In the National Football League, there are plenty of positions in which gloves are nearly required to be worn to increase productivity for such positions. Nearly every wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL wear gloves in the hope to increase their chance and ability to catch the football.
Well, how about the player that throws the football? Do quarterbacks wear gloves?
The majority of NFL quarterbacks do not wear gloves on either one of their hands. Although, there is a small amount that does wear one glove on their non-throwing hand. Wearing gloves for both hands is extremely rare to see for quarterbacks in the National Football League, as control over the ball is much more important to the position than the grip of the pig-skin.
The young superstar quarterback, Justin Herbert from the University of Oregon is one of the many quarterbacks that do not wear gloves on either one of their hands. The phenom has thrown for over 5,000 yards in this past season, ranking in at second right behind… you guessed it, Tom Brady.
The first quarterback many NFL fans think of is the legendary patriots (and now buccaneers) quarterback, Tom Brady. The Michigan product for nearly his entire career has worn one glove on his non-throwing hand.
Now, who are the rare quarterbacks that do wear gloves on both hands?
Currently, the only starter/fringe starting quarterback in the National Football League that wears two gloves, is Teddy Bridgewater, who is currently on the Miami Dolphins to be slated as Tua Tagovailou’s backup and a possible mentor.
Side note: In the upcoming NFL 2022 draft, one of the top quarterbacks of the class, Kenny Pickett is a two-gloved passer with the potential to become a starting quarterback for any quarterback-needy team in the league.
The NFL has many different variables and ways to get a competitive advantage over your opponent. Different quarterbacks have different opinions on whether or not to wear gloves, hence why you see the different amounts of glove-wearing quarterbacks to non-glove-wearing quarterbacks. The general consensus has been wearing one-to-no gloves is the best way to sling the football in the most efficient and quality manner.
It comes down to it being a personal preference for the player throwing the ball. Some quarterbacks prefer the extra grip over the extra control of the football, while others don’t. Although a few variables can change such decisions, as more quarterbacks are shown to wear a glove on their non-throwing hand in cold weather.
Another reason why quarterbacks prefer wearing a single glove over either both or none is that when taking a snap from their center, that transition from the line of scrimmage, to under the center's waist, to the quarterback's hands requires some sort of grip strength and ability to grab the large ball in a quick circumstance. In short, handling the snap is an important part of the game, and wearing a glove can help with that.
Suggestion: Read our article on why quarterback is the hardest position in football!
Throwing a football is something most Americans learn from a young age and usually, you start bare-handed, to learn the basic technique of how to throw such an oddly-shaped ball.
Technically, anyone can throw the football with gloves on. Personal preference is a large part of why most pro-NFL quarterbacks prefer not to, but throwing with a glove on isn’t unheard of, as Teddy Bridgewater, an established NFL quarterback is known to be the two-gloved signal-caller.
As a player, Teddy Bridgewater is considered by many to be an average to bottom-tier starting quarterback, but what sets him apart from most quarterbacks is his preference to wear two gloves, leading to his famous nickname, Teddy Two-Gloves.
Overall, most quarterbacks do not wear gloves in the National Football League. But as time goes on and technology advances, chances are more quarterback-friendly gloves will be worn.
Most superstar signal-callers are gloveless and prefer control over the extra grip that the glove provides. Although, many quarterbacks like the best of both worlds, such as who many consider the greatest of all time, Tom Brady.
Young phenoms like Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes prefer to go gloveless, and still can dominate that way. The anomaly that is Teddy Bridgewater in this scenario, has shown that wearing two gloves is most definitely a possibility at the highest level.
As for the future, the young Pittsburg quarterback, Kenny Pickett, seems to show that wearing two gloves can become more than just a Teddy Two Glove thing.
Also, this is the new article in the category American football - I love this sport and I decided to write about it since I am getting out of the ideas with soccer. Cheers!
Suggested reading: key differences between soccer and American football.
