Breaking new ground

When Drew Brees passed Dan Marino’s single season passing yardage record last weekend, it was not greeted with fanfare and calls for Brees to be held up as the best QB ever, he probably is only the 3r best at the position in the league after all, behind Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers (I’ll let you put them in order!).

So why is this? Do these old records now mean nothing, or has the game changed unrecognisably from the day of the 1984 Dolphins?

Dan Marino threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, in a league where running the ball was a larger part of every offense than it is today, so in one way, you could argue that the record was set in a situation harder than today, as Marino had less passing attempts per season. However, you could also say that due to teams running to ball more, defenses were easier to pass on in 1984 than they are today, when teams expect passing more than rushing.

So this is where a balanced offense should surely help QB’s. However, the Packers, Patriots and Saints do not have a marquee running back, and employ a committee just to keep opposing defenses honest. But keeping defenses on their toes with inventive runners who can contribute out of the backfield, like Thomas and Sproles at New Orleans, has worked wonders this season.

Speaking of defenses, it is important that there have been lots of rule changes from 1984, when defensive players could hold receivers and deliver big hits without fear of penalties or fines. They could also get after Quarterbacks in a way that would never be allowed today, and with the way triggermen have been dropping like flies this season, you could only imagine the carnage that a 1984 defense would inflict.

It is doubtful that, even with his Marino-esque pinpoint accuracy, Brees would have found Marques Colston wide open for a 50 yard touchdown in every other game back in the 80’s, Colston would have been levelled at the line of scrimmage, or Brees would have been hammered while he was hoping for his now customary age in the pocket.

Today, defenses in the league play with one hand tied behind their backs, with an astronomically high number of holding penalties, interference calls and illegal contact flags, and this all serves to make defensive coordinators very cautious with their game plans, closing down zones instead of receivers, and throwing less men into blitz packages.

This added time for both QB’s and receivers to make a play has greatly improved the chances of a huge passing game, and has gradually made the role of the offensive line one of the most vital in football. If you can protect your Quarterback, you can win football games. The New England Patriots are arguably the best at this, because they know that without Brady upright, they have very little chance of being successful.

The increasing importance of the offensive line in the passing game has also changed the way teams run the ball. Due to defenses expecting pass more than run, more huge rushing gains are ripped off now than they ever have been. Look at Chris Johnson, he’s had a poor season by his standards, yet is still on to get 1,000 rushing yards, so not only is the 300 yard passing game and 4,700 yard passing season being replaced by the 400 yard and 5,000 yard equivalent of this gold standard, but the 1000 yard rushing season is being replaced too.

Maurice Jones Drew could rush for 1,500 yards and the NFL’s top rusher title this weekend, not a massive number if you look at the record books, but there are already 13 men over 1000 rushing yards, and there could end up being as many as 16. If Matt Forte, Fred Jackson, DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson hadn’t got injured, there could be TWENTY running backs over 1,000 yards. So it’s rushing records as well that are breaking new ground, even though this season’s half backs have not reached the heights of CJ2K in 2009.

We can see that the whole of the NFL offense is being revolutionised, taking on a more college option look to it, with QB’s who can scramble, run and throw under pressure, RB’s who can be a factor out of the backfield as well, and explosive pass catching tight ends. More weaponry for offenses and pure pocket passers to work with equals more yards, it’s a simple equation.

The NFL is a winners league, and to win, you have to evolve, and just like the last generation of revolutionary great passers and rushers in the NFL, the class of the twenty first century is rewriting the record books, and just as it did before, the NFL will move with the times, creating new heroes and new pinnacles of football achievement.

Each record however, must be taken in context to when it was set and the different conditions that it was set in, and if you’re asking me, I will always say that Dan Marino’s 5,084 yards in 1984 is better than the 5,100 plus yards that Drew Brees and Tom Brady will throw this year… unless they get their hands on the Lombardi Trophy in early February. But that’s a long way away.