Here’s a subject that ought to raise everyone’s hackles.
A few weeks ago, Jaguars.com editor Vic Ketchman moaned about the lack of creativity in the National Football League. Here’s what Ketchman wrote:
It’s a shame so many of those athletic-type quarterbacks are not having their talents fully utilized in the pro game. They have to make a position switch because their talents don’t fit the game. When is someone going to take a chance on fitting the game to their talents? Atlanta did some of that with Michael Vick and they did it with success, but there was a constant undercurrent of criticism that Vick wasn’t a true quarterback. Nobody likes a true pocket passer more than I do, but a true quarterback is a player at that position who leads you to victories and championships and I don’t care how he does it. Antwaan Randle El had to play wide receiver and Michael Robinson had to become a running back. What position will Pat White have to play? It all doesn’t make sense to me. Why struggle with retread quarterbacks who aren’t going to take you anywhere but down? Why not try something bold and creative?
It’s an interesting topic, because we talk a lot about creativity in other forms of football — especially in soccer, where many countries value creative play over strength and speed, and players highly regarded for their creativity earn praise. In the NFL, though, boldness and creativity are not valued, and for a very simple reason — the last time someone did something bold and creative in the NFL, they lost games and got fired.
Remember the old run & shoot offense? That lasted for less than a decade before everyone realized that no team that utilized it would ever win a Super Bowl. Want to know why no one will ever try to run the spread-option in the NFL? If it fails, the coach who implemented it will be blackballed by every team in the league and will end up at some WAC school because it’s the only job opening left.
Actually, that’s just half the story with the spread option. The other half is that defenses are too fast in the NFL. Rich Rodriguez could get away with it at WVU because Pat White and Steve Slaton were usually faster than anyone else on the field. What happens when the linebackers and safeties can run the 40 in 4.4 seconds, too?
Too much pressure on coaches and too much speed on defense means the NFL, by default, keeps its positions clearly defined. Quarterbacks must be traditional drop-back passers in the NFL, because that’s how teams succeed. You can be flexible in other forms of football, because players aren’t regarded as chess pieces. You can be flexible in college football, too, because you’re not playing the best of the best every week.
Think about it. Why did Ron Mexico have only one long playoff run before becoming a jailbird? Why was Kordell Stewart eventually chased out of Pittsburgh? Why were Vince Young’s numbers great in Texas but terrible with the Tennessee Titans? Why is Antwaan Randle El, who threw the best looking pass for the Steelers in all of Super Bowl XL, relegated to slot receiver, special teams and trick plays?
Not all college quarterbacks are NFL quarterbacks. Those guys can’t rely on their athleticism in the NFL, because their opponents are just as athletic as they are. If a coach bets the farm on an athletic QB and builds a new offense around him, what happens when that QB gets hurt? Wave the farm goodbye, coach.
Thus, being bold and creative rarely pays off over the long haul in the NFL. There’s a time and a place to experiment with everything, and it’s called college. Once you’re a working professional, though, it’s time to give up the experiments and live a normal life like the rest of us. That’s why Pat White will never be an NFL quarterback. That’s just how pro football works in America.
