FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

Height - Quarterbacks are often the tallest player on the team, second only to perhaps tight ends or defensive linemen (block that pass).  The most typical height is around 6’4” for a prototypical stud quarterback, with Jeff Garcia the shrimp in the group at 6’1”. Height matters in that quarterbacks need the ability to see over linemen in order to survey the field and make throws that are not batted at the line.

Running quarterbacks tend to be smaller, evidenced by Michael Vick’s 6’ stature which along with Tim Rattay would be the shortest starters in the league (provided Rattay heals in time). A few inches may seem inconsequential, but it is often those two inches that makes the difference between a clean pass or one that gets popped up for a linebacker’s jump ball.

Quarterback rushing yards are on a slight decline the past couple of seasons and while very few pure pocket passers still exist, all quarterbacks are being successful only if they have enough height. Drew Bledsoe and Brad Johnson top the list with 6’5” vantage points.

Weight - How much a quarterback weighs depends much on how often he is likely to run. Then again, how little he weighs may impact how much he needs to run. Jeff Garcia is again the exception as the only starting quarterback listed at under 200 lbs.. Daunte Culpepper’s big frame makes him unique – he has the height of a quarterback, the running ability of a fullback and the size of a big linebacker. The most successful quarterbacks have been around 220 – 230 pounds, with Aaron Brooks, Trent Green and Garcia as the only lightweights.

Age / Experience - While careers tend to end when running backs hit 30, they are going strong for quarterbacks around that timeframe. Half of the starting quarterbacks this season will be at least 29 years old. There is no real key to what age a quarterback needs to be, other than almost all the successful players have been around for at least a couple of seasons. There is a wide array of ages, perhaps a tribute to there being only a few talented quarterbacks coming out in the draft each season. Experience can keep a quarterback valuable, but note that the very best quarterbacks from last season were all playing in their fourth to sixth season (Green missed one year due to injury). With rookies like Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger champing at the bit to hit the field, the reality which always holds true is that their first seasons are not likely to be stellar. Peyton Manning was the exception, but even he was plagued with a high interception ratio in his rookie campaign.