So-Called System Quarterbacks Can Still Succeed in Modern NFL

System quarterbacks. Can't trust 'em, right?

That's what some scouts might have you believe in the run up to every NFL draft. It's a label attached exclusively to the "con" column of any given prospect looking to make a splash, more notably those who might be taken in the first round.

Marcus Mariota is just the latest top prospect to have that label affixed to his draft stock. But should it matter? Is there any use in the saying nowadays?

Of course, there is more to it than this. The "system quarterback" label is used almost in fear of the unknown: Can the quarterback make NFL throws? Is he able to line up under center? Can he deal with a regular huddle? Can he go through progressions?

These are certainly valid questions. But these are questions that should be answerable during draft season.

We just finished watching the combine where we got some answers. A few so-called system quarterbacks gave poor answers with their performances—UCLA's Brett Hundley and Baylor's Bryce Petty looked every bit as unpolished and risky as feared.

Mariota? Oregon's Heisman-winning quarterback not only blew away the competition in all the track events, but he showed out during the throwing portion of the day, far ahead of everyone not named Jameis Winston.

Doug Farrar made a poignant observation in his analysis of Mariota from the combine for SI.com:

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Mariota is better than advertised in certain nuances of the passing game, especially timing and anticipation. Just because he didn't make those types of throws at Oregon doesn't mean he can't when given the opportunity.

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Some of that we won't be able to tell until the bullets are flying on game day in the NFL, but he certainly showed he was more than a gimmick in college. 

Being labeled a system quarterback isn't a death sentence, however. Here is what one scout told the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn about Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers way back in 2005:

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He's a system quarterback. 3-, 5-, 7-step guy. Can't create on his own. Panics under pressure. Gets flustered easy. I don't think there's a quarterback in the draft worthy of a first-round pick. I'm dead serious. None of them are worth it.

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Tom Brady was long considered a system quarterback in the NFL, even after his record-breaking 2007 season for the New England Patriots. Seattle's Russell Wilson is following in Brady's footsteps, down to being labeled a game manager.

Jim Kelly ran the no-huddle to four straight Super Bowl losses with the Buffalo Bills. Warren Moon was masterful in the run-and-shoot with the Houston Oilers. Joe Montana became the greatest quarterback in NFL history in Bill Walsh's West Coast offense with the San Francisco 49ers.

We can play this game with just about anyone, and there have certainly been busts. This isn't a binary thing. A quarterback can play in a good system and still be a good quarterback. So we look beyond the system and the numbers it invariably created.

Here are Mariota's stunning statistics:

Year	Pass Pct	Pass Yds	Pass Y/A	Pass AY/A	Pass TD	Int	Rate	Rush Att	Rush Yds	Rush TD
2012	68.5	2677	8	9.1	32	6	163.2	106	752	5
2013	63.5	3665	9.5	10.6	31	4	167.7	96	715	9
2014	68.3	4454	10	11.5	42	4	181.7	135	770	15
Career	66.8	10796	9.3	10.5	105	14	171.8	337	2237	29

In contrast, Jameis Winston played in a pro-style offense, which somehow excuses him for having a far inferior season, including throwing 18 interceptions.

Year	Pass Pct	Pass Yds	Pass Y/A	Pass AY/A	Pass TD	Int	Rate	Rush Att	Rush Yds	Rush TD
2013	66.9	4057	10.6	11.5	40	10	184.8	88	219	4
2014	65.3	3907	8.4	7.7	25	18	145.5	57	65	3
Career	66	7964	9.4	9.4	65	28	163.3	145	284	7

That is not to say Winston isn't as good as people say. He very much is worth the No. 1 pick in the draft, as many are speculating he will be—but why does he seemingly get a pass while Mariota gets the stink eye?

Well, even Winston hasn't gotten away without being called a system quarterback. Here is what Yahoo Sports' Eric Adelson recently wrote about him:  

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Yet there are credible arguments that he is a "system quarterback," with Fisher being the "system." His first-half lethargy throughout the 2014 season, followed by swashbuckling second-half comebacks, suggests it was Fisher who helped Winston figure out defenses at halftime.

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Mariota was the top-rated quarterback in the country against FBS opponents. Winston ranked 28th. Oregon's juggernaut of an offense certainly had something to do with that, but when it comes down to it, every quarterback coming out of college is a "system quarterback." It's an incorrect, outdated description that isn't very useful.

Some systems are pro-style while others are spread offenses, and evaluating them becomes tricky. Whatever the case, no prospect comes without risk.

The NFL itself is a different world than it was even a few years ago. Guys like Wilson, San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, Carolina's Cam Newton and Washington's Robert Griffin III and even Kansas City's Alex Smith have proved—albeit with mixed and sometimes depressing results—that quarterbacks with similar attributes can succeed in the pros.

Some of the troubles that have befallen these guys are great examples of coaching and personnel that can bedevil development. Is there any doubt a guy such as Chip Kelly would maximize Mariota in Philadelphia should he have the chance? 

We've already discussed what other system quarterbacks can do.

You take the shots you are given. Any team with a demonstrable need at quarterback should be champing at the bit to draft Winston or Mariota, labels be damned.