Running QBs get killed in the NFL. That's a fact.
I wondered out loud on this board during preseason as to how long Russell Wilson would have his inordinate luck continue to play out because running is such a huge part of his game. Well, the injuries are starting to happen this year. His body is already starting to show the wear and tear of getting hit far more than a QB typically gets hit.
Andrew Luck is another case in point. People think of him as a great passer. But when you look back, it was his ability to run that really helped his game. He has been injured so much from running that he has become much more fixed in the pocket. And the results are that he isn't the All World QB that he appeared to be in his first couple of years (don't get me wrong, I'd have Luck in a heartbeat, but the HOF he was handed as a rookie looks much less likely at this point).
And, yes, so it is with Kap and RG3. Running is in their DNA and without it, they're not the same player. But running doesn't usually complete passes, and running gets you beat up.
It always works the same way. A rookie or 2nd year running QB comes in and lights up the league for a year or 2. The media pronounces that the League is going to change to running QBs. Then the injuries start to happen, teams figure out how to keep the guy in the pocket, make him a pocket passer, and the polish comes off the star. The Superbowl continues to be won mostly by pocket passers.
Some of the running QBs can adapt. Rothlesberger comes to mind; but even so the injuries from when he ran more have taken a real toll.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Wentz since running is a sizeable piece of his game.
There is no such thing in the NFL as the era of the running QB and won't be unless and until they stick a flag on the QB and tackling a running QB becomes a personal foul. Won't happen. Passing is what this league is about, and it is what fans want to see.
