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Ram at the Head of the Class
How the Pro Teams Scored
Here is a look at average scores on the Wonderlic, a standardized
intelligence test, for players on the National Football League's 32 teams.
Averages are for players currently on each team's roster and for which scores
are available -- generally, drafted players who entered the league in the
past seven years:
TEAM (RECORD): 1. St. Louis Rams (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 24.6
COMMENT: Coach Mike Martz's intricate offense takes brains: Average
Wonderlic for offensive players is a 27, just below the average for
chemists. Some wide receivers have to learn four positions.
TEAM (RECORD): 2. Oakland Raiders (0-3)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 23.3
COMMENT: Surprise: Not known for scholarship, the Super Bowl runners-up for
the 2002 season have a rookie crop that averages 26. But the offense is tied
for league lead in penalties -- and the team has yet to win a game.
TEAM (RECORD): 3. Tennessee Titans (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 23.2
COMMENT: To play defensive end for the Tennessee Titans, you'd better be
pushing Mensa levels -- their average score is 33. Intelligence, says GM
Floyd Reese, "is something we look at harder every year."
TEAM (RECORD): 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 23.2
COMMENT: Team's linebackers have a heady average of 30, and guards averaged
34. Overall offensive line score of 29.6 may explain why running back
Carnell Williams leads the NFL in rushing.
TEAM (RECORD): 5. San Diego Chargers (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 23
COMMENT: Rookie defensive end Luis Castillo from Northwestern (32) has
started three games.
TEAM (RECORD): 6. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 22.8
COMMENT: May have the smartest collection of QBs ever assembled -- Drew
Bledsoe (37), Drew Henson (42) and Tony Romo (37). Players with numbers like
those are "in the mental elite," says Wonderlic executive Michael Callans.
TEAM (RECORD): 7. Chicago Bears (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 22.6
COMMENT: Forty players from the young Bears showed up in our Wonderlic
dragnet, edging out the Cardinals and Colts (38 each). Brains are
concentrated on defense, which hasn't given up a rushing touchdown this
season.
TEAM (RECORD): 8. Carolina Panthers (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 22.1
COMMENT: Tackle Jordan Gross (40) is one of the brainiest starters in the
NFL.
TEAM (RECORD): 9. San Francisco ***** (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.7
COMMENT: Quarterback Alex Smith, the team's first-round pick, scored 40,
but team says Wonderlic scores are used only in "rare cases" when all other
factors are equal.
TEAM (RECORD): 9. N.Y. Jets (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.7
COMMENT: Heading the other way? The Jets' first seven draft picks in 2005
were just below average, totaling a 20.8 Wonderlic.
TEAM (RECORD): 11. Cleveland Browns (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.6
COMMENT: Tied for league lead in Stanford graduates. Top draft pick, wide
receiver Braylon Edwards from Michigan, scored a 27.
TEAM (RECORD): 11. New England Patriots (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.6
COMMENT: Despite his team's intelligent reputation, coach Bill Belichick
doesn't always favor high scorers. Our sample was relatively small -- 29
players -- but nine of 13 starters had below-average Wonderlics.
TEAM (RECORD): 11. Buffalo Bills (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.6
COMMENT: Football intelligence? Stingiest defense in the NFL this season
has only a 21 average. Former Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman (31) has thrown
only one interception so far.
TEAM (RECORD): 14. Baltimore Ravens (0-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.5
COMMENT: Defense's Roderick Green has the lowest score in our sample, a 3,
which his agent attributes to a learning disability. "People should
respect his football talents," says James Selser.
TEAM (RECORD): 14. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.5
COMMENT: According to Wonderlic scores, quarterback Daunte Culpepper tested
out at an average 21. His agent would not confirm the mark, calling it "a
confidential thing."
TEAM (RECORD): 16. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.3
COMMENT: Smart is relative: Seattle was one of the least-penalized teams in
the NFL in 2004. Defensive starters average 22 -- just above the national
average across professions.
