Nov 12, 2013
There have certainly been a lot of critics who have debated whether or not a Quarterback in the NFL should run for yardage if he can get it. Certainly we have seen a growing number of QB’s in the past decade that prove they are just as dangerous a threat of running as they are throwing.
Who comes to mind when you think of an elusive, athletic QB?
Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Michael Vick, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, even Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers can pick up a first down if they need to.
However from this list, several of these starters are questionable to finish the season, and Vick appears to be out for an indefinite amount of time. Rodgers injury was unfortunate, mainly because of the way he got slammed to the turf against Chicago. Normally Rodgers will run out of bounds or slide; because he knows his health determines the outcome of the season and not one series on offense. Rodgers is proof that when the Packers don’t have him under center, they’re a average team rather than a playoff contender.
There is a gamble you place on your team if your Quarterback runs.
We saw the emergence of a superstar last year with Robert Griffin III. His speed and agility made us all wonder what he’d be like running against Usain Bolt. Truth is, his arm strength and accuracy was superb and is even better this year, but when faced with pressure he can still make game changing runs. However he risked and continues to risks big hits by bigger and stronger men outside of the pocket. Offseason knee surgery, rehab, and midway through the season has proved that it’s not easy changing the way you’ve played the position your entire life to become more of a pocket passer. It’s like telling LeBron James he can only dunk with his left hand from now on. So learning from this experiment we’ve learned a few things as a coach or general manager of a running QB:
You can give your offense a new look. You can have a few weeks of amazing plays and big time runs. You can even have a run towards the postseason.
But…
You can’t expect it to last very long.
If you think the best thing is to sign your scrambling QB to a long-term deal, I would think twice. I don’t recall many QB’s playing up to the level of their deal if they take off running more than several times a game.
Let’s compare the last five super bowl winning quarterbacks to the quarterbacks who rushed for the most yards in their respective years:
| Joe Flacco, 32 rushes, 22 yards. | Robert Griffin III, 118 rushes, 833 yards. |
| Eli Manning, 35 rushes, 15 yards. | Cam Newton, 125 rushes, 709 yards. |
| *Aaron Rodgers, 64 rushes, 356 yards. | Michael Vick, 99 rushes, 676 yards. |
| Drew Brees, 22 rushes, 33 yards. | David Garrard, 77 rushes, 323 yards. |
| Ben Roethlisberger, 34 rushes, 101 yards. | Tyler Thigpen, 62 rushes, 386 yards. |
*Again, note that Rodgers is more of a conservative runner than others, and doesn’t challenge defenders up the middle as much as he does near the sideline.
In today’s NFL, passing yards are more valuable to scoring and wins than rushing yards, ask any fantasy football follower. Though Griffin and Newton have made tremendous leaps forward in their offensive game. Both have been coached and taught specifically to dump the ball off instead of trying to make the big run. To win the Super Bowl, your best players have to available to play. Keeping RGIII, Wilson, Rodgers, and Newton healthy is now a necessity for teams looking to make a big leap forward.
