Eagles
Manziel is TEARING it up at Texas A&M and about to be drafted
Logan Thomas is promising draft prospect
Peyton Manning is still good at Denver
Josh Rosen is an Elite 11 high school junior.

Having read this in the summer of 2018 the QB landscape has dramatically changed. Foles certainly redeemed himself after his awful stint with the Rams, backing up in Kansas City, then backing up Wentz before an injury vaulted him into NFL stardom having won the Super Bowl. At the time this book was written however, they had this guy pegged as the next IT quarterback, hence his picture of the flap jacket.

Manziel ended up being a total head case and many of the foreshadowing the book mentions (parties at Texas A&M, drug use, blowing off many QB practice sessions, leaving the Manning Passing Academy without explanation) ended up being too high of a hurdle for him to overcome.

Logan Thomas has probably 10 career attempts and is now barely hanging on to an NFL roster as a Tightend (which many GM's suggested to him during the combine but he refused to listen)

Peyton Manning fell off a cliff the last couple of years in Denver.

Josh Rosen was drafted in the first round but even back in 2013 the book recalls his stubbornness and his 'flaw' for being "the smartest guy in the room" complex.

Who I actually gained the most respect for in the book was Trent Dilfer. I never liked Trent when he was an analyst for ESPN, but he left the network to take over the Elite 11 program. What use to be a combine type culture, he has transformed it into a mentor-ship, outside the lines sort of experience as well, attempting to prepare high schoolers in many different ways other than drills. He totally owns being an awful quarterback statistically and recognizes his mistakes. He claims that it was his coaching staffs who instilled the QB manager persona -- don't fuck this up and we'll win the game basically. He is trying to cultivate the next crop of QB's and actually looks like a good guy.

[Alexander Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, but I am biased. I work as a coach. This book largely focuses on the new industry of private quarterback coaching.

The exploration of the private QB coaching industry was illuminating and supremely enjoyable. It's amazing to read about what CFL and Arena Football League bust-outs can accomplish with high school kids and pros alike. The exploration of the business and coaching philosophies were absolute crack to anyone who is into peak performance and football.

Couldn't recommend this book more for a football fan or coach. The homespun wisdom these gunslingers drawl is just pure gold.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic look into the Elite 11 program and what goes into selections and evaluations. I use the science mentioned in the book of MBTI as a way to assist in understanding the intangibles. For 20 years, I've used this and it DOES have valuable insight into a player's mental abilities and potential. I loved the insight in the book and having that sideline view into what goes into the selection and competitive process.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno. I don’t really know much more about making a modern QB after reading this. The book focuses on Trent Dilfer and some “QB gurus” and how they help train the next star QBs. Also spends a lot of time telling you how awesome Johnny Manzel is. Yeah. Missed it with that. Especially considering there was a lot of time spent on ‘Dude Qualities’

Definitely not for me. Maybe you’ll get more from it and enjoy it more than me.

[Alexander Rupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great it has many information about quarterbacks. The book is mostly about the success of the people that have attended the elite 11 camp for QB's. Bruce Feldman did an amazing job emphasizing the fact that you need to work hard to be a successful NfL athlete. He has also given you many great tips how to be a great athlete and a student. This is a great overall book.

[Wayne To · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing!

Intriguing, well-researched and manufactured into an excellent narrative. Makes you want to throw a football to see what you've been doing wrong all of these years.

[Darren Carmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insight into different qb development methodologies for a novice. Former college players may find it lacking. May cause some eye rolls. Still a good read!

[Justin Bitner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, but spent a tooooooon of time talking about Johnny Manziel. I guess the point is that modern quarterbacks deal with more public scrutiny?

[Anthony Lamczyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book after seeing it recommended on a literary website. It was OK. I didn't find it a well written book, although I learned a few things from reading it. YMMV.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for anyone wanting to learn more about the most complex job in sports

Bruce Feldman's new book, The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, examines the science behind sports' most complex position and the growth of the private QB coaching business.

The book focuses heavily on the work Trent Dilfer is doing as part of Nike's Elite 11 Academy to train and mentor high school QB's and on Johnny Manziel's preparation for the 2014 NFL draft.

At first I was a little skeptical about the focus on those two because I was hoping for more substance on what makes the current crop of soon to be Hall of Famers great - Manning, Brady, Rodgers and Brees. But the book touches on some of that and Feldman does a good job showing how becoming a truly great QB - from high school to the pro's - is a year round job that doesn't stop once the season is over.

The best QB's work throughout the offseason with private QB coaches, and it's become a lucrative business for the coaches doing it.

Feldman's examination of these private coaches, showing how each became QB coaches and their unique methods, is probably the most interesting part of the book.

With Manziel's recent struggles towards the end of the 2014 NFL season, the fly-on-the-wall access that Feldman was granted by him and his QB coach makes this book even more relevant. It's easy to see why Manziel fell apart as soon as he reached the NFL.

The QB is a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about the nuances of the position and for parents of young QBs. The money, time and preparation spent on developing young boys into QBs these days is eye-opening.

