Oakland Raiders: Would a Quarterback Rotation Work?

There has been a lot of talk in New York about the possibility of Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez sharing the role of starting quarterback for the Jets because of their different styles of play, with Sanchez as the pocket passer and Tebow as the threat to run.

That got me thinking; would that work with Carson Palmer and Terrelle Pryor?

Dennis Allen and Jason Tarver are bringing many changes to the Raiders' defense, that much we know.  But is Greg Knapp planning any more changes to the offense other than his West Coast playbook and change to zone-blocking?

I think that if anyone were to try this sort of offense in Oakland, it would have been former coach Hue Jackson.  Looking back at all of the trick plays he liked to call, I think he would have been the one to try a two-QB offense.  I don't recall seeing many trick plays from Knapp when he was here several years ago.

Is it worth considering for Knapp to use the skill-sets of two of his quarterbacks to complement each other like you would see with strong and fast running backs, or possession receivers with fast receivers?

I don't think this would work for any team, not just the Raiders.  While it sounds simple to have Pryor do the running and Palmer do the passing that would be the problem, it's simple.  Much like it would be with the Jets, defenses would know what to expect when they see Tebow break the huddle.  He wasn't so dangerous when he was forced to pass.

A quarterback like Michael Vick can make it work because he can run and pass.  Terrelle Pryor is still young and inexperienced in the NFL, making it dangerous to have him throw.  When he would break the huddle, the defense could immediately look for the run.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see some trick plays and wildcat formations from the Raiders using the skills of Pryor, but not so much to make it a two-QB offense. Pryor running the option with McFadden out of the Wildcat formation a few times per game would be the next best thing since Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn ran it in Atlanta.