Which quarterbacks have the strongest or weakest arms?

[Circle Orange]

Strong = rifles to cannons. most of the young 'guns'. Favre can still throw it. All these aren't equal, though.
Weak = noodle city. Brunell, Pennington. Brad Johnson

Mid range = Carr, Manning (Pay-a-ton) McNair has slipped into this category. Hasselbeck.

I'll be doing a complete checklist by division, rating from 10 to 1 (10 strongest, 1 weakest). http://scosoft.com/s/Action/706bf6a8.gif

[-Slap-]

Cutler's arm is as strong as anyone's. He can rival Vick for pure velocity and Jay actually knows where his passes are going.

[TheDave]

I'd say Jay has easily the best arm right now... It's been a long time since I've seen someone thread the needle like he can. He still has issues whith his mechanics whih can hurt his accuracey. I'm confident that that will continue to improve. As I've said before it will be fun to see what happens to our play calling when the deep outs/comebacks make their appearance. It only takes a few of those before teams permanently remove the safety from run support.

God i love the thought of this team running against 7 man fronts.

[Play2win]

I can't wait until JAY develops a good pump fake.

[Rock Chalk]

Arm strength less important that intelligence.

See: Vick, Elway in his early years, Favre young and old (sometimes middle), et. al.

[watermock]

Cutler has both.

[TheDave]

Arm strength less important that intelligence.

See: Vick, Elway in his early years, Favre young and old (sometimes middle), et. al.

I'm pretty sure he's got Vick beat there also :thumbs:

[Jens1893]

JaMarcus Russell

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Leftwich has a howitzer.

[-Slap-]

Cutler has both.

And everything else.

[Play2win]

Leftwich has a howitzer.

Can you keep you sexual fantasies out of this...

[baja]

Can you keep you sexual fantasies out of this...

L O L - you stole my post

[WABronco]

Leftwich has a howitzer.

Yea it'd be nice if he didn't have that 5 second wind-up though.

He'll be prime trade-bait this offseason...he's actually a pretty good QB.

[Sir Mawn]

Kyle Boller, if anything, has a cannon for an arm.

[SYEKNOD27]

Matt Leinart!! Boy, you guys are in for a big one!! That kid can flat out play! Really; the Donks should have traded up to the 10th spot and picked him.

[Clockwork Orange]

Daunte Culpepper should be in the conversation.

[fuzzy]

strongest in the league has to go to vick.

he effortlessly throws bombs that other strong armed QB's couldn't make.

[Popps]

McNabb should probably get a mention for short-range velocity. Palmer throws a ridiculous deep ball.

Cutler is in the top 10, easy... and that's not homer-talk. His release still reminds me of Marino's.

[Play2win]

Alot of sh!t that gave us fits in the AFCCC by Rothls on the mid-to-deep outs by his arm strength- is now something JAY can exploit in other defenses...

[elsid13]

Actually Carr has very strong arm. Kubicak was saying that he had the strength to roll left and throw right with some pop.

Frye - so so arm

[OrangeShadow]

Id put palmer up therem his deep throws are beautiful

[-Slap-]

I'm talking fastballs here.

Not many can rival Jay "John Goose Gooden Elway" Cutler for pure velocity.

[Florida_Bronco]

Matt Leinart!! Boy, you guys are in for a big one!! That kid can flat out play! Really; the Donks should have traded up to the 10th spot and picked him.

What would a Cheaps fan know about good quarterbacks?

[Rohirrim]

I'm talking fastballs here.

Not many can rival Jay "John Goose Gooden Elway" Cutler for pure velocity.

I've got to admit, I've been surprised at the zip Cutler puts on it. There aren't many QBs who would even attempt to throw into some of the coverages that he can beat. This is going to be a very nice evolution to watch.