[Kent Keifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some parts of this book that were really interesting and enjoyable, especially if you're interested in the challenges of creating an NFL QB in the modern game. The Manziel parts were very interesting for me, since I'm a Browns fan and I witnessed his total meltdown. After reading this book I can't believe anyone took a chance on this guy in the first round. Despite all his potential to be a generational talent, there was no doubt he wan't going to be able to handle the glamour and required discipline. There were red flags everywhere. The section on using the Myers-Briggs personality test to determine what QBs have the right personality for success was really amazing. It's funny that with all the QB gurus that have emerged, it's just as unpredictable who is going to be successful. I skimmed through the Dilfer and Elite 11 parts which were pretty boring, but some other sections were great.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good behind the scenes stuff here, some good conversations about what makes a good quarterback, also some interesting speculation about what makes a qb great. Basically it is the luck of the draw; a good system with time to develop and a patient coaching staff. However, the one problem I have with this book is basically about half of it is a Johnny Manziel biography. Way too much time on this kid. The back of the book makes it seem like it is going to include a bunch of the new wave qbs (Russell Wilson, etc) but in fact it spends almost all of its time on Manziel. Sadly the writing was on the wall about how much of a dud this kid was going to be but even the author (writing in early 2015) couldn't see it. So this book loses some luster because of the trainwreck that is Manziel. I did like the first half it gave a lot of the behind the scenes of the qb coaches and how they train up the kids, that was intriguing, but the second half was a snooze. Recommended, kinda

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a high 3 star review, yet 3 stars nonetheless. A very interesting look at the modern QB and all the behind-the-scenes work put in with QB gurus and the like. But I think the book could have been better with a bit more historical analysis on why the position is so important, who the men were/are that make it so (even if they are all obvious and well known, the Brady's and Manning's etc), and just more focus overall on the players themselves. I felt the strongest parts of the book were Feldman's take on the QBs on and off the field, and I was less interested in the QB coaches who have made a living off these young stars (the main focus of the book as it turns out).

But maybe that's just me. Still an excellent book overall, but it could have been even better with a bit more history chucked in.

[Sean Ikon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2015 NFL Draft begins on Thursday and the first two picks are likely to be Quarterbacks, but The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks is more than a book on developing young men to play the most difficult and most important position in all of sports. It's a modern take on Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Enlightening for those curious about execution psychology, kinetic motion analysis and the competitive disposition of alpha males. Feldman watches QB gurus develop techniques like using "self-talk" to instill confidence, the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, and how to add perspective to raw numbers. These techniques easily translate to many aspects of life from raising children to getting ahead in the world yourself.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is more a brochure for private QB coaches than an in-depth analysis of what they actually are doing to revolutionize the QB position. Bruce Feldman is one of the best college football writers out there, and his book Meat Market was phenomenal, but this one fell a little flat for me. At times this book felt like a gossip column and slanted towards the work Trent Dilfer is doing in the QB coaching realm. The majority of the QB's mentioned, both as campers and instructors, are NFL busts or never beens, so this whole QB guru business might be a bit of fool's gold. I did enjoy the mentions of the mental side of the game, and further exploration into that specific topic might be prudent for a followup to this book.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a view into the QB coaching industry that has grown in the last few years. I really didn't know a lot about that, so I found the inside view of the Elite 11 camp kind of interesting.

I went into the book thinking it would be more a look into the making of some of the more successful recent quarterbacks - Foles, Wilson, Luck - but wasn't what the book focused on. Meanwhile, in spite of the fortunes spent on the specialty QB coaching industry, teams are still drafting busts and the NFL commentators are ignoring the successful picks.

[Dan Solomon]

Full of interesting, kinda depressing, information about what goes into making a quarterback in 2015. The Friday Night Lights myth is a dated one -- these days, if you're going to get there, your parents have probably been paying 10K+ a year since you were eight. Feldman organizes his thoughts well, and if his storytelling is a bit repetitive (he has a habit of reintroducing every character as if we haven't met them before in each chapter, like issues of Chris Claremont's X-Men run or something), the world he describes is fascinating enough to make up for it.

[Christopher Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at the development of high school and college QBs by the quarterback "gurus" who have arisen.

The content of the book is interesting, but it suffers mightily from it's organization and structure. You'll learn more names of "gurus", prospects, and their parents than you can possibly remember. It further bounces between all the people and places seemingly at random.

I finished the book feeling like I'd eaten a high calorie-low nutrition breakfast.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

With so much money spent on quarterbacks at all levels of football, it's curious why so many fail. Bruce Feldman is great at weaving stories with different ideas and philosophies. The Brett Favre stories alone are worth reading. At some points it was unclear whether Feldman was trying to discover the keys to a good QB or simply presenting all the philosophies. A fun book to read leading into the Fall.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inside narrative about how quarterbacks are trained and raised in the modern era. I only vaguely follow high school recruiting, and this book shows the extremes athletes, parents, and coaches go to for success and money though football.

The focus is on Trent Dilfer and the Elite 11 camp along with Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston towards the end. The best part of the book for me was the discussion about brain types and the different traits successful quarterbacks have.

[Josh Trice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book’s title/subtitle makes you think this is a deep dive into the development of high-level QB’s, but it only kind of is. The book shows you the tip of the iceberg without ever really deep diving enough to see the rest. There are moments where you dive, but then the book shifts it’s attention away from the nuances of crafting a QB to a more reader-friendly narrative about a coach or a player.
It’s a somewhat fun read, but probably not one I’d read again.

[Paul Caris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the angles of the quarterback development. The interesting thing is with all of the new tools, money and time we have to put into quarterbacks that weren't available 10-20 years ago, are we able to know any more accurately who will be good let alone great and who will fail?

[Jeremy Hallum · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of the proliferation of QB camps and training gurus out there...all of which touting the best way to train a young man to be the best on a football field. It was hard to distinguish that they all weren't snake oil salesmen of some kind, designed to separate rich parents from their money, to tell you the truth.

[Joe Loncarich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like football. I also really liked this book. Do you like football? Then you would also probably really like this book. If you don't like football, you may still like this book, but as someone who does like football, I would not feel comfortable speaking for your people.

[Austin Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Feldman shows effectively how the quarterback business and how it has been redefined today. *WARNING* Only football junkies can handle this book. A lot of predetermined lingo you would have to know to keep up with this book.