It's Time to Abolish the Idea of the System QB

By Jacob Sanders

Disclaimer 1: So this was an article I wrote back in December and I thought I had posted it, but apparently I didn’t. I’m not revising it as everything here are things that I still 100% believe in and nothing here has really changed outside of the awards that some players received, which I put in “(Update:...)” form.

Disclaimer 2: As you guys know, I do enjoy the occasional “hot take.” While I try to be reasonable and non-bias in my statements and predictions on this column, there are some things that I just can’t see the otherside of. Today, I’m hitting you with an opinion. Yes, it’s an opinion piece, and I’m going to back it up, but if you disagree, that’s totally fine. We all will have different perspectives on this. Without further ado, let’s dive into this.

The term “system QB” is an outdated and overrated term that doesn’t belong in today’s NFL and no longer should be used to describe a single quarterback playing this year or any coming year. Before you start wondering what I’m talking about, let’s talk about today’s quarterbacks who are performing better than expected. You’ve got Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, etc. Here’s a fun fact for you: Outside of Dak Prescott/Carson Wentz, I’ve heard every single one of these quarterbacks at SOME POINT in time be called a system QB. Look at those names again, and tell me that you believe all of those guys are system QBs. If you do, then you’re on the right track with what I’m about to say. If you don’t, then you’re still on the right track. Let me explain by examining each QB’s “unique” cases and I’ll put them into two categories.

Let’s start with Tom Brady and Drew Brees, the older guys. There are a number of football fans out there who believe that both Tom Brady and Drew Brees wouldn’t be where they are without Bill Bellichick and Sean Payton. While there is some merit there, let me throw some numbers at you that don’t have to do with Super Bowls, but rather have to do with the quarterbacks themselves. Tom Brady and Drew Brees have 99 game-winning drives wins combined. 44 for Tom Brady and 45 for Drew Brees. Let it sink in that when these guys have the ball in their hand, no quarterback besides Peyton Manning and Dan Marino, have been better at winning and sealing the deal. Let’s examine why. Brady and Brees have been known to be two distinct QBs. Brady, has been the QB to beat you by the “Death by a thousand papercuts” type of pass gaming, and Drew Brees used to be known for launching the ball. Today, Brees has adapted to the death by papercuts style and having a receiver like Michael Thomas helps. Which brings me to my point. If you examine both of these quarterbacks weapons throughout the years, you recognize that the offense was built around them. From Brady having receivers like Randy Moss and Deion Branch, to eventually shifting to Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, or Drew Brees going from the likes of Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and Jimmy Graham, to Brandin Cooks or Michael Thomas, you start to see a trend. That these offenses are designed to emphasize the strengths that Brady and Brees display. Notice how the talent went from youthful and speedy for deep passing styles to possession receivers for the short passing game. It was to make up for their waning arm strength but still put their football knowledge on display. I could go further, but I need to get to the other QBs, so let’s transfer to the younger ones such as Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson.

All four of the youngster QBs are incredibly different in their style. Lamar Jackson thrives in a run-first offense with his talent of being able to create magic on the field when something isn’t there. Deshaun Watson reminds me of an Aaron Rodgers type that maneuvers the pocket so well, and still makes some incredible throw that shouldn’t be happening. Kyler Murrary is a kid who is shifty in the pocket, but has a laser for an arm and can see the field far better than most rookies. Patrick Mahomes is straight up the best gunslinger of the last 5 years. Notice that ALL FOUR of these quarterbacks are performing well and doing well. It’s because their offense are designed around them. Let’s dive into them.

Watson has Hopkins, Fuller, and pass-catching RBs like Duke Johnson who enable him to play his game at the height of his ability. He may not have the O-line he deserves, but he makes up for it with his agility int he pocket. Don’t believe me? Watch film from the Saint-Texans game of Week 1 and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. 

Lamar Jackson has an entire running game designed for him and it’s why he’s breaking records. Whether it’s Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, or Justice Hill, defenses are given headaches because they have no idea who’s getting the ball and they still have to keep in the back of their head that Jackson can take off. Having two TEs in Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst only strengthens this style offense and game that Lamar Jackson thrives in. 

Kyler Murray is a young QB who has had 13 weeks of play so far, but let me describe what he’s got going on. The Cardinals use the passing game to set up the running game. They use Kyler Murray’s running ability as a threat to keep defense honest, and throw at minimum 3-4 receivers out past the line of scrimmage every passing play. Why? Because Murray thrives in an environment where he has options. It’s the offense that Murrary thrived in at Oklahoma, and it’s the offense that he is currently thriving in with the Cardinals. Nevermind the fact the Cardinals realized a dynamic RB would help this offense realize more of it’s potential and traded for the perfect RB for their offense: Kenyan Drake. Kyler Murrary is setting franchise-records as a rookie, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Patrick Mahomes plays in a similar offense. Put 3-4 receiving options out there, and let Patrick Mahomes choose. It’s the type of offense that allows him to be the gun-slinger he is and set the franchise records he has been setting. The running game is an after-thought and the passing game sets up the running game, instead of the traditional way where the running game sets up the passing game. A major difference with the Chiefs, is that Andy Reid takes advantage of the fact Mahomes has a canon for an arm, and employs receivers who run faster than the defense can thus utilizing one of Mahomes’s biggest strengths.

So what does all this mean? All that you read was a description of the QBs and the offenses they play. But that’s the point. They all play in offense TAILORED TO THEIR STRENGTHS. In a sense, I could sit here and argue every good QB in today’s NFL is a system QB. But that’s why the idea of a system QB needs to be abolished. At this point, Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson are not system QBs at all. Every single one of those HCs and coaching staffs decided “Hey, this is what our quarterback does best so why should we force him to do anything else?” They took the philosophy of playing to a quarterback's strengths and ran with it. Tom Brady and Drew have enjoyed some of the best careers we’ll ever see from quarterbacks because their coaches decided it was best to let them play to their strengths. Murray, Watson, Mahomes, and Jackson are the upcoming stars, because they are allowed to play in an offense that is tailored to their strengths. Mahomes is our current (Update: former) MVP, and Lamar Jackson looks like he’s going to be the next MVP (Update: Lamar Jackson was a unanimous MVP pick for 2019-2020). Let’s not forget that Watson has had an amazing career so far, and Murrary looks like he could be headed to be an OROTY candidate (update: He is our 2019-2020 OROTY). All these QBs have one thing in common: they play in an offense that allows them to play to their strengths and do what they do best.

So yes, the system QB term should be abolished. If QBs are playing well because a system is being tailored to their strengths, then let’s call it what it really is: good coaching, good game-planning and good adaptation. We’ve seen many times when QBs fail because they’re asked to be something they’re not. None of these QBs are being asked to do things they can’t. At the end of the day, we’ve seen quarterbacks perform their best when a coach identifies what their best attributes/strengths are, and then runs an offense that emphasizes those attributes/strengths. This is today’s NFL. This is how it works. And if you ask me, today’s NFL no longer needs the term “system QB.” Otherwise, everyone’s a system QB and that statement in itself, is nonsense.