Case Keenum gets his first NFL start for the Houston Texans on Sunday, and, if his quarterbacks coach is right, there are many more to come.
Texans quarterbacks coach Karl Dorrell seems to think very highly of Keenum, who was the team’s third-string quarterback entering the season. Dorrell even drew some lofty comparisons for Keenum, noting some similarities between him and another vertically-challenged quarterback Doug Flutie.
“I think there’s uniqueness to guys like him, don’t necessarily have the physical stature that you’re looking for, but can make up for it in other ways with some other skills or vision or being able to move,” Dorrell told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “That’s usually the case from guys that are his size, so he was able to really. In the same mindset with Doug Flutie.”
Keenum, just 6-foot-1, was often knocked for his lack of size in college and during the NFL draft process in 2012. He eventually went undrafted with plenty of criticism around his smaller stature. Flutie suffered similar criticisms when coming out of Boston College some 28 years ago. The 5-foot-10 quarterback won the Heisman Trophy his senior season but fell all the way to the now extinct 11th round of the draft in 1985. He went on to enjoy plenty of success throughout his career, though, setting numerous records in the Canadian Football League and even being named to the Pro Bowl upon his return to the NFL while playing with the Buffalo Bills.
The Texans’ quarterback situation can’t get much worse right now, as Matt Schaub battles a knee injury and third-year quarterback T.J. Yates threw two interceptions, including a pick-six, during limited action last week. Now Keenum will finally get his chance to prove just how good he can be.
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