Quarterback

The quarterback is a position in the offensive backfield of American and Canadian football, directly behind players of the "line". He is generally the leader on the field, responsible for initiating play by receiving the snap of the ball from the center. For that purpose he lines up behind the center. The quarterback is considered to be the most important position in football.

After receiving the snap, the quarterback typically attempts to pass the ball or hand it to another player, but on occasion will attempt to advance it by running with it himself. The tackling of a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage is known as a sack.

That description covers the so-called "T" quarterback, meaning the quarterback in the T and formations derived from it. This is far and away the most common usage; however, not all formations have a quarterback, and in those that do, the quarterback is not necessarily positioned to take snaps.

The term quarterback has its origin in Scottish rugby, wherein backfield players, according to their customary distance behind the forwards, were designated "quarter back" (i.e. ¼ of the way back), "half back", and "full back". Eventually in rugby the English-Irish nomenclature prevailed, with halfback, three-quarters back, and fullback; in some places the term "five-eighths back" is used as well.

Changing roles

Traditionally the quarterback called the team's offensive plays while on the field, based on the flow of the game and a reading of the defense. The "plays" are pre-arranged and practiced plans the team will use to try to move the ball downfield. The play itself is given to the other offensive players in the huddle before the offensive team lines up for the "snap", which is the start of the offensive team's attempt to move the ball past the defense. From the high school level on up, quarterbacks often wear different colored jerseys than other players, to signify they are not to be hit by the defensive players during practice. These jerseys are often red, though other colors are used.

In recent years, with the rising importance of offensive coordinators and their reliance on scripted game plans and the use of headsets, the quarterback now usually receives which play to call from the coach on the sidelines. During the 1996 Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones fought to prevent QB/RB/WR/P Kordell Stewart from having such a headset, as he was not a traditional quarterback, unsuccessfully. Though quarterbacks occasionally change the play at the line of scrimmage, after viewing the defensive alignment, quarterbacks who routinely call their own plays have become rare, with Peyton Manning a notable exception (Manning's 2004 single-season passer rating of 121.1, a record, may have earned him that right). Prior to Peyton Manning, the last quarterback to call his own plays in this manner was the Buffalo Bills' Jim Kelly, who ran the "K-Gun", no-huddle offense during their Super Bowl heyday.

If time is running out in a game and the team with the ball needs to score quickly, the quarterback will usually lead his team on a hurry-up offense, and will often call his own plays because there is no time for a huddle or to receive a play from a coach on the sidelines.

The quarterback also often gets to choose the "count" of the cadence for the snap. The quarterback usually calls out the signal for the ball to be snapped and may optionally change the play at the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped by shouting out additional signals to the other players on his team. This is known as calling an audible. A typical cadence might be something like, "Down, Set, Hut", where the ball is snapped on "Hut". If an audible were to be called, it would be shouted somewhere between "Down" and "Hut". A common way to call an audible is to call out a color and number. One color is designated by the offense to signal a true audible, known as the "live color", and the number tells which play will be run. An example is "Blue, 42". If blue were the designated color, play number 42 would be run. If blue were not the designated color, no audible would be made and the play called in the huddle would be run. For strategy, the ball may be snapped on "Set" or after multiple shouts of "Hut" to catch the defensive team off guard. This is what is meant by the count of the cadence, or the "snap count". The quarterback may also use a hard count, where one word is yelled more loudly than the others. For example, it could be "down" "SET" "hut", "hut" being when the ball is actually snapped. The goal of this tactic is to try to draw the defensive linemen offsides.

In the modern game, quarterbacks are typically evaluated on their passing statistics, including total yardage, completion ratio, touchdowns, and the ability to avoid interceptions. Up through the 1990s, most of the prominent NFL quarterbacks were "drop back passers", who typically took between five and seven steps behind the line of scrimmage immediately after snapping the ball to look for an open passing receiver down field.

