They’re all just running backs who take the snap from center. Why do people insist on claiming they can be effective QB’s?
Philadelphia fan checking in here…
Well, no, they’re not “just running backs who can throw”. They’re quarterbacks who are a constant threat to run. This drives the defense nuts. Lay back and cover the receivers? The quarterback can take off at any point. Ignore the receivers? The quarterback can pass. Blitz? Miss the quarterback and he can run all day.
We in Philadelphia have a rich history of such quarterbacks (Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb before he decided that he was really a pocket passer, and as of today Michael Vick). Frankly, they’re just more fun to watch because you never know what’s going to happen.
Yes, Donovan McNabb never won a superbowl. Not many quarterbacks have. I’ll just note that he got his team into the playoffs a whole lot.
Proves my point. He didn’t become effective until he remembered he’s a QUARTERBACK.
Vick’s done fine. His biggest problem had nothing to do with football at all. Tebow’s just starting. He looked ok in pre-season. Who knows how he’ll turn out? Young had an awful day today, but I think his problems are a lot more profound than just being a running QB; at least if today’s game is any indication. He did ok last week, albeit against a bottom tier team.
First of all, those 3 players are incredibly dissimilar.
Second of all, people say they can be effective QBs because, well, they already have been. It’s not really that complicated.
Hmm, I guess the four consecutive NFC East championships (2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004) he led the Eagles to before he “remembered” that must have been a fluke. 
I remember the glory days when the opposing teams had to use one of their defenders solely as a “quarterback spy”, staying a couple of yards on the defensive side of the ball and mirroring McNabb’s movements in case McNabb decided to run. That effectively made things an “eleven of us versus ten of you” situation on those plays where he didn’t run.
(Yes, I miss Donovan McNabb already. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long season for us Eagles fans.)
But it took realizing he’s quarterback toi get them to the Super Bowl. BTW, everyone used to rag on Vick’s receivers in Atlanta, what happened when matt Ryan came along? Oh yeah, he had one the best QB rookie years in recent memory.
That’s funny, everyone else seems to think that it took having a good supporting cast to get him there. Seriously, you seem to have a fixation on this topic that events just don’t support.
Vick’s rating is a 105.5 with 3 TDs and over 400 yards.
His numbers are certainly those of a quarterback. I think he ran so much the last two game because the Eagle’s o-line has struggled.
i’m judging his entire career. Not just 2010
No you’re not. You’re just throwing out meaningless statements and running away with your tail between your legs once facts are brought up. Your argument in this thread is that Vick/Young/Tebow aren’t effective, per this statement:
The fact that Vick went to an NFC title game with terrible receivers seems to leave you speechless. Your argument that Matt Ryan did much better is undermined by a) he was working with different, better receivers and b) Ryan didn’t make it to the playoffs, let alone the NFC title game.
You’re coming up with excuses to not bring McNabb into the discussion, deciding to focus on the fact that he adjusted to feet of clay by passing more often and completely ignoring his success on the ground.
Matt Ryan DID get the Falcons to the playoffs- but the Cardinals knocked them out in short order.
I’m excluding Mcnabb PRECISELY BECAUSE he became a “real” quarterback.
Why are you discounting everything he did before then?
because, unlike Vick and Young, he CHANGED, becoming a “quarterback who can run” instead of a “runner who happens to play quartback”.
McNabb was always a “quarterback who can run”. As a senior at Syracuse he completed 157 of 251 passes for 2,134 yards and 22 touchdowns (tying the then school record). His 158.9 passer efficiency rating that year was sixth in the nation. Pretty good passing stats for what you’re referring to as a “runner who happens to play quarterback”.
So do his pro bowl appearances in 2002, 2004 and 2005 count, or are you leaving those out too?
Vince Young’s NFL career record is 27-14. That might have something to do with it.
What makes them ‘running backs that can throw’ is that quarterbacks use their mobility to by time for the receivers and avoid sacks in the pocket a running backs instinct is to rush forward with blockers.
Vick can’t complete a pass even without coverage so the LB’s can stack the box.
A quarterback is an asset that cannot be risked to move the ball 10 yards on the ground, every rush forward that doesn’t end with the QB skidding on the ground is a roll of the dice with disaster.
Vick has never thrown for more than 20 touchdowns a season. He’s never thrown for more than 3,000 yards in a season. He’s never even sniffed a 60% completion percentage for a season. It wasn’t until his part time gig last year that he got above an 82 passer rating on a season.
He’s an electrifying player. But he’s not a good passer. If the threat to run is what you want in a QB, he’s your guy. But if you want a passer, not so much.