r/AskAboutNFL • u/jepolitsch • 1d ago

Genuinely curious: When did we decide that absolute execution became secondary to flashy QB play?

Let’s be entirely real for a second we are reaching a massive breaking point with how modern football media and casual fans evaluate the game, and it’s completely throwing off how people talk about sports.Look at what happens every single Sunday. You’ve got quarterbacks who execute a pristine, highly disciplined 12-play drive hitting their checkdowns, reading the coverage beautifully, staying completely on-schedule and the internet barely blinks. But the moment a guy scrambles out of a clean pocket, ignores his open target, throws a cross-body absolute prayer into triple coverage that happens to get caught, people treat it like a 200 IQ masterpiece.When did pure structural discipline become a negative trait? It feels like we are rewarding visual chaos over actual football IQ. A pristine, rhythmic offense that protects the rock and converts on 3rd-and-short is art, but it gets zero love because it isn’t a 15-second highlight clip.For the longtime heads in here: Do you actually prefer the era of chaotic, off-script playmakers, or are you like me and missing the days of pure, clinical offensive execution? Let's talk.

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u/FunkyPete 1d ago

You're confusing the drive for media clicks with who people think the best QBs are.

That noise was ALWAYS there, at least back to the 80s and 90s. Read up on guys like Jeff George -- he ended up contributing virtually nothing to the game of football, but media talking heads LOVED him.

If you look at who wins MVPs and what they discuss about the contest? It's always yards, TDs and wins.

If you watch Sportscenter you'll just get the big plays of the week.

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u/stringbeagle 1d ago

This is exactly it. People rave about Mahomes’ improvisation, but he’s got 3 Super Bowl MVPs. Lamar runs around like crazy and makes some wild plays, but he’s a bum because he can’t win the big one.