Quarterback-Friendly System: How the Shanahan/McVay Offense Maximizes QB Performance

It's the hardest position in sports. How can we make it easier?

The Shanahan/McVay system is notorious for producing “system quarterbacks.” To varying degrees, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, and others have all had that label, and for good reason, in my opinon. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The negative connotations with being a “system quarterback” center more around contracts, which is beyond the scope of my content, but one thing that all of the quarterbacks listed above have in common outside of wearing that label is that they have each had success at the NFL, and that is a common theme across this entire coaching tree. Most of them set some record when signing a contract, and most of them have also played in a Super Bowl. They may not have won it, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been successful starters in the NFL.

Don’t be confused. That is not a list that I would consider to be the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, only Goff would crack my personal Top 10. What is fascinating to me is the heights of success that some of them have achieved comes in spite of some limitations relative to the top quarterbacks in the game, and because it happens consistently across this offensive system, they received that label of “system quarterback.”

What it comes down to is that the offensive play callers in this system: Shanahan, McVay, McDaniel, LaFleur, Slowik, etc., are all masters at putting their players in position to succeed, especially at the quarterback position. I call it “quarterback-proofing” the offense. Quarterback is the most important position in sports, and it seems that without one, it is impossible to win at the highest level. Yes, the better the QB, the higher the ceiling (a la the Jared Goff - Matt Stafford trade and immediate Super Bowl victory), but it is possible to still have lots of success without a top QB, whether it’s the NFL or any level below it. As we dive into the 2024 season, I want to share some ideas I have taken from this system in order to “quarterback-proof” my offense and hope it can help troubleshoot any issues you might have arise this season.