People were doubting him, just for the simple fact they hadn't seen me play and Kearse went to the Pro Bowl. In the season opener Culpepper, who runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.5 seconds, ran for three touchdowns, but he has demonstrated, by spreading his passes around to receivers other than Moss and Carter, that he is not just a running quarterback. He is, to use Green's words, a quarterback who runs. This is the way the NFL is headed, many believe. With defensive linemen and linebackers running 40-yard dashes in 4.6 seconds and better, pocket passers are on the verge of extinction.
Quarterbacks now have to be able to run.
He doesn't do the quarterback slide, he tries to 'Jim Brown' you. Teams are daring the inexperienced quarterback to beat them, and Culpepper is obliging them. In the Vikings' last outing, two Sundays ago, New England decided to play with five or more defensive backs most of the day, allowing safeties to help cover the top on both Carter and Moss. If they want to take Cris and Randy away, then I come to the tight end or the back underneath. If they want to take that away as well, then I can run it.