When Two Heads Are Better Than One

I wrote this story many years ago on a different sports blog.  With the injury to Tom Brady, I have reason to revisit the topic I raised back then. I had a serious football epiphany and saw the future of football way before any mortal should have. Tom Brady’s leg injury has given new strength to a concept I proposed long ago. It is confirmation of its truth and brilliance. It proves I'm a football genius. Ok… I know that a sound a little over the top but it’s true.

I invented the No Huddle offense when I was 10. It was a natural evolution that football was headed for back when crawling up the field and talking about it all the way was normal. And I foresaw it all.  I invented some terrific trick plays way ahead of their time. I was calling for multiple running backs years ago. And when my next idea finally starts showing up in the playbooks people will finally start to believe.

That idea ----The Use of Multiple or Situational quarterbacks--- on a regular basis.

The idea of having one quarterback who runs the team from start to finish in a pro game is so stupid it's scary. The Brady injury is the perfect example of why in this day and age teams that are still holding on to that aspect of football risk everything or nothing on a serious and increasingly common danger; The loss of your “Star” (read only) QB.

There are options galore on both defense and offense. Guys are coming in and out all the time. But the QB remains the same. There are QB's who can scramble and hit the quick drop. There are ones who can throw for miles but take a while in the pocket. Getting the best production from you entire team almost demands a move like this today.

For me the smart thing to do seems to devise some schemes that make use of a QB's strengths when the situation demands it. Not to mention the extra pressure it would put on the opponent when it came to game preparations. Give the second QB a special package of plays and players to run them. Like special teams they would be used for specific situations or purposes. It would give needed rest to your starter and needed experience to your backup.

It's done all the time during games. Third down specialists, short yardage players, 4 or 5 wide-outs... special plays or players for specific reasons... coaches use them all the time. Some guys play both sides of the ball and do it well. Troy Brown, wide receiver on the Patriots has been used on defense and very effectively.

There are a lot of good quality quarterbacks standing around as backups, burning up time holding clipboards while the star takes all the snaps. Tony Romo comes to mind. Rather than replacing Bledsoe why wasn't he sharing time, learning the game and spelling an aging but effective QB? The proof of the sense the system makes is more obvious when thinking about how much Cassel would have benefitted from such a system. The Patriots wouldn’t seem to be in such dire straits; He could have been picking up valuable playing time and game experience while reducing the number of hits the Brady had to endure.

Even more foolish is the tendency for head coaches to leave the starter in even when the game is won or out of reach and a comeback is unlikely. Even with the game in hand it’s still rare to see the backup come in and get some time. I don't understand the reasoning; probably because I’m a rational person and it's an irrational approach to a team system.

Why does the QB always have to be the same? The answer: he doesn't. It’s just no one seems to realize it or has the foresight or imagination to give it a try. But it will happen. And you can say that you know the guy who invented. If somebody else invented this system before I did I swear I never heard of him… and I’ve never seen it used anywhere.

The impact to today’s football teams when a starter goes down is too great. More often than not it signals the end to the team’s season. Lose the one QB the team counts on and you lose the whole package. Having two working and talented QB's you cut the damage in half when one goes down.

Ok...now start with the “are you nuts?” comments… I can take it.