If we are going to have a "dual" threat at QB then he has to at least show the run from time to time.
With a guy like Hurts, that's an ever-present threat. Blake Sims was a legit running threat that the defense had to account for, he did it without running much more than some other Alabama quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts needed more practice and discipline as a passer, and resolution to that was not for him to run over 10 times per game.
Imagine this scenario. And I spelled this out several games ago, imagine that each game Hurts ran a few less times, and instead had short easy passing plays (something he had a lot less of this year). What happens? Well Hurts works on distributing the ball a bit more, the playmakers are going to be happier because they got more touches, and how could that have negatively impacted the team? Did Hurts need to run the ball 11 times against Colorado State? 10 times against Ole Miss? 10 times against Arkansas? etc... Instead you have playmakers getting less touches, who are not as involved in the plays and I can't imagine how they could be happy with that.
Nothing was gained by doing that in those scenarios. Someone else could have and should have had the ball in their hands on those plays, and clearly there's a price that came due later in the season. Going forward, distributing the ball more has to be a top priority, and I contend that it is more important to simply get the ball out of the quarterback's hands faster, than it is to draw up some beautiful downfield play.