The Wonderlic Test: How Would You Score? Better than Tebow?

Ah, the Wonderlic Test -- my favorite part of the NFL draft evaluations. Prospects are given 12 minutes to answer 50 multiple choice questions. The average score has been reported as 21 for NFL players and 24 for people of various professions. Although such tests never give a perfectly accurate picture of the intelligence of a person (or player), I think a very high or low score can portray who's exceptionally quick, and who's exceptionally thick.

Last year Matthew Stafford was the cream of the crop with his 38 out of 50 score, while Percy Harvin was ridiculed for posting a meager 12.

This year, Tim Tebow (unsurprisingly) scored a 22, the lowest of the other top quarterback prospects. Colt McCoy (25) and Jimmy Clausen (23) weren't far ahead, while Sam Bradford was this year's savant with a 36. According to Wikipedia, the average NFL QB score is a 24.

Apparently, the scores for other positions haven't yet been leaked, so I anxiously await to hear who scored in the teens and the single digits.

So how hard exactly is this test? Judging from sample Wonderlic tests I've seen, the questions are relatively simple for the average person, but the fact that the test is timed can probably affect some slower thinkers. It's also likely that the players who score very low also were incorrect on some, if not many, of the questions they did answer.

How well would you do on the Wonderlic test?

Here's a sample Wonderlic test with only 20 questions. Set a timer to 5 minutes, answer as many questions as you can, and multiply your correct answers by 2.5 to see what you would score. Of course this isn't exactly the same as the real test, plus I've read that NFL prospects get to take the test twice to improve their score. Vote in the poll to show how you did.

Stafford: Welcome to the Big Time (Don't mind the paparazzi)

Stafford's in New York for the NFL draft, and it appears that the paparazzi are already sensing blood in the water. A guy from TMZ hassled Matt Stafford with some strange questions as he exited an airport, and they posted the video on their website. It looks like #7 did a pretty good job just smiling, looking away, and answering questions with the expected, "I don't know...."

Go check the video out HERE.

Be warned that they'll force you to watch a 5 to 10 second advertisement when you click on the video. Oh, and leave some nice comments below for Stafford, it looks like he'll need them.

Matthew Stafford says: Analyze This

So there's some story going around now about how the San Fransisco 49ers, in evaluating Matthew Stafford for the NFL draft, had a psychologist interview him and ask him some interesting questions. One question in particular had Stafford a little bit annoyed.

According to an update on Comcast.net Sports (which is the most legitimate source I could find), the psychologist asked Stafford about his parents' divorce (which happened while he was in high school) and how it has affected him. The San Fransisco Chronicle reports:

"According to Stafford, the psychologist told him as if it sounded like he had "unfinished business" concerning the divorce. Stafford said no, and then said he felt if he should be wondering how much he was being charged by hour for the psychoanalysis."

49ers Coach Mike Singletary commented that maybe since the divorce issue bothered Stafford so much that he might not "belong" on the team. What?
I assume that after grilling Stafford on personal issues, the psychologist also taunted him with this picture and called him names.

Here's my take on this situation:

On one hand, I understand what the team was trying to do by basically testing Stafford to see how he responds to stress or how he deals with difficult situations. It could almost be stretched to compare to the decision making a quarterback faces on the field. Let's imagine that instead of being asked about your parents' divorce, a 250 pound defensive end is barreling toward you with a thirst for quarterback blood.

Tell me 'bout your parents' divorce now! And give me ball please.

So you have to think quickly and make a decision. Do you:
1. Just answer the question politely (throw the ball away as you know you're about to get eaten alive and don't want to screw up)

or

2. Get annoyed and make a sarcastic/rude comment (try to throw the ball before getting hit, even though there are no open receivers and thus you will perhaps throw an interception)

Like I said before, this is a pretty big stretch to connect the interview to an actual game-time situation, but I can see where they're coming from. They also obviously don't want to deal with any emotionally unstable players who could be problems in the future by committing crimes, making it rain, or shooting themselves in the thigh.

But still, should a team really put much (if any) stock in the usefulness of having a psychological interview with a top caliber player for the draft? It honestly sounds to me like Stafford was just a little annoyed about being psychoanalyzed about personal issues for a job playing football. This is a response I would expect from most people, and so should the 49ers organization.

Imagine if you were applying for a job and instead of asking you about yourself, your ambitions, weaknesses, and so on they instead asked you about a family issue that happened years ago. You probably wouldn't be so comfortable either.

It may have served Stafford's best interests to play nice in the interview, but I don't see how the 49ers coach's opinion on Stafford will change anything about his future or draft status.

But hey, if the 49ers master plan is to bother potential players and then act like they don't want them anyway, then so be it. Everyone likes a little game of "hard to get" right?