Does Size Really Matter....for QB's in the NFL? Pt.2

By:  Bobby Shores

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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 about the size of quarterbacks and whether or not height really matter, the first part of this article has already been posted here and is about what the shorter quarterbacks bring from a physical standpoint. Now we are going to look at how schemes, offenses, coaches have made shorter quarterbacks better.

We all know that the NFL has been transforming over the 20 years to a passing league from a running league, with it really becoming pass heavy the last few years. Part of this is the fans desire to see more scoring and the league helping offense's out with rule changes and also the culture of football has changed from the Pop Warner leagues all the way up the ladder to the NFL with more wide-open passing games.

As the spread of spread offense's (does that make sense) reached the NFL level, it opened the door for shorter quarterbacks to excel by, well spreading out the field making it easier for the guys with less stature to see the entire field. They also run a lot of zone-read plays which require the quarterbacks to sometimes carry the ball (mostly at levels below the NFL), and this opens up opportunities for smaller and quicker QB's that can make things happen with their feet.

As offense's spread out their players with multiple receivers, tight ends and backs across the length of the field, it means that there are less blockers in tight to form a nice clean pocket, this leads to more roll outs and throws on the run, which again lends itself to more agile QB's that can move easily inside and outside the pocket. These schemes value accuracy on the move more than a 6'4 monster who can stand in the pocket and deliver a shot down the field. Those tall guys are also more likely to stand there and take a hit, thereby increasing the chances for injury.


While you do not see a lot of zone-read offense's in the NFL (yet), having a smaller and more mobile quarterback gives offensive coordinator's more wrinkles they can add into their playbook. They may decide to run the occasional zone-read option play because like the "Wildcat" a few years ago, it makes opposing defenses HAVE to study for the possibility or be caught off guard and get burned. Every minute spent by an opposing defense studying the "non-conventional" packages the offense may throw at them that week, is a minute that they are not working on stopping the base plays.


Another benefit that was touched on in the first article is the extra advantages that a moving quarterback provides. If he stays in the pocket there are not a lot of places for him to go as the defensive players collapse the pocket, but when you move him and there is nobody open down field it's much easier for him to pick up that last 3-5 yards for a first down while also avoiding a hit by stepping out of bounds. Now you have a dual-threat quarterback who avoids getting hammered in the pocket, even though in the Dictator Roger Goodell era of the NFL, defensive players can only hit a quarter sized spot without getting flagged and fined.


So while a few years ago a 6'2 quarterback would've been given next to no shot of making it, and one under 6'2 wouldn't have been given a chance at all, in today's NFL, undersized quarterbacks are slowly taking control. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the quarterbacks drafted this year, nearly 50% were under 6'3. Robert Griffin III is barely 6'2 and he was drafted second overall to be the franchise, and a 5'10 quarterback in Russell Wilson is seemingly being given a legit shot to start as a rookie (and I think he will win it)! Welcome to the evolution of the NFL, where no sacred cow is safe.


If you want to know about the evolution of NFL offenses and defenses up to this point, you must read Tim Layden's book "Blood, Sweat And Chalk", it's become my new favorite book and the information it contains is invaluable.

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