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The Short End Of The Stick
Authored by Brian Carlton - 2nd May, 2007 - 5:48 pm
Instead of analyzing the common storylines of Super Bowl XLIV, let’s use the music of The Who, who (pun intended) will be performing at halftime this year.
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The happiest guy after the NFL draft is the one who didn’t get picked. Former Florida quarterback Chris Leak, just months after winning the national championship as a senior, had to sit and watch team after team pass him up in the draft. Ranked as a potential 5th round pick, Leak saw guys get drafted that had never won 13 games in their college career, the amount that he did in one season (Here’s looking at you, Trent Edwards).
So as always, size matters most in the NFL.
There’s a problem with that argument, because nothing ever fits quite so easy. The questions should begin and end with one name. Drew Brees. He stands at an even 6 feet tall and didn’t seem to have any problems while guiding the Saints to their first ever NFC title game this season. It wasn’t just because of a running game either, as he threw for 4418 yards and 26 touchdowns. Also look back into NFL history at Doug Flutie, who is a little shorter than Leak at 5’10 ft., but had several good seasons with both the Buffalo Bills and later as a backup for the New England Patriots.
But because height is the golden rule for NFL coaches and Leak stands at 5’11 7/8 ft., he didn’t get drafted. Really, does that extra one eighth of an inch matter? How does that make any difference at all when you’re on the football field? How will that extra eighth put a better spiral on the ball or make a quarterback more accurate? Actually, it turns out going undrafted was the best thing to happen to the former Gator however, as Monday morning he signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears.
It’s a decent situation to be in. Leak will be competing with Brian Grese, Kyle Orton and J.T. O’Sullivan for the two spots behind Bears QB Rex Grossman. Another former Gator, Grossman comes in at 6’1, not exactly towering over Leak. There’s no pressure to step in immediately, giving him time to learn the system and the players. And for those concerned about his “height challenged” status, consider this: At Florida, Leak played behind an offensive line whose starters were Drew Miller (6’5), Carlton Medder (6’5), Steve Rissler (6’3), Ronnie Wilson (6’3) and Phil Trautwein (6’6). It didn’t seem to affect his ability, as he explained to the Rock Hill Herald last week.
“I’m an eighth of an inch short of 6-foot”, Leak said. “Height’s not an issue for me. All through my career at Florida my offensive linemen were between 6’5 and 6’8 and so I know how you have to see through lanes and how you differ your drop.” Point blank, he knows how to use the skills he has. He’s second in Florida’s history in touchdowns, with 88 passing and 13 rushing. Rex Grossman, by the way, is in third place with 83 total and Danny Weurffel holds the title, with 122.
He can also adapt quickly to new systems, as the Gators switched head coaches halfway through his college career. Ron Zook went out the door and a brand new scheme was installed by Urban Meyer. He guided the team to a 9-3 record as a junior and then 13-1 as a senior. Overall, he was 35-12 as a starter in his four years with Florida, including a 10-8 record against Top 15 opponents.
So now Leak is in a new city, with yet another new head coach and a new system to learn. The Bears, coincidentally, are coming off a Super Bowl loss with all the blame placed on the shoulders of their starting quarterback. If he slips up, then a former national champion might be good to have, waiting in the wings. Or if Rex gets back on his feet, he can help his fellow alumni get adjusted and wait for an opportunity to start somewhere else.
The bottom line is that quarterbacks can’t be measured because of their size. For every Troy Aikman, there’s a Drew Henson that crashes and burns. The Bears realized this and took a chance on Leak. They understood that you can’t teach talent. The man’s height won’t matter if he can’t complete a pass down seven points in the fourth quarter. For teams with quarterback issues like Miami or Jacksonville, we may look back in five years and see that they got the bigger player, but were left with the short end of the stick.
Brian Carlton can be reached at skillet31@yahoo.com
