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On Thursday afternoon, I finally understood why I needed a ruler in my life. How else would I be able to tell if my hands were big enough to adequately manipulate a football?

You gotta hand it to the 2016 NFL combine. It's not even Friday and the annual event has already taken over headlines thanks to one specific question: Does the hand size of a quarterback actually matter?

First, to get to the beginning of this story, we need to backtrack to Wednesday, when a report about Jared Goff's allegedly tiny hands emerged. This is what sparked the movement.

While it would've been an easy narrative to dismiss as a typical offseason story, Hue Jackson made sure the story persisted.

Jackson, the head coach of the Browns, the team that could decided to draft Goff with the second-overall pick, gave his thoughts on the matter. And it turns out even he thinks the size of a quarterback's hands is important. And if Jackson thinks it's important, then it is important, namely because his opinion actually matters and will shape how the draft unfolds in April.

Sure enough, Goff measured in at nine inches.

Goff wasn't really pleased.

The Internet, however, was pleased.

So do teams other than the Browns actually care that Goff's hands were measured at nine inches? Or, again, is this just the product of the offseason?

Well, it turns out coaches and executives do actually care.

Jared Goff's hand size has come under scrutiny. (USATSI)

The Falcons care.

So do the 49ers, a team that's been connected with Goff in the lead up to the draft. Goff grew up a 49ers fan, and the team is currently dealing with a messy situation involving Colin Kaepernick. 

The championship Broncos also agree about the importance of hand size. Heck, John Elway even measured his hands.

Wait, 10 and one-eighth inches? "Wooo!"

Apparently, back in the day, the Patriots cared when they drafted someone named Tom Brady.

But here come the dissenters.

Included in that group: Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who drafted Teddy nine-and-one-fourth-inches Bridgewater.

"A guy could have tiny Burger King hands, and -- we'll track him -- if he doesn't fumble, who cares?" Spielman said, per The Monday Morning Quarterback. 

So, does Goff fumble? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that he's improved substantially in that category. And Goff certainly sounds like he's more than capable of (dare I say) "handling" the heightened scrutiny.

But the best story to come out of this size obsession has nothing to do with Goff. It has everything to do with Brandon Allen and his attempt to make his hands bigger via massage therapy.

Now that is peak combine.

Yep, we're talking about hand size. (USATSI)