They say from a small seed, a mighty trunk may grow – and Cochrane Cobras quarterback Tae Gordon is living proof.
At 5-foot-8, the high school senior has used his talent to push past his relatively smaller size, guiding the football team through an undefeated 2016 season all the way to this Saturday’s Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association regional finals.
“I never had that advantage,” said Gordon of the more typical, taller quarterbacks. “I just kind of found another way of playing … so I don’t have anyone in front of me.”
In football circles, some say taller quarterbacks have an advantage because their height provides a clearer view of the field. But others believe shorter quarterbacks have distinct advantages, too – including fast feet, which allow ballers to move outside the pocket and earn that same long line of sight.
Cobras’ head coach Rob McNab said Gordon’s size has never given him pause to put him in play.
“We’ve had quarterbacks who are 6-foot-4 and now we’ve got a 5-foot-8 quarterback,” said McNab “Tae’s an athlete, he has a special talent using his feet.”
As a shorter quarterback, Gordon is in pretty good company.
Canadian Football League great Doug Flutie is 5-foot-10, and the New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees stands tall at a modest 6-foot-0. Former Calgary Stampeders QB Marcus Crandell logs in at 5-foot-11, Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ current tosser Kevin Glenn Jr. is 5-foot-10 – and three of the four Montreal Alouettes QBs are six feet or under.
Flutie – a three-time Grey Cup winner and multiple Sports Hall of Fame inductee – has been outspoken about the stigma of size in football for years.
“The biggest issue about the height factor is the bias…,” he told NFL.com. “A guy that’s undersized has to prove himself right away. “
McNab said Gordon has proven himself and then some in the three years he’s been a Cobra. In the last game alone, Gordon was good on 19 of 33 passes for 382 yards and five touchdowns – and only played half the.
Gordon hopes to study kinesiology at university and, fingers crossed, continue playing ball. McNab said he will do all he can to make sure post-secondary coaches looking at Gordon for next year put his stats ahead of his stature.
“Don’t force the system on the kid,” McNab said. “If any (post-secondary teams) turn him down, they’re making a mistake.
“He’s a special talent, that one.”
