Why Quarterbacks Don’t Think

OK. Maybe the answer is not all that surprising. Quarterbacks don’t think, between the moment they get the ball the moment they let fly, because they don’t have time. In fact, according to this piece in the New York Times, quarterbacks have three and a half seconds to pass the ball. Writer Jonah Lehrer tells us that recent brain research suggests that, rather than analyze the situation, quarterbacks rely on their
unconscious. Although he doesn’t consciously perceive the
blitzing linebacker, says Lehrer, the quarterback’s unconscious monitors his
movement. When the QB glances at his receivers, his brain converts
these details into fast emotional signals, so that a receiver in tight
coverage gets associated with fear, while an open man triggers a burst
of positive feeling. It’s these inarticulate emotions, and not an
elaborate set of calculations, that tell the best quarterbacks when to
let the ball fly.
Read more in "Football for Smarties," in the New York Times Play magazine.