Quote Originally Posted by Patler View Post
Cunningham was very fast. Per an article I saw today, he claims to have run a 4.29 in the 40 once, and was actually timed at 4.4, which is impressive since QBs did not work out for running speed and quickness like they do today. In his prime Vick was certainly faster and quicker than Cunningham ever was, but Cunningham was pretty impressive for his time.

I don't agree that Vick was a more skilled passer. Going on memory yesterday, I would have said Cunningham was the better passer; but after looking at their career stats, they are remarkably similar in completion %, int. %, avg/comp., QB rating, etc. Even their best seasons stats for passing are quite similar.

Vick may have taken the concept of a running QB to a more productive level, but he was by no means the originator of the concept.

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Well a 4.4 would be impressive because I remember his size as much as his speed.

But I don't read the ESPN article as a comment about all of football history. I think he is talking about the present passer situation, although its not explicitly stated, that seems to be the context of the question he was asked.

And I do think, more than any modern running QB, he was the guy who coaches were willing to tailor their offense for. And that was new. The real argument is whether Vick represented a generational upgrade in skills, or if coaches had decided that a franchise QB was more important than a lesser skilled, but traditional, pocket passer.

Interestingly, Cunningham's greatest success came in a system devoted to deep passing in Minnesota.