by Will Fairbanks
The game has changed. The players have changed. Lastly, the rules have changed. Drew Brees recently broke Dan Marino's 1984 passing record of 5,084 yards with his own 5,476 yards passing. However, how much weight is actually attached to breaking the record? Some might say a lot, but I say very little. It is a rare accomplishment to surpass a record that has stood for 27 years, but with the way that the National Football League is shaping up, Brees could break his own record next year. Hell, Tebow could even do it in two or three years (based on his performance against Pittsburgh) but that won't happen. Marino set the record in a completely different era of football than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Brees.
First off, the professional game has changed completely. The way that offenses are now centered around the quarterback and his decision making is vastly different than before. Back in the 1970's and 1980's, teams were more centered around balanced and even more run-heavy offenses. Marino set the record in a time where the focus was not on the quarterback, making it more noteworthy that he could accomplish such a feat. Defenses were tougher, faster, and stronger than most offenses. Since then, offenses have grown to be quicker, more agile, and the systems more complex. Brady, Manning, and Brees all play in some of the most complex offensive systems in the game. The way that these offenses are structured, quarterbacks don't really need a spectacular running back or wide receiver. The offense simply needs players to fulfill certain roles because it is the quarterback who controls the flow of the game, not the running back (Chris Johnson & the Titans) or the wide receiver (Andre Johnson & the Texans). Teams draft or sign players to fulfill a necessity to the system. There isn't really a standout in any of these offenses. There isn't that one player (besides the QB) that is the star. For example, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker are products of their offensive system in New England. If it wasn't for the structure of the offense and Tom Brady, these players would not exist on their own. Welker never had notoriety in Miami; he gained it playing in New England's system. Another example, the Saints lost Reggie Bush to free agency but quickly filled the void by adding the same type of player in Darren Sproles.
Speaking of players, they are now physical freaks. Athletes are now focusing a lot more on the health and nutrition of their bodies. It is easy for these guys to run out on the field everyday and run with everyone else. When you look back to about 20 or so years ago, athletes were fit but they weren't so much focused on working out, busting out bench reps, and drinking nutritional shakes. With the money market of the game constantly growing, teams have had more money to invest in nutritional programs and training facilities. The availability of trainers has increased as well. Society has placed a growing emphasis on nutrition and athletes are more conscientious about what they eat. 20 years ago, this was not the case. New research and development in the health field have affected how these athletes prepare their bodies. They are taking supplements that did not exist in the past. Bill Romanowski was famous for how many supplements he would take daily to cater his body. He might have taken the wrong ones if you know what I'm sayin'.The most important factor in my argument has to be that the rules in football have changed. Rules changed to disallow defenses from playing tough on wideouts. The five yard essentially "bump-and-run" rule was created in 1978 and later in 1994. Offensive lineman were also allowed to put their hands up to block incoming defensive lineman. "The net result of the rule changes was that teams suddenly began passing the ball far more often and far more effectively. Passing attempts, passing yards and passing TDs skyrocketed in the early 1980s. Perhaps most notably, Dan Marino rewrote the record books with his 5,084 passing yards and 48 TDs in 1984. His numbers were Ruthian in their scope, literally unimaginable just seven years earlier: Back in 1977, Buffalo quarterback Joe Ferguson led the NFL with 2,803 passing yards while another Miami Hall of Famer, Bob Griese, topped the league with 22 TD tosses." This goes to show that Marino's record was nothing significant either. His numbers were a result of softer coverages and less physical play by defenses.
Also, in 2004, pass interference rules were strictly enforced after Bill Polian, the Colts GM at the time, complained about New England's rough play against them in the playoffs that year. After this, numbers again skyrocketed. "The very next season, Indy quarterback Peyton Manning went out and rewrote the record books, with 49 TD passes and a 121.1 passer rating that was nearly 10 points better than any that had come before it. The league-wide passer rating, meanwhile, jumped from 78.3 in 2003 to a record 82.8 in 2004."
Since 2007, offenses have been catered to. Rule changes have disallowed defensive players from lunging at quarterbacks legs to tackle them. Carson Palmer tore ligaments in his knee one year, and Tom Brady fell victim to the same injury the next year. Such injuries prompted this rule. More recently, roughing the passer calls have been on the rise. Defenses only have a few ways to get to the quarterback now. Mentally, it makes defenses hesitate before taking them down. I understand that the league has to what it can to protect the quarterback, but that is why passing numbers have gone up and the number of sacks have gone down over the years. A pressing issue relevant within the past two seasons is the "Defenseless player rule." Defenses have been required to alter the way they hit and tackle "defenseless" players going out for a catch or after throwing a pass. Due to this, receivers have broken more tackles, taken less hits, and have had more yardage receiving. Defenses have gotten penalized for targeting defenseless players and leading with the crown of their helmet. Because of this, mentalities have changed on defense and offenses have taken advantage of it. However, this "defenseless player" rule is another topic within itself.I understand that Drew Brees broke the record for most passing yards in a single season, but I disagree that it is any sort of major accomplishment. We have been seeing record setting numbers from all kinds of players on offense over the span of the last 10 years. Dan Marino's record was set during a time where offenses were just starting to adjust to tough, physical defenses. I will even go and say that Marino's record doesn't carry any significance because of the rule changes defenses endured in those days. Brees broke the record and that is that, but you have to understand that the game is changing and people are breaking records with ease because of the dynamics of the game, the athletes are a lot different, and rule changes have greatly impacted the way the defense can play against the opposing offense. The game is changing in many ways and records are going to be broken. Congratulations Drew Brees, but your record is going to get broken next year and probably the following year.
