In "The Art of Throwing the Perfect Spiral" from NFL Films, the former NFL QB and coach Jason Garrett took a deep dive into explaining the physics and mechanics of the art with some of the best throwers of the pigskin, including Jets QB Aaron Rodgers.
"He's one of the great throwers of his generation and maybe all-time," said Garrett, who hosted the film feature and also spoke with Eric Allen on a recent edition of "The Official Jets Podcast."
Garrett added that Rodgers had told him: "All I think about is getting the weight to the inside of my left ankle, the inside of my left calf and the inside of my left knee." He added: "I had never heard anyone talk about it that way."
Rodgers is on the cusp of surpassing 60,000 passing yards over his 20-year NFL career. His 59,055 put him at No. 9 on the career list and he needs 25 more TD passes to reach 500 in the regular season. In addition, he's the only player in NFL history with 400-plus TD passes and a 100-plus passer rating.
So, then, how did Garrett in his first coaching gig as the Dolphins' quarterback coach under Nick Saban contribute to the decision to not draft Rodgers with the second selection in the 2005 NFL Draft?
"I had just retired, and Aaron and Alex Smith were coming out in that draft and we had the second pick in the draft and we chose not to take Aaron Rodgers," Garrett said (Smith went No. 1 to the 49ers; Rodgers No. 24 to Green Bay). "About [four] MVPs later and a Hall of Fame career, but he's just an amazing player first and foremost and the way he throws the ball I think is unique and as good as anybody who's ever played. To hear him talk about that, the things that he thinks about, the things that are important to him as a passer is really fun."
In 2007 Garrett was named the Cowboys' offensive coordinator and helped author the league's second-best offense as Dallas rambled to a NFC-best 13-3 record, which coincidentally, included a win over the Jets and the next week a victory over the Packers, 37-27, in a battle of 10-1 teams. Rodgers entered that game in the second quarter, and finished the game, after Brett Favre sustained an elbow injury.
"I was on the other side of it a lot as a coach in Dallas and we had some great battles with them, but he always played so well and played so well in the big moments," Garrett said. "Anyone who watches, it is he just has this unique way of throwing the ball and he throws it like a tennis ball."
He added: "He's just an amazing player, first and foremost, and the way he throws the ball I think is unique and as good as anybody who's ever played. To hear him talk about that, the things that he thinks about, the things that are important to him as a passer is really fun.
"I think he's a really talented guy, but he's a really thoughtful guy. I think he's had a very natural motion throughout his life. He talked about watching Joe Montana as a kid and then going out in the year and throwing with his brother and his dad and having some of those incredible role models when he was young.
"But then he goes to Cal and plays for Jeff Tedford and Jeff Tedford molded a lot of great quarterbacks, but he has his quarterbacks hold the ball up really high. So when you watched Aaron Rodgers on film in college, that's what you saw and you said, 'OK, is he a natural passer. He looks a little awkward here, so you have to kind of look beyond that and say OK if he carried it in a more traditional way, do you like the way he throws the ball?' It's hard to say you don't."
Heading into the season, Rodgers is the career leader in TD passes to INTs at 4.52-to-1 (475-to-105), a statistic that does not surprise Garrett.
"He's incredibly smart in his understanding of the game, but then he's an outstanding decision maker," Garrett said. "And then he can throw the ball where he wants to throw it, so he keeps it away from the defense. Great back-shoulder in practice to Garrett Wilson on the right sideline there against Sauce [Gardner] and the ball's boom, it's right there, it's away from Sauce, it's only where Garrett can make the play. He has a unique arm talent. You go with him just being smart, him being a great decision maker, him understanding the game and how each play fits into the game and then him keeping the ball out of the way while he makes plays, it's unique, it's rare."
