Quarterback height

eulessismore · September 4, 2016

I'm just not convinced it's that big a deal at the college level, after watching Mason Fine tonight, and being reminded by my brother-in-law from Boise that (as an example) Kellen Moore, with highest winning percentage among D1 quarterbacks of all time, was only 6 feet.

Silent Eagle · September 4, 2016

I think we all tend to agree that height is irrelevant, especially in the offense we run. Drew Brees ran a similar offense at Purdue, we have examples like Chase Daniel, Todd Reising at Kansas and the aforementioned Moore. Its mental agility and quick release, not height that makes one successful in this offense.

NT91 · September 4, 2016

I think you are correct. That said, I would rather have a 6'2"pitcher than a 6' pitcher.

Edited September 5, 2016 by NT91

UNT 90 Grad · September 4, 2016

10 minutes ago, NT91 said:

I think you are correct. That said, I would rather have a 6"2 pitcher than a 6' pitcher.

casual fan · September 4, 2016

......and with the 18th pick, the Dallas Cowboys take Sonny Gibbs quarterback.

At 6' 7" he was the tallest QB in the NFL, and the rest is history.

He finished his pro career only 58,179 yards behind Doug Flutie.

Flutie was asked if a 5' 9' 175 lb QB could play in the NFL.

He answered that it was a matter of ability and not size.

Got5onIt · September 4, 2016

It's not a major factor but field view can be an issue. Fine can't be pushing more than 5'10".

casual fan · September 4, 2016

Trivia question:

What NFL player holds the record for rushing yards (1212) and rushing TDs (14) after the age of 40?

Hint: he was the last NFL player to score by kicking a drop kick.

GrandGreen · September 4, 2016

Sure it is a big factor, sight lines are very important to a QB. The ability to read defenses, arm strength, throwing accuracy, and speed are all more important skills; so lack of height can be compensated for. Fine has all those plus an apparent leadership skill that is probably the biggest factor in great QB's.

The issue though is not so much can a small QB perform on the field, as it is can they take the beating that the position requires. Dodge, obviously is the perfect example; just could not stay healthy.

Morris is the QB and any talk of Fine taking over is about a year pre-mature. Fine provides a great change of pace, but I don't believe he should be rushed into a starting position.

TreeFiddy · September 4, 2016

I agree with the comment regarding ability over height. If we are able to get a guy that has ability that is not getting P5 offers at QB due to his height, we could build a nice stable of QBs. All things being equal, sure take the guy with prototypical height, but things are not always equal.

drex · September 4, 2016

Mason Fine looked small, not just in height....hope he can put on some weight.

oldguystudent · September 4, 2016

9 hours ago, NT91 said:

I think you are correct. That said, I would rather have a 6"2 pitcher than a 6' pitcher.

Well, you know what they say about a catcher and the height of his pitcher...

casual fan · September 4, 2016

Trivia answer:

What NFL player holds the record for most rushing yards (1212) and most rushing TDs (14) after the age of 40?

Doug Flutie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3EaLfpZjaw

Edited September 4, 2016 by casual fan

Dr. Seuss · September 4, 2016

Yes, his height will be a factor. He's 5'8 and guess how many starting 5'8 quarterbacks have started for a D-1 team? I don't know but I can tell you it's probably not many.

However, he looked the part. He was in much more control of the offense than Morris. When he got hit he got right back up and looked over for the call. He was up at the line before the ball was set. For UNT fans to relate too, this was Derek Thompson-esque during his first drive vs. Ark State when he went 3-3 and 76 yards or something during his last game of his freshman year.

After Fine's drive I think he can lead this team but let's see if his body will handle it.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Dr. Seuss

cdizzle86 · September 4, 2016

15 minutes ago, dd992emo said:

Everyone knows I am a Mason Fine cheerleader, but I agree with those who say to not read too much into his success last night. It was garbage time against a mixed bag of defenders. That said, I thought his throws were excellent, especially the first.

The other thing that leapt out at me was the way his teammates on the field reacted to him. It appeared to me they already have a healthy respect for him. I didn't see any of the first three quarters, so maybe they reacted the same to Morris. Regardless, that goes to those Fine "intangibles" I'm always harping about.

It also seemed like his pace was much quicker than Alec's.

TreeFiddy · September 4, 2016

42 minutes ago, Dr. Seuss said:

Yes, his height will be a factor. He's 5'8 and guess how many starting 5'8 quarterbacks have started for a D-1 team? I don't know but I can tell you it's probably not many.

