Brian Decker, the man who revamped the Special Forces Selection and Assessment Course (SFAS), has brought his ability to evaluate a certain indicator of success from the military to the NFL (National Football League). He’s now been hired by the Indianapolis Colts to head a new program to ensure player success.

His metric collects over 1200 different points of data on each player that will point to whether a player will be able to succeed in the NFL. The same traits that the military looks for in Special Operators: selflessness, character, determination, leadership, and grit are the same qualities that can transcend into success in the world of professional football.

“At the time, Decker ran the Army’s Special Forces selection assessment as the commander. He and his men was responsible for evaluating the best Soldiers the Army had to offer. He evaluated the best of the best soldiers, with unbelievable resumes and the ultimate physical specimens. Decker helped pick where each one would fit in to the Special Forces, also known as the “Green Berets.”

“When Decker took over the prestigious selection assessment, he revamped some of the course material and it received rave reviews. Special Forces candidates would take a series of tests designed to be a reliable predictor of success.”

“After three years (serving the Army), Decker had devised a program that collected 1,200 data points on each candidate, from peak physical performance to psychometrics, the science of measuring mental processes. He could effectively predict the profile of a Green Beret: college-educated with an IQ around 122, in his early 30s, probably from a suburb of a major city, someone who responded to trauma in his life with increased self-motivation.”

The Cleveland Browns hired Decker a few years ago as a player personnel strategist but he was let go in a front office purge before he could fully implement his system.

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Photo courtesy ESPN