Football Brainiac

2 MORE REASONS WHY “RUNNING QUARTERBACKS” ARE INEFFECTIVE

In my last post we looked at three key factors that contribute to the “Running Quarterback’s” ineffectiveness. In this article, we’ll look at two more reasons that will always stop them from winning a championship.

#4. POOR ACCURACY

Because of the “Running Quarterback’s” inability to stay in the pocket and his tendency to take matters into his own hands, his passing accuracy is highly affected, too. Very few players are good enough to consistently pass accurately when their focusing on running with the ball first. In essence, they’re defying the very nature of the quarterback position.

Look at the chart in part two and you will see that the “Running Quarterback’s” completion percentage is almost always below average. And remember, we’re taking into consideration every quarterback who attempted at least 140 passes – the good ones and the really bad ones, too! Why is their percentage so low? They’re not getting the ball to their receivers accurately if they’re getting it to them at all. And opposing coaches know this.

Defenses that can apply pressure and keep the “Running Quarterback” contained have tremendous success against him because it causes his accuracy to be greatly diminished. He forces more throws or commits to running more which creates an atmosphere for mistake-prone play on his part. Brainiac is reminded of the dominance the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had over the years against Michael Vick. Even when the Bucs were playing poorly, they completely controlled Vick in their games against him.

#5. SUB-PAR COACHING

More than any other factor that contributes to the ineffectiveness of these QBs, none can be more destructive to a “Running Quarterback’s” career than poor coaching. In Brainiac’s opinion, this is the key issue.

Think about it. These players are very gifted athletes and they have been so since the high school level. Do you honestly think most of the high school coaches taught these kids how to play quarterback properly? Or do you think they saw how freakishly talented these kids were and drew up plays specifically to get them the ball? Brainiac is inclined to think it was the latter.

How about when they got to college? Do you think anyone taught them there? Not likely. In fact, I’d be willing to guess that, especially in the Football Factory schools, they ran the option or shotgun draw to death (Wait! Isn’t that what Texas did with Vince Young? Hmmm.)

So here they are at the professional level. These superstars have been raised to be God’s gift to football. While the media calls them ”Superman”, their coaches have made them the center of attention on the offense and they did not teach them that football is a team sport. They get drafted in the first round and make a huge salary. Things are definitely looking up!

Then, their coaches and coordinators do on the professional level what all of his previous coaches have done before them – sacrifice them on the altar of convenience and adjust their offensive philosophy. They are dazzled with the instant gratification of having a playmaker on the field and they ignore all football common sense.

At first, everything looks promising. In his first season, the team may not be winning a lot of games, but this new QB has kept them in the games until late.

The next season, as the sophomore gets more acclimated to the speed of the game at this level, the team does even better and may even make the playoffs. This is a sure sign that things are going great, right?

Wrong.

Usually no later than his third season, opposing defenses have figured out how to deal with the “Running Quarterback” and render him helpless. And because the coach has made it, in essence, a one-man show, the team can not overcome his sub-par performances. The team loses… sometimes a lot. Suddenly, things look bleak. The press starts asking questions and the head coach is put on the veritable hot seat.

If the coach does not get the axe by the end of that season, the offensive coordinator most definitely will. A new coordinator arrives and there’s talk of “maturing” the quarterback. (Why they didn’t think of that in his first year?). The coach tries to make the “Running Quarterback” more like a “Pocket Passer” or at least a “Scrambling Quarterback”.

But why now? Because he secretly realizes the error of his ways. Only now does he understand that he was led astray. That he was foolish enough to think that he could break the Incontrovertible Laws of Football and still succeed. Now he is faced with the truth. He knows that to win in this league a QB has to be able to stand in the pocket, dissect the defense and throw accurately. Pretty much everything that his quarterback is not!

The problem now, though, is the coach is trying to reprogram a scoring machine that has only known one way to play quarterback for over ten years. He hasn’t been coached properly (if ever) and, consequently, he struggles badly. His rushing and passing stats go down while his interceptions and sacks go up. The media really swoops in now like a flock of vultures asking, “What’s wrong?” or “What are the coaches thinking trying to change him?” and so on.

If quarterback injuries don’t sideline the “Running Quarterback” at this point, either he or the coach becomes the fall guy for the offense’s woes. Their second straight season without a playoff appearance is too much for the fans to bear so the owners may have to step in and clean house.

If you think this story is an exaggeration, it’s the same scenario that happened to a certain degree in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Minnesota and, most recently, Atlanta (before the dog-fighting fiasco).

All others factors aside, if the “Running Quarterback” is not coached properly, he will see fleeting success in the NFL.

A Side Note: All that said about poor coaching, kudos must go out to Jeff Fisher and Andy Reid. These two coaches have done a great job grooming their quarterbacks to be more of a “Scrambling Quarterback”. If it weren’t for injuries (and the lack of a running game), the Eagles would have probably been in another Super Bowl by now. Even better, Jeff Fisher played to Steve McNair’s strengths without violating the Incontrovertible Laws of Football. In my opinion, he is the reason why the Titans made it to Super Bowl with McNair. They really groomed him well. I feel there may be hope for Vince Young, but it may take some time.

IN CONCLUSION

The “Running Quarterback” cannot win consistently in the NFL - plain and simple. Brainiac believes that it’s because this style is more predicated on the performance of one individual player and what he can do with the football instead of the production of a team working together to achieve a common goal. The “Running Quarterback” is one of the biggest evils in professional football today.

It’s just like when you were a child on Christmas morning. You saw this big box wrapped all pretty under the tree just for you. You wondered what it could be and couldn’t wait to open it. What yuletide goodness awaits you inside? Your anticipation is almost too much to bear as you tear open the package only to find a bunch of packing noodles and a small box of clothes from Grandma.

The same can be said about the “Running Quarterback”. His talent offers you as an owner, a coach and a fan all the false hope of a bright future. His big play ability gives you that warm, tingly feeling inside that there is some justice in the world after all and you will finally get what you deserve - a winning team. But the sad reality is that he’s just another pair of flannel pajamas and you’ll grow out of him in a year or two.