These talking heads just don't seem to get it. The reason so many of these black QB's struggle at the pro level is simply because the pro game is too fast for them. They can't process the information quick enough to run an NFL offense. There's a reason why playing QB in the NFL is the hardest position in all of sports. Very few people (even whites) can do it at such high a level. When you insert affirmative action hires into such a position for diversity purposes, it only dilutes the NFL product even more.
The same holds true for all other positions as well, though it's most noticeable at quarterback because of the prominence of the position, the only one the casual fan even pays attention to. Every year the NFL drafts lots of black defensive players who have decent to excellent 40 times, but little else going for them, which is why so many of them underachieve or become busts.
A typical example is found in an article I was reading last night about Tyler Matakevich, he of the "limited athleticism" but great productivity. The article compares him to Terrell Edmunds, the Steelers' first round draft pick, who ran in the 4.40s but whose college production left a lot to be desired:
By the time the regular season opens, rookie safety Terrell Edmunds and third-year Tyler Matakevich figure to be at least the top backups at their positions. The favorites to start ahead of them are two free agents that signed back in March: Morgan Burnett and Jon Bostic, respectively.
Let’s say, hypothetically, that the Steelers never signed those veterans. Let’s say that they got into the regular season with Edmunds starting at strong (or free) safety and Matakevich starting as inside linebacker (the mack, presumably, though they might also move him to the buck if they trust his coverage less than Vince Williams.
So in this hypothetical scenario, who would you have more confidence in entering the 2018 season that they would be capable of being an effective starter, or at least a player who won’t be too much of a liability to the rest of the defense?
It goes without saying that Edmunds is the more talented of the two, but he is also a rookie, and we know how big communication issues have been in the secondary. It would also force Sean Davisinto assuming the role of veteran, in just his third season, before he has really established himself as a quality starter himself.
At the linebacker position, you at least have Vince Williams, who has been in the league for several years now. He had a better first season starting than many would care to admit, but at the very least, you would figure that the pair of Williams and Matakevich would be solid on the communication end.
Matakevich is obviously physically limited, which is far from the ideal pairing with Williams. I suspect this is going to be the main argument being made below. Though while Edmunds has the speed and athleticism, his college tape shows a player who doesn’t yet always know where he’s supposed to be. As a rookie, that could be a bigger problem than Matakevich’s athletic limitations.
What can't be explicitly mentioned is that Matakevich simply is a better talent because he has a head for the game and can very quickly diagnose plays and react accordingly, negating and surpassing what little advantage Edmunds (and a zillion others with great physiques and flashy 40 times) had in straight line speed before the ball was snapped.
Obviously there are many black defensive players without great speed who have a head for the game, and some fast White players who don't pan out, but we're talking averages here, and the advantage Whites have between the ears is the biggest athletic advantage of all, and it's also the one that's absolutely verboten to mention.
