What does “game manager” truly mean?

[CamWhoaaCam]

10 minutes ago, Navy_football said:

There are levels of game manager. But yes, a game manager gets the ball to his playmakers (point guard). I don't think it's a negative at all. That's what the position calls for. Some can do it at a high level - Brady, Brees, Marino, etc.

Then you have playmakers that extend plays or even run to create something out of nothing. We had one of the best ever, and decided to surround him with JAGs at receiver and a bad oline because he was so dynamic. I guess it's a blessing and a curse. 

Calling Brady, Brees, Marino game managers is cray cray!

 

Those QBs are elite pocket passers who can take over a game.

 

Game managers are guys like Purdy, Geno Smith, Trent Differ. Guys who can win you games with great defense and mistake free football.

[Navy_football]

1 minute ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

Calling Brady, Brees, Marino game managers is cray cray!

 

Those QBs are elite pocket passers who can take over a game.

 

Game managers are guys like Purdy, Geno Smith, Trent Differ. Guys who can win you games with great defense and mistake free football.

Roger that. An elite pocket passer is an elite game manager to me. If no one is open when the protection breaks down, the play is over. Again. Game manager doesn't have a negative connotation in my eyes. But there are levels. 

[csx]

Caleb Williams isn't one. He runs around in loops 15 yards behind the LOS in hopes of throwing it 30 yards for a 15 yards gain a few times a game

[Gapanthersfan]

36 minutes ago, KSpan said:

IMO, JAG and game manager are two separate things. JAG implies 100% replaceable talent/performance level while game manager describes how they play the game and the limitations thereof. There are few true games managers in the league at the moment, with guys like Teddy, Tyrod, Alex Smith, and perhaps Purdue falling into that category; that lack of dynamism is generally not accepted at the QB position. 

There are also plenty of guys that aren't very good but can still push the ball and make plays at times, just not consistently enough to differentiate from the next crop. Those are the JAGs.

This is what I was looking for, THANK YOU. Not easily replaceable. Perfect. 

[Navy_football]

25 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I would disagree on Brady/Brees/Marino. Those are elite guys because they were capable of elevating play around them on a consistent basis. That puts them out of the game manager category for me.

I hear you. I think everyone has their own definition of game manager. I see a game manager as really a play manager. High level game managers work the play to perfection. Game changers can work outside the confines of the play and make chicken poop into filet mignon - Pat Mahomes. 

[csx]

Bill says the key to their success was Brady's ability to manage the game. You don't always have great plays but preventing bad plays is what defined him.

Fans and coaches have much different thoughts on what it means.

Game manager is more difficult and should be sought after than big play maker who makes as many bad plays too. A guy like Mahomes would not win if he wasn't first able to manage

Edited September 25, 2024 by csx

[NAS]

Tua was thought of as a game manager yet he’s not a JAG.  Dolphins are reeling without him

[kungfoodude]

17 minutes ago, Navy_football said:

I hear you. I think everyone has their own definition of game manager. I see a game manager as really a play manager. High level game managers work the play to perfection. Game changers can work outside the confines of the play and make chicken poop into filet mignon - Pat Mahomes. 

Yeah, it's a take with a lot of nuance. Lots of personal definitions.

[kungfoodude]

36 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Not at this stage in his career.

If you look at the game, he still leans gunslinger. It's just who he is. 

But he is a relatively low TO gunslinger. If you look at the QB school tape, you will remember those couple of dropped INT's from the Raiders game. It could have been a less stellar game if those guys make those plays. 

[PanthersGTI]

25 minutes ago, Navy_football said:

I hear you. I think everyone has their own definition of game manager. I see a game manager as really a play manager. High level game managers work the play to perfection. Game changers can work outside the confines of the play and make chicken poop into filet mignon - Pat Mahomes. 

Its a good point. Peyton Manning was the ultimate game manager and also one of the best to ever do it. He orchestrated that offense to perfection. I think the point you are making is the exact point Cam was making last year with the whole Purdy thing. He said there are only 2-3 "game changers" at QB at a time. 

[lightsout]

Andy absolutely has that "fug it, I can fit this there" attitude in him. Some of the throws he hit and others he attempted show that. He's not Favre but I think he absolutely is not just the "let me protect the ball here" kind of guy. If the play is there, Dalton lets it rip. 

 

Game managers might second-guess those because the risk of what can go wrong if they miss.

 

At the end of the day though, who gives a fug? Dalton is a gamer and this team is competitive with him leading the way 

[KillaCamNewton]

Cam explained this on his pod and caught a lot of flack because people think game manager is a negative label

there's game managers and game changers. The players like Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson that can carry an entire offense and it's on their shoulders to win the game

a game manager is tasked with not losing the game. get the ball to your playmakers and dont turn the ball over. some do it better than others

[X-Clown]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

Basically a guy that is typically charged with limiting turnovers and making plays inside the scheme of the offense. Also not typically a guy that is capable of elevating the players around him but rather vice versa. It's often thrown a lot at less physically gifted QB's but I think that is generally inaccurate. It's not what your ceiling is physically, it's how you generally perform on the field.

In short, a guy that isn't going to be the sole reason you win games very often but shouldn't be the sole reason you lose games either.

 

Agree with all of this - and I'd also say that if you put a game manager as QB of a team's supporting cast that is below average their flaws get exposed. To me Jimmy Garoppolo is a the perfect example of a game manager. Put him on a team like the 49ers where he can do a lot of handing off and throwing short passes to guys like Deebo, Kittle, and CMC who get chunk plays because of YAC, and having a strong defense to take pressure off of him, and his win-loss record looks great. Then you put him on a team like the Raiders last year and it completely went off the rails for him.

[Gapanthersfan]

Gamer is a title I like. The dude you always have a chance with. Big to medium big arm. They have that fire in them. They need a decent line to make it work, typically. When a play breaks down, they make THE game changing throw… 80% of the time in his team’s favor, 20% in the other. You accept it because he wins you far more games than he loses. Sometimes he just doesn’t have it, and you know after the first quarter how the day is going to be. 

The game manager is steady Eddie. Not great, not terrible, but he’s Mr reliable. Medium arm. He’ll have a good game here and there if a WR is in a contract year. Definitely a product of the system guy. Signs a big second contract with another team and is never productive again, but very wealthy. 

So it comes down to typically arm strength and PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES. The elite guys are typically big dudes with big and accurate arms… you reading this Dan?