TEAM (RECORD): 16. Detroit Lions (1-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.3
COMMENT: The Lions had what could be the highest-scoring draft, test-wise,
in NFL history. The first five players it picked had a 28.4 average.
TEAM (RECORD): 18. Denver Broncos (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.2
COMMENT: Denver's secret revealed: Seven of the 10 top-scoring Broncos in
our sample are offensive linemen. Without them, the Broncos would have
ranked 25th. The team's running backs average less than 17.
TEAM (RECORD): 19. Miami Dolphins (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.1
COMMENT: New coach Nick Saban comes from LSU, where the mean Wonderlic for
NFL hopefuls is below average (18.4). This year's draft picks averaged 20.3,
also below average. But Donnie Jones (29) may be the the NFL's smartest
punter.
TEAM (RECORD): 19. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.1
COMMENT: Sensational quarterback Ben Roethlisberger scored a 25, nowhere
near the top among QBs. Still, he has the NFL's highest passer rating. "Ben
has an unbelievable memory," says his agent.
TEAM (RECORD): 19. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 21.1
COMMENT: General manager Rich McKay is a Princeton graduate, but this year's
draft class had a 19 average. Falcons' overall score is close to that for
police officers.
TEAM (RECORD): 22. Indianapolis Colts (3-0)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 20.8
COMMENT: High and low: While Colts offense is famously complicated, team's
surprisingly effective defense is not. Overall defense scored 19, and the
first three defenders drafted this year averaged 16.
TEAM (RECORD): 23. N.Y. Giants (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 20.4
COMMENT: Eli Manning (39) leads our sample of starting NFL QBs. Giants also
give prospects a two-hour psychological test.
TEAM (RECORD): 24. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 20.1
COMMENT: QB Donovan McNabb had a below-average Wonderlic but runs the
league's most potent offense. Team's top test-takers? The backfield: Outside
linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties average 27.
TEAM (RECORD): 25. Houston Texans (0-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 20
COMMENT: Quarterback David Carr (24) leads the league's least productive
offense. In our sample, no Houston offensive player scored higher than 26.
TEAM (RECORD): 25. New Orleans Saints (1-2)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 20
COMMENT: Mental mistakes? The Saints' offense led the NFL in 2004 penalty
yards. This year, too, it's leading the league in total penalties.
TEAM (RECORD): 27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.8
COMMENT: Go figure: Offensive line is the smartest unit on the team, but
quarterback Byron Leftwich has been sacked 11 times.
TEAM (RECORD): 27. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.8
COMMENT: Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (26) leads the NFL in passing
touchdowns, but team's defense is the wild card. Two middle linebackers both
scored a 12 on test.
TEAM (RECORD): 29. Washington Redskins (2-0)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.6
COMMENT: Agent Todd France says the team wasn't concerned that his client,
top 2005 pick Carlos Rogers, scored 14. The agent says he helps his clients
prep for Wonderlic by giving sample questions. "You don't want any
surprises."
TEAM (RECORD): 30. Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.3
COMMENT: Skewed sample? The Chiefs had the fewest players show up in our
sample -- 23 in all -- in part because it fields so many veterans. Rookie
linebacker Boomer Grigsby has defense's top Wonderlic (34) but doesn't start.
TEAM (RECORD): 31. Arizona Cardinals (0-3)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.2
COMMENT: Birds of a feather: This 0-3 franchise hasn't made it to the
playoffs since 1998. Team's big crop of rookies averages just below a 19
Wonderlic.
TEAM (RECORD): 32. Green Bay Packers (0-3)
AVERAGE WONDERLIC: 19.1
COMMENT: Winless Packers have nine players with scores below 14. The team
declined to comment. Interesting fact: According to E.F. Wonderlic Co., the
lowest average score for any occupation is "packer," with a 14.69.
__________________
"I would much rather have a bottle in front of me than a
frontal lobotomy"!!
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