LA Rams: Blending pocket and mobile QB myths debunked

There has been a bit of a myth running in NFL circles regarding the incompatibility of a traditional pocket-passer quarterback versus the dual-threat mobile quarterback. Whether a past chapter of the NFL is now considered obsolete or some machination of a stubborn mindset that promoted a traditional pocket passer and fought the influx of more fluid and mobile quarterbacks, I cannot say. All I know now is two things: I used to believe that an NFL playbook for the two versions of quarterbacks was vastly different. Secondly, I was wrong. Very wrong.

The fun thing about putting thoughts into the internet for others to read, analyze, and pick apart is the need to remain open-minded. Things change, and not always in the direction you can foresee or are comfortable with.  Sometimes you can wake up and everything makes complete sense. On other days? Not so much.

But in doing a bit of research over the home opener against Andy Dalton and the Chicago Bears, I came across a rather informative article by Chicago Bears Senior Writer Larry Meyer who was asked about how the Bears offense would construct offensive playbooks for two vastly different quarterback styles for Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. His response was superb, but let me pull out a key segment:

"“here’s what he (Pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo) said about game-planning for Andy Dalton and Justin Fields: “This is not the first time that a lot of us in this organization have had a quarterback that’s had a unique skillset in terms of being able to run the football. When you get down to it, the nuts and bolts of your game plan, if you’re going from one guy to another, there’s really only 10 or 12 concepts or ideas that are really different from what you’re going to do from one guy to the next. But it’s not like we’re going to line up and run triple option wishbone with Justin Fields and not with Andy Dalton. The core of your offense stays the same, because there are 10 other guys on offense as well. You just may tailor it here and there to what that quarterback does well. That’s a good question because I think people have the tendency to think you have two call sheets, and that’s not the case.” – John DeFilippo as per Larry Meyer, Chicago Bears Senior Writer"

That’s a lot to digest. But it was bona fide details as John DeFilippo has been a very reputable quarterbacks coach in the NFL for 17 years.

So let’s peel back some of the myths. For example, what about the belief over two different offensive playbooks?