[Circle Orange]

My own arm strength rating system (not scientific) :strong:

10 strongest, 1 weakest

anything over 7.0 is a standard NFL arm (can throw 60 yds)
above 8.9 highest rated velocity on 'out patterns' and slant passes

Batch, Charlie, Pittsburgh Steelers / 7.9
Bledsoe, Drew, Dallas Cowboys / 8.8
Boller, Kyle, Baltimore Ravens / 9.4
Brady, Tom, New England Patriots / 8.3
Brees, Drew, New Orleans Saints / 8.2
Brooks, Aaron, Oakland Raiders / 8.6
Brunell, Mark, Washington Redskins / 6.1
Bulger, Marc, St. Louis Rams / 8.6
Campbell, Jason, Washington Redskins / 8.5
Carr, David, Houston Texans/ 8.8
Collins, Kerry, Tennessee Titans / 8.7
Collins, Todd, Washington Redskins / 8.5
Culpepper, Daunte, Miami Dolphins / 8.9
Cutler, Jay, Denver Broncos / 9.3
Delhomme, Jake, Carolina Panthers / 8.3
Dilfer, Trent, San Francisco 49ers / 9.1
Dorsey, Ken, Cleveland Browns / 8.3
Favre, Brett, Green Bay Packers / 9.3
Feeley, A.J., Philadelphia Eagles / 8.5
Frerotte, Gus, St. Louis Rams / 9
Frye, Charlie, Cleveland Browns / 8.7
Garcia, Jeff, Philadelphia Eagles / 7.9
Garrard, David, Jacksonville Jaguars / 8.2
Gradkowski, Bruce, Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 8.8
Green, Trent, Kansas City Chiefs /8.1
Griese, Brian, Chicago Bears / 7.6
Grossman, Rex, Chicago Bears / 8.9
Harrington, Joey, Miami Dolphins / 8.8
Hasselbeck, Matt, Seattle Seahawks / 8.2
Hasselbeck, Tim, New York Giants / 8
Henson, Drew, Minnesota Vikings / 8.5
Holcomb, Kelly, Buffalo Bills / 8.6
Huard, Damon, Kansas City Chiefs / 8.3
Johnson, Brad, Minnesota Vikings / 7.7
Kitna, Jon, Detroit Lions / 7.9
Leftwich, Byron, Jacksonville Jaguars / 9
Leinart, Matt, Arizona Cardinals / 8.7
Losman, J.P., Buffalo Bills / 9
Manning, Eli, New York Giants / 8.8
Manning, Peyton, Indianapolis Colts / 8.4
Matthews, Shane, Miami Dolphins / 8.1
McCown, Josh, Detroit Lions / 8.3
McNabb, Donovan, Philadelphia Eagles / 8.9
McNair, Steve, Baltimore Ravens / 8.8
Orton, Kyle, Chicago Bears / 6.8
Palmer, Carson, Cincinnati Bengals / 9.1
Pennington, Chad, New York Jets / 8
Plummer, Jake, Denver Broncos / 8.3
Ramsey, Patrick, New York Jets / 9.2
Rattay, Tim, Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 8.7
Rivers, Philip, San Diego Chargers / 8.6
Rodgers, Aaron, Green Bay Packers / 8.7
Roethlisberger, Ben, Pittsburgh Steelers / 8.9
Romo, Tony, Dallas Cowboys / 8.6
Rosenfels, Sage, Houston Texans / 8.4
Schaub, Matt, Atlanta Falcons / 8.7
Simms, Chris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 8
Smith, Alex, San Francisco 49ers / 9.1
Sorgi, Jim, Indianapolis Colts / 8.2
Testaverde, Vinny, New England Patriots / 9.4
Tuiasosopo, Marques, Oakland Raiders / 8.2
Van Pelt, Bradlee, Houston Texans / 8.4
Vick, Michael, Atlanta Falcons / 9.3
Volek, Billy, San Diego Chargers / 8.2
Wallace, Seneca, Seattle Seahawks / 8.1
Walter, Andrew, Oakland Raiders / 8
Warner, Kurt, Arizona Cardinals / 7.8
Weinke, Chris, Carolina Panthers / 8
Young, Vince, Tennessee Titans / 8.8

*there are some guys with cannons who never panned out in this list. Testaverde once threw an 80 yard pass flat footed in the qb challenge! Patrick Ramsey was ruined by the Redskins, but the guy has a cannon. Same with Boller, can't quarterback worth his ass. Trent Dilfer has a powerful arm, despite the dissing he takes for quarterbacking the Ravens. I also have a list
for retired NFL greats. Some of these were before my time so I'm estimating based on footage I've seen and reference guides.

Aikman, Troy, Dallas Cowboys / 8.8
Bradshaw, Terry, Pittsburgh Steelers / 9.2
Elway, John, Denver Broncos / 9.6
Esiason, Boomer, Cincinnati Bengals / 9.1
Kelly, Jim, Buffalo Bills / 9.1
Marino, Dan, Miami Dolphins / 9.4
Montana, Joe, San Francisco / 7.9
O'Brien, Ken, New York Jets / 8.5
Stabler, Ken, Oakland Raiders / 8.1
Starr, Bart, Green Bay Packers / 8.6
Staubach, Roger, Dallas Cowboys / 8.6
Young, Steve, San Francisco / 8


I had to think hard on some of these, but it was fun to do. The guys who were close had some combination of distance/power/velocity.

