I am not left-handed, but thought this story is interesting.This is a "just for fun" topic because most people don't think about how teams have to adjust their offenses or defenses, how they catch the ball, etc.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...arterbacks
Mark Brunell gave reporters a grave prognosis for left-handed QBs:
"Unfortunately, we're a dying breed. We need someone to relight and carry the torch for us. If we don't find that, we could become extinct here soon." First, what does this say about Kellen Moore? This comment got me wondering if Wisconsin freshman Alex Hornibrook is the only college QB who throws left-handed (Jake Browning throws it right-handed but is otherwise a southpaw).
What really interested me was this part:
Quote:However, the idea of lefties racking up any kind of passing stats in today's NFL is almost unheard of.
What are the reasons for this? We know about Tim Tebow busting out of the NFL, but being a southpaw was never mentioned as one of his weaknesses or risks of failure. Michael Vick was the next Steve Young. Is it bias, worry a player is not coachable, or a formation flexibility issue? Or is it just bad luck with recruiters attending high schools at the wrong times to see left-handed passes? I wonder if it is not so much fewer southpaws playing QB, but also recruiters neglecting to do homework on the few there are. I put this in the college section because only one NFL QB throws left handed.
I am not having much fun with this thread
Quote:I am not having much fun with this thread
JDUB: If you don't like this thread you can go find another one Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Quote:I am not having much fun with this thread
Why do you waste time telling me that?
I just wanted to open a discussion about the quoted part and Mark Brunell's comments. You can either have fun or stay out.
Dying laughing at Michael Vick was the next Steve Young... lol... I needed that laugh... Vick was in a class of his own.. No qb has ever been faster then him.. Hell only few players have been just as fast...
Quote:Dying laughing at Michael Vick was the next Steve Young... lol... I needed that laugh... Vick was in a class of his own.. No qb has ever been faster then him.. Hell only few players have been just as fast...
Except Steve Young is a 3x super bowl winner, 2x MVP, and a hall of famer. I'd say Vick is not in his league.
Quote:Dying laughing at Michael Vick was the next Steve Young...LOL... I needed that laugh... Vick was in a class of his own.. No QB has ever been faster then him.. Hell only few players have been just as fast...
I was thinking about the fact they were both dual threat QBs - not necessarily the same speed, but piling up rushing yards - and their high level of play.
On topic, do you think the decline in left-handed passers is a coincidence or legitimate issue?
Quote:Except Steve Young is a 3x super bowl winner, 2x MVP, and a hall of famer. I'd say Vick is not in his league.
Yeah he was.. But in terms of athleticism, Vick couldn't be match..
Quote:I was thinking about the fact they were both dual threat QBs - not necessarily the same speed, but piling up rushing yards - and their high level of play.
On topic, do you think the decline in left-handed passers is a coincidence or legitimate issue?
I just think it's just plain out rare! I can't name one person I know personally that's left handed.. So I'm sure it's hard to find a Qb...
But now while thinking about it, could Boselli greatness be attributed to Brunell left hand throwing? Him having his hips open seeing a rush I know definitely help Boselli.
Quote:Yeah he was.. But in terms of athleticism, Vick couldn't be match..
Until after he was busted for dog fighting. Steve Young managed to remain elite his entire career. Of course he also did not take two years off and come back on a different team.
Quote:I just think it's just plain out rare! I can't name one person I know personally that's left handed.. So I'm sure it's hard to find a QB.
But now while thinking about it, could Boselli greatness be attributed to Brunell left hand throwing? Him having his hips open seeing a rush I know definitely help Boselli.
I have seen a lot of lefties in my life and personally known some. Fun fact: Three of our last four presidents (George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama) are southpaws. So are Ben McAdoo, Kirk Ferentz, Josh McDaniels, and Jim Tressel. Ten percent of the world's human population is left-handed. That does not include the three percent who are ambidextrous such as Doug Marrone.
I don't know about the open hips stuff, but Mark Brunell said during an interview without Tony Boselli, "I would get sacked a lot more." Maybe a Badgers fan could help us with that idea. However, Boselli was great as a player and deserved the HOF consideration he got.
I was thinking more along the lines of is quarterbacking one of the disadvantages lefties have because offenses have to do everything the opposite direction - formations, routes, etc. - and therefore require an OC to be flexible and/or teammates to do things differently? Does it hurt recruiting if a coach sees this on a high school quarterback's tape? Jerry Rice said it took a while to adjust to catching Steve Young's passes.
Matt Leinhart was left handed. Made playing Madden with him very hard
Quote:Matt Leinhart was left handed. Made playing Madden with him very hard
So it is harder for the defense than the offense?
Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy at USC, started in the NFL for a few years, and busted out of the league.
Quote:Until after he was busted for dog fighting. Steve Young managed to remain elite his entire career. Of course he also did not take two years off and come back on a different team.
Young certainly was NOT good until he sat and learned behind Montana.
I always thought it would be a good thing if you could have a left handed offense, since most defenses are built to stop the mostly right handed offenses of the league.
Quote:I always thought it would be a good thing if you could have a left handed offense, since most defenses are built to stop the mostly right handed offenses of the league.
I thought about that too, but then how do you explain Jake Browning throwing right-handed?
Quote:Dying laughing at Michael Vick was the next Steve Young... lol... I needed that laugh... Vick was in a class of his own.. No qb has ever been faster then him.. Hell only few players have been just as fast...
Cunningham>Vick not even close.
Quote:Cunningham>Vick not even close.
People don't know their history enough to appreciate this
I'll add a few
Mel Blount = Ramsey
Fran Tarkenton > Russel Wilson
Jim Brown > Emmitt Smith
Munoz>Boselli>everyone else
Years ago Baseball used to be the national past time and was the most popular sport for kids in the US.
In baseball, being a left-handed pitcher (or 1st baseman) was an advantage. Therefore, there was greater weight and emphasis placed on being left handed. The baseball pitcher was often the QB of the local football team as well.
Fast forward to today. Kids play soccer, lacrosse and other sports instead of baseball so there really isn't an emphasis on being left handed. As a result, the population of left handed QBs is minimal.
I think "it is what it is" best describes it.
There just aren't nearly as many by a wide margin. It's not causal, there just aren't many of them period.
Blake is a left hander that plays QB right handed.
It changes blind side, and must be considered when designing rollouts and frontside/backside throwing but isn't much different. It's just flipping sides.
Some WRs say the spin affects them, but that's no different than fielding a left footed punt. Most don't have an issue with it.