Quarterback dropping on Netflix this week, here’s everything we know about the NFL series.
Netflix is fast becoming the home of great sporting documentaries. In the last few years the streamer has produced superb shows about Formula One (Drive to Survive), tennis (Break Point) and golf (Full Swing).
Last Chance U tackled college football in fascinating fashion. While now Netflix is doing the professional game, via Quarterback.
So here’s a guide to the show, including which athletes involved, and how this unique series was made.
Quarterback: Who’s in it?
Quarterback revolves around three athletes who play in that position. They are:
- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
- Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota
Here’s how Netflix describes their respective journeys through the eight episodes of Quarterback: “Mariota struggles to hang on to his starting role, while Mahomes is considered to be the best quarterback in the game. Cousins is an entrenched starter, but has yet to have an extended playoff run. And only one of the league’s 32 starting QBs can navigate all the pitfalls that pop up each season, lead his team to a Super Bowl win and reap the rewards that come with that success.”
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Elsewhere the streamer states: “Quarterback documents the physical demands on the players throughout their 2022 season. Cousins is 34, and has taken his fair share of hits over his 11-year professional career. He employs a chiropractor and masseuse to manage joint and soft tissue damage. Mahomes works out with his own personal trainer outside of team practices, while Mariota employs a private chef to manage his nutrition at home.”
How Quarterback was made
The makers of Quarterback were given unprecedented access to the three players, and they were mic’d up for every game of the 2022 season.
Here’s how Netflix describes this approach: “The series gives fans an inside look at the players’ lives on the field and off. It documents intimate moments with their families, friends and trainers, following them from the field to their homes in a first-of-its kind, in-depth look at the job. It also reveals the many pressures involved: what it’s like to receive an entire stadium’s cheers or boos, or be chased by a 300-pound defensive lineman and the reality of having to ask your loved ones to make sacrifices on your behalf.”
Former quarterback Peyton Manning is also involved as both a producer, and talking head, and the Hall of Famer had this to say about the show: “We’ve seen quarterbacks mic’d up for a game. We’ve certainly seen training camp. But we’ve never followed a quarterback throughout the entire season to see what he does Sunday night after a big win, after a brutal loss on a last second field goal — what they do on Mondays and Tuesdays on their off days? Are they hanging out? Are they playing golf? Are they in the weight room and watching film and grinding for that next game? Which is the answer, by the way, not to give it away. There is no golf in the season.”
Quarterback arrives on July 12, 2023 – for details of what time the show drops on Netflix, head here.