[azbroncfan]

Matt Leinart!! Boy, you guys are in for a big one!! That kid can flat out play! Really; the Donks should have traded up to the 10th spot and picked him.

Leinart's arm is average, he can throw it hard but it looks like it takes him a ton on effort to do it. He will be a good QB though but I still like Jay better bronco homerism aside.

[DeusExManning]

Can someone please explain to me how they can say Vick has a strong arm. From the many games I have watched I would say 8.8.

[shakenbake]

Can someone please explain to me how they can say Vick has a strong arm. From the many games I have watched I would say 8.8.

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[Chupacabra]

Can you keep you sexual fantasies out of this...

isnt a howitzer just a cannon? i know you are just givin bob hell......but sexual fantasies? whos mind is really in the gutter?

[SYEKNOD27]

What would a Cheaps fan know about good quarterbacks?

Brodie Croyle! :rofl:
What? You don't consider Green a good QB?

[400HZ]

In terms of pure strength, Vick has made some spectacular throws. Of course he has no accuracy. I think Carson Palmer throws the nicest deep ball right now.

[B-Love]

Your ranking of Brunell is way off. He may be a 2nd stringer now and justifiably so, but he has a legit NFL arm.

Brunell has a very good arm and he throws some of the highest velocity intermediate balls in the game.

Actually I think one of his downfalls, is he is way too aggressive, lacking touch, on all of his Intermediate passes.

You have his arm strength way too low. 6.1??

[Play2win]

isnt a howitzer just a cannon? i know you are just givin bob hell......but sexual fantasies? whos mind is really in the gutter?

YOURS, because I have no idea what you are talking about...

[-Slap-]

Your ranking of Brunell is way off. He may be a 2nd stringer now and justifiably so, but he has a legit NFL arm.

Brunell has a very good arm and he throws some of the highest velocity intermediate balls in the game.

Actually I think one of his downfalls, is he is way too aggressive, lacking touch, on all of his Intermediate passes.

You have his arm strength way too low. 6.1??

That looks like it might be a typo. Nobody else is nearly that low.

Ambitious project, to be sure.

[Play2win]

On a side note, I was watching TOMBSTONE again last night. Killer flick. And Doc Holliday called his Shotgun a "STREET HOWITZER"... I thought that was cool as hell.

[Jens1893]

Pennington´s arm is shot.

[Guessed]

Awesome effot on the list and I agree with most of the assessments. You put alot of work into it and a good knowlege of the QB's today and in the past. There are lessons to be learned in the fact that one of the top three quarterbacks all time (Joe Montana) didn't have a strong arm. Speaking of measurables, Jerry Rice wasn't considered fast on the clock but I saw him run by more defenders than just about anybody. It goes to show that what matters is what happens on the field on game day and ultimately the scoreboard. I'll take a winner (as long as they play by the rules) over anything else any day.

[Circle Orange]

Your ranking of Brunell is way off. He may be a 2nd stringer now and justifiably so, but he has a legit NFL arm.

Brunell has a very good arm and he throws some of the highest velocity intermediate balls in the game.

Actually I think one of his downfalls, is he is way too aggressive, lacking touch, on all of his Intermediate passes.

You have his arm strength way too low. 6.1??

Believe me, as a skins fan I've watched this guy 'labor' to throw intermediate passes for three years now. He reaches like he's throwing his back out just to make a play, and often 'points' the ball at a spot. In his prime I'd give him an 8...but he's shot now. A boiled noodle will never get stiff again. :~ohyah!:

[ZONA]

I didn't see possibly the biggest arm ever to play on your list at all. Jeff George by far had the strongest arm.......ever. Elway's was very close though.

To me, strong arm means 2 things. Can throw it deeper then deep and also put cross mark tattos on hands on the shorter routes. While Vic can gun sling that sucker down the field, it's not like it was shot from a cannon. Heck, Michael Jordan threw a football 80 yards in the air once. But it had more hang time then a Ray Guy punt. Vick is like that also, same with Randall Cunningham. He does have a nice spiral though.

