Convergent Science and Rescale Team Up to Simulate the Manning "Wobbly" Pass

Millions of Americans regularly watch football games, experiencing emotional highs and lows, particularly when players like Peyton Manning, known for his occasionally "wobbly" passes, take the field. Despite the wobble, Manning remains one of the NFL's top quarterbacks, prompting Convergent Science and Rescale to investigate the science behind his passes using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and cloud computing. The study utilized CONVERGE™ CFD software, which involves an automated meshing process and Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) to simulate the aerodynamic effects of a football's flight accurately. The research indicates that a lower spin rate results in a more pronounced wobble, but the impact on the pass's distance and stability is minimal, with only slight reductions in distance and drop compared to a spiraling pass. This slight difference can be crucial in gameplay, but skilled athletes like Manning can easily compensate for it, as evidenced by his impressive performance statistics.