All-Pro Passer
All-Pro Passer is a fun, active play toy that accurately launches a small, plastic football to simulate throws from a quarterback. Your child chooses the play (i.e., where the ball is going to be “thrown”), and the unit shouts, “Hike,” so they know to start running the route and get to the designated spot ready to make the reception when the ball is passed. The ball can launch as far as 25 yards making it an ideal outdoor activity. Parents loved that this encourages physical activity and encouragement to get outside. The age suggestion of 14+ is good, but after several months, the consensus was that it could be lowered to 8 or 9+. It is ideal for the novice football player who wants to get started with some route running and catching experience or for a more advanced player who wants a way to practice and improve their own skills. The controls are very intuitive and easy to understand, thanks to the illustrated instructions that are right on the toy’s base. Simply adjust how far you want the ball to be hiked by setting the dial to short, midfield, or long, then pick your choice of nine preprogrammed plays, prime the air pressure pump, and get ready to take off. We did have some issues with the design and weight of the ball. This ball will veer off course in windy conditions, sometimes quite wildly when running longer routes. Through trial and error, one of our testers recommended putting some gaffer tape on the back of the ball to give it a little more heft, and it worked! Parents told us that they had never seen anything like this toy before. Still, they appreciated its uniqueness and how it promotes a love of football, being active, and playing outdoors.