Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Wonderlic score: What does it mean?

[justasportsfan]

It was the second-highest score ever recorded by an NFL player on the 50-point test (trailing only the perfect 50 earned by fellow Harvard alum and former Cincinnati Bengal Pat McInally in 1975). It trumps the highly respectable 30 tallied by Redskins quarterback John Beck, the 29 earned by Rex Grossman, and the societal average of about 20.3 — which represents an IQ of about 100.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/ryan-fitzpatricks-wonderlic-score-what-does-it-mean/2011/10/20/gIQAvz51GM_story.html

[Skooby]

In Layman's terms, Fitz is one smart mo fo.

[k-oneputt]

It means he's smarter then you and he can understand and read defenses, thus the reason he can play in the NFL.

[DraftBoy]

It means nothing.

[ddaryl]

it demonstrates his ability to learn, and process information

[DraftBoy]

it demonstrates his ability to learn, and process information

Not really, its just a general knowledge test.

Just like in real life with normal people, some test well some don't. The scores are basically meaningless.

[SabreEleven]

too bad this doesn't keep him from underthrowing Stevie Johnson. I'd trade some of those IQ points and put it towards his accuracy rating.

[cocamide]

too bad this doesn't keep him from underthrowing Stevie Johnson. I'd trade some of those IQ points and put it towards his accuracy rating.

Applied physics must not be on the Wonderlic.

[stuckincincy]

It means nothing.

Not so. It means that unlike JP, he can hold his water.

[OpIv37]

Ultra high Wonderlic scores generally don't mean additional success in the NFL.

However, significantly lower than average Wonderlic scores are never a good sign for QB's.

[imbondz]

I scored a 62 on my wonderlic score. Not bragging, just saying

[Bill Cody]

Not really, its just a general knowledge test.

Just like in real life with normal people, some test well some don't. The scores are basically meaningless.

That might be true if they gave you all day to do it. But they don't. There is enough time to complete the test if you can think quickly and remain calm, you know sort of the way a QB has to think when he drops back to pass. I think OP has it about right.

[DraftBoy]

That might be true if they gave you all day to do it. But they don't. There is enough time to complete the test if you can think quickly and remain calm, you know sort of the way a QB has to think when he drops back to pass. I think OP has it about right.

Again it means nothing, there are examples players scoring high and doing poorly and players scoring low and doing well. Teams barely even have them register.

The wonderlic score is almost all media hysteria and fan scrutiny. Im assuming you have all take the sample test right? We had one posted a few years back.

[Bill Cody]

I scored a 62 on my wonderlic score. Not bragging, just saying

pretty good considering the max score is 50.

[Bill Cody]

Again it means nothing, there are examples players scoring high and doing poorly and players scoring low and doing well. Teams barely even have them register.

The wonderlic score is almost all media hysteria and fan scrutiny. Im assuming you have all take the sample test right? We had one posted a few years back.

No they give it for a reason. Trust me you're not smarter than the league on this, they know what they're doing and you don't. Sorry. Saying there's examples that were not indictative is not meaningful, sort of like saying I smoked for 40 years and didn't get cancer. It's one of dozens of tools teams use to evaluate players, noone uses it in a vaccum.

It's like when Vince Young came out and his first try scored single digits. I considered that a red flag. Turns out he is what what we thought he was, dumb.

[imbondz]

pretty good considering the max score is 50.

I know, it is amazing. thanks!

[imbondz]

I would think in general, the smarter you are, the more it will help you in anything you do.

[gloveus]

Well, the Wonderlic is timed, isn't it? I realize this isn't the same thing as a 300 lb lineman closing in on you, but it can show that given limited time, Fitz can make the right decision quickly.:idunno:

[DraftBoy]

No they give it for a reason. Trust me you're not smarter than the league on this, they know what they're doing and you don't. Sorry. Saying there's examples that were not indictative is not meaningful, sort of like saying I smoked for 40 years and didn't get cancer. It's one of dozens of tools teams use to evaluate players, noone uses it in a vaccum.

It's like when Vince Young came out and his first try scored single digits. I considered that a red flag. Turns out he is what what we thought he was, dumb.

This isn't about being smarter than the league, ask people in the league what they think about it. Getting a gold star on the wonderlic means nothing. A low score can lead to a question in an interview, but that can be cleared up using a white board or film session.

This isnt about being smarter or not, its just about knowing through talking to people. Vince Young's issue isn't whether he's smart or not. He doesn't see the field, massive differences and things you can't quantify through a written test.

[psubills62]

dftpnkezln: For all of you reporting a score more than 100 as you iq lol @ you. How can you possibly score more than 100%?
dftpnkezln:I'm very happy with my score of 89.

Thought this was an appropriate time to bring out this quote, one of my favorites.

I have a hard time believing that 20 relates to an average IQ, though.

[Bill Cody]

This isn't about being smarter than the league, ask people in the league what they think about it. Getting a gold star on the wonderlic means nothing. A low score can lead to a question in an interview, but that can be cleared up using a white board or film session.

This isnt about being smarter or not, its just about knowing through talking to people. Vince Young's issue isn't whether he's smart or not. He doesn't see the field, massive differences and things you can't quantify through a written test.

So you're saying the league knows the test is useless but administers it anyway just for laughs? No. I look at the Wonderlic as more of a rejection tool than a selection tool, particularly at QB. If you score near single digits on that test (and yes I have seen samples of the questions) you are either very uneducated or stupid, both of which would be concerns for any team considering investing millions in a player. And by and large stupid people fail at the hardest position in sports NFL QB.

[TacklingDummy]

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Wonderlic score: What does it mean?
Absolutely nothing.

[Bill Cody]

Absolutely nothing.

