A new wave of NFL QBs
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 12:47 PM
Have you noticed how conventional wisdom about what a quarterback has to be to succeed in the NFL has really changed? It wasn't long ago that the 6-foot-5, stand-in-the-pocket type was what every team was looking for. So many of this year's top candidates are mobile athletes that will not play the position in the "traditional" way.
We've had untraditional quarterbacks before -- that's no great secret -- but the desire to coach the untraditional types and the willingness to change the offensive philosophy to fit the talents of the quarterback, that's new. There are many reasons that have caused this change.
- 1. With the exceptions of Tim Couch and Brock Huard (both considered traditional-type quarterbacks), the other would-be top picks are part of a changing mentality on the college level about the type of quarterbacks coaches want to work with. Daunte Culpepper, Akili Smith and Donovan McNabb create on the move. For the longest time, coaches wanted to take that out of the player, considering it more of a "Canadian League" trait. Doug Flutie's recent success in the NFL has to make some re-evaluate. Today college coaches feel that it's their job to use all the talents these great athletes have. As one college head coach pointed out to me, "Without the great escapability and running ability of our quarterback, we had few answers for the defensive pressure schemes we faced."
- 2. An NFL offensive line coach I spoke with welcomes the athletic quarterbacks because he feels the talent level of most NFL offensive lines is so watered down, especially in the backups. And with Cleveland draining the limited pool of quality players even more, many teams can't pass block the way they used to.
- 3. The old-time wisdom that scrambling quarterbacks get hurt a lot more than pocket quarterbacks may be out the window with this crowd. Bob Reese, an NFL trainer for 20 years, compares the dangers of standing in the pocket and being blindsided by pass rushers to running in the open field the way these young QBs do. Reese points out that these young quarterbacks train like all the other football players now, something that wasn't always true. McNabb, who weighs 223 pounds, can bench press more than 300 pounds, while 255-pound Culpepper can power-clean 330. These are examples of the physical tools this new wave of QBs have to reduce risk of injury. Combine size, strength, and speed with athleticism, and Reese says you can worry a lot less about injury with these players.
- 4. Most good offensive coaches I know like to preach the philosophy "take what they give you." Well, what defenses in the NFL are giving you right now is the mobile QB, especially in the red zone and on third downs. One of the favorite third down coverages is man under two deep, when the five underneath defenders turn their backs to the QB and shadow the receivers down field. There is no chance defensive coordinators will play this coverage against the athletic QBs. One defensive coordinator I spoke with is not at all interested in having to defend the great athletes at the QB position. John Elway, Steve Young, Mark Brunell, Brett Favre, and Kordell Stewart are hard enough to defend when they decide to run, causing problems that there are few answers to. Not many defensive coaches want to chase Smith (4.6 in the 40), McNabb (4.6) or Cade McNown (4.7). The casual observer might think McNown's 4.7 40 is good but not great, but take a look at his 20-yard short shuttle of 4.28 and it's easy to understand how his quickness makes him dangerous. The average inside linebacker short shuttle at the NFL scouting combine was 4.35, while the average outside linebacker's was 4.31, so you see these quarterbacks have a chance in the open field.
- 5. And finally there is so much pressure on coaches and players to perform well quickly. Learning the traditional NFL ways at quarterback takes years. Coaches don't get years to produce and neither do QBs. Just ask Kerry Collins, Heath Shuler, Danny Kanell, Gus Frerotte, Glenn Foley, Rob Johnson and Tony Banks.
Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a coach and scout, is an NFL analyst for CNN/SI.
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