Actually, Young first scored an "6" and then was allowed to try again. Could you imagine ending up with a "16" after already taking the test once, obviously being tutored and having the lay of the land?? Marino's 16 was not good, but that was before a player was permitted to take a mulligan. It was 1 and done and you lived with the score.
Marino's not the only low scoring player, there were a number of others including Bradshaw and Kelly. However the main difference is that QBs like those guys mostly succeeded and played their careers on 1 team thereby proving they were anomalies while "Wonderlic Simpletons" like Young who have not been successful with their original teams proved the rule.
FWIW, yes there are exceptions to every rule, but the Wonderlic Avg for QBs is 24, the minimum that teams prefer is 21 (which equates out to a clerical worker), the score of 15 is equivalent to a warehouseman and below a janitor.
The point is, what VY has done to date by being suicidal, emotional, disruptive, combative and team-divisive has confirmed the general predictability of low scores when it comes to the player who should be the smartest, fast-thinking, most level-headed one on the team. It's not like he's fresh meat and doesn't have a predictive history on and off the field already.
Here's an analysis of the Wonderlics of contemporary Superbowl QBs.. The only exception is McNabb, who had a nice stable career until he had to depend on his mind more so than his legs. The Bradshaws, Marinos and Kellys are old school, just like the wishbone formation and ground and pound.
http://mathjokes4mathyfolks.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/quarterbacks-super-bowl-sat-scores/
Super Bowl XXXV – 1/28/01
Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens – Fresno State (22)
Kerry Collins, New York Giants – Penn State (30)
Super Bowl XXXVI – 2/3/02
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – Michigan (33)
Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams – Northern Iowa (29)
Super Bowl XXXVII – 1/26/03
Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Florida State (unavailable)
Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders – Delaware (27)
Super Bowl XXXVIII – 2/1/04
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – Michigan (33)
Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers – Louisiana-Lafayette (32)
Super Bowl XXXVIX – 2/6/05
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – Michigan (33)
Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia – Syracuse (14)
Super Bowl XL – 2/5/06
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers – Miami, Ohio (25)
Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle – Boston College (29)
Super Bowl XLI – 2/4/07
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts – Tennessee (28)
Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears – Florida (29)
Super Bowl XLII – 2/3/08
Eli Manning, New York Giants – Ole Miss (39)
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – Michigan (33)
Super Bowl XLIII – 2/1/09
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers – Miami, Ohio (25)
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals – Northern Iowa (29)
Super Bowl XLIV – 2/7/10
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints – Purdue (28)
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts – Tennessee (28)
As it turns out, the average Wonderlic score of an NFL player is 20, while the average score of an NFL quarterback is 24. Only one Super Bowl quarterback in the past ten years had a Wonderlic score below the league average. That was Donovan McNabb (14) in 2005. So while a higher Wonderlic score may not imply Super Bowl success, it does seem that quarterbacks who make it to the Super Bowl have above average scores.
