Running QB's Nothing New in the NFL

Staubach was one of the best in the game.

I was in a debate last night with some Broncos Fans about running QB’s like Tebow. In the discussion I mentioned that Otto Graham, Roger Staubach and Steve Young were great running QB’s. The fact is the list is long and distinguished of the ones’ I left out. Some have not won Super Bowls but many had productive NFL careers. So this idea that a raw unpolished and rough around the edges running QB like Tim Tebow can’t develop his game as a passer is utter nonsense.

We’ll get to that long list of successful running QB’s in a minute.

But first… In Denver Tebow played for 2 Coaches in 2 years and had a total of just 16 regular season starts. That’s only 1 season of actual real game experience. I love how the haters say he was a 2 year Pro and should have had his game up to par and been a successful throwing QB by now.

Really? He didn’t have the opportunity to get reps in during this past training camp because of the lockout. Then when the lockout was over he didn’t get reps before the season started because they gave the job to Orton. This really hurt his chances of running a conventional offense because he didn’t get any practice with the 1st team to grasp it. Had he a full training camp to absorb the playbook who knows how it would have went if he was the starter on opening day?

When he did finally get a chance to start the team was 1-4. Not only that, he played behind a young porous inexperienced offensive line that was one of the worst in the league at pass protection. Given that fact and given that Fox went to a very conservative offensive in which he rarely gave him chances to throw the ball and when he did it was totally obvious to the opposing D’s his chances to complete passes was limited.

When he did throw he was usually under heavy duress, and to many times when he did get the ball to Thomas, Decker or the TE’s they couldn’t hold onto it. Late in the season Thomas showed improvement but to many times he, like the others dropped too many balls and were not getting any separation so Tebow didn’t dare throw. Yes, at times he did miss an open Receiver but not anymore than any young QB pressed into service on want amounted to one the worst offensive teams in the league when he took over.

We all know that Tebow’s mechanics are not the best when it comes to setting himself up to throw a long ball or even a short one at times because of that weird cocking motion he uses. But as the season when on he did improve, he completed some very deep passes in tight coverage that too many forget about. He still needs work in that area but to those who say he can’t be a throwing QB with his style are wrong. Playing a timely game where you make one or 2 good throws that win a game is far more important than stats or style points.

If stats are your measurement of how good a QB can be check this out. In his 4 years at Florida Tebow threw 88 TD’s and had a completion percentage of 66.4. For a primarily running team these are damn good stats.

Stats aside Tebow’s toughness, his stubborn will to win and play until the clock runs out are his greatest intangibles. Not many QB’s have that quality and as you’ll see below just because he can run well doesn’t exclude him as a great player. His passing skills will improve with more playing time just like it has with this group of running QB’s.

Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Fran Tarkenton, Kordell Stewart, Steve Grogan, Jim Harbaugh, Daunte Culpepper, Doug Flutie, Greg Landry, Bobby Douglass, Steve McNair and here’s one that will amaze some of you younger fans Archie Manning, yes that’s right Peyton’s Dad was a good running QB.

In today’s game you could say Ryan Fitzpatrick, Aaron Rodgers, David Garrard, and Vince Young are on that list with Cam Newton being the best of the lot.

In this year’s draft the Top QB’s that’ll be selected Andrew Luck and RGIII are both good running QB’s.

And of course there’s the great John Elway…

Elway is the greatest quarterback in NFL history…period. Instead of getting to the many reasons why which I’ve done many times for purposes of discussion let’s just stick to the running QB issue.

Elway didn’t just win games with his arm. Throughout his career he was one on the best running and scrambling QB’s to ever play the game. Say what you want about his Super Bowl record (2-4), he was a winner as shown by his former NFL record 148 victories.

Throughout his career, whether it was running for big-yardage as a youngster or displaying grit in a helicopter run and dive in Super Bowl, Elway had the legs to match is rocket arm. He amassed 3,417 rushing yards – ranked 6th all-time for QB’s – and 33 TDs on 774 rushing attempts (2nd only to Cunningham by one carry). Elway also should be remembered for being the best running QB in the postseason as he produced 461 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs in the playoffs. He also holds the distinction of being the oldest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl at age 38 in Super Bowl XXXIII. And his four total rushing touchdowns in Super Bowl games are the most ever by a QB.

So… Given these stats about Elway (Bowlen and Fox in agreement of course) it’s hard for me to understand that he was so willing to dump Tebow out like so much trash. He of all people knows what it’s like to get mauled and hammered by the media for poor play in his 1st and 2nd seasons as Tebow did. I was there I saw all of his early games and remember well how the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain news tore him to shreds after every loss and even after some of the wins.

When comparing Tebow to Elway, Elway’s arm strength was far superior but his accuracy and decision making under pressure was not much better than Tebow early in his career. But Elway had that intangible of which I early spoke. Elway would play a horrible game for 58 minutes and win it in the last 2 either with his arm or his feet. Tebow did the same.

As a Broncos Fan I know I must move on but this debate about Tebow will not stop until Manning wins a SB. This is the price Manning and Elway must face. I wish for a successful outcome but this isn’t going to be a cake walk, it’ll have to be earned and done as a team. Manning can’t do it alone.