There wasn’t much people could argue about Caleb Williams from a physical standpoint. He has high-level arm strength, capable of throwing the ball 60 yards without too much effort. His accuracy is some of the best seen from a draft prospect in the past ten years. Perhaps his greatest asset is his mobility. The guy can escape trouble and make plays with his legs all day. Yet the one thing experts were able to harp on was his size. Standing at 6’1, he was considered short for the position. Conventional NFL wisdom says you should be at least 6’3 to play the position today. Preferably, it would be 6’4 or taller.
That is because guys like Tom Brady (6’4), Peyton Manning (6’5), Ben Roethlisberger (6’5), and Eli Manning (6’5) have all claimed multiple Super Bowl rings since the turn of the millennium. This, of course, ignores the fact that Patrick Mahomes has three in the past five years and is only 6’2. Russell Wilson is 5’11. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2. Drew Brees is 6’0. The evidence speaks for itself. Plenty of guys around Williams’ height have won championships.
If that weren’t enough, all you have to do is look at Bears history. Jim McMahon was 6’1. Sid Luckman was 6’0. The most successful QBs in franchise history were considered short. Williams himself laughed at the idea.
Greatness finds a way. Caleb Williams knows this.
A couple of inches of height won’t make a difference if you’re destined to be great in professional sports. It hasn’t stopped Williams yet. He dominated high school. Then, he dominated college. Yes, the NFL is tougher, but nothing about it has suggested that only tall quarterbacks can be great. The many examples listed above prove this. Smart quarterbacks find the throwing the lanes. They understand how to manipulate the coverage to their advantage and have no trouble hitting the open man. It’s not like offensive linemen suddenly got taller going from college to the pros.
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Caleb Williams will be standing behind guys who are the same size as what he had at USC. He threw over 70 touchdowns in two years with such a group, many of them from the pocket. This challenge isn’t sneaking up on him. Williams knows what he must do to get around not being a few inches taller. Don’t forget Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are on the shorter side. Both were #1 picks who played for Lincoln Riley. Both have had successful careers thus far. Williams should be able to do the same.
The main problem with Flutie’s time here was Management. McMahon wasn’t tall himself (not even the 6’1″ the article states) and he felt dissed by the acquisition of Flutie. Bill Tobin, Very Likely the McCaskeys and probably Ditka never should have signed him. They knew or at least should have that it would rub McMahon wrong. McMahon came in with injury history and missed plenty of time due mostly to cheap shots, ESPECIALLY from those Horse bleep GB teams back then but Steve Fuller was a capable backup. and Also that O-line would kill for McMahon and they likely weren’t… Read more »
“Evo” has allowed humans and other animals to adapt via natural selection in such a way to survive against restraints over a long time. The game of football has evolved too; players height, weight, muscle size, speed, jumping ability, throwing and kicking distances increasing over the last several generations. If today’s QB is too short on height, stamina, or brains, then effective adjustments require changes in plays, snaps, throwing angles, higher shoes, and even in throwing outside the pocket or on the run during improve. A great coach (or scientist or lawyer) will tell you not to dismiss anything, even… Read more »
I bet there is more than one factor that can lead to a batted ball, honestly.
Well, that’s it for my football talk.
It’s the doldrums this time of the year. The subject matter is being plucked from thin air. I respectfully disagree size does matter it just depends on the context in which it’s presented.
The Bears never utilized Flutie properly. And made no noticeable adjustments for his height or running ability. The Bears were rigid, worse than how they used Fields during most of the years he was in Chicago.