re: NFL GM wonders why NFL teams aren't designing offenses to help spread QBs

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I'm sure back in the 70s people were asking why the NFL teams didn't run the wishbone...

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Some did try to run the wishbone. Oakland especially went to the wishbone for a couple of years and almost got Jim Plunkett killed... which almost certainly shortened his career.

That ill-fated experiment in exposing your QB to the hits that come from pro-level defensive front sevens is still remembered. Reinforcement of the negatives when using a QB as a mult-purpose back have been numerous since that time. This is why most pro teams are pretty unwilling to run read-options today.

Note: A QB with ability to scramble such as Archie Manning or earlier, Fran Tarkington and Warren Moon, were not multi-purpose backs operating off of designed option plays. They were simply "mobile," which is an entirely different concept.