There was a time, a few years back, when my middle school flag football team would sub out our star quarterback (also our middle linebacker and kicker–the kid was a stud) in favor of our running back to run the Wildcat. Our running back would line up in the quarterback slot with our quarterback in the position of the wide receiver, and then take the snap. There were two usual outcomes: our running back would tuck the ball and carry it up the middle (the same effect of a usual quarterback/running back set, except for the threat of the quarterback actually, you know, passing) or he would drop back, pause for a few seconds, and then loft a throw into coverage.
As you can imagine, our Wildcat was not the rangy, versatile beast that had flashed its potential in the world of college and pro-football. But we kept going to it, for it seemed the way of the future, the new way the game was to be played.
And for a while, it seemed as though the Wildcat was here to stay. In 2008, Tony Sparano used the Wildcat, direct snaps to running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, to turn his Miami Dolphins team, a 1-15 2007 disaster, into a 11-5 powerhouse in the AFC East. This led to teams all over the country dabbling in the Wildcat: NFL teams used ex-college and high school quarterbacks, now playing receiver or running back, as a dual pass-run threat, most recently seen by Mohamed Sanu, a Cincinnati Bengals receiver, lining up in a form of the Wildcat to throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Andy Dalton. Jamaal Charles lined up in the gun to pitch the ball back to a receiver. Joshua Cribbs, a receiver and return specialist, lined up the Wildcat for the Cleveland Browns. Troy Smith even threw a touchdown to Joe Flacco. The Wildcat had seemed to have cemented its place in the NFL.
It was no less popular in college football, mind you. Arkansas, often considered the first school to popularize the Wildcat, ran a devastating version of it with running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Alabama used it. So did Michigan State. The Wall Street Journal estimated that in early 2009 it was used by 80% of college and high school football teams.
High schools used it too. So did intrepid middle school flag football teams. Heck, it even became a major part of the video games NCAA Football and Madden.
Why, then, has it since gone out of style?
For one, the more the Wildcat was used, the more it became apparent that having a running back in the gun limited a lot of the receiving weapons that made the offense multi-dimensional. Even though many of the players running the Wildcat had played quarterback in the past, they were not NFL-caliber passers who demanded a lot of respect from defenses. Wildcat-running teams saw teams stacking the box against the run, and they began to struggle to move the ball.
So, what did football do next? It evolved a generation of dual-threat quarterbacks, quarterbacks who could pass, but were also a threat in the running game.
No where was this emergence of the “running quarterback” greater than in Philadelphia, the 2010 NFL East champions, where quarterback Michael Vick took the world by storm with his running and scrambling. Vick ran for 9 touchdowns and 676 yards that season, 2 more touchdowns than Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, and earned himself a Pro Bowl appearance, franchise player tag, and a new $100 million contract.
An unprecedented number of “running quarterbacks” entered the NFL that year, led most notoriously by #25 pick Tim Tebow. The next season saw “running quarterback” Cam Newton go at #1. Christian Ponder, an underrated but effective runner, and Colin Kaepernick were taken later that draft. In the ensuing years, the NFL saw Robert Griffin III, Terrelle Pryor, and other running quarterbacks enter the draft.
Many of these “new generation” quarterbacks have since flamed out, however. RGIII has been nagged by frequent injuries, a result of his frequent scrambling. Tim Tebow is no longer in the NFL. Terrelle Pryor dazzled fans with a 93 yard run last season, but has since been unable to make his way onto a roster. The two that have found the most success, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, both play on teams with prolific defenses and a number of offensive weapons.
Wilson and Kaepernick also do not truly belong in the same category of “running quarterbacks” such as Vick, Tebow, or Pryor. They are both great passers who happen to run–not athletic, dynamic runners who happen to throw. And many of their rushing yards come from scrambling, running when the play has broken down and no receivers are open, rather than designed running plays.
The quarterbacks that have continued to thrive in the NFL despite the phase of the “running quarterback” are decidedly pocket passers, often preferring to throw the ball away rather than risk injury or fumble by tucking it and running. Despite only averaging 3.9 rushing yards per game during his illustrious career, Tom Brady has led his team to 5 Super Bowls, been selected to 9 Pro Bowls, and won the NFL MVP award twice. Peyton Manning, widely acknowledged as one of the best quarterbacks of all time, has an average of 2.8 rushing yards per game in his historic career. Drew Brees has averaged 3.3 rushing yards per game in his career.
This is not to say a great quarterback never runs–Steve Young, John Elway, and Aaron Rodgers have all been known to scramble on occasion–it is to say that the quarterback’s primary duty has to be to pass. Look at the most consistently successful quarterbacks, what do they do?
Last week I went by to watch my brother’s middle school flag football team. My brother played quarterback. They won, a beatdown decided in the second quarter. And they didn’t run the Wildcat once.
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