What do you look for in scouting college quarterbacks? If you ask legendary former coach Bill Parcells, you’re looking for players who have, well, played — at a high level and for a long time. Parcells established seven rules for identifying prospects he thought had what it took to lead a franchise to a Super Bowl. And while some of those rules have been eroded or modified by teams over the years, they do still give a good barometer in helping to judge which quarterback prospects might be up to snuff. You don’t use these rules as the end-all, be-all decision-maker. But it’s a start.
It’s something Ian Book accomplished during his stellar run at Notre Dame, though he struggled in a tough spot with 20-plus teammates unavailable in his lone start for the New Orleans Saints last season. Obviously Book isn’t seen as franchise quarterback material just because he passed all of those thresholds, but it might be something the Saints value. They still have plenty of Parcells influences on their staff even without his chief disciple working as head coach.
