Harrell’s Folly: Spread O in the NFL
From Andre Ware to Alex Smith, the NCAA has been throwing system quarterbacks in pass-heavy, shotgun schemes to the NFL for decades, and the NFL has been chewing them up and spitting them back out the whole time. While the college ranks can support formations in which five-receiver sets and minimal blocking allow protection problems to be overwhelmed by aerial advantages, the NFL is a faster, far more complicated, and far more physical game. When those same quarterbacks try the pros for size, they find that their inability to employ proper mechanics leave them ill-equipped for their new surroundings.
washingtonpost.com
2/24/09