Not so sure. Would Ryan Fitzpatrick be in the NFL even as a backup if he wasn't the brightest guy in the room?

[k-oneputt]

Not so sure. Would Ryan Fitzpatrick be in the NFL even as a backup if he wasn't the brightest guy in the room?

Of course not. He's not in the league because he has overwhelming physical skills.

[DraftBoy]

So you're saying the league knows the test is useless but administers it anyway just for laughs? No. I look at the Wonderlic as more of a rejection tool than a selection tool, particularly at QB. If you score near single digits on that test (and yes I have seen samples of the questions) you are either very uneducated or stupid, both of which would be concerns for any team considering investing millions in a player. And by and large stupid people fail at the hardest position in sports NFL QB.

However the wonderlic is not given to just QB's and it is no way a full proof method of proving much of anything. I dont care if a QB can do basic math, what i care about is that he can ID the mike LB on the blitz and make the hot read to the slot WR for a quick slant to the vacated zone.

Like I said if its gets low Im sure a question is raised/asked but a simple white board/film room session can clear it up. Those are the real tests, not this which is more MSM and fan hype than anything.

Hell the whole combine is basically for TV and fans.

[SABURZFAN]

I scored a 62 on my wonderlic score. Not bragging, just saying


thought that was your IQ score.


just saying....

[Bill Cody]

However the wonderlic is not given to just QB's and it is no way a full proof method of proving much of anything. I dont care if a QB can do basic math, what i care about is that he can ID the mike LB on the blitz and make the hot read to the slot WR for a quick slant to the vacated zone.

Like I said if its gets low Im sure a question is raised/asked but a simple white board/film room session can clear it up. Those are the real tests, not this which is more MSM and fan hype than anything.

Hell the whole combine is basically for TV and fans.

Nobody said it was foolproof. But your apparent argument that it's useless but the league just gives it anyway for no reason scores a 5 on the wonderlic.

[TigerJ]

Obviously, he's a smart dude. He might even be a little smarter than me. How it correlates to being a football player is questionable. there are good football players with abysmal Wonderlic scores and lousy ones with good Wonderlic scores. You'd think that at the QB position it might make a difference since the QB has to know and understand most of the details of the offensive scheme and every single play, moreso than any other player, but even at QB, it's tough to find much correlation between greatness as a player and the Wonderlic score. That said, Fitzpatrick's intelligence seems to help him in some ways. He does have a very good grasp of the offense. He normally does a good job of reading defenses quickly, and he makes good quick decisions most of the time. Unfortunately, he's not totally immune from occasionally missreading a defense or making a bad throw.

[justasportsfan]

Shanahan & Fitz's Wonderlic


"I think he needs to be a little bit smarter," said Shanahan, laughing. "What did he miss, one question? I guess that’s OK, sometimes those quarterbacks will miss one on purpose!"

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/2011/10/shanahan-fitzs-wonderlic.html

[BertSquirtgum]

It doesn't mean **** because he doesn't have enough physical talent to bring a team to the super bowl.

[Pinkerton Security]

Not really, its just a general knowledge test.

Just like in real life with normal people, some test well some don't. The scores are basically meaningless.

I wouldnt say it means nothing, but it doesnt particularly related to football...it just shows that in general that he is an intelligent human being, and that he would have an easier time learning things, such as an offense. Compare this to Vince Young and his reported single digit performance on his first attempt, and then look at VY's ability to learn and read defenses...some correlation there.

[better days]

It doesn't mean **** because he doesn't have enough physical talent to bring a team to the super bowl.

Well, if Brad Johnson has enough physical talent to win a Super Bowl, I think Fitz does as well.

[BertSquirtgum]

Well, if Brad Johnson has enough physical talent to win a Super Bowl, I think Fitz does as well.

I don't.

[Pinkerton Security]

This isn't about being smarter than the league, ask people in the league what they think about it. Getting a gold star on the wonderlic means nothing. A low score can lead to a question in an interview, but that can be cleared up using a white board or film session.

This isnt about being smarter or not, its just about knowing through talking to people. Vince Young's issue isn't whether he's smart or not. He doesn't see the field, massive differences and things you can't quantify through a written test.
you cant determine whether someone will be good via the Wonderlic but what you're quantifying is their general intelligence. If you dont think intelligence has anything to do with playing QB in the NFL, then you're sorely mistaken.

The list of NFL QBs with impressive physical skills that have failed is immense. So is the list of smart QB's who werent physically gifted enough. The point is that intelligence is one important factor in playing QB and there are only a few ways to measure that...the Wonderlic is one.

[justasportsfan]

I think some people are saying smart people have an advantage playing chess on the field better than those who arent that smart.

[Extremebillsfan247]

It was the second-highest score ever recorded by an NFL player on the 50-point test (trailing only the perfect 50 earned by fellow Harvard alum and former Cincinnati Bengal Pat McInally in 1975). It trumps the highly respectable 30 tallied by Redskins quarterback John Beck, the 29 earned by Rex Grossman, and the societal average of about 20.3 — which represents an IQ of about 100.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/ryan-fitzpatricks-wonderlic-score-what-does-it-mean/2011/10/20/gIQAvz51GM_story.html The funny thing about that test is how quickly Fitzpatrick went through it. He completed a 12 minute exam in 9 minutes and scored near perfect. That's very impressive. Imagine what that score might have been had he decided to take his time, or maybe he did. That's the funny part. He's ridiculously intelligent. JMO

[John Doe]

The wonderlic test did not tell us anything that we did not already know:

Fitz is smart. He can process and analyze information quickly and accurately.

[k-oneputt]

The wonderlic test did not tell us anything that we did not already know:

Fitz is smart. He can process and analyze information quickly and accurately.

I would say in today's NFL especially that is a valuable asset to have.