They've called this past (nearly completed) NFL season "the season of the backup quarterback". That's due to all the injuries to high-level starting quarterbacks. And as this Washington Post article discusses, the evolution of the game to where offense is heavily dominated by passing, combined with an increase in both the speed and size of pass rushers, makes injuries to quarterbacks inevitable.
Not mentioned is injuries to both defensive backs and receivers due to more pass receptions followed by high-speed, high-impact tackles. But that's another problem.
I may not live to see it, but given some of the changes already occurring at the youth football level (with California moving to end tackle football for younger players), I could predict that in 20-25 years, tackle football will be largely extinct in favor of flag football -- already being played by women. And one upside of this evolution would be a return to the running game!
"With offensive lines laboring to block an abundance of wondrously athletic pass rushers, the NFL seems to have completed a shift from an era of offensive fireworks to a grim reality that defenses are prepared to make quarterbacks pay for being so reliant on the pass."
 |
| Ooof. |
No comments:
Post a Comment