Dual threat quarterbacks

In recent years in the NFL, partially in response to more mobile defensive linemen and increased use of the "blitz" defense, there has been a resurgence in the importance of the "running quarterback", whose mobility, speed,and power allows him the opportunity to gain yardage by running around the outside of the defensive line, even after initially dropping back to pass. For example, in the 2004-2005 season Michael Vick rushed for 902 yards and 3 touchdowns, while only passing for 2313 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Although the emphasis of a quarterback's performance is still on his passing abilities, such running ability provides an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in the team's passing game.

Some of the first famous NFL quarterbacks ever to be known as threats for both their passing and running ability were Fran Tarkenton and Roger Staubach, both of whom played in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s. Quarterbacks of this ilk are sometimes known as "dual threat" quarterbacks, since they can gain yardage by either throwing or running the ball.

Other notable dual threat quarterbacks are Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Randall Cunningham (now retired), Jeff Garcia, Vince Young, Aaron Brooks and Damon Allen.

Truths and misconceptions

One misguided view of quarterbacks is that they can "win" football games in a similar way pitchers can dominate a game in baseball. Tremendous emphasis is placed on a quarterback's win-loss record even though the quarterback position relies heavily on the play of teammates around them. This is true of pitchers of baseball as well, but not to the same degree. Baseball pitchers with the ability to strike out opponents with devastating fastballs or with specialty pitches (like the knuckleball) can control a baseball game in a unique way.

Football quarterbacks, however, require five offensive linemen to protect them as they drop back, read the play of the defensive players, and deliver a pass to an area of the football field where they expect the receiver to be. This requires the line to block effectively, despite all manner of maneuvering on the part of the opposing defense, the receiver to run the route precisely, and the quarterback to deliver the ball perfectly in order for the play to result in positive yardage. If any one of those elements break down, the play could result in an incomplete pass or a turnover, such as an interception or fumble. When football first became a professional sport in America, very few football teams passed the ball because of all the variables that needed to fall into place for the pass to work. Today, certain professional teams pass more than they run, such as the Indianapolis Colts.

There was once a period when people openly questioned whether or not an African-American quarterback could "win" a Super Bowl. This was proven false when Doug Williams quarterbacked the 1986 Washington Redskins in their Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos.

Despite the difficulty, certain quarterbacks are more able to win big games than others even with comparable talent. Peyton Manning and Dan Marino are famous for failing in the postseason after being the best in the regular season. John Elway was also assumed to be a failure until he won 2 Super Bowls in his last 2 seasons. Quarterbacks such as Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Brett Favre, and Tom Brady always seemed to find a way to win in the postseason. The quarterbacks typically regarded as the greatest by fans are the ones that are at their best at the end of a game, rather than the guys that have the best stats because football games, especially at the professional level are typically between fairly evenly-matched teams and games are usually close to the end. However, this isn't always the case.

Great Quarterbacks

Ranking great quarterbacks is a hot topic among many sports fans. Many analysts contend that numbers are the most important stat when determining who the greatest quarterbacks are. Many other analysts, on the other hand, believe that quarterbacks are the unquestioned leaders of their teams, and that their greatness is best measured by championships and winning games. Dan Marino, who currently holds almost every major career passing record in the NFL, is considered among the greatest of all time despite the fact that he never won a Super Bowl while playing for Miami. Contrarily, Joe Montana is considered among the all-time elite for orchestrating his teams to four Super Bowl titles despite not having gaudy career stats.

Opposers of the championship debate state that many mediocre NFL quarterbacks, such as Trent Dilfer, have won championships, while some of the most prolific, such as Marino, have not - even though everyone would agree that Marino is a better quarterback than Dilfer. Many also contend that some quarterbacks get "lucky" by being products of their team's systems (the most well-known example being Tom Brady, who has won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots). Supporters of the championship debate state that every athlete competes for championships, and that ALL athletes agree that numbers mean nothing without championships.

Through all the debate, there is general agreement about a handful of "great" professional quarterbacks.