However, he looked the part. He was in much more control of the offense than Morris. When he got hit he got right back up and looked over for the call. He was up at the line before the ball was set. For UNT fans to relate too, this was Derek Thompson-esque during his first drive vs. Ark State when he went 3-3 and 76 yards or something during his last game of his freshman year.

After Fine's drive I think he can lead this team but let's see if his body will handle it.

Who is 5-8? Not Mason Fine unless he has shrunk. Please spread that misinformation somewhere else. He is listed at 5-11 (probably more likely between 5-10 and 5-11). There are photos of him next to Littrell, who is 5-10, and Fine appears to be slightly taller than Littrell.

Know who else is 5-11? Greg Ward at UH. He seemed to do ok against OU this weekend.

Ben Gooding · September 5, 2016

1 hour ago, TreeFiddy said:

Who is 5-8? Not Mason Fine unless he has shrunk. Please spread that misinformation somewhere else. He is listed at 5-11 (probably more likely between 5-10 and 5-11). There are photos of him next to Littrell, who is 5-10, and Fine appears to be slightly taller than Littrell.

Know who else is 5-11? Greg Ward at UH. He seemed to do ok against OU this weekend.

Accurate. He is not 5'8. He's every bit of 5'10 that is pushing 5'11. He's taller than Littrell.

GrayEagle · September 5, 2016

Maybe Seth is only 5'7"...?

I agree that Fine was put in just to get a feel for the game. He wasn't facing SMU's first team but he still handled himself well. The first series he was poised and his passes were on the money. It's great that he got sacked a couple of times in the second series because that's part of the learning process.

Early on in this season I expect him to be inserted when the game is out of reach, either by us or our opponent, just for experience. I also expect him to play later when the game hasn't been decided for indoctrination into the reality of FBS football. He'll need that experience next year when there won't be a veteran quarterback available.

I don't worry that much about his size. He's in tremendous physical shape and additional pounds could hamper his agility and possibly his skills. But, he does need to tone down his competitiveness when he runs. Morris went into a slide when he ran whereas Fine kept fighting for first-down yardage. Morris' action seemed the thing to do until I saw Tony Romo get hit just after he went into his slide last week. But, I also saw SMU's Matt Davis laid out by Josh Wheeler when he tried to take him on head-to-head. Mason will just have to learn self-preservation.

Orchestrated situations or not, I like the future of Mason Fine.

BillySee58 · September 5, 2016

His height absolutely was a factor when he wasn't able to get it out quick. He was getting it out quick, and putting it right on the money, then on his first incompletion it was the first time he had to actually hold the ball a little and give the defense some time to put pressure. Not only was the throw not even close, it honestly looked like he didn't see where the receiver was.

Whenever the pocket collapsed he couldn't get a good throw off. There was the afore mentioned throw, one time he scrambled out, one time he swung the ball to Wilson on what was basically a lateral, and the other times he was sacked.

The good news is he typically gets the ball out early, he has a quick release, he can throw a receiver open, and he can put the ball where it needs to be before a receiver gets out of his break. He is going to have to do those things to have a chance at this level. As someone said, he's probably closer to 5'8" than 6', and redshirting or development won't change that.

Edited September 5, 2016 by BillySee58

Got5onIt · September 5, 2016

Litrell is 5'10"? Looks shorter than that to me...

Cr1028 · September 5, 2016

There is a picture with 6'2" Graham Harrell, 5'11" Mason Fine, and 5'10" Seth Littrell. Stop trying to make things worse than they are. Fine is 5'11".

BillySee58 · September 5, 2016

Whatever height you want to tell yourself Mason Fine is, it was obvious that when the pocket started to collapse his height became a major negative factor immediately. He is going to have to learn to mitigate that disadvantage.

Cr1028 · September 5, 2016

35 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Whatever height you want to tell yourself Mason Fine is, it was obvious that when the pocket started to collapse his height became a major negative factor immediately. He is going to have to learn to mitigate that disadvantage.

That's fair.

TheReal_jayD · September 5, 2016

5 hours ago, Dr. Seuss said:

Yes, his height will be a factor. He's 5'8 and guess how many starting 5'8 quarterbacks have started for a D-1 team?

He isn't 5'8. He is absolutely every bit of 5'11

5 hours ago, Dr. Seuss said:

Yes, his height will be a factor. He's 5'8 and guess how many starting 5'8 quarterbacks have started for a D-1 team?

Damn so Seth is 5'6 and graham is 5'11????

Got5onIt · September 5, 2016

3 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

There is a picture with 6'2" Graham Harrell, 5'11" Mason Fine, and 5'10" Seth Littrell. Stop trying to make things worse than they are. Fine is 5'11".

No, where's the fun in that?

Edited September 5, 2016 by Got5onIt