The Oakland Raiders are in a unique position to revolutionize the NFL offense in way that hasn’t been done since Bill Walsh.
First, let me say I am sold on Terrelle Pryor as an NFL quarterback. He has certainly struggled at times, which may be an understatement, but he’s also had his excellent moments. It doesn’t take a quarterback guru to see how difficult he is for opponents to defend. He has the body of a tight end, the legs of a punt returner, and the arm—kind of—of a quarterback. He’s a freak, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.
I am such a fan of Pryor, I want more than just one Pryor in the backfield. I want two. Tim Tebow is just one option. Michael Vick is another. There’s also Tarvaris Jackson, Vince Young, Seneca Wallace, Pat White, and others.
I know what you’re thinking: too gimmicky. Well, I disagree.
Gimmicks have holes. Gimmicks get figured out. Gimmicks are limited. Gimmicks don’t last. No, this is not that. But to be successful, it does need commitment. Like an entire offseason dedicated to overhauling both the offensive personnel and the playbook. Maybe one offseason isn’t even enough. But, eventually, in the long run, it’ll be worth it.
Historically, the only advantage an offense had over a defense was the offense knew where the ball was going. Playing two dual-threat quarterbacks, albeit not the best throwers, will lead to endless possibilities, making it impossible to game plan for.
With Pryor alone, you’re already making a defense consider a number of options. Will they pass it, or will they run it? And if they run it, who will carry the ball?
Now, let’s say you have Pryor and Tebow in the same backfield. The options suddenly grow exponentially. Will Pryor take the snap or will Tebow? Will Pryor pass it, or will Tebow? Will Pryor run it, or will Tebow? Will Pryor toss it to Tebow for him to pass? Or vice versa? Or will they give it to the halfback while these two monsters lead the way downfield?
That’s a lot of questions for the defense to think about.
And just so we’re clear, I am not foolish enough to believe Tebow, or Pryor for that matter, has an arm like Tom Brady. But with what I’m suggesting, they don’t need a superstar arm. They just need an arm. By keeping the defense guessing with creative formations and play calling, receivers will be more open than they’ve ever been. And if no one is open, they can run.
In order to do this correctly, you need more than the right players. You need the right coaches. I believe offensive coordinator Greg Olson is the right man to put this all together. He has proven he can adapt his scheme to the talent on the field. After spending the entire offseason building a system around Matt Flynn, Olson had only days before Week 1 to change the offense to fit Pryor’s strengths. So far, I’m impressed. It’s not perfect, but it’s an improvement. It can also be assumed that Wildcat expert and offensive line Coach Tony Sparano could help this transition immensely.
Taking advantage of mismatches is only one of the benefits to this double dual-threat system. Another one is depth. One common criticism of running quarterbacks is that they often put themselves in the way of harm. We’ve seen Robert Griffin III go down. We’ve even seen Pryor miss action because of injury.
In both cases, the teams had to alter their offenses for their more traditional pocket-passing backups. This drastic shift trickles down to effect every position on offense, most notably the offensive line. Usually, an offense needs consistency and cohesion to be successful. It’s not mandatory, but definitely desired.
Ever since Griffin has returned to the field, Washington has taken a conservative approach, asking him to play more like Dan Marino than Randall Cunningham. This has clearly watered down his effectiveness. Not to say Pryor is Griffin, but if a team like the Raiders had two, three, or four of these dual-threats, without much separation talent-wise, injuries wouldn’t hurt nearly as much.
Of course, this kind of change would undoubtedly have its ups and downs. Although, with patience and the right talent, it will surely succeed. And what better franchise to blaze the trail than the Oakland Raiders? Al Davis would be proud.