But George could fire that thing 70 yards on a rope man. Bad attitude but the most gifted arm I ever saw.

[Circle Orange]

I didn't see possibly the biggest arm ever to play on your list at all. Jeff George by far had the strongest arm.......ever. Elway's was very close though.

To me, strong arm means 2 things. Can throw it deeper then deep and also put cross mark tattos on hands on the shorter routes. While Vic can gun sling that sucker down the field, it's not like it was shot from a cannon. Heck, Michael Jordan threw a football 80 yards in the air once. But it had more hang time then a Ray Guy punt. Vick is like that also, same with Randall Cunningham. He does have a nice spiral though.

But George could fire that thing 70 yards on a rope man. Bad attitude but the most gifted arm I ever saw.

The speed of Jeff's release was actually greater than his velocity, whereas John's velocity was greater than the speed of his release. I will do another breakdown of those numbers I posted later. Now its funny you mention George...I'd give him between a 9.3 and 9.4...but the thing with him was that he could ONLY throw it at max velocity when he was standing perfectly still and no one touched him. Since that never happens (except in practice) all you had to do was make him move around. Then he couldn't hit a hippo's ass at four feet. He had feet of lead, too...the only guy I ever saw who made Drew Bledsoe look like a scrambler. :rofl: He was limited in his ability to see more than the hot read.

John was unique in this, which is why I put him at the top. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY could hurl the ball across the field with power, velocity and accuracy that seven could 'on the move'. Some can match the speed, some can match the velocity, some can match the distance. But there's not another qb I've seen before or since that does the whole sequence like John did. He'd torque his body, hurl the ball and make it look like a natural motion when fundamentally it was totally wrong! See a guy across the field 40 yards down and hit him on a line.

People mistake distance for arm strength, but really even an average armed qb can throw it 60-65 yards. I remember Boomer Esiason commenting on this once. Some can throw it but have no accuracy. Some are only accurate on certain routes. Others can't see the whole field.

Oops...I forgot Dan Fouts. Put him at an 8.2. :thumbsup:

[Play2win]

BTW- I find defacing our STAR of the future quite degrading... imho.

[watermock]

First, don't let Jay's boyish looks fool you...he has a strong frame.

Second, there is more than watching a QB wind up and get steam on the ball..Jay can get intermediate passes off his back foot...not good, but his arm alone can get it there.

Third, he has a VERY quick release. Showing a fake Vick Powerade ad isn't going to sway me whatsoever.

[baja]

I'm talking fastballs here.

Not many can rival Jay "John Goose Gooden Elway" Cutler for pure velocity.

That's why some of us rightly call him "Rocket Man"

[TheDave]

Rivers, Philip, San Diego Chargers / 8.6


No offense to Charger fan but Rivers has one of the weaker arms i have seen in a long time... I was absolutely amazed at how long it took some of his passes to hit their targets. Yes, he is extremely accurate but i would place him down in the mid 7's like Greise

[watermock]

His delivery reminds me of Kosar but he's a little smaller and wants to deliver the ball 3/4. I think he just reminds me of him.

The media is too busy knob slobbering over VY tho.

[broncogary]

My own arm strength rating system (not scientific) :strong:

10 strongest, 1 weakest

anything over 7.0 is a standard NFL arm (can throw 60 yds)
above 8.9 highest rated velocity on 'out patterns' and slant passes

Plummer, Jake, Denver Broncos / 8.3....
Young, Steve, San Francisco / 8


You're kidding, right? :welcome:

[Xenos]

No offense to Charger fan but Rivers has one of the weaker arms i have seen in a long time... I was absolutely amazed at how long it took some of his passes to hit their targets. Yes, he is extremely accurate but i would place him down in the mid 7's like Greise

A lot of that has to do with his sidearm motion. At the moment, he essentially sacrifices arm strength for a quick release.
The more he throws the better it will be. It'll never meet Cutler's standard of course, but I can see Peyton or Brady's type throws in the future. Heck look at Brees. He's performing much better this year after a shoulder injury and for the longest time a lot of us thought he had one of the weakest arms.

[elsid13]

Your ranking of Brunell is way off. He may be a 2nd stringer now and justifiably so, but he has a legit NFL arm.

Brunell has a very good arm and he throws some of the highest velocity intermediate balls in the game.

Actually I think one of his downfalls, is he is way too aggressive, lacking touch, on all of his Intermediate passes.

