The 4 ways quarterbacks win games

Quarterback is a position with no single, rigidly defined method for success. There are better approaches, and worse ones, and others that lead to a short career. But for a clearly vital position at the center of every offense, having such a variety of ways to get a football from arm to gut is… well, sort of odd when you think about it (and I thought about it).

Look back to the draft two weeks ago when three quarterbacks were selected in first round, and note their wildly different styles. Johnny Manziel is the scrambling maniac capable of harnessing chaos. Teddy Bridgewater is more conventional, though still able to improvise at a high level. Then there’s Blake Bortles, who’s a running anvil with his size.

The position is difficult to categorize. But let’s try: here are four boxes, and the quarterbacks who fit in them.

The Pure Runner

This is a rare breed, and they’re often known as the quarterback who isn’t really a quarterback at all. Or more accurately: the quarterback who isn’t a quarterback for very long, with his success fleeting.

The shining example of this creature is Tim Tebow, and his utter lack of passing. During his 2011 season in Denver that gave the world #Tebowtime, Tebow had only two starts when he attempted at least 30 passes. The lack of trust in Tebow to perform a primary quarterback function shows how much an entire offense had to bend over for his inadequacies, winning with running and more running, and defense. Seriously, the Broncos won a game that year when Tebow attempted eight passes (EIGHT).

All that season Tebow’s Bobby Douglas was showing. Tebow ran for 660 yards in 2011 despite making only 11 starts, and over four decades earlier Douglas -- who started 53 games in a career spent primarily with the Bears -- completed only 43 percent of his passes, yet at his peak he rushed for 968 yards in a season (1972).

The Hybrid

This is the guy who can do the throwing and the running, and various other feats that are athletically mystifying.

Often this will be referred to as the new quarterback model. In truth, while it may be the trendy model and the direction the league is heading with Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, and now Manziel, there’s nothing particularly new about the controlled chaos of the scrambling quarterback.

A previous generation has warm, fuzzy memories of early-career Randall Cunningham during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. At his running prime Cunningham chugged for 942 yards in 1990, and he did it at a pace of eight yards per attempt during a season when he also threw 30 touchdown passes. His career completion percentage still left plenty to be desired at 56.6 (and 58.3 during that 1990 season). But it was still passable, close to average, and enough to be overlooked when he was being creative with his legs.

But quickly the running, hybrid quarterback discovers that getting whacked isn’t enjoyable, a cautionary tale we get from Cunningham (Steve Young played a similar style, and pummeling also shortened his career).

In 1986 Cunningham was sacked 72 times, which is still the second highest single-season mark. Of the top 10 seasons on that list, Cunningham’s name appears twice, with the other being his 60-sack season in 1992. More hits leads to more opportunities for a muscle rip, which is what happened in 1991 when Cunningham tore his ACL.

Robert Griffin III has already done that twice. The new class of quarterbacks can be dazzling when they run for 50 or so yards like it’s easy, but also frightening for coaches on both sidelines.

As the Michael Vick experience has taught us with each strained hammy and rib bruise, longevity doesn’t come easy for quarterbacks who are exposed far more often.

The Improvisor

There are certain men among us who are more comfortable under pressure, and they don’t just appear in Gillette commercials.

They play quarterback, and sending more mountainous pass rushing bodies after them often results in embarrassment. That’s because they laugh heartily at your pressure, as it gives them strength.

Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger are the best modern day examples of quarterbacks who thrive when flushed from the pocket and asked to be creative. Neither is mistaken for a speed burner of any sort, but there’s always a distinction between fast, and quick. When in the pocket, being quick relies on reflexes, and having the necessary sense for your surroundings to both avoid rushers, and find green space before still delivering an accurate pass on the run.

The above highlight is Romo at his finest, and Roethlisberger adds another dimension by being massive. He’s 6’5” and weighs 241 pounds, and therefore has a Michelin Man stature which propels tacklers away. But he can still shimmy around impressively for such a large human.

Combined Romo and Roethlisberger have been NFL starters for 18 seasons, and between them they have all of 1,681 rushing yards. Often cumulative stats give only a partial picture, and no number accounts for their improvising.

Among this year’s rookie class, Bridgewater is the wizard under pressure. During his final season at Louisville he completed 67 percent of his passes while facing a blitz, and he threw just one interception on 103 attempts under pressure. Bortles has also widely been compared to Roethlisberger because of his similar size (6’4”, 230 pounds), and his ability to shed tackles and improvise despite that girth.

The Masters Of Time And Space

This quarterback species isn’t nearly as nimble as the known improvisers, and they’re in a far lower stratosphere of speed than Kaepernick and his new wave of mobile peers. They can still sense a rush and wiggle around to avoid it, but generally rapid movement isn’t their thing.

Instead, compensation is their game. In addition to being highly accurate passers, the Tom Bradys and Peyton Mannings of the NFL start the process of avoiding pressure before the play even begins. Manning is especially skilled at reading a defense, identifying the coverage and where pressure will be coming from, and then nailing the game of Where’s Waldo? to find the open man.

Incredibly, only two of the 160 blitzes Manning faced in 2014 resulted in a sack, the best rate among all starting quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus. Though he gets praised for his willingness to deliver in the face of pressure while taking punishment, for Manning success is rooted in field awareness and a quick release.

That’s how he masters time and space.

***

These are broad, deep categories, and often a quarterback isn’t completely in one or the other. The most effective quarterback is a chameleon of sorts.

He’s able to avoid being The Pure Runner with his Tebow or Pat White imitation, having the discipline to scan the field and go through his progressions. But when the situation arises, he also has the instincts to either capitalize on open running space, or improvise until a receiver is free. Even if he’s put in a situation that doesn’t play to his strengths, he can still execute.

That’s what separates good from great, and first-round bust from franchise arm.