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Single season passing record

The "its a different game now" comments have been eating at me so I thought I would do some research and found some fantastic articles.

NFL Analysis: Saints Drew Brees vs. Dolphins Dan Marino

I found this one while searching and thought it was interesting... Especially when people compare Brees, Brady, Rodgers, and Manning.
NFL Career Passing Yards per Game Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com

And while yes the rules have changed... QB's have gotten better (over all), and the NFL has become a passing league. I know there will be some debate to the QB's have become better comment but look at it in this way.
Athletes in the NFL have become stronger, bigger, faster... correct? So one could surmise that both QB's and receivers have become better at playing their position. So for the pundits that claim there should be an asterisk by Brees record that an ignorant stretch of the "whole truth". The whole truth is that Marino would be a top 3 QB in today's league because he was just that damn good, and the rule changes are only part of today's game. QB's arms are stronger, receivers are faster and stronger.

I have some more analysis I want to do but will wait until the season is complete so i can compare 16 games to 16 games...

If you want to start putting an asterisk by records then lets put some by Favre... * Modern medicine has extended his career enabling him to play 20 years.

How about another asterisk? * Brees did something that the modern day "greatest QB's to ever live" could not do... Neither Brady nor Manning have done this.

Asterisk is for baseball.

I don't know if I call it a passing league... You still have to be a pretty complete team to win. You have to run, you have to play D, and you have to throw. So calling it a passing league I cringe because its not really all you need these days to win SB and that is the goal.

With no rule changes passing wouldn't even exist in football. And it's not just football, it's every sport. You could find a reason to put an asterick on almost any record.

I called it a passing league because the NFL is trending in that direction.
Advanced NFL Stats: Run-Pass Balance--A Historical Analysis

Also.. I know this is a bold statement but if you look at the top 3 teams this year... Patriots, Packers, Saints... All three top three passing offenses, but in rushing Packers (27), Patriots (19), and Saints (9) <--- Quite frikken proud of that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beastmode (Post 361216)

With no rule changes passing wouldn't even exist in football.

Cant agree with that statement at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by x626xBlack (Post 361219)

Cant agree with that statement at all.

Passing didn't come around until 1906, mainly due to the number of deaths in college football...

In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport following a series of player deaths from injuries suffered during games. The response to this was the formation of what became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which set rules governing the sport. The rules committee considered widening the playing field to "open up" the game, but Harvard Stadium (the first large permanent football stadium) had recently been built at great expense; it would be rendered useless by a wider field. The rules committee legalized the forward pass instead. The first legal pass was thrown by Bradbury Robinson on September 5, 1906, playing for coach Eddie Cochems, who developed an early but sophisticated passing offense at Saint Louis University. Another rule change banned "mass momentum" plays (many of which, like the infamous "flying wedge

First of all.....NO asterisk!! Every other QB in the league is playing under the same rules, but for some reason (lack of ability, play calling, offensive scheme, etc) they couldn't achieve what Drew has done. The rules were not changed for Drew or AR or TB, they were put into effect for the entire league. Brees broke the record, so give Drew his Due.

Second, here's a pic that my son took on Monday night right after the record was broken......

While we're at it, let's put an asterisk behind Emmitt Smith's rushing record because he did it behind an All-Pro offensive line, while Walter Payton had to establish his record with a bunch of no-names.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44Champs (Post 361250)

He also had the Moose. First FB to make a Pro Bowl.

Worth repeating this extract:
NFL Analysis: Saints Drew Brees vs. Dolphins Dan Marino

Quote:

One of the unspoken assumptions when discussing Marino's 1984 record is that his record is a 'pure' or 'true' record, and the record set in 2011 is asterisked by the liberal passing rules of today's NFL. But do you know who's record he broke and when that was set? It was Dan Fouts in 1981. Before that the record belonged to...Fouts in 1980. And before that...Fouts in 1979. But prior that, the pro record was an AFL mark set by Joe Namath in 1967.

It's no coincidence that the record was set and reset in three consecutive years starting in 1979. The 1978 season was the first with modern passing rules. Most notably, contact with receivers was penalized beyond 5 yards and linemen were allowed to block with extended arms and open hands. That season was also the first lengthened from 14 to 16 regular season games. A record like 'total passing yards' is bound to be broken soon after those changes, and sure enough it was--repeatedly. The notion that the 1984 record was somehow pure or true, and the 2011 record is tainted due to rule changes is myopic in the extreme.

Marino was not a great quarterback because of his 1984 record--not at all, given that it was only 6 years after the tectonic changes of 1978. Marino was a great quarterback because he won games. But the fact that his record stood for 27 years despite more and more liberal passing is astonishing.