Down year for QBs

[Sup]

It's all just Bryce dragging the average down*.

 

 

 

*I'm joking, but there is a little bit of truth to it. A better QB would have probably thrown for 40 more yards a game which would bump up the league avg more than a yard.

[csx]

Rushing attempts are the same as 10 years ago. Passing attempts are down.

Possibly related to less good qbs and coaches playing the clock differently 

[mav1234]

40 minutes ago, Growl said:

even if it ticks up a bit, ypg is still like ~25 yards smaller than it was a decade ago. 
 

the game has changed. 

Absolutely over a decade there are fewer yards thrown per game. I was mostly responding to the OP about shifting priorities for teams and how the stability in recent times and continued emphasis on QB makes that seem unlikely to me.

[CRA]

11 hours ago, NAS said:

I personally love to see balance and parity in the NFL. Defenses have adjusted to the passing attacks and have made it difficult to play QB again. For a while it seemed like anyone can do it.  Hopefully it also means they will stop overpaying QBs and invest in other assets, win as a team rather than just relying on elite QBs. Resurgence of the running game has brought the game back to where it was about 15-20 years ago.  

team are playing lots of 2 high shell trying to take away the big plays.  But I mean, defenses being scared of QB play.....aids the run game.  I mean, don't pay the QB and have the threat....the safeties aren't going to be fixated on taking away the deep pass and can play the run and cheat on pass attempts. 

I think what you are seeing is the most elite QBs are flat out being game planned for to take away the big play.  But if you aren't an elite QB and vertical threat QB.....defenses flat out aren't going to make that league wide shift on your offense.  Take a Bryce.  I would imagine most of his INTs are made by opposing safties over the course of his career (who aren't taking away the vertical but cheating to make plays on the intermediate balls)

[kungfoodude]

25 minutes ago, csx said:

Rushing attempts are the same as 10 years ago. Passing attempts are down.

Possibly related to less good qbs and coaches playing the clock differently 

Rushing attempts PG are actually the 5th lowest since 1990.

[csx]

7 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Rushing attempts PG are actually the 5th lowest since 1990.

They have been the same per game the past decade 

 

[kungfoodude]

Just now, csx said:

They have been the same per game the past decade 

 

The variance back to 1990 was only 2.4. If anything, the rushing attempts have been one of the most stable aspects over that span.

Output had some significant variance and efficiency. It was the passing offense that was far more volatile.

[kungfoodude]

42 minutes ago, Sup said:

It's all just Bryce dragging the average down*.

 

 

 

*I'm joking, but there is a little bit of truth to it. A better QB would have probably thrown for 40 more yards a game which would bump up the league avg more than a yard.

He isn't the last QB in YPG. There are a few actually below him.

[ImfromClayton]

I LOVE threads like this with different opinions and a topic we can actually discuss other than "The QB/HC/OC sux" so thank you!

I do agree with your premise. The NFL is always changing, and defenses are having to find ways to adjust to these incredible offenses. I think talent on both sides of the ball is at an all time high, and the rules favor the offense more than ever. I think you're seeing multiple things. 

1) QB has never been harder. The things QBs are now asked to do presnap are nothing like what they used to be. Offensive coordinators have gotten so good, and so creative. The best ones are the guys that can convey that to their QB and players better than the others. There's nobody in the NFL calling plays that doesn't understand offensive football, you just have guys that don't teach it well. Sean McVay really changed the way a lot of offenses run, and it's a copycat league, so most orgs have taken a lot of the nuance he brought to the game. Small things like intentionally sending the WR to the wrong side of the formation, and then running him back across presnap are now all over the league, nearly ever snap. It's motion without the motion. 

2) Defenses have gotten so much more creative. It's insane to watch the things defenses do to disguise coverage now.  If you don't disguise your coverages consistently now, you're going to get ripped apart. Almost every snap is reminiscent of the old "Radar" defense to me now. It's fascinating to watch. I also think you're seeing a lot of blown coverage as a result of this stuff, but we've always had blown coverage.

