Teams Don't Need A Running Quarterback To Be A Dominant Run Heavy Team.

In his Patriots Live Beat Podcast, Evan Lazar talked about what's needed to be a good running team. While what he said helps, with exception to the offensive line, I think he's wrong and I'll explain why. 

Lazar said, "A good running team playing ten out of eleven, you have to be dominant, dominant run blocking like San Francisco was a couple years ago, or what Tennessee has been with Derek Henry, or what Cleveland has been with Nick Chubbs. You have to have a dominant o-line and have a really really good running back. Maybe the Patriots can have that. Maybe they do have that. And on paper it feels like they're going there, at the same time, without that quarterback being a factor in the run game, it's a lot harder to do that. To be able to be a dominant run team like you have to be to play this kind of style of football. If you're gonna play this style of football, then you have to be historically good as a rushing team to win the superbowl like this. It's not twenty years ago where you could be a top five rushing team and just be kinda an average rushing team in the grand scheme of the nfl history books and win like this and win in that kinda style. Nowadays if you're gonna make a superbowl and win a superbowl being a run first, lean on the run team, then you definitely need to be dominant. And in top of it, on top of being dominant, you need a quarterback that can probably run a little bit too. It's really hard to do without a mobile QB."

For starters, even Lazar is right. The offensive line has to be good at the worst. Teams need the line to push the defense back a yard or two while opening a hole. They also gotta give the quarterback time to throw on the play action.

The first area I disagree is, a team doesn't need "good" running backs. They can get it done with backs that are average to above average ball carriers in the ground. Here's how and Patriots fans should agree with me. The Patriots love to hit those short 1-3 yard passes and term them into y.a.c., especially to their backs. In the modern NFL, those short little passes are considered an extension of the running game. The Patriots need backs than can catch and those are seemingly the style of backs they got.

As far as need needing a running quarterback, while helpful, it's just untrue. The Patriots need a quarterback that can execute the play fake well and get through his reads quick with accuracy. Part of that comes with being able to read a defense presnap. And Mac is mobile enough to work the play action.

The two thing that Lazar forgot is that this style football also needs a good defense. They need to get stops and get the ball back to the offense with giving up points. With as many turnovers as they can provide.

The other thing this style offense needs is good special teams. They mainly the legs. They need the punter to pin their opponents deep when they fail to get into scoring range. Then they need a kicker for the occasional stall which happens to the best of them. When they're in scoring range, they cannot leave any points on the field. 

Yes it maybe a little harder but this style offense doesn't have to be elite. They just have to be efficient and that's the biggest difference. They have to convert, and they have to do their job. And the coordinator has to make sure the opponents don't always know what's coming. This style offense is doable but it takes intelligence and one thing nobody's accused the Patriots of is having lack there of.