How Many Left Handed NFL Quarterbacks Are There?
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If you’re a left-handed NFL quarterback, you’re in a pretty exclusive club. In fact, there are only a handful of lefties currently playing in the league. Here’s a look at the left-handed quarterbacks in the NFL today.
NFL Basics
The National Football League, or NFL, is the highest level of professional American football in the world. There are 32 teams in the NFL, and each team has a 53-man roster. Of those 53 men, only one is typically a left-handed quarterback.
What is the NFL?
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world. NFL games are divided into four quarters, each quarter lasting 15 minutes.
What is a quarterback?
The quarterback (QB), in American football, is the leader of the offensive team. He is responsible for calling the snap count for the offensive plays, and he is usually responsible for receiving the snap from the center and handing it off to a running back or throwing it to a wide receiver. In some cases, the quarterback will also run the ball himself.
The quarterback is often considered to be the most important position on the offensive side of the ball, and his performance can have a large impact on the outcome of a game. Quarterbacks are typically drafted in the first round of NFL drafts, and they are often among the highest-paid players in the league.
As of 2019, there are 32 NFL teams, and each team has one starting quarterback. In addition, each team typically has one or two backup quarterbacks who may see playing time if the starter is injured or performs poorly.
Left Handed Quarterbacks in the NFL
Left handed quarterbacks are a bit of a rarity in the NFL. In fact, there have only been 27 left handed quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. This means that left handed quarterbacks make up less than 1% of all quarterbacks in the NFL. Left handed quarterbacks have some unique advantages. Let’s take a look at some of those advantages.
How many left handed quarterbacks are in the NFL?
Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, there have been a total of 42 quarterbacks who have started at least one game in the NFL who were left-handed. That averages out to about two per season. The number of lefties peaked in 1999 with six, but has declined in recent years. In 2017, there were just two lefties who started games: Drew Brees and Tyrod Taylor.
Who are some of the most famous left handed quarterbacks in the NFL?
While left handedness is not as common in the general population as right handedness, there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy between the two when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. Out of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2019 season, eight of them are lefties. That’s 25%!
Some of the most famous and successful quarterbacks in NFL history have been lefties, such as Steve Young, Michael Vick, and Boomer Esiason. In recent years, some of the league’s most exciting young quarterbacks are also lefties, such as Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck.
Left handed quarterbacks often have an advantage over right handed quarterbacks when throwing to receivers because they can delivered the ball “blind side” behind the offensive line. This makes it more difficult for defenders to anticipate and defend against the pass.
Whether it’s because of their rarity or because of their advantages on the field, left handed quarterbacks always seem to be in the spotlight.
Why Are There So Few Left Handed Quarterbacks in the NFL?
According to a recent study, only about 11% of the NFL quarterbacks are left handed. This is surprising because about 25% of the population is left handed. So why are there so few left handed quarterbacks in the NFL? Let’s take a look at the possible reasons.
What are some of the theories as to why there are so few left handed quarterbacks in the NFL?
There are a number of theories as to why there are so few left handed quarterbacks in the NFL. One theory is that left handed quarterbacks have a harder time seeing over the offensive line, as they are looking from the back side of the line of scrimmage. This gives them a disadvantage in terms of being able to read the defense and make decisions about where to throw the ball.
Another theory is that left handed quarterbacks are at a disadvantage when it comes to throwing the ball across their body, as they have to twist their bodies more to do so. This can lead to less accuracy and less power on their throws.
There are also some who believe that left handed quarterbacks are simply not as common because they make up a smaller percentage of the population. Whatever the reason, there is no question that left handed quarterbacks are at a disadvantage in the NFL.
Do left handed quarterbacks have any advantages over right handed quarterbacks?
In the NFL, left handed quarterbacks are somewhat of a rarity. Of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2020 season, only six are left handed. Why are there so few left handed quarterbacks in the NFL?
One reason may be that for most of football’s history, left handed quarterbacks were at a disadvantage. map of quarterback hands Left handed quarterbacks couldn’t take advantage of the fact that most of the defense is on the right side of the field, because all plays were run toward the left side. This made it difficult for left handed quarterbacks to see open receivers and get away from pass rushers.
However, this began to change in the 1970s with the introduction of new offensive schemes that featured plays going both ways. This allowed left handed quarterbacks to take advantage of their natural throwing motion and put them on equal footing with right handed quarterbacks.
Another reason why there are so few left handed quarterbacks in the NFL may be that they are often not considered to be as talented as right handed quarterbacks. This is likely due to a lack of successful left handed quarterbacks in NFL history. Some scouts may view left handedness as a negative when evaluating quarterback prospects.
Whatever the reasons may be, there are only a handful of left handed starting quarterbacks in the NFL today.
