There seems to be some issues with the size of Jared Goff’s hands.
The Cal quarterback’s hands measured nine inches across, just below the supposed minimum requirements of 9 1/8 inches, at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Before Goff got measured for his hands, Browns head coach Hue Jackson, a guy who should know given his lengthy experience with players at that position, said he thinks the size of a quarterback’s hands is indeed a big deal, especially in a division like the AFC North with the ball-security issues brought on by tough defenses and games played in cold temperatures involving snow, ice, rain and wind.
Plus it also probably doesn’t help that Goff played in the sun and warmth of the PAC-12, where cold weather was when it dipped below 60 degrees. How would he respond to three inches of partly sunny, as legendary Cleveland TV weatherman Dick Goddard likes to refer to it? That’s an interesting question, for which there can be no real answer at this point.
On the other hand, suffice to say that Carson Wentz has had to deal with bad weather – really bad weather — a lot in having played at North Dakota State.
Regardless, before we get all hot and bothered – or not – over 1/8 of an inch, let’s talk about an even more important “measurement” for a quarterback. Actually, it’s the things you can’t really physically measure, such as heart, guts, toughness, savvy, poise, competitiveness and, of course, intelligence, as in football intelligence.
The quarterbacks the Browns are considering selecting in the NFL Draft, likely at No. 2 overall, don’t need to be able to solve a series of complicated calculus problems, explain the Pythagorean theorem or expound on quantum physics. They just need to be able to break down the zone blitz, understand hot reads and when to audible out of bad plays, and be able to beat defenses with much more than just their arms.
Bernie Kosar and Brian Sipe could do that. So could Bill Nelsen.
Vinny Testaverde could not. Neither could Derek Anderson and Mike Phipps.
That Kosar, Sipe and Nelsen, all of whom had just average physical skills, played way better than Testaverde, Anderson and Phipps, who could all throw the ball 80 yards through a brick wall, tells you all you need to know.
That the Browns have Jackson, with help from assistant head coach/offense Pep Hamilton and senior offensive assistant Al Saunders, making those determinations and, even more so, that they understand those things really do matter, serves to make the painful days of “Wrong Way” Ray Farmer and “Money” Mike Pettine fade into the background just that must faster, which is a very good thing.
