Randall Cunningham. Steve Young. Lamar Jackson.
The list of highly mobile quarterbacks considered the best runners of all time is a short one but the one guy missing from the list above is unanimously considered the best of all.
Michael Vick.
Micahel Vick was masterful with his legs and unlike any quarterback ever. He was the kind of guy you’d watch and think that no other QB would ever break his rushing records. He still holds all the rushing records for quarterbacks in Atlanta but his rushing record as a Philadelphia Eagle has come to an end. He can blame Eagles QB Jalen Hurts for that.
On Sunday evening in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football, Hurts electrified the Philadelphia home crowd at Lincoln Financial Field as he sprinted his way to 157 yards rushing and into Philly lore. It also broke Vick’s franchise record of 130 yards rushing by a QB. Don’t forget no other franchise has had more great running QBs than the Eagles with Cunningham, Vick, Donovan McNabb, and now Hurts playing under center.
For his part, Hurts credited those exact players for his success running the ball.
“I have great respect for those guys,” Hurts said after being asked about breaking the record. ”Randall, Mike, McNabb. The guys that came before me.”
Those three certainly paved the way as all three were fan favorites in Philadelphia during their time and part of it was the way they could create with their legs when a play broke down. Where Cunningham and Vick ran with speed, McNabb wasn’t nearly as fast as the other two but he was huge, ran well, and could run defenders over. Hurts is both. His combination of speed and power makes him difficult not only to catch but to bring down.
On the season, Hurts is up to 597 yards rushing to go along with eight TDs on the ground. Asked how he got so many yards in Sunday’s game, Hurts answered the way he always should.
“I ran and they couldn’t get me.”
It looks as if they won’t be catching him anytime soon, either.
