A true Giant

Football players are getting bigger and bigger, and quarterbacks are no exception. What made a giant tight end not too many years ago is your average-sized quarterback today. And then there’s Jared Lorenzen, below, Eli Manning’s backup with the New York Giants. Times staff writer Sam Farmer weighs in:

Outweighing the competition

At 285 pounds, Jared Lorenzen, the former University of Kentucky star isn’t called the “Hefty Lefty” and “Pillsbury Throwboy” for nothing. Of the 704 players who started Week 1 in the NFL, 465 of them were lighter than Lorenzen -- including 45 defensive linemen. The breakdown by position:

* Defensive backs: 132

* Tight ends/wide receivers: 108

* Linebackers: 97

* Running backs: 51

* Defensive linemen: 45

* Quarterbacks: 32

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Super-sized quarterbacks

How does Lorenzen stack up historically against the biggest players of his position? Here’s a list of the heaviest NFL quarterbacks who played a significant amount (threw at least 25 touchdown passes) each decade:

* 1950s: George Blanda: 215 pounds

* 1960s: Roman Gabriel: 225 pounds

* 1970s: Bobby Douglass: 228 pounds

* 1980s: Mark Rypien: 240 pounds

* 1990s: Trent Dilfer: 247 pounds

* 2000s: Daunte Culpepper: 265 pounds

SOURCE: Stats LLC