In addition to their main role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. In the past, many teams utilized a backup quarterback as their
holder on placekicks. A benefit of using quarterbacks as holders is that it would be easier to pull off a fake field goal attempt, but many coaches today prefer to use
punters as holders because a punter will have far more time in practice sessions to work with the kicker than any quarterback would. In the
Wildcat formation, where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball themself, a play known as a
quick kick.
Denver Broncos quarterback
John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
Randall Cunningham, an
All-America punter in college, was also known to punt the ball occasionally, and was assigned as the team's default punter for certain situations, such as when the team was backed up inside their own five-yard line. As
Roger Staubach's backup,
Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Danny White was also the team's
punter, opening strategic possibilities for coach Tom Landry. Ascending to the starting role upon Staubach's retirement, White held his position as the team's punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to
All-American standard at
Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the
halfback option.
Special tactics If quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play. For example, if a quarterback receives the call to execute a running play, but they notice that the defense is ready to
blitz—that is, to send additional defenders across the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle the quarterback or short their ability to pass—the quarterback may want to change the play. To do this, the quarterback yells a special code, like "Blue 42" or "Texas 29", which tells the offense to switch to a specific play or formation. Quarterbacks can also "
spike" (throw the football at the ground) to stop the official game clock. For example, if a team is down by a field goal with only seconds remaining, a quarterback may spike the ball to prevent the game clock from running out. This usually allows the field goal unit to come onto the field, or attempt a final "
Hail Mary pass". However, if a team is winning, a quarterback can keep the clock running by
kneeling after the snap. This is normally done when the opposing team has no timeouts and there is little time left in the game, as it allows a team to burn up the remaining time on the clock without risking a turnover or injury.
Dual-threat quarterbacks , a member of the NFC team at the NFL's
2006 Pro Bowl, uses his mobility to elude Hall of Fame edge rusher
Dwight Freeney A dual-threat quarterback possesses the skills and physique to run with the ball if necessary. With the rise of several blitz-heavy defensive schemes and increasingly faster defensive players, the importance of a mobile quarterback has been redefined. While arm power, accuracy, and
pocket presence—the ability to successfully operate from within the "pocket" formed by his blockers—are still the most important quarterback virtues, the ability to elude or run past defenders creates an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in a team's passing and running game. Dual-threat quarterbacks have historically been more prolific at the college level. Typically, a quarterback with exceptional quickness is used in an option offense, which allows the quarterback to hand the ball off, run it themself or pitch it to a running back shadowing them to the outside. This type of offense forces defenders to commit to the running back up the middle, the quarterback around the end or the running back trailing the quarterback. It is then that the quarterback has the "option" to identify which matchup is most favorable to the offense as the play unfolds and exploit that defensive weakness. In the college game, many schools employ several plays that are designed for the quarterback to run with the ball. This is much less common in professional football, except for a
quarterback sneak, a play that involves the quarterback diving forward behind the offensive line to gain a small amount of yardage, but there is still an emphasis on being mobile enough to escape a heavy
pass rush. Historically, high-profile dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL were uncommon—among the notable exceptions were
Steve Young and
John Elway, who led their teams to one and five Super Bowl appearances respectively; and
Michael Vick, whose rushing ability was a rarity in the early 2000s, although he never led his team to a Super Bowl. In the 2010s, quarterbacks with dual-threat capabilities have become more popular. Current NFL quarterbacks considered to be dual-threats include
Russell Wilson,
Lamar Jackson, and
Josh Allen.
Two-quarterback system Some teams employ a strategy that involves the use of more than one quarterback during the course of a game. This is more common at lower levels of football, such as high school or small college, but rare in major college or professional football. There are four circumstances in which a two-quarterback system may be used. The first is when a team is in the process of determining which quarterback will eventually be the starter, and may choose to use each quarterback for part of the game in order to compare the performances. For instance, the
Seattle Seahawks'
Pete Carroll used the preseason games in 2012 to select
Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback over
Matt Flynn and
Tarvaris Jackson. The second is a starter–reliever system, in which the starting quarterback splits the regular season playing time with the backup quarterback, although the former will start playoff games. This strategy is rare, and was last seen in the NFL in the "WoodStrock" combination of
Don Strock and
David Woodley, which took the Miami Dolphins to the
Epic in Miami in 1982 and
Super Bowl XVII the following year. The starter–reliever system is distinct from a one-off situation in which a starter is benched in favor of the backup because the switch is part of the game plan (usually if the starter is playing poorly for that game), and the expectation is that the two players will assume the same roles game after game. The third is if a coach decides that the team has two quarterbacks who are equally effective and proceeds to rotate the quarterbacks at predetermined intervals, such as after each quarter or after each series. Southern California high school football team
Corona Centennial operated this model during the 2014 football season, rotating quarterbacks after every series. In a game against the
Chicago Bears in week 7 of the 1971 season,
Dallas Cowboys head coach
Tom Landry alternated
Roger Staubach and
Craig Morton on each play, sending in the quarterbacks with the playcall from the sideline. The fourth, still occasionally seen in major-college football, is the use of different quarterbacks in different game or down-and-distance situations. Generally this involves a running quarterback and a passing quarterback in an option or wishbone offense. In Canadian football, quarterback sneaks or other runs in short-yardage situations tend to be successful as a result of the distance between the
offensive and
defensive lines being one yard.
Drew Tate, a quarterback for the
Calgary Stampeders, was primarily used in short-yardage situations and led the CFL in rushing touchdowns during the
2014 season with 10 scores as the backup to
Bo Levi Mitchell. This strategy had all but disappeared from professional American football, but returned to some extent with the advent of the "wildcat" offense. There is debate within football circles as to the effectiveness of the so-called "two-quarterback system". Many coaches and media personnel remain skeptical of the model. Teams such as USC (Southern California), OSU (Oklahoma State), Northwestern and smaller West Georgia have utilized the two-quarterback system; West Georgia, for example, uses the system due to the skillsets of its quarterbacks. As recently as 2020, Oregon, who had two quarterbacks capable of starting (Boston College transfer
Anthony Brown and sophomore
Tyler Shough), utilized a similar tactic in the
2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, giving Shough the start but inserting the dual-threat Brown on short-yardage plays, red zone situations and the final drive of the game. Teams like these use this situation because of the advantages it gives them against defenses of the other team, so that the defense is unable to adjust to their gameplan. ==History==