Aaron Rodgers and Jason Garrett Aaron Rodgers and Jason Garrett in NFL Films Presents: The Quest for the Perfect Throwing Motion. (Photo courtesy of the NFL)

If you love the NFL and nerd out over the details of quarterback play, Jason Garrett has something you should watch.

The latest episode of NFL Films Presents focuses on the finer points of tossing a football. The Quest for the Perfect Throwing Motion is Garrett’s search for the details behind every successful QB. The episode, a tidy 30 minutes with commercials, is the result of a 6-month journey of interviews where Garrett visited with Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Kurt Warner, Troy Aikman, and Drew Brees as well as throwing guru Tom House. It debuted Thursday at 12:30 a.m. ET on FS1 and will re-air on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.  It will also be available on the NFL Films’ YouTube channel.

Once a backup QB for the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, Garrett was also a head coach, an offensive coordinator, and a quarterbacks coach. He thought he knew plenty about passing. But then Rodgers revealed something that Garrett had never heard before.

“Aaron is arguably the best thrower of his generation,” the Princeton graduate and broadcaster told Awful Announcing in a phone interview. “And so, I just turned to him and said, ‘Give me a thought on throwing.’ He jumps up and says, ‘You know, really all I think about is getting my weight transferred from my back foot and getting it to the inside of my left ankle, the inside of my left knee, and the inside of my left calf. I was like, ‘What?’ I’ve been thinking about this forever and I’ve never heard anybody talk about that. So, it got me thinking.”

We all have our favorite quarterbacks. Sometimes we try to emulate their distinct throwing motions. What Garrett unveils is fascinating if you want to learn more about the game. Most fans focus on the weekly results: ‘Did my team win? How did my quarterback play?’ Most of us don’t see all the work that goes into completing a pass. These are not just individuals blessed with rare skills. These are people who have spent a lifetime fine-tuning their craft.

One of the best interview subjects in this episode is Allen. There has never been a more physically gifted quarterback. Allen has a unique combination of size, arm strength, and athleticism. That’s why he was drafted seventh overall in 2018. He would have gone higher based on talent alone. However, he went to a small school in Wyoming and was considered a bit of a project. In Allen’s first two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he completed less than 60 percent of his passes. Since then, he has completed at least 63.3 percent and is an MVP candidate.

What has been the difference? Allen explained to Garrett how he changed his throwing motion.

“It’s that willingness to work at it,” Garrett said. “I don’t want to say it’s a direct comparison, but Tiger Woods wins the Masters by 12 strokes and then changes his stroke, right? The elite guys are always trying to get better. They’re always trying to refine. They’re willing to put the work in. If you’re a fan of human nature and human beings achieving things, hopefully, this is something that’s interesting to you.”

Garrett didn’t just speak with quarterbacks. This episode also features his former Dallas offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and House who brings a scientific analysis of the position. All this information is presented in a way that is easy to digest. Garrett wants to continue to tell these types of inside-the-game stories and hopes that The Quest for the Perfect Throwing Motion is the start of something regular.

What’s the big takeaway from this experience?

“If you think about these names, Unitas, Namath, Bradshaw, Staubach, Fouts, I mean, amazing players,” Garrett said. “They all did it in different ways. There’s no doubt, as great as they were, this has evolved. So it’s like, to me, it’s an appreciation of all these guys, how they did it, their uniqueness, but also recognition of the evolution. It’s changed. They used to shoot set shots in the NBA in the 50s, right? Well, then they started shooting jump shots and dunking the basketball. This thing evolves and grows and changes.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.