3) The WR and Corner talent is ridiculous. I don't think we've ever seen guys this big, this fast, or this strong playing WR or Corner ever. and some of them are all three! There are corners that you shouldn't throw the ball to their guy, period. There are WR that can win every matchup. There have always been some dominant guys, but I do think what we are seeing is special. 

Finally, the best QBs are always going to be able to figure it out. I think that's how you see the statistical outliers that we see sometimes in this data. Furthermore, I think it explains the mid career resurgence we see in so many guys this day and time. It takes a while to figure this stuff out. They do not run stuff this complicated on offense for sure in college, and most defenses don't do anything like we are seeing either. 

[cranky]

5 hours ago, csx said:

Rushing attempts are the same as 10 years ago. Passing attempts are down.

Possibly related to less good qbs and coaches playing the clock differently 

10 years ago you didn't have rushing QB's like you have today. Jackson, Allen, Hurts, Nix, Williams, etc. Maybe part of the drop off is from QB's running it more often instead of attempting passes. 

Running QB's have changed the way the game is played and QB's are measured statistically.

[csx]

4 minutes ago, cranky said:

10 years ago you didn't have rushing QB's like you have today. Jackson, Allen, Hurts, Nix, Williams, etc. Maybe part of the drop off is from QB's running it more often instead of attempting passes. 

Running QB's have changed the way the game is played and QB's are measured statistically.

I thought about that. Certainly could be a factor. Even if it's not a standout runner all the more recent qbs seem to run a little more than the classic pocket passers of 10 + years back 

Edited 3 hours ago by csx

[CPF4LIFE]

Great...that means we shouldn't have to pay crazy money to a qb either. 

[LinvilleGorge]

It happens when the best QB in the game's team sucks, another MVP caliber guy in Burrow misses most of the year, last year's ROY misses most of the year, etc. 

Everything in the game goes in waves. Right now defenses are largely focusing on a bend but don't break approach trying to limit big plays and bowing up in the redzone so offenses are adapting and focusing on trying to get the ball out fast and play small ball because those plays are largely going to be there as long as they can have a credible downfield threat. 

[Basbear]

Defenses have the edge at this time.

Believe it or not Cam started the "college" offense migration into the NFL, that zone read was a problem for years.....Until defenses started to hit the QB no matter what. 

I always blamed the "old school" guard for not trying college systems/plays, WHO gives a good GD sooo long the play gains yards and the defenses has no answer!!! It was soooo Stoopid. They didn't want their #1 or first round QB on field with plays he was comfy with?? What the hell line of thinking was that!?!?!? It was force their BS system on a young mind and not win the dam the game. They didn't want to get replaced, scared bed wetters....

Plus Ive said this for years, all teams run similar offenses. If the play works, it may look different pre-snap, but that if that OC is smart he will implement concepts into his style of offense. Mike Martz had the whole league copying him, why cause his offense caused huge problems, DUH!! He started the whole calling a run/pass on the same play, it screwed up teams for years. Its the same for any bright mind, the plays are only good if you use them and they do each week- Andy Reid, Shanny, Mcvay, Payton ALL copy each other. They are always looking for a edge and miss-match, which was a big thing not long ago too force a miss-match. Now nearly all top 20 teams have 3 WRs that will bust your ass, along with a good-great TE and RB. Its just the current league, you need to be ready each week cause here coming a UNIT that's ready to drop 40+ if you are not ready.

Rams don't need a punter if they are switched on. Its takes another brilliant mind like Bill Bellicheat to figure how to slow down juggernaut offenses. The amount of teams that used Bills methods after he showed the league how to stop teams, people just don't know. Mcvay is back on fire, but Bill showed the league the blueprint to stopping MCvay.....couple years and Mcvay is back on top just killing the score board.  

Edited 1 hour ago by Basbear