Troy Aikman led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories in four years, the first to accomplish the feat. Aikman earned MVP honors in Super Bowl XXVII, and won 90 games in the 1990's, the most by any quarterback in any decade. Aikman is remembered for his leadership, both on and off the field, his incredible accuracy, and his success in the post-season.
Damon Allen played his entire career in the Canadian Football League but his numbers are staggering, having recently passed the 70,000 career passing yards mark, and is soon likely to pass Warren Moon in all time passing in professional football.
Terry Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowl titles, a feat he accomplished with the Pittsburgh Steelers between 1975 and 1980. He won the NFL MVP award in 1978 and also collected two Super Bowl MVP awards, and was a considerable dual-threat quarterback, recording 32 touchdowns on the ground in his career.
John Elway led the Denver Broncos to consecutive championships in 1998 and 1999, winning the Super Bowl MVP award in his last professional game. Elway remains the only five-time Super Bowl starter, and he holds records for the most wins and the best winning percentage by any quarterback. He ranks near the top of almost every major passing category.
Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to their first Super Bowl championship in 29 years in 1997. Favre's "gunslinger" attitude helped him win three straight MVP awards (no one else in NFL history has won more than two). Favre has started every game for the Packers since 1992 and, in the twilight of his career, ranks near the top of almost every major NFL passing category.
Otto Graham's Cleveland Browns compiled an incredible 105-17-4 record during his tenure, and Graham led his AAFC teams to four AAFC championships. In the Browns' first season in the NFL, Graham led his team to the NFL championship, and Graham closed out his career with another NFL championship in 1955. He won two MVP awards.
Dan Marino currently possesses almost every major passing record in the NFL, including passing yards in a season and career passing yards. His 1984 season, culminating in an NFL MVP award and an AFC championship, is considered one of the two or three greatest single seasons by a quarterback in history.
Joe Montana won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers during the 1980s, and became most famous for his incredible poise and leadership in pressure-packed situations. He also holds many NFL postseason records, and is the only three-time Super Bowl MVP.
Warren Moon is currently the only player enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He won five consecutive Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos. He ranks among the top of the all-time NFL passers in almost every major category; combining his CFL and NFL stats gives him a staggering career total of over 70,000 yards, the highest total over a career in history.
Joe Namath was the center of a monumental shift in professional football when he guaranteed and then delivered the greatest upset in the sport's history - a Super Bowl III victory with his AFL champion New York Jets over the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. In addition, he remains the only quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a 14-game season.
Bart Starr remains the only quarterback in history to win five NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls, and won the first two Super Bowl MVP awards, all with the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. He might be best known for calling his own quarterback sneak during the Ice Bowl to win the NFL championship in 1967.
Roger Staubach won Super Bowl titles with the Dallas Cowboys in 1972 and 1977. He may be best known for being the first quarterback to fully utilize quarterback scrambles, and at his retirement, his 83.4 career passer rating was the highest of all time.
Fran Tarkenton never won a Super Bowl, but he retired after 18 seasons as the most decorated quarterback in history up to that point, holding almost every major passing record. Tarkenton was one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks in history as well - he recorded over 3600 yards and 32 touchdowns rushing in his career.
Johnny Unitas set many standards for NFL quarterbacks today. He was the first quarterback to throw for over 40,000 yards, and holds the record for most consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass, at 47. He won a championship in 1958 in "Greatest Game Ever Played", and won another title the next year.
Steve Young, the southpaw for the 49ers, won two NFL MVPs (including the one in which he set the second-highest single season passer rating). He had perhaps the most dominating performance by any player in Super Bowl history in 1995, when he led all players in rushing and passing yards and threw for six touchdown passes.

In today's generation of football, two quarterbacks seem most likely to end their careers among the game's all-time greats: the aforementioned Tom Brady, who has three championship rings, and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, who rapidly continues to post incredible stats in every passing category (though he has yet to reach a Super Bowl).

See Category:American football quarterbacks for notable individuals.

Notable Retired Quarterbacks

Notable Current Quarterbacks

External links

Sports Illustrated's 10 Best Journeymen
Quarterback Drills - Football plays & drills resource for coaches & players.