Is Tom Brady right about the NFL being a cave of mediocrity? | National Football League

nitrogenOr maybe the physical sports market itself is like the NFL. Footage of rabid fans adoring legends, countless hours of preparation before games, the insane popularity of fantasy football, alternate broadcasts, and the drive for international growth. For much of the past two decades, no league has provided as much red meat to its marketing department as the NFL. But in terms of on-field performance, this season has been underwhelming from an offensive standpoint, especially at quarterback.

Tom Brady, who has played in many big games during his 23-year NFL career, lashed out on ESPN super pundit Stephen A Smith’s radio show earlier this week The current situation of football.

“I don’t see the excellence that I’ve seen in the past,” Brady said. “I don’t think the coaching is as good as it used to be. I don’t think the development of young players is as good as it used to be. “I don’t think the programs are as good as they used to be. “

Brady’s words were harsh, but he wasn’t entirely wrong, especially when it came to the lack of player development. Many young quarterbacks stepping into the spotlight are replacing future Hall of Famers who have retired or aged over the past few years. In addition to Brady, we said goodbye to Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and Philip Rivers. Yeah, we can throw Matt Ryan in there too. Some succession plans work better than others — like Justin Herbert, when his receivers decided to catch the ball and his coach didn’t screw up game management — but most don’t. Teams are increasingly using unprepared quarterbacks due to rookie salary levels while they slash the salary cap elsewhere, modeled after the likes of Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jalen of the Philadelphia Eagles and A formula that teams like Hurts and San Francisco have deployed perfectly. 49ers vs. Brock Purdy.

Ten first-year quarterbacks made their first start this season, breaking the previous record of nine quarterbacks set in 2019. Of these 10 quarterbacks, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans is the only one worth watching every week, and he’s proven himself to be a great quarterback. A shrewd organizer. It’s easy to get excited about undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito, a backup with the New York Giants who lives at home and is having an incredible run against command — even if that’s largely due to Washington’s frequent Mistakes — but it’s not like anyone is losing sleep. Looking forward to his next game. The truth is, most of these rookies will be lucky enough to make an NFL roster within a few years.

Some fans believe part of the reason for the decline in entertainment is that we’re long past the days of Brady vs. Rodgers or (Peyton) Manning vs. Brees in the same week with one side as the older generation fades away. Ryan v. Rivers – These slates often bring about the breathtaking NFL hype that makes us happy to dedicate our entire Sunday to football.

Of course, these matchups are very interesting because they had years of development and penetration. The hope is that those rivalries will be replaced by new ones, like the Mahomes-Hurts matchup we saw this week on Monday Night Football. After all, Mahomes is already on his way to the Hall of Fame. There are plenty of great young quarterbacks in the NFL who could join him, such as Hurts, Herbert, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. However, it now appears that we are still a few years away from the NFL’s young permutations becoming a competition to rival those of Brady and Manning.

As for young quarterbacks who aren’t on the level of Mahomes, Hurts or Burrow, it doesn’t help their development to have so many terrible players roaming the sidelines in the NFL. Just ask the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields; clearly Matt Eberflus isn’t conducive to his development. It’s no fault of its own that Fields has a window to thrive under a true offensive wizard. Before Jim Harbaugh resurrected his career and Andy Reid helped him realize his dream, Alex Smith was on a very rare trajectory as a bust in San Francisco . (Then again, Reed himself is rarely seen.)

Now, we’re left with a bunch of incompetent head coaches fighting for their jobs while eliminating struggling young quarterbacks. The increasingly shorter strings on the head coaching job coupled with the premature exit of young quarterbacks is bad for the position and, by extension, NFL offenses. How can the quarterback and offense remain sustainable in the current environment?

The consequences are completely valid. Yes, there are some great offenses like the Miami Dolphins with Tyreek Hill in charge. But scoring dropped for the fourth straight season. In 2021, teams are averaging 45.9 points. This season, teams are averaging 43.3 points, and the NFL is on track to have its lowest-scoring season since 2009.

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The drop in scoring isn’t just due to a poor offense, though. The NFL is a cyclical league where offenses dominate for a while and then defenses catch up and the whole process starts over again. Moreover, the league is currently in a period of defensive innovation. As college offensive schemes were adopted and flourished in the NFL, defensive coordinators turned to colleges to find their own solutions.

This year’s most influential defensive coaches — Baltimore’s Mike McDonald, New York’s Robert Saleh, Kansas City’s Steve Spagnuolo and Dallas’ Dan Quinn — have turned to college tactics to help cover the defense and disrupt the quarterback.

It’s worth noting that defensive coordinators have adopted a college style of “reverse post”: applying early pressure down low and from deep in an attempt to force a lethal play. Those pressures are compounded by a charcuterie board of zone pressures, read blitzes, single grabbers and so-called crawlers. In the ensuing slump, the defense began to back away and the field was packed with players, forcing the quarterback to roll the ball downfield. At every level of the defense, there are more moving parts than ever before, more quarterbacks to decode quickly, and that’s for young players trying to establish themselves in a league where players are faster, stronger, and better. is particularly difficult. Smarter than the people they met in college.

Of course, injuries to the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Burrow and Kirk Cousins ​​are obviously a factor, affecting not only scoring but overall watchability. But the league’s quarterback-friendly rules should also increase offensive numbers to offset defensive innovation. Then again, most offensive lines haven’t caught up with the dominant passing era that now defines the NFL. It would be easy for football purists to be content with watching hybrid defensive star Micah Parsons perform, but when faced with Washington’s porous offensive line and center Sam Howell, the situation It’s different.

It’s the best and the best that moves the most, and that’s what has the NFL water cooler talking all week. But the current state of the NFL feels very disappointing.