Football Athlete Success Evaluation (F.A.S.E.)

" Most football players are temperamental. That's 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental."
  Doug Plank, Football player and coach

Many tools are used in order to assess the skills and performance of a football player. Past game performances are analyzed using game tapes, physical skills and capabilities are analyzed using a combination of tests such as the 220LBS bench press, vertical leap, 40-yard dash etc. Sometimes interviews are held with past coaches, teammates and acquaintances. A general IQ test of 50 questions is currently used to analyze the athletes' general intelligence. However, it has been established that the general IQ test is insufficient (and somewhat irrelevant) to predict future performance and potential conduct issues that's why most NFL teams now use independent sports psychologists to screen athletes as part of the evaluation process. The potential drawback with that approach is that biases and inconsistencies cannot be prevented unless an objective, reliable tool is used as part of the decision-making process.

F.A.S.E was designed to be that valid, reliable and most of all, standardized assessment tool that is currently missing. The 40-yard dash is regarded as an excellent linear speed test. It enables the coaching staff to get an accurate measurement regarding athletes' running ability and compare between different athletes. Now imagine what would happen if we asked one athlete to run a 40-yard dash on an artificial turf field and asked the other to run the same distance on a track. Would we still be able to compare between these athletes based on these results? The answer is no, because different measurement tools provide different results.

The same principle holds for psychological tests and that is why F.A.S.E (Mental Combine) is designed to provide a standardized measurement tool that is reliable, valid, cost-effective and enable teams to compare between athletes.