Going into the game I thought the Panthers would neutralize the Broncos pass rush by having QB Newton run. The Panthers ran the option a couple of times and a couple of times Newton ran for yards. But not enough. Newton was credited with 6 runs (there were also 6 sacks). Contrast that with Newton's BCS championship game where he ran the ball 22 times! The reluctance in the NFL to having the QB run is real and based on experience. The defenders are bigger, faster and they hit much harder than in college. Even in the biggest game of the year the Panthers opted to try to win on their QB's arm and not with his legs and superior athleticism.

If the NFL were to change rules to make its game less violent I believe one of the consequences would be play calling more similar to what we see in college.