The Detroit Lions had a highly unexpected quarterback change during a recent intrasquad scrimmage at Ford Field.
During a sequence where the Lions offense was working near the goal line, the Pro Bowl quarterback stepped aside and allowed Calder Hodge to take a snap.
Hodge, a 14-year-old who is also a double amputee, made the most of his opportunity by firing a strike to Marvin Jones in the back of the end zone. The play brought cheers from the crowd and virtually the entire Lions roster out onto the field to congratulate the surprised backup quarterback.
Hodge was born with a disease known as fibular hemimelia, a condition that left him without tibia bones in his legs. Hodge’s story, and his desire to one day play in the NFL, left an impression on Lions receiver Marvin Jones.
“It was very emotional,” Jones said. “First of all, it was very emotional when we saw his story. That’s the type of heart that I want. He’s very intense, and the first thing he said to everybody when he was here was, ‘I love football. This is what I do.’”
Hodge’s legs were amputated at the age of three. In their place, the 14-year-old uses two computerized prosthetics known as “C-Legs.” Should Hodge’s dream of playing in the league become reality, he’d be the first double amputee to ever play in the NFL.
Hodge, who only expected to watch from the sidelines during the scrimmage, was surprised when Stafford called him out to play.
“They were walking me over to the sidelines so I could watch the quarterbacks warm up and Matthew Stafford called me over and it just all happened,” Hodge said. “He said, ‘All right, you want to throw a fade ball?’ And I said yeah.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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