Does Size Really Matter....for QB's in the NFL? Pt.1

By:  Bobby Shores
[Editor's Note:  This is my first of hopefully many articles I am writing on the beach in Florida, enjoy!]

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They get lost in the crowd they're are so short

With NFL training camps about to open up (or just opening up, depending on when this gets finished and posted) I decided to write a series (or article depending on time and content) about current trends that we are seeing in the NFL, and I am going to try and go beyond the obvious like "it's becoming a passing league",  "workhorse backs are a thing of the past, it's a committee approach now", etc. The first one is going to be about the size of quarterbacks, and how not only are shorter quarterbacks becoming more of the norm, they are excelling!

It seems that between as far back as I can remember and the mid-2000's short quarterbacks basically had no chance to succeed, most weren't even given a fair chance with Doug Flutie being the poster child for short quarterbacks back in the day. Flutie spent his entire career fighting off his replacements, even though he was typically the best quarterback on the roster by far. Now short quarterbacks (6'2 and below) are being given legitimate chances to play, and excelling with them, and teams are even using valuable draft picks on them.

Did you know that the NFL's single season passing yardage record holder, Drew Brees, is listed at 6'0, that Michael Vick was the #1 overall pick as a quarterback at 6'0? Two of the NFL's most elite quarterbacks, Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers, are listed (probably shorter than their listed height) at 6'2. What do Andy Dalton, Christian Ponder, and Robert Griffin III all have in common? Well they are all around 6'2 tall and drafted on day 1 (I still consider 2nd round picks "Day 1" picks), with all but Dalton going in the Top 15, and they are all expected to be franchise quarterbacks. I want to add the Seahawks Russell Wilson to this discussion because I believe the he is a legit franchise signal caller, but I have another piece cooking on him.

So what traits do all these guys have in common that make them successful even though they do not have "prototypical height" to be NFL signal callers? For starters they are all fairly mobile/athletic quarterbacks, and no I do not mean they can all run like Vick. What I mean is that they are all able to move both inside and outside the pocket with ease allowing them to deftly avoid the oncoming rush while finding different lanes to throw in. It's much harder for a pass rusher to find and hit a QB who is constantly moving, even if they are only moving in the pocket. Brees for instance is a master at slightly sliding inside the pocket to find his lanes.

It's not just the pass rushers that have a difficult time defending the smaller more mobile quarterbacks, it is also difficult for the defenders that are dropping back into coverage. One of the cues that coverage guys use to defend against the pass is the QB's eyes, and if that QB is constantly on the move it makes it difficult to track his eyes and see where he wants to go with the ball, especially when his height is factored into the equation.

Like I said before, they may not all be able to run like Vick (and RGIII), but their mobility/athleticism gives all of them a very important skill that I call "escapability". When a QB moves out of the pocket looking for a new throwing lane, and yet nothing is available, a lot of the "old school" pocket passers just go down, head out of bounds, or throw the pass away; but these "new school" shorter passers with "escapability" are able to  easily extend the play. Extending the play sometimes results in the biggest plays these guys have (Romo is an expert at avoiding the big hit, spinning out of it and keeping plays alive), whether its avoiding the rush long enough for one of your receivers to get open down the field or tucking the ball and picking up a few yards.

Eyes Closed & Leaning In For A Kiss....Romantic

Another trait shared by most of these "short" quarterbacks is their accuracy. Look at the 2011 stats for proof, the top 3 NFL QB's in completion percentage are all 6'2 or shorter; Drew Brees(71.2), Aaron Rodgers(68.3), and Tony Romo(66.3). And these are not Colt McCoy completions where they dump the ball off within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, these guys are also in the top 7 in yards per attempt, so it's not an "empty stat". Their accuracy is a compilation of many different technical aspects which I am not going to get into here, but if you are interested let me know and I will put together another article on it.

Another thing that these guys have in common is both their release point and a quick release. Most of the time their release points are high, but they all have an outstanding ability to adjust it for different circumstances, going from a high release point, to sidearm, to even a shovel style pass. The different release points make it harder for defenders to get their arms/hands in the way of passes, and when you combine that with all of their super quick releases, they may have an advantage over taller quarterbacks. The quick release makes it difficult for the pass rushers to time their jumps or potential blocks, and it hinders the coverage guys because they have less time to react.

All of these physical traits help these shorter quarterbacks overcome their size, and actually make them better than their taller counterparts. But it's not just physical traits that make these guys excel, the evolution of offenses and the game of football have just as big, if not a bigger part to do with it. The second part is how schemes and philosophy's have made quarterback size fairly insignificant.

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