Could hand size, grip be an issue for Broncos QB Case Keenum?
Sep 24, 2018, 6:42 PM
On a soggy day in Baltimore on Sunday, Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum had one of the lowest passer ratings of his career.
But could the story have been different if it were a sunny day on the East Coast?
On Monday, “The Drive” co-host Alfred Williams lauded the CBS broadcast team for pointing out Keenum’s footballs seemed to be dying on passes out-breaking or near the sideline.
“And it’s not that Case Keenum doesn’t have the arm strength,” Williams said.
Instead, it could have been his grip, Williams said, that was letting Keenum down.
“Case Keenum clearly couldn’t grip the football, and it was an issue. And because of that, I think he had a bad day,” Williams said.
Keenum, whose hands measure at 9-1/8 inches, had just 192 yards on 22-of-34 passing against the Ravens.
Moreover, Williams’ co-host DMac said this could be a lingering issue for Keenum.
“So, if this is a problem yesterday, why wouldn’t it continue to be a problem in similar types of conditions?” DMac said, adding it’s an “unfixable problem” and the Broncos “play in the elements.”
During statistically the best year of his career in 2017, Keenum play all of his home games within a dome for the Minnesota Vikings, which correlates with a 7 to 11 point difference in completion percentage in previous seasons.
“You’re saying that Case Keenum really had the year of his life in a much more controlled environment, where the issues with his height, his hand size were mitigated by perfect conditions?” DMac said.
The weather, DMac also pointed out, did not have an effect on Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, whose hands are a half-inch bigger than Keenum’s at 9-5/8 inches. And big hands could also be the reason why weather seemingly did not affect Broncos general manager John Elway during his playing days.
“By the way, this is a great reason why John Elway had such an amazing career in Denver. The weather didn’t matter to John. He was a big, tall, strong guy with an incredible grip, huge hands,” DMac said of Elway, whose hands measure at 10-1/8 inches.
“He had just physical abilities that overcame the weather situation.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.