You have his arm strength way too low. 6.1??

That was five year ago, Brunell legs are shot and he NO power on this throws. Brunell is in the same league as Greise the days.

[azbroncfan]

First, don't let Jay's boyish looks fool you...he has a strong frame.

Second, there is more than watching a QB wind up and get steam on the ball..Jay can get intermediate passes off his back foot...not good, but his arm alone can get it there.

Third, he has a VERY quick release. Showing a fake Vick Powerade ad isn't going to sway me whatsoever.

It didn't take mock long to switch from VD's knob to Jay's knob. I would hate to think what mock does late at night after one too many popovs and soda and a picture of Jay on the wall while wearing his #6 jersey. :alghh: ugh!~ :sickortir :TJnPopps:

[Xenos]

This thread is too good to not bump. I want to hear more about everyone's opinion regarding this subject.

[Kaylore]

This thread is too good to not bump. I want to hear more about everyone's opinion regarding this subject.
I think one thing people don't understand is throwing motion and how different muscles are used. Some guys are weaker or stronger in other areas so you see different types of throws depending on distance. You can dump off a ball at relatively average velocity and then wind up and kill the thing down field. You can also have a lot of zip on short and intermediate passes but have a sorry looking long ball.

This is because of the variance between your arm, shoulder, back, hip and leg muscles. Shorter throws that are mostly reliant on your shoulder and arm use different muscles than the ones you use when your foot is planted and you need to heave the ball down field fourty yards.

There is also a style of throwing. There are guys who like to gun it every time they throw, like John Elway. Then there are guys who like to float the ball a bit like Joe Montana. It's a different style and both can be effective.

Brees is a good example of a guy that has zip on his short passes but has to loft his long balls down field and let his receivers go get them. Leinert is the same style of player. Obviously both are doing quite well, so that's not a knock on them, it's just their style.

Guys like Favre, Vick and Cutler can throw it on a rope at any distance. That speed can be deadly, but it can also cause problems if you don't learn to throw over the coverage to avoid tipped passes.

It all depends on how they throw it and their style. Obviously the style of passer doesn't determine the kind of success you're going to have. Intelligence and accuracy is more important than arm strength but if you have both, you can really scare some people.

[BroncoBuff]

Randall Cunningham / 9.9
Jeff George / 9.9
___

Brian Griese / 4.1
Joey Harringon / 3.9

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Harrington's arm is fine. His head is the problem. And horrid accuracy. I'd rather have Jake Plummer than Joey HarrINTgton.

[Florida_Bronco]

Harrington's arm is fine. His head is the problem. And horrid accuracy. I'd rather have Jake Plummer than Joey HarrINTgton.

He's improved alot since going to Miami, and he will probably turn out to be a pretty good quarterback.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

He's improved alot since going to Miami, and he will probably turn out to be a pretty good quarterback.

I still think he's a bust. 13 interceptions in 9 games?

[Florida_Bronco]

I still think he's a bust. 13 interceptions in 9 games?

He's got alot of bad habits that he needs to overcome from his days in the motor city, but I think he'll turn out ok.

[elsid13]

Wouldn't it be funny if old Joey ends up in KC. Seem like a perfect match Herm and Joey

[-Slap-]

Brees' accuracy on deep passes this year has been nothing short of phenomenal.

[Play2win]

Brees' accuracy on deep passes this year has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Kinda reminds one of his college days at Purdue, where he amassed about as many 400 yard passing games as almost anyone.

[-Slap-]

Every receiver on the Saints is averaging over 15 yards a catch.

[TheDave]

A lot of that has to do with his sidearm motion. At the moment, he essentially sacrifices arm strength for a quick release.
The more he throws the better it will be. It'll never meet Cutler's standard of course, but I can see Peyton or Brady's type throws in the future. Heck look at Brees. He's performing much better this year after a shoulder injury and for the longest time a lot of us thought he had one of the weakest arms.


At the moment? He's been using that goofy release since college, probably longer. His arm is what it is, change that delivery and his accuracy will be the first thing to go.

Like i said the kid is deadly accurate, but he has a pop gun for an arm. Well see if that causes problems or not.

[Sodak]

I had to check this just to find out what TheDave said. I do like the disclaimer.

[Circle Orange]

Wouldn't it be funny if old Joey ends up in KC. Seem like a perfect match Herm and Joey

He's got the right kind of hair...KC likes dark haired quarterbacks. LOL