Post by Purple Pain on Oct 4, 2018 8:58:12 GMT -6
Six Reasons for the NFL’s Early Offensive Explosion by Albert Breer
Link: www.si.com/nfl/2018/10/04/nfl-offense-passing-records-through-four-weeks?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_medium=social
When Jared Goff’s plant foot hit grass at the bottom of his drop with 1:30 left in the first half last Thursday, there were eight Viking defenders within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. When he let the ball go, there was only one within 20 yards of new Ram Brandin Cooks, sprinting to the post. And the rest, really, was academic.
We’ve seen this scene unfold everywhere in the NFL this fall.
First down. Receiver coming uninterrupted off the line, and unbothered by the threat of contact. Defense geared to respect the run. Offense raring to take a shot. Touchdown.
“They are playing aggressively on early downs,” said one rival quarterbacks coach. “And that’s a trend sweeping the league.”
It’s sweeping the league, mainly because it’s working—and just as the league wants it to. With an influx of gunslinging young quarterbacks, rules changes geared towards juicing offenses, unintended consequences of other rules changes and coaches more open-minded than ever before, passing numbers and scoring have exploded. It’s like money play after money play, straight out of Madden 98.
Explaining it is a little more complicated than just hitting buttons. But the statistics are crystal clear:
• There have been 228 touchdown passes through four weeks, breaking the previous high-water mark of 205 (2013).
• The league’s collective completion percentage (65.4) and passer rating (94.5) are also four-week records, topping marks set in 2014 (64.3, 91.5).
• Passing yards through four weeks (32,215) also ran at an all-time high, edging the mark set in 2016 (31,616).
• Eleven quarterbacks have more than 1,200 yards through four weeks. The previous four-week high there was seven, in 2011.
• Seven quarterbacks have double-digit touchdown passes, and 10 have a triple-digit passer rating. Both are four-week high water marks.
• There have also been more touchdowns (344) and points (3030) through four weeks than ever before.
So what gives? We’re going to get to your mail and to players to watch for the weekend, both in college and the pros, in a minute, but we’re leading off this week’s Game Plan by working to tell you why the NFL’s longstanding desire for Big 12-style scoring and pyrotechnics came together in a wild September (and spilled over in Patrick Mahomes’ crazy October 1).
And after hitting up a bunch of coaches, on both sides of the ball, as well as scouts, the one-line conclusion I came to is that there is no one thing you can assign all of this to. Instead, it’s a number of changes, some made to push this offensive shift, and some helping the NFL get there organically. So let’s dive into the reasons, in no specific order:
1. Rule Changes
2. College Offenses
3. Analytics
4. Offseason Emphasis
5. QB Talent
6. Talent Elsewhere
So then the question becomes simple: Will it continue?
We’ve seen this scene unfold everywhere in the NFL this fall.
First down. Receiver coming uninterrupted off the line, and unbothered by the threat of contact. Defense geared to respect the run. Offense raring to take a shot. Touchdown.
“They are playing aggressively on early downs,” said one rival quarterbacks coach. “And that’s a trend sweeping the league.”
It’s sweeping the league, mainly because it’s working—and just as the league wants it to. With an influx of gunslinging young quarterbacks, rules changes geared towards juicing offenses, unintended consequences of other rules changes and coaches more open-minded than ever before, passing numbers and scoring have exploded. It’s like money play after money play, straight out of Madden 98.
Explaining it is a little more complicated than just hitting buttons. But the statistics are crystal clear:
• There have been 228 touchdown passes through four weeks, breaking the previous high-water mark of 205 (2013).
• The league’s collective completion percentage (65.4) and passer rating (94.5) are also four-week records, topping marks set in 2014 (64.3, 91.5).
• Passing yards through four weeks (32,215) also ran at an all-time high, edging the mark set in 2016 (31,616).
• Eleven quarterbacks have more than 1,200 yards through four weeks. The previous four-week high there was seven, in 2011.
• Seven quarterbacks have double-digit touchdown passes, and 10 have a triple-digit passer rating. Both are four-week high water marks.
• There have also been more touchdowns (344) and points (3030) through four weeks than ever before.
So what gives? We’re going to get to your mail and to players to watch for the weekend, both in college and the pros, in a minute, but we’re leading off this week’s Game Plan by working to tell you why the NFL’s longstanding desire for Big 12-style scoring and pyrotechnics came together in a wild September (and spilled over in Patrick Mahomes’ crazy October 1).
And after hitting up a bunch of coaches, on both sides of the ball, as well as scouts, the one-line conclusion I came to is that there is no one thing you can assign all of this to. Instead, it’s a number of changes, some made to push this offensive shift, and some helping the NFL get there organically. So let’s dive into the reasons, in no specific order:
1. Rule Changes
2. College Offenses
3. Analytics
4. Offseason Emphasis
5. QB Talent
6. Talent Elsewhere
So then the question becomes simple: Will it continue?
Link: www.si.com/nfl/2018/10/04/nfl-offense-passing-records-through-four-weeks?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_medium=social
... and neither is this Chris guy.