How a running quarterback impacts Luke Getsy’s offense

Antonio Pierce has hinted at getting a runner under center, here is a look into why

With the NFL Draft steadily approaching, the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback situation has been and will continue to be a widely discussed topic. At the league’s annual meeting last week, head coach Antonio Pierce was asked what type of quarterback he hated facing and responded, “A damn runner!”

While that may or may not be a direct correlation to what type of QB Pierce would like to target in the draft, there are a few other signals that the head coach is seeking a mobile passer rather than one that rarely leaves the pocket.

For one, just about all of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class can use their legs. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy all had at least 39 rushing attempts and over 300 rushing yards last season, per Pro Football Focus. Bo Nix fell just short of that threshold — 34 carries and 256 yards — and Michael Penix Jr. turned some heads at his pro day with his unofficial 4.46 40-time.

[Note: unlike the NCAA’s stats, PFF removes sacks from a quarterback’s rushing yards which is why you might see different numbers elsewhere.]

Also, Pierce hired Luke Getsy as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator this offseason and Getsy has experience working with a running quarterback after spending the last two years with Justin Fields in Chicago.

Fields rushed for 1,800 yards over the last two years with the Bears and a big reason for that is the quarterback’s skillset allowed Getsy to be a creative play-caller in the running game, helping the offense get a numbers advantage as the clips below highlight.

We’ll start with a standard read option that you’ve probably seen hundreds of times if you watch a lot of college football. What makes this play call an advantage for the offense is instead of having to block seven defenders with six offensive players (five offensive linemen and one tight end), the offense has a two-on-two matchup, not including the ball carrier.

The tight end can take care of the defensive back lined up in the box on the line of scrimmage and the wide receiver has the corner at the top of the screen. Now, on this play specifically, the right tackle misses his block on the linebacker which negates that advantage. However, that’s not as big of a deal because the quarterback has time/space to read that, cut upfield and make the backer miss to still pick up seven yards on first and 10.

This next rep is a cleaner look as the running back goes to the strong side of the formation and the quarterback keeps the ball and runs weak. Now, Fields still has to make the linebacker miss since the offensive line blocks as if the running back keeps the ball, but that’s a lot of space for that defender to cover.

Plus, since the quarterback can run, he’s able to use his shiftiness and speed to beat the backer to the edge and pick up another chunk gain on the ground. These types of plays put a lot of stress on second- and third-level defenders.

Here is a wrinkle that the defense has to account for in Gesty’s scheme when he has a running quarterback. This may look like a read option, but notice how the unblocked defender at the top of the screen (No. 31) stays home and the quarterback keeps the ball anyway. This is a designed keep and the tight end working across the formation (No. 35) serves as the lead blocker on the unblocked defender.

The other aspect of this play design that is a pain for the defense is the backfield action looks just like a standard inside split-zone run where, typically, the running back gets the ball and runs to the right A-gap or wherever the hole opens. That forces the linebackers to stay home — and they bite pretty hard on the running back in this case — where the offense has two blockers to take care of two defenders, creating an easy six- to seven-yard gain.

Pin-and-pull running concepts are a part of most offensive playbooks in some shape or form. The play call can catch defenses off-guard by having wide receivers and/or tight ends crack block to pin the linebackers inside and an offensive lineman or two pull to take care of any defensive backs, creating an outside rushing lane. However, the design is even more effective with a running quarterback as Getsy shows here.

Instead of giving the ball to the running back, the back serves as a lead blocker. Now, the offense has six frontside players (three offensive linemen, a tight end, a wide receiver and a running back) to block six frontside defenders (two defensive linemen, two corners and two linebackers). In other words, the offense has a numbers advantage.

When executed well like in the clip above, it’s an easy first down for the quarterback as Fields doesn’t even get touched until about six yards into the run, and he barely gets contacted at that.

Another way having a running quarterback allowed Getsy to create deception in the ground game was by faking one play with the running back and having the quarterback keep the ball and run to the other side of the formation. Here, Chicago initially shows a counter run to the weak side, but Fields and the tight end essentially bootleg to the strong side.

Take a look at what that does to the linebackers. Both flow downhill and with the running back and end up out of position because the ball goes to the other side of the formation. Again, the offense has enough blockers to account for each defender on the playside and it’s an easy chunk gain on the ground.

This next rep is almost the opposite of the last one. The Bears fake the toss to the running back on the weak side and run counter with the quarterback to the strong side. That action gets the linebacker (No. 57) out of the box and forces the safety (No. 31) to come downhill. That creates a more favorable matchup for the tight end blocking on the second level and, along with nice blocks by the pullers, gives the quarterback a good lane to run through.

Obviously, the play above isn’t a run but it shows another example of how a mobile quarterback can open up the playbook and put a lot of stress on linebackers. Any play-action pass is difficult for a backer to defend, but it’s even more frustrating when the quarterback is involved in the run fake because defenses don’t see that every week.

Here, the strongside linebacker (No. 46) sees Fields executing the fake and starts to flow with what he thinks is the play design. However, Fields bootlegs to the other side of the formation, and the wide receiver running a crossing route is wide open in the middle of the field. Also, this is a nice levels concept as the other linebacker takes the cheese by following the tight end on the drag route.